Chapter Two
Zoya put on her best poker face as the wind whipped strands of her hair around her head while Asad stared at her. She knew her knees were shaking and it was only partly due to the cold. Asad Ahmad Khan had a stare that could send a man running. She saw his eyes shift to Lily's car seat. He couldn't see the baby because she had a pink blanket covering the opening.
"I don't yell at babies," he growled and shoved his hands in his pockets.
She shut her eyes briefly. She had done it. She had been given a second chance and she wasn't about to leave here tomorrow morning without some kind of a promise from Asad.
"Do you have a bag or something?"
"Just my purse, diaper bag, and two cases of baby formula," Zoya called out over her shoulder, trying to sound pleasant. "Can you hold this a sec?" Zoya shoved the car seat towards his chest. He grabbed it with a grunt. The sooner he got himself acquainted with Lily the better.
Zoya poked around in her car, feeling Asad watching her. She retrieved her vintage holly and berry embroidered purse, quickly stuffing in a few of the books that had fallen out. She ignored his exaggerated sigh as she swung the loaded diaper bag over one shoulder. Then she walked around to the trunk, hauling out a box of baby formula.
"Do you, uh, want me to hold something for you?" Zoya almost smiled at the horror embedded in the strong lines of his face. He stared at all her bags, holding the car seat awkwardly.
"I'm okay."
"Follow in my footsteps, and hurry."
Zoya would have given him a salute had her hands not been full with all the baby gear. She got a tiny jolt of satisfaction by deciding not to tell him that he could have held the carrier by the handle, making it much easier. He glanced behind him a few times, no doubt making sure she hadn't fallen headfirst into a snowdrift. When they reached the porch he actually held the door open and waited for her to pass through.
Zoya walked into the house and quickly put down the heavy bags while Asad closed the door against the harsh wind and they both stomped their feet on the sea grass rug, neither of them saying anything. The warm blast of heat comforted her, like she had walked into a friend's house, except Asad's unsettling presence made it painfully clear that this was nothing of the sort.
"What should I do with this?"
"Oh here, I'll take her," Zoya said, slowly taking Lily's car seat and placing it on the ground. She crouched down and removed the blanket as Asad watched. She never could stop the smile that came naturally whenever she saw Lily. The baby still slept soundly, bundled in her pink fuzzy bunting bag.
She jumped, startled, as a shaggy, excited dog came barreling over to her. Lily didn't even flinch.
"Bruno, sit." The dog answered with what appeared to be all of his self control as his tail wagged and thumped against the floor. Zoya laughed when he disobeyed Asad and accosted her with unabashed licks and jumps when she held out her hand to him.
"Who is this?" She chuckled as she patted his clean but very messy fur.
"Bruno. My very undisciplined dog." Asad shrugged out of his coat, the tension in his faced even more pronounced. Bruno wasn't exactly the type of dog she'd picture him owning. Asad was more the Rottweiler type. She continued to study him. He was intimidating in that I'm-so-confident-I-don't-have-to-be-nice sort of way, with tight, pent-up hostility.
His features were rugged. His nose was perfect except for a bump that her years in social work told her had been broken once or twice. She could see how someone might want to punch him. He kept himself in peak physical shape. The broad shoulders were obviously thick with muscle and his wide chest easily outlined in the navy blue Henley shirt he wore. Not really the type of physique she'd expect for a computer guy. He was confident and arrogant, not a man to back down. Not the type of man she pictured with an infant. But Najma had been clear in her instructions and she obviously had faith in Asad.
Zoya had to remember that.
"Okay, Bruno, leave her alone." Asad came over to brush Bruno away from her.
"He's very sweet," she murmured as Bruno settled down at her feet, still looking at her face as though he wanted to lap it up like an ice cream cone.
Asad gave a terse nod, looking at the dog and not her. "He's got a good disposition."
"Have you had him long?"
"Almost ten years."
"He seems very friendly."
"He was a stray, a mutt. He found me and wouldn't leave me alone."
Her heart swelled. Wheels were spinning in her head. This was good. Very good. "Really? He was a stray?"
