Page 48 of The Billionaire's Baby Betrayal

“Yes, you said it yesterday. You don’t remember?”

Piper had an apologetic expression when she answered. “Andrés, I remember you being here and something about supper with Luis before we leave for the U.S., but I was so worn out that everything else is a blur. The fatigue came out of nowhere.”

“Then I’m glad you made it home safely, but you should have called me, and I would have been there to drive you home.”

“Honestly, it didn’t hit me until I got here. My adrenaline must have kicked in when I realized I was on my own to drive into Tacuarembó for the first time. Plus, I had to get the job done, or I might have lost my job.” She grinned and touched his cheek gently. “Thank you for worrying about me.”

Andrés took her hand and kissed it tenderly. “I worry about you as I worry about Luis because… well, because I’m in love with you, but I think you know that.”

Tears pooled in Piper’s eyes at his declaration, and she cupped his face between her hands. “I hoped you did, since I’m madly in love with you.”

“Don’t cry, Piper, it’s a good thing. Now, let me kiss you properly.”

He drew her off the stool and encircled her in his arms. Andrés first sweetly kissed the tears away and then captured her lips in an impassioned, fiery kiss that said everything he had yet to say of his love for her. His arms tightened when Piper returned his kiss with equal intensity. When he released her lips, he crushed her head to his chest so she would feel his heart beating wildly for her… for their future.

“As much as I hate the idea of saying this, I must leave you. The new stallion is arriving today after a few delays. But I’ll be back tonight.”

Piper raised her head and wiped the tears with the back of her hand. “Do you need anything from me regarding the stallion?”

“No, not today. I may need you to assess his temperament before breeding him, but that will have to wait until we return from the U.S.” Andrés looked over at the remaining food. “I think we put a dent into your cooking spree.”

“We did, thank goodness. There will be hardly any leftovers to clean up.”

Andrés released her and felt the warmth of her disappear. “Stop in at the barn when you return to the stables and see our Black Beauty.”

“Let’s take Luis to see him before his bath. He will love to see him before we read the next chapters.”

“We will.” He smoothed her hair. “Have I told you the first thing that attracted me to you?”

“No, you haven’t. Can I ask what it was?”

“Your copper-haired ponytail swinging as you left the owners’ parking lot.”

“Seriously? Good thing I washed my hair that morning.”

* * *

Andrés was walking back to the stables after a lingering kiss goodbye from Piper when Emmett approached him on the path, looking solemn.

“I know that look, Emmett. What’s wrong? Is the stallion delayed again?”

“No, he’s being unloaded as we speak. It’s this,” Emmett said, handing him an envelope. “Señor Alberto tested positive for PEDs.”

Andrés was stricken by the news and roughly grabbed the envelope from Emmett’s hand. “That’s impossible. There must have been an error in processing the sample.” He ripped the contents from the envelope and read the report, his face growing red from anger and disbelief. “I’ll call the lab and tell them they must rerun the sample, or we’ll send over a new one.”

“I’ve already called them. There wasn’t enough of the sample to rerun, and, worse, they’ve already called and reported it to the racing commission in Kentucky.”

“What?” screamed Andrés. “Why in the world would they do that before we saw the report and had the chance to challenge it? I’m calling them right now.”

He took out his phone and started dialing the number on the report when he noticed a call coming in from the United States. He immediately accepted. Andrés almost felt the color drain from his face as he listened to the racing commissioner’s words. By the time the call ended, he was convinced his ambition to be a breeder of thoroughbred racing champions was finished.

“That was the Kentucky Racing Commission. Señor Alberto Luis has been disqualified from the race and all others until a thorough investigation can be completed. How in the hell did they find out so quickly?”

Andrés turned to Emmett and noticed that he seemed anxious. “Emmett, is there more?”

“No, Andrés… but I do have a theory that I think is worth checking out.”

“What is it?”

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