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HER SECRET 30
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2023-03-19 22:53:12
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YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 31
She wished Matt were here so she’d at least have a comforting hand to hold on to. She had to tell him she didn’t blame him for confronting her father. This was her fault. She should have told him Matt was back.As the ambulance had raced away. Matt had merely told her to go ahead and be careful not to drive so fast she killed herself, assuring her he’d see about Will.Amidst all the commotion, she’d nearly forgotten about her son. She told herself he should have been her first concern. He’d come rushing downstairs at the noise, and seeing his grandfather lying there on the floor must have conjured up terrible images about Ben for him. What would she have done if Matt hadn’t been there? But then, if he hadn’t . . .No, she couldn’t blame him for this. He didn’t have to hide from her father or anyone else. Her father had over-reacted, brought this upon himself. She still stung from his calling her a whore. Matt was the only real man she’d ever slept with. The only man she’d ever slept w
Last Updated : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 32
‘I don’t want him to be mad at me. But I can’t leave Mom by herself. She’s been sad for a long time, since before Dad died. Sometimes I think she didn’t like him much. He made her cry a lot. She likes the ranch, especially since you came to help her.’Sierra tried so hard to see the best in people; she had accepted her father’s attempts at reconciliation as a gesture based on love. She needed to be warned what her father was up to, but considering his condition, this was no time to confront her with the ugly truth.‘Can he make me leave Mom?’ Will’s voice was small in the night.Matt didn’t know what to tell him. He longed to reassure the kid, yet he prided himself on being truthful. William Ross was a powerful man. From what Sam had told him, he’d driven his own wife out of the country. He could afford to hire shrewd lawyers, and Sierra was on shaky financial ground.‘I don’t know. But I know your mother would fight to keep you with her.’Will blinked rapidly. ‘I don’t want them to f
Last Updated : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 33
‘I haven’t had a chance to wrap it properly,’ she apologized, handing him the flat package wrapped in brown paper.Matt began tearing the wrapping off. The phone rang, and Sierra went to answer it.He heard the distant sound of her voice as he uncovered the oil painting, a portrait of Sam in his younger, vibrant days, the glory of Texas’s vast blue sky and open spaces in the background.Staring at it, he swallowed a thick lump in his throat. His normally steady hands were shaking.Sierra returned. ‘That was someone wanting to rent the carriage for a party tomorrow night,’ she reported brightly. As she glimpsed his solemn expression, her tone dropped. ‘Like it? The newspaper had an old photo of Sam on file and let me borrow it. It’s the first thing I’ve done in a long time, and I’m afraid it’s not my best work.’‘It’s fine. Sierra. Real fine. Thank you. I didn’t think there was anything I wanted for Christmas until I saw this. I love it. When did you start working on it? This must have
Last Updated : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 34
Damn it, he should have guessed. Sierra had been wrong, but he knew this was his fault as well. And he couldn’t blame this one on his father. He’d been too quick to believe Sierra had been trifling with him, when he’d known in his heart she loved him. Instead of uncovering the reason behind her hasty marriage to Ben, he’d nm off.He cradled his forehead in his palm. The air here smelled of the woods, and it was a scent he would always associate with Sierra’s body and the sweetness of making love to her.Shifting, he raked a hand through the soil. Here he was, thirty-two years old, and nothing belonged to him. He should have made something of himselfby now instead of drifting from town to town, never building anything or forming any ties. Sam had started out with little education and no money and built an empire by devoting himself to a place.Thirty-two years and he had nothing to show for it, except the money he’d saved. Living as he did, his expenses were minimal, so he’d had a bro
Last Updated : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 35
The acrid smells of the hospital burned in Matt’s nostrils. He looked down on Sam, small and shrunken in the bed, plugged into monitors and bottles. Pain was etched in the old rancher’s weathered face despite the barrage of drugs intended to mask it.‘I knew you’d come,’ Sam said, his voice barely audible, fading out.‘You should have let them call me sooner, Sam. I wanted to be here.’‘I don’t want a lot of moanin’ and cryin’. I had a good life. Matt.’‘I don’t know where I would have been without you.’‘Thank you for bein’ a part of it. I want ya’ to know you’ve never let me down.’‘Yeah, I did, Sam. I stayed gone so long . . .’‘Don’t make no difference. You’re here now. Matt, I lied when I told ya I didn’t care what ya do with that land. You take it and make yourself a home. Show this town what you’re made of.’‘Sam, I don’t know . .‘I won’t make you promise. Wouldn’t be fair. I’ve always believed in you. Matt. Enjoyed watching you grow into a man. But I’m gonna have to give it
Last Updated : 2023-03-20YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 36
'You were never in touch with any of us. We were like little toys you played with when you were at home. I don’t think we were ever a part of your life,’ Matt said, tossing his cigarette to the ground and crushing it out with his boot heel. ‘All I ever wanted to do was be able to love you, and you gave me reason after reason not to. Well, yes, you won. I don’t love you. God knows why, but Ma did. All I can do is believe there was something good in that.’‘Things were tough when you kids were growin’ up, Matt. There’s things you can’t understand.‘No. The problem is, I always understood too much.’Lester pulled a box of cigarettes out of his shirt pocket. He flipped it open, offering one to Matt. Matt shook his head. ‘Lost my taste for ’em. Do you have a pen? I want to go ahead and sign this check over to Leeann so I can leave first thing in the morning.’ He glanced at his father’s face and saw nothing of himself in it. ‘You should be with your family tonight. If you’d asked me, I coul
