Chapter 1

Max Futé finally had a minute to spare, and he decided a cup of coffee would hit the spot. As the doctor in charge of the medical department of the WBIS—the Washington Bureau of Intelligence and Security—he’d been run ragged for the past two weeks treating a number of agents who’d thought they were immune to the latest strain of flu. They’d insisted on coming in to work in spite of feeling ill, and had succeeded in spreading it to most of their fellow workers who’d been stubborn enough to refuse the flu shot.

M. Wallace, who ran the organization, had not been pleased, and he’d had his secretary send out a memo that this wasn’t to happen next year. If it did, he promised there would be hell to pay.

As if dealing with all the ill agents hadn’t been enough, Max had just been visited by Granger, the spy who got things to happen by cross-dressing. And Max had to admit he made a very attractive woman. If Granger wasn’t straight and in a relationship, and if Max himself wasn’t in a relationship, he’d have been willing to trip Granger and beat him to the bed.

However, Granger was straight and in a relationship, and Max was madly in love with his own partner.

* * * *

No one knew two of the secretaries in Interior Affairs were involved with Granger, so when Ms. Parker, M. Vincent’s secretary, and Ms. DiNois, who was Matheson’s, both turned up pregnant, and it was revealed Granger was the father, it had been a nine days’ wonder. As a matter of fact, the entire staff of the WBIS had been titillated, and waited with baited breath to see how the women reacted when they learned of their paramour’s betrayal.

Everyone was stunned to discover there had been no betrayal, because they were in a relationship.

So then the staff waited to see M. Vincent’s reaction. Surely he would be livid that two of the secretaries in his department, one of them his, were enceinte

From what Max had learned, it had been anticlimactic, to say the least. All M. Vincent had to say was of course all this had come to light on that particular day—it was a Monday, after all.

* * * *

In addition to other things that had occurred today, Granger had burst through the doors into Medical. He wore a long-sleeved winter white knit midi dress with a V-neckline and a curved hem. In the normal course of events, Max would appreciate Granger’s elegant appearance, but just then Granger was the epitome of harried.

“There you are!” he exclaimed. “I’ve been looking for you all over.”

“Yes, here I am, MonsieurGranger.” Max sighed. “I’ve been here all day.”

“Huh? Oh…” Granger muttered something about Frenchmen and waved that aside.

“What can I do for you?”

“It’s Arianne. I need you to examine her. She’s been having contractions—”

The very pregnant woman stepped around Granger. “I told you they were merely Braxton-Hicks.”

“There was no need for worry,” Max said to Granger. The false labor contractions usually started in the third trimester, preparing the body for the real thing. “You should be aware of that.”

Granger frowned first at Max and then at Ms. DiNois. “That’s what Patti said, and twenty minutes later she was popping out our little girl.”

Fortunately, that hadn’t occurred here at the WBIS. While Max was skilled in most branches of medicine, obstetrics wasn’t precisely his forte.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Max asked the woman standing before him. “I understood you’ve been on leave for the past month.”

Granger glowered at Ms. DiNois. “That’s what I want to know. I left her home, snug in bed, and the next thing…I find her here at work.”

She went to him and rested her palm against his cheek. “I was restless and wanted to get out for a bit. Patti’s been coming in to the WBIS a couple of days a week, and I thought it would be nice for Gabriella to see where her mama works.”

“You should have called me instead of driving yourself,” Granger said in a sulky tone.

Max had to turn away to hide a grin. It would be a relief for everyone when this baby was born. He had no doubt Granger was an excellent father to his little girl, would be an excellent father to the baby as yet to be born, but in the meantime, he was driving everyone here at the WBIS insane with his hovering over the two women who were in his life—who were his life.

“Besides, isn’t it too cold to take Gabriella out?”

“I bundled her up.”

“And before you ask,” Granger told Max, “we left her with Patti.”

Max was tempted to roll his eyes at that. He noted the way Ms. DiNois kneaded her lower back and worried his lower lip instead. “Perhaps I had best examine you, Ms. DiNois, if only to calm down Granger.”

She turned to Max. “I’m sorry, Dr. Futé. It really isn’t—oh, very well.” She surrendered gracefully.