Asad's eyes narrowed. Oops. She obviously sounded a little too ecstatic. She gave him a wan smile and took off her soggy mitts. She could tell he didn't know what to make of her reaction and he didn't want to expand his story about Bruno. It was still good news. Anyone who had enough compassion to take in an abandoned dog and adopt him couldn't be entirely evil. Okay, so Asad was a little standoffish and obviously arrogant, but maybe all hope was not lost. If a shaggy dog could melt his heart, then surely an adorable little baby girl wouldn't be a problem.
"Let me take your coat."
"Sure, thanks." Zoya unbuttoned her coat and placed it in his outstretched hands, carefully avoiding any contact with him. She looked around the room while she pulled off her soaked boots. She was very aware of how cold her feet and legs were, and now that the snow on her jeans had melted, they felt like wallpaper paste had been plastered to her legs.
She looked around while he went to stoke the fire. A high peaked ceiling with wood beams made the room seem large, with a massive field stone fireplace as the focal point. A large, mahogany farmhouse table was in the center of eight chocolate brown leather armchairs, placed in a conversational formation in front of the fire. She had a hard time imagining him entertaining a large group of friends"or even one friend for that matter. But there was plenty of room for a baby. Zoya glanced over at Lily and made her a promise. I'm going to do this, Lily. I'm going to get your uncle to love you and adopt you.
~ ~ ~
Asad poked the logs in the fire a little too harshly and muffled his cough as a cloud of smoke engulfed his face. He tried to appear calm and natural even though he felt like he'd been backed against a wall by letting this woman and the baby into his home. How had he gotten into this mess? He could tell Zoya was trying to figure him out, and the look in her eyes was unsettling, like she was pleased when he told her about Bruno being a stray. He glanced over at her as she pulled off her red hat and a mass of dark brown colored hair came tumbling out. He didn't want to notice how shiny and soft it looked. He turned his attention to the fireplace again, but watched from the corner of his eye as Zoya straightened out her clothing.
Zoya was definitely beautiful"not in a made up, high-maintenance sort of way. She had high cheekbones and full, rosy lips. And even though he didn't want to notice, her eyes were like dark emeralds, large and almond shaped, with impossibly thick black eyelashes. Even more perplexing than their indisputable beauty was the emotion and the warmth they held in them. They weren't vacant, they weren't flirty, and they weren't the eyes of someone who had been friends with his sister. They were clear and sharp, not hollow like someone who was stoned all the time. No, she was too pulled together to have been friends with Najma. So then who the hell was she?
He willed himself not to look lower than her chin. Dammit. Too late. She was curvy and slender in all the right places. He felt himself fighting back a surge of complete and total unwanted desire that gripped him out of nowhere. What was going on with him? Must be a natural reaction to a woman who wasn't thinner than a twig. The last woman he dated had been so skinny he wondered if she had ever eaten a full meal in her entire life. But this Zoya woman was off-limits. He didn't date women with children or people associated with his family. And even though there wasn't a wedding band on her hand, she was probably with some guy. Not that it mattered. Not in the least, because he wanted nothing to do with her. Anyone connected to his family was the enemy.
"Look, I really am sorry for barging in like this."
She folded her hands in front of her and bit gently on her lower lip.
Why were her lips to appealing? Focus buddy, focus. He shrugged, dragging his eyes away from her mouth. "Don't worry about it."
"I really wasn't planning on getting here so late""
"How did you know I was going to be here? No one knows about this place except my business partner and PA." He saw the exact moment that her embarrassment turned to discomfort.
She waved a hand dismissively, but her voice sounded forced. "Oh, you can find anything online these days."
He crossed his arms in front of him. She wasn't looking so confident now. "No, you can't. You can't find anything about this cabin online."
She averted her eyes. "It wasn't her fault. I was probably a tad dramatic."
Maybe it was the sudden change in tone or the softening of her expression that made him get defensive.
Asad narrowed his eyes. "Whose fault?"
"I think her name was Ann," she said, biting her lip and looking away. Asad tried to hide his shock. In all the years Ann had worked for him, she'd never released any personal details about him."
"What did you tell her?" He was genuinely interested in knowing how the hell this woman had managed to get the address of his cabin.
