by Brenda Novak
Suddenly she sprang to her feet. “I have to go. I have to get out of here and…and go.”
A fresh wave of fear assaulted him. “Where?”
“I don’t know. I can’t deal with this right here, with you, with…what happened last night. I need some time to think.”
“Take my truck,” he said, standing to dig the keys out of his pocket. He hated to let her go anywhere without him, but he definitely didn’t want her on foot.
“I can’t,” she said, tears gathering in her eyes. “I…I don’t know if I’m coming back.” She grabbed her purse and left, and Parker knew better than to stop her. But letting her go was the second-hardest thing he’d ever done.
Telling her had been the first.
* * *
FAITH SQUEEZED Hope’s hand, effectively gaining her attention. “You going to be okay?”
“I don’t know,” Hope said. “I—I trusted Parker. Now I feel so numb and…and—”
“But he has your child, Hope.” Faith’s voice was filled with awe and excitement. “And he’s willing to share him. Doesn’t that count for something?”
“It counts for a lot. That’s what I keep telling myself, too. But he’s had my child for ten years. He and Lydia lied to me, they betrayed the only trust I had to give…”
“They were wrong,” Faith said. “There’s no question about that. But Parker didn’t have to tell you, even now. He could’ve let you go right on believing you’d had a girl.”
“I might have found out,” Hope said, because she didn’t want to see any good in Parker. She couldn’t love him and hate him at the same time, but that was exactly what she seemed to be doing. “I was starting to search for her.”
“You might not have found anything. Parker risked his heart and the son he adores—”
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Hope interrupted.
“I think we should,” Faith replied, her assertiveness surprising Hope. When had her sister matured so much?
“What good can possibly come from rehashing such a—”
“Such a miracle?” Faith inserted.
A miracle? “Learning that the only two people I’ve trusted since leaving Superior betrayed me—that’s a miracle?”
“It’s not a miracle to find your child? To know that Dalton’s always been safe and loved, that he’s had a wonderful father like Parker? Isn’t your child’s health and happiness the one thing you’ve always prayed for?”
Hope stared at her sister, feeling a tingle go through her whole body. “Of course it is.”
“Then think of this—if your baby had been adopted by another family, chances are you’d never have had the opportunity to know him. When you look at the situation like that, Parker did you a huge favor—when he took Dalton, when he kept him there in Enchantment where you could find him again, when he cared for him so well.” She hesitated, then added softly, “And when he offered to love you, too.”
Hope felt the warmth of tears on her face. For the first time in ages, she couldn’t hold them back. It was a miracle. She already had Faith and Brady. Now, if she could only find a little forgiveness in her heart, she’d have Dalton and Parker. No more nightmares. No more living alone without love. No more not knowing.
Maybe someday they could be a family….
“Can’t you forgive him?” Faith pressed.
Hope sniffed and smiled through her tears. She certainly wasn’t living in the background anymore. Everything she felt was so acute, so poignant. But she was grateful to be alive again. That was a small miracle in itself.
“I can forgive him,” she said at last, and picked up the phone.
Parker answered on the first ring. “Hope?”
“It’s me,” she said.
Silence fell, and she knew he was waiting. “I—I’m at the hospital. Will you come get me?”
* * *
HOPE SAT ACROSS from Parker at the International House of Pancakes. Because it was midafternoon, the place wasn’t busy, which meant their waitress had a little too much time on her hands. She kept swinging by their booth with the coffeepot to see if they needed a refill.
“Are you okay?” Parker asked as the waitress filled their cups for the third time in about fifteen minutes.
Hope felt better than she’d felt in years. And yet she was almost afraid to embrace the optimism that had enveloped her at the hospital. Was Faith right? Was she looking at a miracle? Or would Parker turn out to be more of a mirage?
“I’m fine.” She poured some more sugar into her coffee, being careful to keep her attention on what she was doing. She and Parker had so much to discuss, but she was almost afraid to hear what he had to say, and he seemed just as tentative.
“What are you thinking?” he prompted.
She finally raised her eyes to meet his. He looked good, she thought. He wasn’t wearing anything special, just a faded pair of jeans and a T-shirt, but he’d showered and shaved and she couldn’t help admiring the strong line of his jaw. She remembered lying with her head on his chest last night listening to his heartbeat after they’d made love, and wondered where their relationship would go from here.
“I’m thinking about you,” she admitted.
“I was afraid of that.” His hands circled his coffee cup, but he didn’t lift it to his mouth. “Tell me they’re good thoughts.”
“Last night was…good,” she said, and felt herself blush.
He chuckled, looking slightly relieved. “That’s a great place to start. I was hoping you’d feel that way.”
She set her spoon aside. “What should we do about Dalton?”
