“And the baby?”
A small frown line appeared between her brows. “Are you a traditionalist, then? You don’t think a single female can raise a child on her own?”
Leo shrugged. “I think kids deserve two parents. But having said that, I do believe women can do anything they like. I can’t, however, imagine a woman like you needing to embrace single parenthood.”
He’d pegged Phoebe as calm and cool, but her eyes flashed. “A woman like me? What does that mean?”
Leaning his back against one of the massive bedposts, he folded his arms and stared at her. Now that he knew she wasn’t married, all bets were off. “You’re stunning. Are all the men in Tennessee blind?”
Her lips twitched. “I’m pretty sure that’s the most clichéd line I’ve ever heard.”
“I stand by my question. You’re living out here in the middle of nowhere. Your little son has no daddy anywhere in sight. A man has to wonder.”
Phoebe stared at him, long and hard. He bore her scrutiny patiently, realizing how little they knew of each other. But for yesterday’s storm, he and Phoebe would likely have exchanged no more than pleasantries when she handed over his keys. In the weeks to come, they might occasionally have seen each other outside on pleasant days, perhaps waved in passing.
But fate had intervened. Leo came from a long line of Italian ancestors who believed in the power of destino and amore. Since he was momentarily banned from the job that usually filled most of his waking hours, he was willing to explore his fascination with Phoebe Kemper.
He watched as she deposited the sleeping baby carefully in the center of the bed. The little boy rolled to his side and continued to snooze undisturbed. Phoebe straightened and matched her pose to Leo’s. Only instead of using the bed for support, she chose to lean against the massive wardrobe that likely held a very modern home entertainment center.
She eyed him warily, her teeth nibbling her bottom lip. Finally she sighed. “First of all, we’re not in the middle of nowhere, though it must seem that way to you since you had to drive up here on such a nasty night. Gatlinburg is less than ten miles away. Pigeon Forge closer than that. We have grocery stores and gas stations and all the modern conveniences, I promise. I like it here at the foot of the mountains. It’s peaceful.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“And Teddy is my nephew, not my son.”
Leo straightened, wondering what it said about him that he was glad the woman facing him was a free agent. “Why is he here?”
“My sister and her husband are in Portugal for six weeks settling his father’s estate. They decided the trip would be too hard on Teddy, and that cleaning out the house would be much easier without him. So I volunteered to let him stay with me until they get home.”
“You must like kids a lot.”
A shadow crossed her face. “I love my nephew.” She shook off whatever mood had momentarily stolen the light. “But we’re avoiding the important topic. I can’t rent you a demolished cabin. You have to go.”
He smiled at her with every bit of charm he could muster. “You can rent me this room.”
* * *
Phoebe had to give Leo Cavallo points for persistence. His deep brown eyes were deceptive. Though a woman could sink into their warmth, she might miss entirely the fact that he was a man who got what he wanted. If he had been ill recently, she could find no sign of it in his appearance. His naturally golden skin, along with his name, told her that he possessed Mediterranean genes. And in Leo’s case, that genetic material had been spun into a ruggedly handsome man.