Doorstep Twins / The Cowboy's Adopted Daughter

Little did they know she’d met the boys’ father. To her dismay he was doing nothing to prevent her from taking his children out of the country, out of his life.

Gabi hurt for his sons.

She hurt so horribly she could scarcely bear it, but she had to handle it because that was her agreement with Andreas. She would honor her commitment even if it was killing her.

With a tortured sigh she reached for the phone on the dresser. Her best friend Jasmin knew she was coming home and probably wanted to find out her flight number and time. But when she saw who’d sent the message, her adrenaline kicked in, causing her heart to thud.

I just arrived in Heraklion. When you’ve put the twins to bed, meet me at the park. I’ll wait till morning if I have to because we need to talk. A.

She had to stifle her cry of joy. This meant Leon had been having second thoughts about letting his children slip away without making some arrangement to see them again. It meant she would have contact with Andreas one more time. Gabi wished her pulse didn’t race faster at the thought.

After shutting the suitcase, she hurried to her bedroom to change. She slipped off her T-shirt and jeans, then reached for the tan pleated pants and kelly green cotton top she’d left out to wear on the plane tomorrow.

Once she’d run the brush through her curls and put on lipstick, she poked her head around the door of the nursery. Her parents were absorbed with the children, too busy to be unduly curious about her. “I’m going out for a few minutes to pick up some things at the store.”

“Don’t be too long,” her dad cautioned in between singing to Nikos off-key. The scene melted her heart.

“I won’t.”

A minute later she waved to the guard at the sentry and headed in the direction of the park. Because of the reflection from the water, twilight brought out the beauty of the Greek islands, but never more so than tonight. It was Andreas’s fault. The knowledge he was waiting for her had added that magical quality.

Maybe this was how Thea had felt when she’d met Leon that evening aboard the yacht, as if the heavens were close for a moment and one of the twin gods from Olympus had come near enough for a human to touch.

He’d come close all right, so close he’d touched her with two little mortals, and now his twin, the powerful god Andreas, was here to parlay a deal between the two worlds. When Gabi thought of him in that light, the stars left her eyes and sanity returned.

Tonight he wasn’t dressed like a god. She spied him at the fountain wearing a cream sport shirt and khakis. No one else was about. Instead of expensive hand-sewn leather shoes, he’d worn sandals like everyone else walking along the beachfront.

He watched her coming, but didn’t make a move toward her. “Yassou, Gabi.”

“Hi!” Keep it airy. “I came the minute I got your message because Mother and I have an early morning flight to Athens.”

“I’m aware of that.” He stood with his hands on his hips, emanating a stunning male virility. “Before you go anywhere, I have something in mind I’d like to discuss with you.”

She blinked. “Why isn’t Leon with you?”

Andreas studied her for a long moment. “I think you know the answer to that question.”

Gabi was afraid she did, but Andreas’s presence confused her. “Then I don’t understand why you’re here.”

“Because I don’t want you to leave Greece.”

She struggled to stifle her moan. Of all the things he might have said, his blunt answer wasn’t even on her list. Now if Rand had said, “I don’t want you to leave Austin…” But he hadn’t said anything. As for Andreas, she knew his agenda had nothing to do with her personally.

“I don’t understand.”

He took a deep breath. “Leon’s in a panic right now, but in another day or two he’s going to conquer it. When he does, the children need to be here, not clear across the Atlantic.”

Gabi was the one starting to panic and shook her head. “I can’t stay on Crete.”

His pewter gaze pierced her. “Why not?”

“B-because my parents need to get their life back,” she stammered. “The boys and I need our own home.”

He took a step closer. “You’ve had a home here for months. I would imagine your parents will be devastated when the babies are gone. Therefore that couldn’t be the real reason you’re so anxious to take flight. Do you have a lover in Alexandria waiting for you?”

Taking the out he’d proffered, she said, “As a matter of fact I do. Not that it’s anyone’s business.” While she spoke, she watched a young couple who’d wandered into the park and had started kissing.

