Free The Marine's Virgin Lover by Leslie North

his task in Italy and maybe by the time he returned to the states, he would have things figured out.
     

Chapter 12
     
    Seth was pleased that Chelsea had been able to keep up with him. The sun had just disappeared behind the mountains when they reached his SUV. He quickly strapped the child carrier into the back seat, putting it in the middle as Chelsea informed him she would be riding in the back as well.
    After securing the remainder of their gear, he watched as she carefully buckled the child in and then herself. Easing the vehicle from its hiding place, he started back down the mountain. Looking at his cell phone, he was frustrated that he still didn’t have any service. He needed to contact Shawn or Trent and tell them he was bringing the child back.
    “Where are we going?”
    Seth looked at her in the rearview mirror, “I was thinking to drive straight to the hospital. Brianna had a C-section and Trent said they planned on keeping her overnight at least.”
    “More like two or three to be accurate. They won’t let her go until they’re sure she’s not going to have any complications.”
    “I can’t wait to see her face. She’s never even held her daughter.”
    Chelsea swallowed back tears, she couldn’t imagine the pain and distress the poor woman must be going through. “Could you call them and tell them we’re coming?”
    Seth shook his head, “Already tried. I don’t have any service up here. I’ll try again once we reach the highway.”
    Seth drove in silence for several minutes before asking, “So why’d you take this job?”
    “I really don’t know. I didn’t want to at first. My sister is taking care of five-month old twins and frankly, I’m not real sure she can handle them on her own. She’s never truly dealt with her husband’s death, and I’m afraid one of these days she’s just going to crack. Anyway, she urged me to take it. She said I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to travel and I love babies. The rate Mr. Bresi offered was triple what I would normally make, and Rachel can use all the financial support I can give her. I was hoping that I would still be able to see her occasionally. I had no idea I would be living up in the mountains.”
    “How did you get up here?”
    “A limousine picked me up at the agency earlier today. I have to admit I was so caught up in looking at the vehicle, I didn’t even realize where we were headed until the driver pulled off the highway.”
    “Were you scared?”
    “Why would I be scared? I was hired to care for an infant. There’s nothing scary in that. And the driver was a perfect gentleman. In fact, Mr. Bresi seems like a nice guy. I just don’t get why he would do something like this?”
    “His daughter killed herself three years ago. She was pregnant at the time and he blames Trent Coldwell for her and the baby’s death.”
    “How did she die?”
    “She ran her car off a bridge.”
    “How horrible. Why would he blame Trent Coldwell, though?”
    “I’m not really sure, but Trent and Serena were an item. Then, three weeks before her death, Trent called it quits. He’s never talked about it from what my business partner has said. Marco has blamed him and threatened revenge for years. I guess this was his way of acting on that threat.”
    “Marco must have loved his daughter dearly.”
    “I’m sure he did, but that doesn’t excuse his actions here.”
    “No. I agree.” They both settled into a comfortable silence as Seth navigated the winding mountain road, coming closer to the highway each minute.
    Finally, pulling onto the highway, Seth grabbed his phone again and was pleased to see he had full service. He tried to contact Shawn first, but it went straight to voicemail. Shawn had a bad habit of forgetting to charge his cell, and more than likely it was completely dead.
    Next, he tried Maria, but when no one answered, he realized that it was after 7 o’clock and the office would have already closed for the night.