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The Italian Count's Baby
Her secret baby bombshell.
Nurse Katya Petrova believes her unborn baby really needs its
father. Only talented Italian surgeon Count Benedetto, with whom she
spent one passionate night, has no idea that she is pregnant!
From the moment he sees Katya again it is clear Benedetto
wants to be a father to his child, and he offers her marriage-for
the baby's sake! But Katya soon realises that a convenient proposal
isn't enough. She's secretly longing for Benedetto to give her his
heart, as she has given him hers.
Excerpt
One
of the most elegant looking women Katya had ever seen entered the
room from stairs to their right. She was tall and regal, her silver
hair swept back into a glamorous chignon. So much for round and soft
with a mole on her chin! She threw her arms in the air and broke
into enthusiastic Italian as she embraced her son.
Katya stood back and watched their easy affection. She felt a
pang of envy as his mother grabbed his cheeks and planted an
enthusiastic kiss on each. Their closeness was a stark contrast to
the strained relationship she shared with her own mother and Katya
felt even more out of her depth.
The similarities between the two were striking. He had his
mother’s high cheekbones and her strong patrician nose. And as the
older woman opened her eyes and smiled at her, Katya realized that
this would be her baby’s grandmother. There was so much love in this
room, in this homey Italian kitchen, that Katya felt tears well in
her eyes. She blinked them away quickly but not before she saw a
faint narrowing of the older woman’s eyes. Ben’s mother had seen her
tears.
“Mama, this is Katya Petrova,” Ben said, pulling out of his
mother’s embrace. “Katya, this is my mother, Contessa Lucia Medici.”
Katya held out her hand tentatively, not sure how to greet a
Contessa. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Contessa,” Katya said.
The Contessa smiled and came forward her arm out-stretched,
too, firing rapid Italian.
“English, Mamma,” Ben broke in, reminding her gently.
“Of course, I’m sorry,” the Contessa smiled at Katya slipping
easily into near perfect English.
“Forgive my manners. Please, call me Lucia.”
The Contessa swept Katya into a hug as enthusiastic as the
one she’d given to her own flesh and blood. Katya felt awkward in
her embrace, completely unused to displays of motherly affection.
But the Contessa’s eyes were kind and again she felt absurdly close
to tears.
“Shall we adjourn outdoors?” Lucia suggested as she pulled
away. “Benedetto.” She turned to her son. “Bring the wine,” she
commanded.
Katya followed Lucia down the stairs from where she’d entered
the kitchen earlier. It lead to a magnificent terrace with
one-hundred-and-eighty-degree uninterrupted views of the
Mediterranean below and the majestic craggy coastline in both
directions.
There was a round outdoor table with a striking ceramic top.
It had been hand-painted with a typical Mediterranean lemon-grove
scene. A bowl of the bright yellow fruit sat in the middle of the
table and Katya could smell their magnificent tartness.
Ben joined them, glasses clinking. He placed them on the
table and poured them each a generous measure. Katya placed a hand
over her glass. Ben raised his eyebrows.
“Wine gives me a headache,” she said, saying the first thing
that popped in to her head.
Ben gave her a disbelieving look. Since when? “This from a
girl who could drink vodka for Russia.”
“Benedetto,” his mother scolded, “don’t be rude. Run up and
get some water.”
“Yes, Benedetto,” Katya teased, unable to resist. “Run
along.”
Too late Katya realized that Lucia might disapprove of her
informality. What if she thought that Ben should be addressed as
befitting a man of his stature? But the Contessa clapped her hands
gleefully and her eyes twinkled with delight. Katya breathed a sigh
of relief.
Calling him by his title would be plain weird given the
things they had been through. The times they had stood side by side,
their hands inside some stranger’s body, locked in a battle for
their life. Or the time they had sought solace in each other’s
bodies. Some relationships transcended titles and if their work
relationship hadn’t cut it then their intimate joining certainly
had.
Ben chuckled and left to do his mother’s bidding. He returned
quickly with a bottle of sparkling water and poured some into
Katya’s glass. He sat in the chair beside her and she was instantly
conscious of his potent male heat.
“To bossy Russian nurses,” Ben said, raising his glass.
“Benedetto!” Lucia gasped.
Katya saw the twinkle in his eye and the perfect upward curve
of his beautiful full lips. “To flashy Italian Counts,” she parried.
Lucia laughed and raised her glass. “Touche.”
From
"THE ITALIAN COUNT'S BABY" by Amy Andrews
Mills and Boon® Medical Romance™ October 2007
ISBN:
978-0-263-85266-0
Copyright: © 2007 Amy Andrews
® and ™ are trademarks
of the publisher. The edition published by arrangement
with Harlequin Books S.A. For more romance
information surf to:
http://www.eHarlequin.com
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Review
The Italian Count's Baby by Amy Andrews
Oct 07 UK , Aug 07 Aust
ISBN:
978-0-263-85266-0
Category: Medical Romance
Nurse Katya Petrova accepts a job in Italy with Ben
Medici -- the baby daddy of her unborn child -- hoping to discover if
he's father material. Once Ben learns Katya's pregnant he offers to
marry her to legitimize the baby, but Katya, scared she will fail as a
mother, refuses and decides to give Ben sole custody of The Italian
Count's Baby (4). Amy Andrews' luxurious Italian backdrop is so
beguiling that readers will believe they're walking along the craggy
Mediterranean coastline and smelling the garlic and onions wafting from
Mama Medici's homey Italian kitchen. And the well-written medical scenes
support the growing love between the hero and heroine instead of
detracting from their romance.
Cindy Himler
Romantic Times
4 Stars
Katya
Petrova never thought that
one night with Benedetto
Medici would end up with her
carrying his child. But she
is and now she has to tell
him hence the reason she is
now in Italy and working for
him. But she is on a
mission, to find out whether
he would be the perfect
father for their child.
Count Benedetto never
expected to be reunited with
the one woman he can’t
forget and when he discovers
her secret he insists on
marriage for the sake of
their child or so he tells
her because he isn’t about
to let the mother of his
child know that he loves her
or to leave him. Will this
passionate relationship end
in holy matrimony or pure
heartache?
The
Italian Count’s Baby is a
majestically told tale of
two people falling in love
but too afraid to let the
other know. I loved how Ben
and Katya were wary of one
another but also not afraid
to let each other know their
stand on what was best for
their child. I really
enjoyed Katya because she
was strong in determination
but also the reader sees
glimpses of her uncertainty,
of her fears. While Ben
comes across as a typical
alpha male but he also has
the same emotions, fear of
loss and also fighting his
own demons from his past.
Amy Andrews is a brilliant
author who creates
characters readers’ not only
fall in love with but also
want to get to know
personally and The Italian
Count’s Baby is but one
reason why.
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Sheryl
Cataromance Reviews
4 1/2 Stars |