"I may have said it was a matter of life or death."
He rolled his eyes. He was surprised Ann fell for that. "You seem to use that line as a catch-all, don't you?"
"Well, I really did need to find you. And she was quite concerned when I mentioned the death part," she said, lifting her chin. Something about the way she stood, the way she wouldn't stop looking at him made him uneasy.
But no matter what, he knew she was here to tell him something he didn't want to know. Not that it should matter. Nothing she could tell him would make him change his mind about his family.
He turned his back to her, focusing on the fire that didn't need his attention at all. He heard her shuffling around and then the quiet padding of her feet across the wood floor.
"I'm sorry to bombard you with this."
"He ignored her attempt to open up the conversation. He turned to look at her, eyeing her snow-soaked pants. "Do you want to take off your jeans?"
Her brown eyes grew comically large. "Pardon me?"
He almost laughed out loud at her expression. "I mean, you're soaked. I can get you a blanket or something and you can put your jeans in the dryer."
"Uh, no, I'll stand here for a few minutes. I'm sure they'll dry quickly by the fire." Her face was still red as she moved closer to the fire.
Why should he care if she wanted to stay in wet jeans all night? "Why don't I show you and uh"" He motioned to the baby with his chin. ""the baby your room?"
She nodded, but she bit on her lower lip. "Do you think I could have some hot water?"
"Hot water?"
"I need a small pot and some water on the stove to warm up a baby bottle. I can do it," she said, reading his confusion.
"No it's okay. I'll be right back."
~ ~ ~
Zoya stared at Asad's back as he walked out of the room. Outside, she'd been sure he was an ogre, that she'd made the wrong call in trying to find baby Lily's uncle. But as soon as he told her the story of Bruno, she knew he had to have a heart underneath that cold exterior. And her instincts were never wrong. Now, all she had to do was chip away at him. She had less than twenty-four hours, but she could do it.
Once she'd found out his new name and information it had been easy. Asad had started his own software company after graduating college, and he and his partner had turned it into a billion rupees company within ten years. His accomplishments were impressive, especially considering all he'd been through growing up.
They shared a few similarities, not that he'd have any way of knowing that. She also knew that for all his success and all his money, he was notoriously private. So, her coming here declaring she knew things about his past must be disconcerting to say the least.
"Why don't I show you the guest room and find some things for you to wear while the water boils?" he asked, walking back into the room. The impact of his words and the fact that she was going to stay overnight with him caused a ripple of hesitation through her body. She was a confident, independent, successful woman, so why did he make her feel like she was an insecure, self-conscious fifteen-year-old? Because he was nothing like the men she was used to. Not that she dated much, but when she did, they were not the intimidating type. She gravitated towards men that weren't so tall, so built...so...
Asad clearing his throat reminded her that he'd asked her something. Right. Wear? Was he going to offer her his clothes? Or did he have a stash from past girlfriends?
She forced a smile, trying to look her best to appear nonchalant, like she did this kind of thing all the time. "Yeah, that would be great."
He nodded and walked past her, down the hallway adjacent to the kitchen."
"Come with me," he said, not waiting for her.
Zoya gave a quick glance to Lily and then followed him down the hall. There were three doors. Asad passed the first room without saying anything and she assumed it was his. Zoya resisted the urge to peek her head in. From the looks of things around here, she could bet it was spotless. He stopped at the second door and Zoya pulled back abruptly before she walked into him.
"This is the washroom." He flicked on the light switch and Zoya looked inside. It was a spacious, square washroom, and looked as though it had been recently renovated, much like the rest of the cabin. Rustic, tumbled marble floors in a creamy, earthy tone were the backdrop to the large, freestanding deep soaker tub. A massive, sparkling glass shower enclosure, with a rain-shower head, looked as good as it had on the bathroom special she'd just watched on TV. A neutral marble counter with matching his and hers sinks sat atop mahogany cabinets.
Zoya's eyes settled on Asad's razor and toothbrush on the counter. Seeing his belongings felt oddly personal, private.
"Does it meet your approval?"