He rubbed his chin in what appeared to be a casual motion, but his eyes were watchful, and she knew that risking Dalton hadn’t been easy for him. “For his sake, I’d like you to give him time. I’d like to introduce you and let you develop a relationship with him. I know he’ll love you. But I don’t think we should spring any big surprises on him until he’s familiar with you and…attached.”
Hope could see the logic in what Parker suggested. She didn’t want to upset Dalton, either. She thought he could only benefit from full cooperation between the two of them and wanted to slip into his life as seamlessly as possible. “Okay. So where does that leave us?”
He reached across the table to take her hand. “That’s what I’m waiting to hear.”
“What type of relationship are you looking for?”
“A close one,” he said. He stroked her fingers, but his gaze never strayed from her face. “I’m in love with you, Hope.”
Those words made Hope feel as though she’d just barreled down the first tall hill of a roller coaster.
“Do you think you could ever love me back?” he asked.
She folded her arms in an attempt to control the flutter in her stomach, and he frowned as she pulled away. “Is that a no?”
“It’s not a no. It’s just…it’s just that things are happening so fast. I don’t know what to believe.”
“We can work through the past, Hope,” he said. “We’ll make up for everything you’ve missed. Will you at least give us a chance?”
Hope took another sip of her coffee, then nodded.
* * *
HOPE WATCHED Parker load the truck. Faith wasn’t out of the hospital yet, but he needed to drive Hope back to Enchantment so she could pick up her own car. It might be Friday afternoon, the beginning of the weekend for most people, but after heading home to see Dalton, he planned to start getting caught up on all the work he’d missed.
When he noticed her standing at the door watching him, he turned. “You all set?” he asked.
She glanced back into the room, amazed by everything that had happened in such a short time. She’d lost her heart. She’d found her son.
“What’s up?” he asked. “You’ve been so quiet.”
“I’ve been thinking.”
“About…”
“You—again.”
“Uh-oh.” He gave her a devilish grin an
d came over to wrap his arms around her. “That always worries me,” he said, nipping at her neck. “Tell me you’re thinking about last night, because that’s about all I can think about.”
She laughed. This man had brought her to Faith’s side. He’d supported her through her darkest hour—twice now, if she counted ten years ago when he’d befriended her. “Actually I’m thinking about tonight, and tomorrow night, and the night after.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “That sounds promising.”
“I just realized something.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t want to sleep without you.”
He brushed a kiss across her lips. “I can make arrangements to ensure that if you want,” he said, his voice going slightly husky.
She let her fingers delve into his thick hair and kissed him again, this time more deeply. God, he felt good to her. He felt better than anything she’d ever experienced. Surely that was something she could trust. “You can?” she said.
“Mm-hm. But there’s only one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“We have a ten-year-old boy.”
“Which means…”
“We’d better get married first, don’t you think?”
Married…The roller-coaster sensation returned.
Hope took Parker’s face between her hands so she could look him in the eye. “Are you serious, Parker? Marriage, already?”
“How long does it take to know you want to spend your life with someone?” he asked. “That you’ve finally found the one person you were meant to be with from the beginning?”
Not long, she decided. Because, when she closed her eyes, she could already see herself wearing Parker’s ring, bearing his children, helping him raise Dalton. “I can picture us together,” she said.
“Then picture this. You, me and Dalton in Vegas as soon as possible.”
“Vegas?” Hope thought of the wedding she’d always envisioned for herself, but that type of ceremony suddenly seemed very hollow. “No,” she said. “I want to wait until Dalton gets to know me. And then when he’s okay with the changes in his life—” she felt a smile coming on and knew Faith, at least, would appreciate what she was about to say “—I want to be married in a church.”
* * *
HOPE TOOK a deep breath to calm her nerves. “Do I look okay?” she asked Parker.
He smiled and squeezed her hand before ringing the doorbell to his in-laws’ large rambler in Taos. “You look great,” he said. “You have nothing to worry about, anyway. Holt’s mother is short and plump with curly black hair.”
“Holt’s mother?”
“Never mind,” he said as an older woman with a long, rather pointed nose and pure white hair swept up off her face answered the door. She was wearing a tasteful amount of cosmetics, a few expensive-looking diamond rings and conservative designer clothes—a pair of black slacks, a white silk blouse, expensive Italian shoes and a red jacket. She looked like the type of woman who’d always belonged to a country club.
“Parker!” she said, stepping back in surprise. “You told us not to expect you until after the weekend.” Her cool, gray eyes cut immediately to Hope. “Who’s this?”
Parker let go of Hope’s hand and put his arm around her, instead. Hope knew it was more than a gesture of affection—it was a show of support. “Amanda, this is Hope Tanner.”
Amanda pressed one of her bejeweled hands to her chest, and her mouth opened and closed twice before she found her voice. “Hope Tanner?”
