Page 43 of The Billionaire's Baby Betrayal

Piper smiled. “Oh you can, can you? I didn’t know telepathy was one of your many skills.”

“But of course.” Andrés turned onto his side and gently pushed a strand of copper hair from her cheek. “Have you ever been in your new car?”

“Wow! That’s a change of subject! But, no, I haven’t. Why? Do you want to take it back?”

“I want to take you for a ride in it.”

Piper stared at him with narrowed eyes. “A ride where?”

“There’s a small cafe in Tacuarembó that brews the most exquisite coffee, and I thought we could visit there this morning and enjoy an espresso and a taste of their exceptional pastries.”

She raised on her elbow. “That wouldn’t be discreet, Andrés. What if someone saw us?”

“The cafe is hidden away on a side street, and as long as we don’t take my car, no one will pay us any attention. And we will wear hats and sunglasses.”

“As in, disguise ourselves?” Piper fell back on her pillow and threw her hands up. “Sure, why not? I’ve got a hat!”

Andrés laughed and kissed her before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. “Great! I’ll get to my room, take a shower, spend a few minutes with Luis… I got it, that’s it!”

“What’s it?”

“Let’s take Luis with us! No one would think it is me or us if a child is along!”

“Andrés, you’ve prioritized keeping Luis safe and secure for years. Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. I have to take him off the ranch at some point, and I have prepared for when the right moment arose. You’ll see when I get back here with him.”

He headed into the bathroom to splash water on his face and dress. Piper had doubts about what they were about to do, but Andrés was confident all would be well, so who was she to second-guess him?

She tied a robe around her and stood in front of her closet. “What am I going to wear to this masquerade?” she thought aloud.

She pulled out an embroidered, white, Bohemian-style tunic, flared jeans, and the white Resistol Cisco hat she kept for casual occasions. They were lying on the tousled bed when Andrés came out of the bathroom.

“That will be a nice look,” he commented. “I like the hat.”

“And I have a pair of large-rimmed sunglasses that will top it all off.”

“You will look amazing incognito.” He stepped in front of her, held her head tenderly between his hands, and kissed her passionately. “We’ll see you soon, my love.”

Piper was unable to speak or move after Andrés left her to get ready—she could only think.He called me his love. Everything she had done or felt since she arrived came flooding over her, overwhelming her senses, and she burst into tears. The sobs wracked her body, and she fell onto the bed and buried her head in the pillow that was awash in Andrés’ masculine scent. She let the tears run their course.

“I’m the worst kind of liar—lying to the man I love.”

Piper saw the time on the bedside clock and knew she had to hurry to shower and dress before Andrés and Luis arrived. She picked up the clothes, ran to the bathroom, and turned on the rain shower. In the mirror, she saw her red and swollen eyes and became angry at her lack of courage.

“You are promising yourself that after the Kentucky race, you will tell Andrés everything about Caroline Ford, and the lie she’s been living.”

* * *

An hour later, on a dead-end street in Tacuarembó, Piper sat at an outdoor table with Andrés and an adorably curious Luis. She had uproariously laughed when they’d arrived at the casita.

“I see I’m about to dine with two real live gauchos! Luis, I love your bolero hat and espadrilles. And Andrés, what can I say? Your gaucho beret is something special!”

He preened and struck a pose, which started Luis giggling. “I thought so, thank you. But you didn’t mention my boots.” He raised a pant leg to show off an expensive bootmaker’s brown harness boot.

“They’re shiny! You need to rough them up a bit.”

He frowned. “Hey, they’re new!”

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