“You’re lying. Otherwise he’d have flown here to whisk you and the children back to Virginia weeks ago.” The comment had come out more like a soft hiss. He would make a terrifying adversary if crossed.

She turned her eyes away from the amorous couple. “If you must know, I want the children to myself.”

“So they’ll know you’re their mother,” he deduced. “That makes perfect sense, but you don’t have to go to Virginia to do that.”

Gabi sucked in her breath. “I don’t have the means to earn a living right now and Dad’s home in Alexandria is paid for. With my savings and his financial help, it will work until they’re in school and I can go to work.”

He shook his dark head. “I’ve learned enough to know your father has the means to help you move into your own place here on Crete where you and the boys can be close by but still independent. Why are you afraid to tell me the truth? What’s going on?”

Andreas saw too much. “There are already too many questions being asked about the paternity of the twins. My parents don’t know anything. If it got out about your brother and Thea, my family as well as yours would suffer and you know it. That’s why I want to take them back with me.”

“Out of sight, out of mind, you mean.”

“Yes.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “That might work for a while, but it’s inevitable the day will arrive when the secret comes out. They always do. By then the damage will be far worse, not only for the families involved but for the twins themselves.”

“I realize that, but for the present I don’t know what else to do. There’s—” She stopped herself in time, but Andreas immediately picked up on it.

“What were you going to say?”

“N-nothing.”

“Tell me!” he demanded.

Feeling shaky, she said, “I should never have come to your office.”

“That isn’t what you were about to blurt.”

The man had radar. At this point she had no choice but to tell him. Not everything, but enough to satisfy him.

Taking a few steps, she sank down on the park bench. He followed, but stood near her with his tanned fingers curled around the back railing. “Thea’s husband would love to hurt our family for backing her in the divorce. He’s capable of making trouble that could make things unpleasant for Leon, too.”

“You’re talking about Dimitri Paulos.”

Gabi got up from the bench. “How did you know?”

His eyes played over her. “I did a background check. Thea’s passport alerted me she has an ex. Has he threatened you personally, Gabi?”

She pressed her lips together. “No, but suffice it to say he was furious when Thea divorced him. If not for diplomatic immunity through Dad, I don’t even want to think what might have happened to her. Dimitri considered her his possession. Thea was convinced he’d hired a man to follow her everywhere.”

One black brow lifted sardonically. “My father and I have had business dealings with Dimitri’s father in Athens. I’m familiar with his son’s more devious methods.”

That shouldn’t have surprised Gabi. Andreas knew everything. “The trouble is, before she died she told me he was still out for blood wanting to know who made her pregnant. If he were to learn your brother is the father of her twins, he’d love to feed that kind of gossip to the newspapers just to be ugly.”

“He can try,” Andreas muttered with unconscious hauteur. After a palpable silence he said, “Since your parents must be waiting for you, I’ll walk you back.”

Gabi shook her head. “That won’t be necessary.”

“I insist.”

He cupped her elbow and they started walking. Far too aware of his touch, she eased away from him as soon as they reached the street and moved ahead at a more brisk pace, but his long strides kept up with her.

When she nodded to the guard doing sentry duty, she thought of course Andreas would say goodnight. Instead he continued on through the front courtyard with her.

She halted. “You don’t need to see me all the way to the front door.”

“But I do. I want to speak to your parents.”

What? Her body tautened in defense. “No, Andreas! My parents aren’t involved in this. That’s the way I want it to stay. If Leon decides to claim the children, then I’ll tell them everything. If there’s any discussion about this, he’s the one who needs to do it.”

He cocked his head. “In an ideal world, it would work that way, but he’s not ready yet.”

That was obvious enough.

Reaching out, Andreas grasped her upper arms gently. She wished he wouldn’t do that. It sent too many disturbing sensations through her body. Her awareness of him was overpowering.

“I have a plan that will solve our immediate problem, Gabi, but you’re going to have to trust me.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Thea trusted me. Now look what’s happening because I broke my promise to her. After her wretched divorce and subsequent death, my parents have suffered enough pain.” Her voice throbbed. “Please just go.” She stepped away from him.

