by Jill Kemerer
“Are you sure?” Mandy sounded like she was afraid to believe him.
“Yes. We’ll plan next steps then,” he said, vowing to keep his distance. Their past was over. Totally.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” She quickly said goodbye and hung up.
Questions swirled in his mind.
When had Mandy married, had a child? More to the point, why hadn’t Bonnie or Ben told him? Not that Drew had encouraged talk about Mandy. In fact, he usually cut off any and all comments about his former teen love.
So he had no business wondering about Mandy’s life now. But he did.
Drew remained in place, still holding the phone, staring out his glass balcony door at New York’s famous cityscape spread below. He’d bought this place because he thought it met his needs. It was going to be his home. He worked here undisturbed, analyzed to his heart’s content and consulted via the internet. This was supposed to be his haven.
But his spartan, ultra-neat apartment now seemed more like a prison.
How strange that Drew was actually looking forward to returning to the very ranch he’d so eagerly escaped.
And to seeing Mandy again.
* * *
Mandy hung up, worry and relief vying for supremacy.
Drew was coming home. That meant she’d have help keeping the Halstons’ livelihood going. That pleased her.
She’d also have to tell him the truth. The prospect of that was terrifying.
“I love you, Mama.” Her daughter snuggled against her side, face upturned in sweet trust that her mother would solve whatever issues cropped up in her life. Hadn’t she always?
“I love you, too, Ella.” Mandy hugged the little body close in an attempt to quell her growing trepidation, fighting to cling to her resolve to not let Drew’s arrival at the ranch change anything.
It didn’t matter what he said or did, if he reviled her or hated her. It didn’t even matter that he still held a grudge, or how much that hurt after they’d once shared such closeness. Yes, she’d loved him dearly, and it had cost all her hopes and dreams to end their relationship.
But she’d never had a choice.
That was the past. Now Mandy had made a new life for herself and Ella, thanks to Bonnie and Ben. She couldn’t afford to let her childish love for Drew revive and ruin what she’d built. Nor could she let guilt over the past affect her life now. She certainly couldn’t let herself become the least bit susceptible to Drew’s charms.
Ella was the most important part of her life now. Ella was her future.
Drew was Mandy’s past. And everything about the past was best forgotten.
Everything.
Copyright © 2020 by Lois M. Richer
Love Harlequin romance?
DISCOVER.
Be the first to find out about promotions, news and exclusive content!
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
Instagram.com/HarlequinBooks
Pinterest.com/HarlequinBooks
ReaderService.com
EXPLORE.
Sign up for the Harlequin e-newsletter and download a free book from any series at
TryHarlequin.com
CONNECT.
Join our Harlequin community to share your thoughts and connect with other romance readers!
Facebook.com/groups/HarlequinConnection
ISBN: 9781488060090
The Cowboy’s Secret
Copyright © 2020 by Ripple Effect Press, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
For questions and comments about the quality of this book, please contact us at [email protected].
Love Inspired
22 Adelaide St. West, 40th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canada
www.Harlequin.com
