Baby for the Billionaire(91)

Fortunately, Isabella was so preoccupied with the puppies, she didn’t notice. With an inarticulate murmur, Annalise escaped the intimate circle and distanced herself from them. Jack followed. Some instinct warned that his wife was hanging on by a mere thread, and, without a word, he pulled her into his arms.

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

She simply shook her head without responding.

To his relief, Sara and Brett chose that moment to show up. They took in the situation in one glance. “Got a mite worried when no one appeared for breakfast.” Sara spoke in an undertone. “Brett had a strong suspicion about what was going on. Mentioned just last night that Madam looked a bit plumper than a few weeks of decent meals could explain.”

“I was going to give you the heads-up today,” Brett added. “But I see Madam decided to break the news to you herself.”

“That she did. Maybe if I’d had more experience with dogs I’d have caught on sooner.” Jack spared his wife a swift glance. She continued to cling to him, her face buried in his shoulder. “Would the two of you mind keeping an eye on Isabella? Annalise isn’t feeling well and I’d like to take her back to bed.”

“Oh, dear,” Sara said in concern. “Would it help if I fixed a pot of tea or a bite of toast?”

“I’ll let you know,” Jack assured. “I suspect Isabella will stay glued to Madam’s side for the next few hours, so I don’t think she’ll be any trouble. Call on the house phone if you need me.”

With that, he wrapped an arm around Annalise’s waist and ushered her from the room. The second they entered the master suite, she turned and curled into him. His arms closed around her, holding her tight. He felt the shudders ripping through her and caught the small gasping sounds. He waited out the storm, trying to pinpoint what had set her off. Something about the birth of the dogs was all he could come up with.

At long last, she pulled free of his hold. “You can let me go now,” she insisted. “I’m sorry to cause such a ridiculous scene.”

He tipped up her chin and regarded her in naked concern. “Tell me what’s wrong. Is it the puppies? Did they stir old memories of some kind?”

She waved that aside. “Not exactly. I don’t know why I reacted in such a silly way. What you told Isabella …” She gave an embarrassed shrug. “I’m sorry. For some reason, it made me cry.”

Aw, hell. “You do understand that we can’t keep the puppies?” Just the thought of six more dogs as large as Madam rampaging through the house left him weak at the knees. “We can’t give that many dogs the time and attention they deserve. We’d be doing them a disservice.”

She lifted her tear-streaked face to his. “No, no. I understand that part.”

“I’ll find good homes for them. The best. I have a lot of contacts in both the local community and the business world. We’ll find people whose homes and lifestyles are well suited for a large dog.”

“I know you will. It’s not that.”

Another possibility occurred to him. “Was it what I said about Isabella’s adoption?” he asked uneasily. “Joanne and Paul were very open with her about the subject, very matter-of-fact about it. They wanted her to understand the truth from an early age so there wouldn’t be any unpleasant shocks later on in life. Not that they were cold-blooded about it,” he hastened to add. “They were two of the most loving individuals I’ve ever known, and their daughter was at the center of that love.”

“Everything that’s happened to her just seems so unfair.”

He hadn’t quite gotten to the root of the problem and found himself floundering a bit in his attempt to pin it down. “That won’t be an issue for her anymore,” he reassured. “Not now that she has the two of us.”

“But what about Mrs. Locke and CPS?”

Jack lifted Annalise’s face and thumbed the remaining traces of tears from her cheeks. “They don’t stand a chance against us.”

A smile splashed across her face like sunshine following a cloudburst. It brightened her eyes, banishing the darkness. “How could I forget? You’re Jack Mason. No one can stop a Mason once he makes up his mind to accomplish something.”

He leaned in until they were almost nose to nose. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re a Mason now, too.”

Her smile faded. “A temporary Mason,” she corrected softly.