His jaw hardened. “I can’t, not when things haven’t been resolved yet. You know the saying about being forewarned. If our two families know the truth and unite now, no power later on can shake our worlds. Don’t you see?”

Yes. She could see there was no talking Andreas out of this. He wasn’t the acting head of the Simonides Corporation for nothing. Gabi had only herself to blame. He’d asked her to trust him. Up until a minute ago she’d thought she could. But to go any further with this was like flying blind.

“I—I don’t even know if they’re still up.” Her voice faltered.

“Then call them on your cell and alert them you’ve brought someone home with you.”

She lowered her head. “I can’t do that.”

“Then I will because they deserve to know exactly what’s going on.”

A shiver raced through her body. Andreas had just put his finger on the thing tormenting her most. She’d hated doing all this behind her parents’ backs. Defeated by his logic and her own guilt, she opened her purse and pulled out her phone. When she pushed the programmed digit, her mother answered on the second ring.

“Hi, darling? Where are you? I thought you’d be home before now.”

She turned her back on Andreas. “When I went out, it was to meet a man I arranged to see in Athens the other day. He’s with me now and wants to talk to you and Dad. I realize this sounds very cryptic.”

The silence on the other end told its own story. “Do we know him?”

Gabi swallowed hard. “No, but you know of him by reputation.” You and everyone in Greece.

“What’s his name?”

“Andreas Simonides.”

“Good heavens!” When the Simonides yacht was occasionally spotted outside Heraklion harbor, the whole city knew about it.

Gabi closed her eyes tightly for a second. “I realize it’s getting late, but this is of vital importance. Prepare Dad, will you?”

“Of course. The babies are asleep. We’ll be waiting for you in the salon.”

“Thanks, Mom. You’re one in a billion.”

Andreas eyed her as she put the phone back in her purse. “If you were looking for a job, I’d hire you as my personal assistant on your integrity and discretion alone.”

She’d just received the supreme compliment from him, but the last thing she’d ever want to be was his personal secretary or anything else that put her in such close proximity to him for business reasons. No way would she allow herself to be put in emotional jeopardy like that again.

“Shall we go in?” She led the way to the front door and opened it. The salon was to the right of the main foyer where Gabi found her parents. Blonde and fit, she thought they were the most attractive people she knew. Andreas wouldn’t be able to help but like their soft-spoken manner.

After she made the introductions, he sat forward in one of the chairs opposite the couch where they were seated. Gabi sat in another matching chair, knowing her parents were dying of curiosity.

“I’ve noticed you staring at me,” Andreas began without preamble. “No doubt you’ve seen your grandsons’ resemblance to me. That’s because their father Leonides is my brother. We’re identical twins, too. Twins run in the family.”

While her parents digested that startling piece of information he said, “Nikos and Kris have an uncle Gus and two aunts, Melina and Leila. Until Gabi came to my office on Friday evening, my parents had ten grandchildren. But after our chat, I realized that number has grown to twelve.”

“But this is unbelievable!” Gabi’s mother exploded. She actually sounded relieved as she looked at Gabi’s father. His burnished face had broken out in a smile, the last reaction Gabi would have imagined from either parent.

Andreas sent Gabi a satisfied glance. “Later, she’ll fill you in on all the hows and whys of our first meeting. The important thing to know is that on Saturday, Leon met the children at the park.

“Unfortunately he’s not ready to claim them yet. His wife Deline knows about his one-night relationship with your daughter Thea while he and Deline were separated. His pain and guilt over what he’d done drove him to go home the next day and talk everything out with her.

“It took a lot of gut-wrenching sessions and tears, but she eventually forgave him because she wasn’t without her faults in the marriage, either. But that was a year ago and she has yet to learn he fathered two children. That’s the hurdle facing him as we speak.”

Gabi’s parents squeezed hands.

“When Leon tells Deline about the twins, it could break up their marriage, possibly for good. The irony here is that they’ve been trying for a baby since the day they got married. It was one of the reasons they quarreled in the first place. She claimed he worked too hard and wasn’t home long enough for them to start a family. So far they haven’t been successful.”

