Mike bent over the crib and smiled down into his sleeping daughter’s lovely little face.

‘Of course not,’ he said. ‘I’m just glad our baby’s healthy and that you got through everything okay. You were so brave, opting for no epidural.’

‘I wasn’t that brave. I screamed my head off when she was coming out.’

‘Yes, I can still hear you,’ he said, patting his right ear. ‘Do you think you could stand trying for a second after you’ve forgotten how awful it was?’

Natalie’s heart turned over. And this was the man who’d never wanted children. Just seeing the look on his face the first time he’d held his newborn daughter had been worth all the pain in the world.

What a lovely man he was. A real softie underneath that tough, macho façade. Alanna had been right about that.

‘It might cost you,’ she said teasingly.

His head shot up. ‘You mean I have to pay you to have another baby?’

‘Not with cash.’

‘What, then?’

‘I want you to rent Chuck’s boat for the week from Christmas till the New year. Tess will be three months old by then so I should be right and ready for a second honeymoon.’

‘You do realise how much Chuck charges for that, don’t you? Four hundred thousand a week! Next year we’d be able to afford it, but we’ve spent a small fortune this year buying that big house Reece found us. My program’s only been on the market six months and it takes time for the money to come in.’

‘Yes, I do know that. But there are six double cabins for guests on the Rosalie. We don’t have to rent the boat alone. I’ve discussed it with Alanna and Holly. They said Reece and Richard will pay their fair share. Holly said Richard will want to bring his mother and stepfather, but they’ve got scads of money and would be only too happy to contribute. Alanna wants to invite her mother and her new husband as well. They don’t have much money, but she’s a fantastic cook. Reece’s mother won’t be coming. Apparently, she spends every Christmas with her youngest son and his family.’

‘When on earth did you organise all this?’ Mike asked.

‘Oh…last week some time. So is it all right?’

‘How can I refuse? That boat has a decidedly erotic effect on you. Must be all the rockin’ and rollin’. But what about your parents? We can’t leave them behind. Not at Christmas.’

‘Heavens, no. Their coming with us is a foregone conclusion. And Dad can well afford to pay something, too. They’re quite flush since you gave him the job of managing the Sydney office of Stoneware and Comproware Inc. That six-figure salary you and Chuck pay him is ridiculously generous, you know.’