Zoya forced a smile. "It's beautiful. Really, I'm sorry about how I intruded on you."
The half smile that had teased his lips fell slightly, and his dark eyes held a note of surprise. Zoya took a step back. She didn't know how they'd ended up standing so close, close enough that she could see the tiny flecks of cognac in his eyes, and the dark stubble on his face. And smell the fresh, woodsy aftershave he wore...
"And?"
"We honestly never meant to spend the night here."
"Whatever." He walked into the washroom and opened a dark drawer, pulled out a toothbrush still in its packaging, along with a square basket wrapped in clear cellophane filled with women's toiletries. He must have a lot of female guests.
"Help yourself to whatever you need, though I don't have anything a baby could want." He flicked off the switch and walked to the room next door without waiting for her to reply. He opened the next door, the one directly across from his, and felt for the light switch.
"This is beautiful." There was a king-sized mahogany sleigh-bed with a chocolate brown velvet duvet and matching throw pillows that looked so magnificent and comfortable that Zoya fought the urge to run over and sink into it. A stone fireplace was on the outside wall, with two leather armchairs in front of it accompanied by matching side tables and an antique rug.
"Thanks," Asad said, walking past her and turning on the bedside lamp.
Zoya tucked her hair behind one ear. "You have good taste."
He smiled a patronizing, bored smile. "I had an interior designer do it."
Of course he did, Zoya. As if he would have spent weeks picking out fabrics for curtains and duvet covers. "Oh. Well. She, or whoever did a great job."
Zoya walked over to the bed and opened her purse. She felt like an idiot for letting her guard down and actually trying to have a conversation with him. Why couldn't he have been the stereotypical computer geek with pale skin, thick glasses, and scrawny body? Maybe if she started getting settled he'd get the hint and leave her alone for a few minutes, long enough to contact Mrs. Singh and let her know that she was going to be delayed.
"I'll get you some something to sleep in," he said, leaving the room.
A minute later, Asad was beside her holding a folded navy blue T-shirt. "Here, it'll be a bit big, but it should be okay for one night."
Zoya took the T-shirt without looking at him and placed it on the bed. It was his. "Thanks."
"I'll be in the kitchen whenever you want that hot water."
"Sure," she mumbled. This was going to be the longest night of her life. She hoped Lily would sleep well tonight. She could use all the rest she could get.
"I'll let you get settled. There's a phone beside the bed if you need it. I'd use it sooner than later. I wouldn't be surprised if the phone lines go down. Cell phone reception out here gets a bit sketchy at the best of times."
"Great. I'll, uh, be a few minutes."
He walked out of the room without saying anything.
~ ~ ~
Asad leaned against the kitchen counter, staring at the baby sleeping in the car seat. What he'd give for a night's sleep like that. He had moved her closer to the fire. Even a moron knew not to keep a baby by a door during a blizzard. He ran his hands through his hair, letting out a rough sigh. His evening had been going perfectly well until little-miss-smart-mouth crashed his annual escape-Christmas bash.
He glanced down at his watch. What was taking her so long? What if the baby woke up?
He decided she'd had more than enough time to get settled, he thought walking down the hall to her room. Besides, she was staying for one night, not a month.
He stopped himself from walking into her room. He heard her voice, her door slightly ajar. He would have knocked, but when he heard his name, he thought it might be wise to listen first.
"I found Asad Ahmad Khan. I found little Lily's uncle. Thank you for letting me do this, Mrs. Singh. I'm so grateful... it's the weekend so no one from the child services bureau will be contacting you... yes... thank you. I'll call you when I know more... take care, Mrs. Singh."
Asad stared at her back, trying to make sense of what she said, but that sick feeling he got whenever someone mentioned his family was lodged in his gut.
Asad felt dread seep through his veins. Lily? Lily's uncle? As though she sensed his presence, Zoya turned around. Her bright eyes loaded up with tears as they stared into his. Her uncle. Her uncle. Those softly spoken words echoed in his mind and they echoed in the beautiful face of the woman standing across from him. Asad couldn't move, his body going cold as the truth of Zoya's visit sank in.
The baby.
That baby wasn't hers. It was his sister's.
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