The Alvares Bride

The Alvares Bride
Sandra Marton

No one knew who was the father of Carin's baby. She'd kept her secret for the entire pregnancy. But during the birth, she called out a name–Raphael Alvares!The powerful Brazilian millionaire rushed to Carin's bedside. But had Rafe come because pride forced him to give the baby his name? Or was it because the one passionate night they'd shared had left him longing to make Carin his bride?

“Rafe.”

Carin cleared her throat. Fear danced along her spine, but that was silly.What was there to be afraid of?

“You seem surprised to see me, Carin.”

“Yes. I—I am. What—what are you doing here?”

“Why, querida, I am here to see you, of course.” He glanced at the sleeping infant in his arms. “And to see your daughter.”

Carin’s gaze flew to the baby, then to him. “What are you doing with my baby?”

“Don’t you mean, what am I doing with our baby? That seems to be the consensus, querida, that this child is mine.”

SANDRA MARTON is an author who used to tell stories to her dolls when she was a little girl. Today, readers around the world fall in love with her sexy, dynamic heroes and outspoken, independent heroines. Her books have topped bestseller lists and won many awards. Sandra loves dressing up for a night out with her husband as much as she loves putting on her hiking boots for a walk in a south-western desert or a north-eastern forest.You can write to her (SASE) at P.O. Box 295, Storrs, Connecticut, USA. The Alvares Bride is the sixth book in her well-loved miniseries THE BARONS.

The Alvares Bride

Sandra Marton

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ONE

New York City

Saturday, May 4

CARIN BREWSTER clutched her sister’s hand and wondered how the human race had managed to survive if every woman who’d ever borne a child had to go through agony like this.

She groaned as another contraction racked her body.

“That’s it,” Amanda Brewster al Rashid said. “Push, Carin. Push!”

“I—am—pushing,” Carin panted.

“Mom’s on the way. She should be here soon.”

“Great.” Carin bit down on her lip. “She can tell me she knows the right way to—ohhh, God!”

“Oh, sweetie.” Amanda leaned closer. “Don’t you think it’s time you told me who—”

“No!”

“I don’t understand you, Carin! He’s the father of your child.”

“Don’t—need—him.”

“But he has the right to know what’s happening!”

“He—hass—no—rights.”

Carin grimaced with pain. What rights did a man have, when he was almost a stranger? None. None at all. Some of the decisions she’d made over the past months had been difficult. Whether to keep her baby. Whether to turn to her family for help. But deciding not to tell Rafe Alvares that he’d made her pregnant had been easy. He didn’t give a damn about her; why would he want to know? Why would a man who’d spent an hour in her bed and never tried to contact her again, want to know he was going to be a father?

The contraction subsided. Carin fell back against the pillows.

“He’s not important. The baby’s mine. I’m all that she’ll need. Just…” She groaned, arched from the bed. “…just me.”

“That’s crazy.” Amanda wiped her sister’s forehead with a cool washcloth. “Please, Sis, tell me his name. Let me call him. Is it Frank?”

“No!” Carin grasped Amanda’s hand more tightly. “It’s not Frank. And I’m not going to tell you anything else. Mandy, you said you wouldn’t do this. You promised. You said—”

“Madame al Rashid? Excuse me, please, but I need to speak with your sister.”

Carin turned her head. Sweat had run into her eyes and her vision was blurry but she could see Amanda step back to make room for Dr. Ronald.

He sat down next to her and took her hand.

“How’re you doing, Carin?”