LOGINShare
HER SECRET 5
Last Updated:
2023-03-19 16:26:11
Related chapters
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 6
Matt nodded dully.Sam reached up to set a hand on Matt’s shoulder. ‘Go on home this afternoon. I’ll clean the stables myself.’Matt glanced over Sam’s shoulder towards the paddock.‘You don’t want to go back there, son,’ the rancher cautioned. ‘There’s nothing you can do for her now. We’re gonna have to bulldoze a hole to bury her.’‘I’ve got to see her.’With a resigned jerk of his head, Sam stepped back and motioned for Matt to pass.Out in the field, Matt knelt on the grass beside the lifeless animal, wishing he’d heeded Sam’s advice. One last time, he brushed her mane and pressed his fingertips to the white starburst marking on her forehead. Her flesh felt icy. The mare’s spirit and grace and beauty he’d loved had been ripped from this poor empty body.‘Goodbye, girl,’ he whispered, giving her neck a final pat.He left quickly, ashamed of the misery in his face, the tears stinging his eyelids. He’d grown accustomed to Star’s quiet company when he worked in the stables. When he ro
Last Updated : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 7
‘Sierra, I felt it.’‘Felt what? You have to say it.’‘The magic. This would never have happened if I didn’t love you.’‘I know. But I’m glad you said it.’‘Sierra?’‘Hmm?’‘Thank you.’She nestled against his chest, and he held her to him, sinking one hand in her tresses. His heart swelled in a way it never had before. She had indeed given him something no one could ever take away. And for the first time in his life hewanted to believe that if something was good enough and pure enough, it would indeed last forever . . .With a start. Matt awoke, blinking in the darkness and confused to find himself sprawled across a narrow bed in a room with plastic trucks and teddy bears lining the shelves. Blue curtains billowed over the partially opened window like a pair of icy ghosts.Clasping a hand to his forehead, he remembered that he was in his nephew’s room. Tossing the quilt back, he swung his long legs over the side of the bed, setting bare feet on the wooden floor. In nothing but a pai
Last Updated : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 8
Was she ever so young? She’d loved him freely, eagerly, unaware that circumstances wouldn’t always allow her to do so. That part of her life was over now. She’d never be loved that way again, and thinking about it was useless.Now, as she inspected a pair of Will’s well-worn jeans that were free of holes but getting too short for him, she reflected on the irony of once having assumed she’d never have to work for a living except to sit on the board of her father’s oil company one day. She’d fancied herself an artist, traveling to tropical beaches and capturing the variations of sunlight on sand and water.Well, she could blame neither her father nor herself, nor Ben and his family. She’d done this to herself. And never again would she innocently trust that someone else would always take care of her. Nor would she entrust her son’s welfare to anyone else. He was her responsibility - hers alone.People turned away for reasons she didn’t understand. Her father, who had believed Ben was th
Last Updated : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 9
‘St Matthew, I guess.’‘What did he do?’‘I’m not sure.’Matt paused and extended a hand to the boy. ‘Pleasure to meet you, Will,’ he said.Round-eyed, the boy tentatively accepted his handshake, enjoying the gesture normally reserved for adults. His chest swelled and he stood taller, but the grasp of his small hand reminded Matt oddly of little Tanner reaching out to him last night.‘What are you doing out here, Will?’ Sierra’s voice broke through the encroaching darkness. ‘I told you not to disturb Mr Rollins while he’s working.’‘He’s not bothering me,’ Matt insisted calmly. ‘We were just discussing going riding tomorrow.’Matt saw her hand ball into a fist.‘Can I, Mom?’ Will pleaded. ‘I wasn’t begging. It was Matt’s idea.’Matt nodded to confirm this.‘We’ll see,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you go inside and get washed for dinner?’ Reluctantly, he marched off. It had been a long time since she’d seen his eyes shine about anything.‘He’s a nice kid. Sierra,’ Matt noted. ‘I’d like to tak
Last Updated : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 10
