The Secret She Kept

by Amy Knupp

• ISBN13: 9780373715374
• ISBN10: 0373715374
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-13
• Publisher: Harlequin

Summary

She never ever thought Jake Barnes would know the truth. When he left town without any warning, Savannah couldn't tell him she was pregnant. He didn't give her the chance. So now--years later--because he's back and finds out he has a child, suddenly she's the villain.... How is that fair?Savannah Salinger raised her daughter and knows what's best for her own kid. But she can't seem to push Jake away, and having the infuriating man so close...so close to her...stirs up all those feelings she thought were buried as deep as the secret she swore she'd never tell.

Excerpts

Savannah Salinger didn't like surprises.Especially when the surprise was Jake Barnes, living, breathing, looking far too good--and standing four feet in front of her. Inheroffice. Where she was supposed to be in control."Jake," she said, damning the waver in her voice. She stood and walked out from behind her desk toward him. Her heart jackhammered with a suffocating fear she couldn't take time to either rationalize or dismiss. All she knew was she couldn't let him see how his reappearance affected her. Couldnotlet him notice her hands were shaking and sweating."Savannah." His frown disappeared as he eyed her with blatant approval. "What a surprise." He eased his mouth into the grin she remembered well--sixty percent cocky, forty percent pure sexy. Fortunately, Savannah was one hundred percent immune to male charm--his and everyone else's--these days."What in the world are you doing here?" she asked."I have a meeting with Zach Rundle," Jake said. "Two o'clock.""He has..." She stepped over to Zach's desk, which lay along the back wall, and glanced at the oversize October calendar where he jotted down his appointments. "A two o'clock with the owner of the Levine land."She peered up at Jake, eager to determine his reaction to being wrong about his meeting. Anxious to get him out of there."That'd be me."She tilted her head in confusion. "I thought the owner was... Odessa Levine.""I'm here on her behalf. She's my grandmother."Savannah opened her mouth, then closed it again. "So we're working with you.""For now.""You're the one who's going to sell us the land?" She watched his face for a clue to his plans."We'll see how it goes," Jake said, shrugging one shoulder and gazing around the room.Crossing her arms and leaning against the front of her desk, Savannah perused him, refusing to be intimidated by his nonchalance. Or his good looks.His dark hair was just long enough to be messy on top, in a fresh-out-of-somebody's-bed way that could pique a woman's imagination. Eyes the color of melted chocolate followed her, missing nothing. He was all angles and tautness and confidence."Does Zach realize he's meeting with you instead of your grandmother?""I do." At that moment Zach, Savannah's boss and brother-in-law, entered the undersized, overfurnished construction office from the back shop area. He wiped off his hands on his jeans, brushed his brown hair off his face and extended a hand to Jake. "Zach Rundle. You must be Jacob Barnes.""Call me Jake. Pleasure.""You never mentioned his name," Savannah said stupidly to Zach."You two know each other?" he asked."We grew up together." Her chin rose a notch as she met Jake's eyes."It's been awhile," Jake said in that deep, husky voice of his, returning her stare, their past hanging heavily between them."What are you doing back in town?" she inquired, striving for friendliness."Family stuff. Researching land options for my grandma, for one thing."Zach switched into business mode at the reminder, and the two men headed into the adjacent conference room and shut the door. Savannah slumped into her chair, relieved that Zach hadn't invited her to join them, as he often did.She closed her eyes, wondering what to do about Jake, and about the way her heart was pounding. Keeping him out of her personal life was of the utmost importance. Yet buying that land from Jake's grandmother was vital to Zach and the company, which of course meant it was vital to her. She had to play nice and focus on their business goal until Jake got the heck out of town. And hope like crazy he'd leave none the wiser.Jake stretched his legs out under the conference table as Rundle went to grab a folder he'd left on his desk. Fancy running into Savannah Salinger here, on his second day back in Lone Oak. Sure, it was a one-horse town, but he'd barely left his grandmother's house where he was