The added revelation hurt Gabi a little bit more. There’d been too much suffering all the way around.

“They’d been separated a while at the time he met Thea aboard the yacht. She’d come with a big group of friends, but Leon didn’t know them. His friends had arranged it in order to party and cheer him up. His wife Deline had just told him she wanted a permanent separation. In his grief, he acted out unwisely. It doesn’t excuse him for what he did, but it does explain his actions that night.”

Gabi’s father sat forward. “I’m afraid my daughter acted just as irresponsibly. Her marriage never took. When she won her divorce after a long battle, she made a wrong choice that night.”

Andreas frowned, his brows black above his gray eyes. “Even if he was separated from his wife at the time, my brother’s in a bad way because of his shame over making love to a virtual stranger when he was already married. His shame is even worse because he knows your daughter has passed away leaving two beautiful little babies who are his. Believe me, he’s in anguish right now.”

“He would be,” her father murmured.

“Leon’s my best friend, Mr. Turner. I know his heart.”

Gabi bowed her head. She heard the love and the caring in his tone. He really was a wonderful man.

“In another day or two when he’s found the courage to tell his wife, he’s going to want to see the children again and meet you. Hopefully at that point he’ll be able to make some decisions in their best interest.”

“I don’t envy him,” Gabi’s mother murmured.

Neither did Gabi, but her thoughts were also on Andreas. This was no shallow man. The depth to his character kept hitting her harder and faster. Only a few days ago she’d thought he had ice water in his veins.

“I’ve come here tonight to urge Gabi not to go back to Virginia yet. I believe that if she stays in Greece another week where the children are accessible, something good will come of this.

“But she’s told me her fears about Thea’s ex-husband, Dimitri Paulos. I know him and his family through business. Apparently he became hostile when your daughter asked for a divorce. That’s his way. Gabi’s worried he’s going to keep nosing around until he finds out who fathered Thea’s twins. She’s afraid that if he learns it’s Leon, he’ll expose him to the press.”

Her mother nodded. “He’d do it without a qualm.”

By now Gabi’s father had gotten to his feet. “I’m afraid he turned on me when I helped my daughter obtain her divorce.”

“It happens. But by the time my brother comes to grips with this situation one way or the other, it will have lost its sensational value. For now I’d like to suggest Gabi and the children be removed to an undisclosed place that’s still close enough for Leon to have immediate access.”

Gabi blinked. “Where?”

Andreas shot her a penetrating look. “I know the perfect spot,” he said with authority and got to his feet. “It’s late. Walk me out and we’ll talk about it.”

The next few minutes were a blur while her parents thanked him for his frank speaking and dealing with this delicate situation headon. Before he joined her at the front door, there’d been hugs to welcome the twins’ uncle to the family. The man was endowed with charm from the gods.

She went outside with him. The balmy night air seemed to make the moment more intimate somehow. Strange little tingles brought an ache to her hands. When she looked up at him, she felt her body come to life with feelings she’d thought Rand had killed. But it wasn’t true.

This couldn’t be happening again. It just couldn’t!

In the semi-darkness she felt his piercing gaze travel over her features. “Gabi?” he said her name in his deep voice. “Will you continue to trust me for a little while longer?”

It was hard to swallow. “After approaching you first, I’m hardly in a position to refuse now. Do your parents know anything yet?”

“No. Leon wants to tell them when he’s ready.”

“So you have to continue to be the keeper of all the secrets.”

“I don’t mind.”

No, because she was learning what kind of a man he really was. “You have a lot on your shoulders.”

“So do you. In fact you’ve inherited the bulk by taking care of the twins. I’d like to help you with that. We’ll think of it as a vacation time for both of us. After all, they’re part my flesh and blood.”

“Andreas? Are you married, too?” Before she took another breath she needed the answer to that question. “I haven’t seen a wedding ring, but I realize some men don’t wear them.”

In the silence that followed, she felt his sudden tension. “I’m still single. You don’t need to be worried I’m keeping secrets from a wife or neglecting her for Leon’s sake.”

