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Physically, she’d always been incredibly drawn to Raoul—not only to his body and his mind, but to his heart He’d been a fabulous husband to Bree and it was his devotion to her friend and their obvious love for one another that had ether all thehow they’d felt about one another was a re less She wanted the kind of love that Raoul and Bree had had—the sah e

Most recently, all through herearly-onset de for her at home by himself, since Alexis had been overseas, until he was forced to see her admitted to hospital Even then, he’d barely o

Alexis wanted that kind of devotion in a relationship She was prepared to give it and she believed she deserved it in return But none of the men she’d dated had ever shown that capacity for love Then she’d met Raoul, the handsomest man she’d ever met and someone who loved so fully and deeply that it took her breath away Was it any wonder she’d fallen for him in a matter of moments?

But ere his feelings toward her? After the blisteringly hot kiss, she knew attraction was part of itbut was that the extent of it for hi more for her? She kneas still early days for Raoul, that the pain of Bree’s death was still a si on the surface of his every day

She was caught between a rock and a hard place Did she keep gently pushing him to expose the attraction she knew he felt for her any further? Or did she wait and see what happened next after today’s kiss?

Bree would forever be a part of their lives Ruby was full testimony to that, not to y, could never be destroyed But she also knew that love, if it existed between two people, could grow and become enriched in even the worst of situations Her parents were the perfect example of that

The question was, however, could Raoul Benoit give that to her? Would he ever take down the barriers he kept so firain?

Did she even have the right to ask him to?

Her firstfor Ruby had passed in a blur of time, Alexis realized as she watched a fun educational DVD with Ruby, clapping hands with her and jiggling along with theher hands as the baby puhing at the happy energy the little girl exuded as she squealed and danced

“Soot her mother’s sense of rhythm, I see”

Alexis turned to see Raoul standing in the doorway, a look on his face that was half quizzical and half humorous