Last Updated : 2023-03-20YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) RELUCTANT WIFE 1
SYNOPSIS ‘I want you to have my baby. Give me an heir and I’ll offer Petros a deal which will save his skin!’‘You must be mad! ’ Carrie floundered for words; she was so shocked by his proposition. ‘I couldn’t marry you!’As he raised a dark, sardonic eyebrow Alexis’s low voice drifted across to her,‘I want an heir, not a wife!’But Petros had other ideas and Carrie and Alexis soon found themselves bound for a wedding neither of them wanted...CHAPTER 1A grey shadow of doubt settled unceremoniously onto Carrie’s slim shoulders. Was she doing the right thing? There zvas no other alternative. She’d gone over this with a fine-tooth comb since her return to Greece, and each time she’d come up with the same answer. Alexis Stephanides held the key; he was the only man rich enough!‘Miss O’Riordan, Mr Stephanides will see you now,’ said the pleasant dark-haired girl, in heavily accented English, as she emerged from the office with CHAIRMAN engraved on the gold plaque of the heavy mahogany
Last Updated : 2023-03-20YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) RELUCTANT WIFE 2
Alexis spim aroimd, his frown warning her, his voice threatening her to be silent. ‘Shut up! Stop your screaming: you know what I do to screaming children.’ He moved towards her like the sleek hunter he was and she backed away as if his touch would burn her.‘You touch me if you dare. I’m not a child any more,’ She spat the words out like an alley cat, wild and hurt.Alexis gave her a look full of contempt as he walked swiftly past her to the door. There, he turned slightly, throwing over his shoulder, ‘Then stop behaving like a child.’ He glanced down at the gold watch on his wrist. ‘I have a meeting. Friday is the deadline, Carrie. At noon!’Carrie stared open-mouthed. Eventually she foimd her voice. ‘That’s too soon.’His gaze travelled her full length. ‘If you truly love Petros, having my baby will be a worthy sacrifice!’ With that he left, leaving her shocked and devastated.***Petros was sitting by the pool when she reached the island. His tired face was gaunt with worry and ag
Last Updated : 2023-03-20
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‘G’day Kerrien, my darling girl, had a nice time?’ She was nodding and smiling encouragingly but Kerrien could say nothing. ‘Lovely day, thank you. It’s good of you to feed me again,’ she added. “Come on in. Make yourself at home,” she urged. ‘Must use the bathroom, if I may,’ Kerrien asked. Brett shoved his mother out of the room and Kerrien could hear the whispered voices rising and falling. ‘For heaven’s sake boy, do I get the champagne out or not?'*I don’t know Mum, she hasn’t given me an answer yet.” Kerrien listened in growing discomfort. She was beginning to feel coerced, trapped. If she said yes, it was going to be for all the wrong reasons. If she said no, she might just be acting foolishly out of some misplaced sense of romanticism. She went slowly back to the family room, where Brett was waiting for her. ‘Do I get my answer yet?’ he asked. The blue eyes were shuttered and she could read nothing from them. “Yes Brett, yes I will marry you.’ She wondered why she didn
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Sleep was impossible and Kerrien paced her room for much of the night. Ashton was evidently going through some personal crisis which seemed to exclude both herself and the children. What was he talking about with her and Brett? News? Excited? He could only think that they were getting engaged. She wondered where he had got that idea. It was the very last thing she would have wanted him to think, when all the time she desperately wanted jum. She also wished that his future with Martine was less certain. Double wedding indeed! Ashton said little the next morning before rushing off to work. She caught him staring at her a couple of times, as if looking for some clue in her face. If he believed something special had recently happened to her, he did not voice his thoughts. ‘I won’t be home for lunch and don’t wait dinner for me tonight. I may be out. Have you decided when you’re going out at the weekend?’ he asked. ‘Saturday, if that’s OK,’ she replied. ‘I'll organize things before I go
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‘I haven’t felt this way about anyone before,’ Brett said. She drew a quick gulp of air and her reeling senses came back to earth. ‘And you’ve had plenty to choose from, I suppose.’ The harsh words hit him like a slap across the face. “I’ve never tried to pretend anything different,” he defended, a hurt expression in his eyes. “Look, you may be innocent or try to give the impression of being innocent but I know a true response when I feel it. Yes, OK, call it experience. Tell me, do you intend going through your entire life celibate and end up a sour spinster?’ ‘I think I'd better go,’ she said, bristling at his accusation. ‘Kerrien, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it. I want you Kerrien, on whatever terms you insist on making. Think about it. I can offer you everything you’ve always wanted.’ His face looked almost child-like in its pleading, like Ben or Jodie begging for just a few minutes longer, before going to bed. She almost smiled at the thought. They may want to stay up longer, Br