Single. His answer frightened her because she no longer trusted herself around him. When she’d promised to never let a man get under her skin again, Andreas had already found entrance, slipping past her guard totally undetected.

“W-where is this safe place?” she stammered.

“On Milos, in a little village called Apollonia. I realize you’re leaving in the morning, but I hope you’ll give my idea serious thought. Either way I’ll expect a call from you later tonight. Sleep well, despinis.”

Chapter Four

ANDREAS had two phone calls to make. The first was one he’d known was coming ever since Gabi had entered his office, or rather blown in with that head of curly golden hair and eyes like the periwinkle bougainvillea outside his villa door.

Like the Venus de Milo unearthed in the ancient town of Milos where he used to dig around the ruins as a boy, Gabi’s feminine shape appealed to his senses. With his six-foot-three height, he’d never been partial to shorter women or blondes until now, a fact that surprised the daylights out of him.

Her guileless honesty combined with her intensity had intrigued him. If he were to admit to all the traits he’d found fascinating and endearing since watching her with the twins, the list would be endless.

Something earthshaking had happened to him. Already he felt a changed man. Right or wrong, his desire to be with Gabi was so profound, he realized he had to break it off with Irena.

To feel this way about another woman wasn’t fair to her. He hadn’t planned for this to happen. It just did…

Maybe Andreas’s feelings for Gabi would die a quick death, but until that eventuality he had to explore them because he’d never known this kind of excitement over a woman in his life. Somewhere in his gut he knew these feelings weren’t all on his side. Gabi wouldn’t have asked him if he was married if her emotions weren’t involved, too.

Tonight, when they were outside the consulate, it was all he could do not to pull her in his arms and kiss them both into oblivion.

After his shower he hitched a towel around his hips and reached for his cell. It rang until Irena’s voice mail came on. Frustrated because this wasn’t something he wanted to do by phone anyway, he started to click off when he heard her speak.

“Andreas—don’t hang up. I was in the other room and had almost given up on hearing from you tonight. I’ve missed you.”

Guilt smote him. The last time they’d talked had been Friday. Now it was Tuesday night. In that short amount of time he hadn’t missed her at all. Another woman had filled his thoughts to the exclusion of everything else. How could that be?

“Irena? Forgive me.”

“You know I do.”

Yes, he knew.

“Something’s definitely wrong. You sound so different.”

Heaven knew his world had changed. “I’m not sure how to say this except to come straight to the point because you deserve my total honesty. Up until last Friday you’ve been the only woman in my life.”

A long pause ensued. “And now you’re telling me there’s someone else?”

He bowed his head. “Let’s just say I met someone.” Andreas couldn’t believe he’d admitted it to the woman he’d loved and had been planning to ask to marry him. It meant Gabi had a hold on him more profound than even he had realized. “I swear this was the last thing I ever expected to be saying to you.”

More silence. “Does she feel the same way?” Irena finally asked in a subdued voice. There were never any tantrums with her. She wasn’t like that. He wished she would rage at him. Instead there was this condemning quiet that underlined her pain.

“I sense she’s not indifferent to me, but I haven’t acted on my feelings yet.”

“But you want to?”

He drew in a ragged breath. “I would never hurt you purposely, Irena, but until I explore what’s going on inside of me, being with you right now wouldn’t be fair to you. That’s why I’m calling.”

More silence. “Won’t you at least come to the house so we can talk about this?”

“I will when I’m back in Athens.”

“Where are you?”

His hand tightened on the receiver. “I’m on Crete and can’t leave.” He was in a hotel, wondering how he would be able to wait until morning when he saw Gabi again.

“Does she know about us?”

There’s no us. Not anymore. “No.”

“Who is she?”

Irena deserved that much. “An American who came to my office because of a life and death situation. She had business with me no one else could help her with. I’m still helping her solve a very serious problem before she returns to the States.”

“I see,” she whispered.

Except she didn’t see. How could she? Andreas wanted to tell her everything, but he couldn’t until he knew what Leon was going to do. Irena was best friends with Deline. The whole situation was more complicated than anyone knew.