‘Alison, I can’t tell Matt now. He thinks little enough of me for having married Ben so quickly, but all things considered, it was the only choice I had. Had Matt known the truth he would havestood by us, borne his responsibilities, and resented me for chaining him to a life he never wanted.’‘You two were so young. Maybe Matt’s changed.’‘I really don’t know him now. And I can’t take the chance. Telling him would add to the risk of Will finding out. And I’m afraid Matt would be too angry to continue working for me. I had a hard enough time convincing him as it was.’‘He has a right to know.’Sierra held her head high and shook her head. ‘Ben accepted Will as his son and never treated him as anything less. Regardless of Ben’s failings, the rest is just biology.’Alison eyed her friend critically. ‘I can’t imagine his conception resulted from a science project. Honestly, you talk as though the heart has been cut right out of you. Is this the evidence of Ben’s caring, that he couldn’t
Last Updated : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 11
‘I could shovel out stalls, but my mom won’t let me.’‘She watches over you pretty close, huh?’Will nodded. ‘All the time. I know she needs me to take care of her, because my dad died.’Matt whistled. ‘That’s a pile of responsibility.’‘She never wants to have fun any more. She used to take me places.’‘She’s got a lot of work now, a lot on her mind.’‘You mean things will be like this forever?’‘I reckon not. She’s probably got to get over missing your dad too.’‘Will I stop missing him?’‘I don’t know.’‘Will you show me how to make the horse jump?’‘Not today.’‘If you show me how to take care of the horses, Mom won’t have to worry so much.’‘She worries a lot, does she?’‘Uh-huh. Are you sure you were named after St Matthew?’‘No. I don’t think I was really named after anybody. Why?’‘Matthew means a gift from God.’Matt chuckled. ‘I’ll be hanged. Where’d you learn that, Sunday school?’‘No, I was looking up Matthew on my computer encyclopaedia.’‘Damn.’‘Excuse me?’‘Nothing. Yo
Last Updated : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 12
She drew back.‘You really are trying to make this place work, aren’t you? You’re still the most beautiful woman I know,’ he said, his eyes sweeping over her. ‘And you’ve always been strong. You just never knew it because your old man was stronger.’She laughed lightly. ‘I could just imagine what he’d do if he heard himself being referred to as my “old man”.’Matt shrugged. ‘Even if he was the devil himself, you probably miss him.’‘I do. I’ve missed you sometimes too.’ She was lying again. She’d missed him all the time. She shifted her eyes down to the floor.Matt eyed her uneasily, then swung his glance around the room. ‘So is this a doll house or what?’‘It used to be servants’ quarters.’‘It’ll do. I’ll keep the door locked so you can’t break in again.’‘Matt, what changed your mind about staying?’ ‘Will.’Sierra recoiled as though she’d been stabbed in the heart. She’d feared hearing that. Will favored her more than he did his father, but if Matt spent too much time around him, h
Last Updated : 2023-03-19YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) HER SECRET 13
‘Well, yeah.'‘But see, you don’t know it’s because he’s got two broken legs. You really don’t know enough about him to say. You can’t make assumptions about people you don’t even know.’‘That’s different. And that was cheating, not telling he was crippled.’Sierra intervened. ‘Will, go get your clothes together. Luke and his mom will be here for you any minute.’ Sierra’s tone left no room for argument, and Will offered no resistance. But as he was leaving the room, he shot Matt a sharp parting glance.‘You’ll have to forgive him, Matt. I honestly don’t know what’s gotten into him. He’s been exposed to Ben’s elitist philosophies, and Ben’s views usually fell short of compassion.’Matt kept his voice low. ‘I think I know what’s wrong. He was talking about how his father died. Must have been harder on the kid than he’ll admit.’‘Will’s suffered a lot of trauma.’‘Maybe he needs to talk about it more, get it out of his system.’‘When he’s ready. I’m sure he will.’‘Maybe he’s not sophist
Last Updated : 2023-03-19
Latest chapter
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) INTIMATE STRANGERS 23
‘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
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) INTIMATE STRANGERS 22
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
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) INTIMATE STRANGERS 21
‘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
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) INTIMATE STRANGERS 20
‘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
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) INTIMATE STRANGERS 19
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
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) INTIMATE STRANGERS 18
“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
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) INTIMATE STRANGERS 17
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
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) INTIMATE STRANGERS 16
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
YOUR LOVE (ROMANTIC SERIES) INTIMATE STRANGERS 15
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