“That’s right. You remember. She left a message on your answering machine the day before last. And now I’ve brought her to meet her son.”
Amanda stepped out of the house, carefully closing the door behind her. “Have you lost your mind, Parker?” she said, keeping her voice low. “Think of the shock this is going to be for Dalton. He doesn’t even know he was adopted, for God’s sake.”
“Relax,” Parker said, his voice calm and smooth. “Nothing’s going to change right away. He knows I’ve been seeing quite a lot of Hope and he wants to meet her—that’s all. We won’t tell him anything until we both agree he’s ready.”
“And how will you know when he’s ready?” she asked.
“It probably won’t be until after we’re married,” Parker said. “By then he’ll probably be calling her Mom, anyway.”
“M-married?” Amanda echoed. She looked as if she’d just been struck, but she didn’t have time to say anything else because the door swung open behind her, and a young boy with dark hair and hazel eyes poked his head outside.
“Dad!” he said, flinging himself at Parker the moment he spotted them. “I’m so glad you’re back. Look what Grandma’s been making me wear.” He pulled away to show his father the creased khakis, loafers and stiff white shirt that had been forced on him. “I look like Grandpa,” he said with disgust.
Hope had felt her knees go weak at the first sight of her child. He was thin, like her father, but he had her mother’s thick, unruly hair, with a Dennis the Menace cowlick. And his eyes seemed so…bright.
She’d dreamed of this moment ever since she’d given birth.
“Dalton, this is Hope,” Parker said, turning him by the shoulders.
“Hi, Dalton,” Hope said, her heart in her throat. She wanted to put her arms around him and hold him close, but she knew it was too soon. There’d be time for that, she promised herself. She and Parker were going to be married in a few months. Then they’d be living together as a family in Parker’s house, along with Faith and Brady, and she’d be caring for Dalton as if she’d never lost him.
“Hi,” he replied, smiling shyly.
“Your father and I were planning to take you out for ice cream, if it’s okay with your grandmother,” Hope said.
His eyes brightened even more. “Can I change my clothes first?”
“As far as I’m concerned, a pair of jeans is good enough,” Hope told him.
“Great.” He released a dramatic sigh and grinned up at Parker. “I told you I’d like her.”
He dashed into the house to change, leaving them with Amanda once again.
Hope tried not to squirm as Dalton’s grandmother frowned at her. “A scandal won’t bode well for anyone,” she said as soon as Dalton was out of earshot.
“There won’t be a scandal,” Hope said. “The past is the past. We’re going to leave it where it is.”
“We’re just not going to let the past rob us of a future,” Parker added. Then he smiled the smile Hope had come to love.
* * * * *
New York Times bestselling author
BRENDA NOVAK
delivers a captivating and dramatic tale of family relationships, lost memories and long-buried secrets:
The Secret Sister
“Every book is a winner! Brenda Novak doesn’t just write fabulous stories, she writes keepers.”
—New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery
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“A rare treat. Brenda Novak draws you in from the first page.”
—Barbara Freethy, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Looking for more great reads from New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak?
Discover her award-winning Whiskey Creek series and fall in love with the small Gold Country town of Whiskey Creek. Collect the complete series today:
When We Touch (novella)
When Lightning Strikes
When Snow Falls
When Summer Comes
Home to Whiskey Creek
Take Me Home for Christmas
Come Home to Me
The Heart of Ch
ristmas
This Heart of Mine
A Winter Wedding
“You know that feeling of anticipation you get when you’re about to enjoy a delicious and uncommon treat? That’s the feeling I get whenever I start a Brenda Novak book.”
—USA TODAY
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Read on for a special excerpt from Brenda’s novel, A Winter Wedding.
CHAPTER 1
“Your ex-wife is on the phone again.”
Kyle Houseman squeezed his eyes shut and massaged his forehead. There were few people in the world he considered as difficult as Noelle.
Actually, he couldn’t think of one.
“Did you hear me?” Morgan Thorpe, his assistant, stood at the entrance to his office wearing an impatient frown. Noelle (who still used his last name, which bothered him, since they’d been together for only a year) hadn’t been able to reach him on his cell. She’d tried three times in the past fifteen minutes and he’d let it go to voice mail. So she’d called his business line, which he’d specifically asked her not to do. He didn’t like the way she aired her complaints about him—and everything else—to anyone who’d listen.
His employees didn’t like it, either.
“I heard,” he replied.
“Are you going to take her call? Because if I have to talk to her again, I’m going to tell her exactly what I think of her.”
He gave Morgan a look to make sure she understood that would be a mistake. At forty-five, she wasn’t old enough to be his mother, but she often took a maternal approach with him, probably because she’d been working for him since he started First Step Solar. He’d hired her the same week she came out of the closet and moved in with her partner, who was as soft-spoken as Morgan was bold. “No, you’re not.”