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‘I thought you had something vital to tell me,’ Ashton said at lunch. ‘Something that couldn’t wait a moment longer.’ ‘Perhaps I’ve got things in perspective a little better,’ Kerrien replied, twisting her fingers together in her anxiety. ‘What I have to talk about is important but something has come up that I must deal with and quickly. I have to see Brett and the sooner the better.’ He stared at her, peering into her eyes as if he could read something in them, as if he could somehow see into her mind to know what she was thinking. She was an enigma to him. One minute bursting with some news she needed to discuss urgently with him and the next, planning an evening out with her boy-friend. He had no doubt as to the reason for her sudden need to meet Brett. She had to give him an answer to the vital question and having made her decision, she obviously couldn’t wait to tell him. ‘Look, I know it isn’t really my evening off but things have been hectic lately and I am still owed some t
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Kerrien sipped a cup of hot chocolate in the cafeteria, her hands wrapped round the comforting mug. She hoped that Kate and her friend didn’t have the same idea. Kerrien had no prejudices about people’s right to choose their sexual partners but somehow, Kate’s whole attitude to life suddenly seemed to have become clearer. All these nasty, sometimes spiteful . remarks were probably made because Kate didn’t know how to cope with the cards that life had dealt her. She did genuinely seem fond of the children but perhaps felt that Ashton would be less than understanding if he knew that his sister loved another woman. It took some getting used to but Kerrien was convinced that she was not mistaken. The way the two women had looked at and spoken to each other showed quite clearly that they shared a deep relationship. It may also explain why Kate was so resentful of Kerrien. Her easy going manner with people was something of a contrast with Kate’s own more restrained nature. She wondered if
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“So what do you say Kerrien? Will you stay with us, for as long as you can?’ His deep, soft eyes were pleading with her. She felt again that urge to wrap her arms round him and hug him better but she knew that any physical contact with him would spell disaster to her own strength of purpose. ‘Think of the children,’ he added, knowing this was his trurmp card. She genuinely loved them and would never let them suffer. Besides, it would mean that she would still be around in his life and that meant a great deal more than he cared to admit. ‘I need to think about it. I’ll stay for a while, certainly. At least until you have made whatever arrangements you plan to make. Don’t worry.’ Her heart was near breaking as she spoke. She desperately wanted to be gone once Martine was living here. She couldn’t bear to see the other woman doing all the things she wanted to be doing, having the exclusive love of the wonderful man she herself loved so much. If he should ever find out how she felt, she
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Once Ashton had left for work, Kerrien decided that she simply couldn’t face another evening staying at home. She dialled Brett’s number and swallowing her stubborn pride, asked if he was free that evening. She was taking a slight risk that she wouldn’t have to babysit but as she hadn’t taken any time off for ages, it was not unreasonable to expect a free evening. His response was very positive. If he had made other plans, it was not obvious. He suggested a movie and then a meal out. It sounded exactly what she needed to take her mind off things here. When Kate eventually turned up, sometime after eleven, Kerrien had started the lunch preparations. She made some coffee for them both. Kate seemed edgy and moody. Things were evidently not going as well as she would have liked. But, she obviously controlled her wandering thoughts and agreed to mind the children for the evening, if Ashton was out. The woman seemed subdued and uncommunicative, so Kerrien left her alone and went to play wi
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The next few days were difficult. Kate bad only one topic of conversation — the wedding — and seemed totally unaware of the discomfort of those around her. The children were silent and withdrawn, reminiscent of the time when Kerrien had first arrived in Australia. Kerrien herself was thoroughly sick of hearing about the fabulous designer wedding dress Martine was planning, and whether Ben should be dressed in green or cream velvet. Either was equally revolting, or so Kerrien thought and she instinctively knew that Ben would agree! 'I think you should start looking around for another job,” Kate suggested brightly one morning. 'I see. Your idea or Ashton’s?’ Kerrien asked. ‘It must be obvious even to you that this situation can’t go on. Once they’re married, I expect they will be starting a new family and Martine is sure to want someone of her own choice, to look after the new baby as well as Ashton’s two. Besides, Ben will be at school and you surely wouldn’t want to be hanging arou
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It was nearly lunch-time when Kerrien returned from her trip to drop Brett home. A quick hallo to Margaret and a coffee before she had left, made her later than she intended. She’d then taken a couple of wrong turnings, her mind pre-occupied. The journey took longer and longer, it seemed. There was strange feeling of unreality about everything, as if she was in the middle some sort of dream that would end when she awoke. The house was quiet and Ashton’s car was missing from its usual place. He must have gone to work, even though she’d thought he wasn’t on duty this weekend. Perhaps he had gone out — to be with his fiancée she thought miserably. She had to keep experimenting with the words, so that she would get used to it. How could he want to marry someone who was so negative towards those two lovely children? It was obvious to anyone with half a mind, that Martine couldn’t care less about them. It was equally clear that the children also felt the same way about their father’s fiancé
