Who's Holding the Baby?

Rating:
Summary: Storyline from Publisher
Review: HR#3338 Who's Holding the Baby? by Day Leclaire KIDS & KISSES 11/94 "Toni isn't your nephew - she's your niece!"

"You're kidding!" Luc grinned in amazement. "That's wonderful!"

Grace struggled to control her temper. "You're missing the point. If the police had discovered we'd lied, they have thrown us both in jail. Darn it, Luc, how dare you involve me in your family problems?"

"Our problems," he reminded her in a soft, deliberate voice.
"We're engaged. You told the police that, remember?"

"But it's all a lie," she protested. "Every bit of it. I'm not engaged to you...and the baby isn't even a boy!"

"You have a choice. You can stay with me - posing as my fiancee - until my brother returns. Or you can turn your back on a helpless baby."

"You don't play fair." she complained.

"No," he agreed. Then he smiled, a charming, dangerous smile. "I play to win."

Rating:
Summary: Desperate boss, determined secretary, deposited baby . . .
Review: When he unexpectedly finds himself caring for his baby niece on (extremely) short notice, businessman Luc Salvatore turns to his super-efficient (but secretly baby-adoring) secretary Grace Barnes for help. The forced proximity and stress (police and social workers are determined to treat the baby as abandoned) cause Luc and Grace to begin to acknowledge their feelings for each other.
BUT . . .

Grace is actually a woman on a mission, having made a secret deal with Luc's father: if she can work with her charming (and unfortunately, womanizing) boss (Luc) for a year without falling in love with him and flubbing up the work situation, a feat which, so far, no secretary has been able to accomplish, Luc's father will feel comfortable enough to retire, and will set Grace up in her own business.

The sudden appearance of baby Toni causes a major glitch in her plans.

This story is great fun, really, and I'm sorely tempted to give it five stars. I would, except for a couple of scenes where people start shedding clothes, and except for the fact that it takes our hero about four-fifths of the book to decide he really would prefer a marriage to something, ah, considerably more temporary. Get a clue, man! He finally does, of course, and when he does, he gets it with a vengeance. Nice.