âTrent?â Annieâs lips were suddenly dry.
His gaze was focused on her mouth. âIâm trying to talk myself out of kissing you. It might help if you would push me away or something.â
She lifted a hand to his chest, but it simply rested there, feeling his heart beating strongly against her palm. âI should push you away,â she murmured, trying to convince herself.
âYes.â His other hand rose, cupping her face. His head lowered until his mouth almost, but not quite, touched hers.
Impulsively, Annie tightened her fingers around the fabric of his shirt and closed the distance between them. She had come to Honoria to make her own decisions. To try new experiences. And she had just decided that kissing Trent McBride was an experience she didnât want to miss. So, before she lost her nerve, she touched her lips to his.
She might have taken the initiative, but Trent quickly turned that around. He gathered her in his arms and transformed her tentative kiss into an embrace that nearly singed her eyelashes.
She should have known, she thought, wrapping her arms around his neck, that Trent McBride would kiss like thisâ¦.
Dear Reader,
With every book I write, I start with the question âWhat if?â What if a man who was born to fly becomes permanently grounded by a tragic accident? What if this man, who no longer considers himself hero material, falls in love with a woman who seems to be in need of one?
These were the questions I asked myself when I began writing Secretly Yours, the second book about those Wild McBrides. Luckily, Trent and I discovered together that he is still more than âwildâ enough to be the perfect hero for Annie Stewart, the young woman whoâs come to Honoria, Georgia, to start a new life. And itâs a good thing, because Annieâs going to need a hero when her old life catches up with herâ¦.
What no one in Honoria knows is that thereâs still one member of the McBride family they havenât metâand this one could be the âwildestâ McBride of them all. Mac Corderoâs whole life has been a scandal. Heâs coming to town for answersâand a taste of revenge. Donât miss Macâs story in Yesterdayâs Scandal, a Harlequin single title, on sale September 2000.
Enjoy,
Gina Wilkins
âYOUâVE DONE WHAT?â Trent McBride asked, in a voice that had been known to make his peers quake.
But Bobbie McBride had never been easily intimidatedâand especially not by one of her own three offspring. She faced her youngest without flinching. âIâve hired a housekeeper for you. Youâve heard us mention Annie Stewart, whoâs been cleaning the McBride Law Firm offices since she moved to town six weeks ago. Sheâs very conscientious and sheâs already got quite a few clients, but she still needs steady work.â
âI donât need a housekeeper.â
âYou most certainly do. You keep this place tidy enough, Iâll admit, but Annie will take care of the little details you never even notice. Sheâll do your laundry, too.â
âI can wash my own underwear.â
His mother continued as if she hadnât heard him. âSheâll come twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, and stay a couple of hours each time. Iâve arranged to have her start next week.â
Though he, better than most, knew the futility of trying to argue with his mother, Trent made the effort, anyway. âI donât want her to start next week. How am I supposed to pay a housekeeper on whatâs left of my insurance settlement? And before you even suggest it, Iâm not letting you and Dad pay for this.â
âYou never let us pay for anything,â Bobbie replied matter-of-factly. âAll three of my children are stubborn as mules and irritatingly independent. But you, my dear Trent, have always taken first place. As it happens, Iâve worked out all the details regarding payment, too. Iâm sure youâve heard that Annie moved into the old Stewart place just down the road from here. Turns out strange old Carney Stewart was her great-uncle, and he left the house and property to her when he died last year. No one even knew Carney had family until then. Anyway, the place is in terrible shape, and it needs a lot of repairs. I told Annie youâre a skilled woodworker, and sheâs willing to trade her services in exchange for yours.â
âI am not a handyman.â
âPerhaps not, but youâre certainly available. And it will be good for you to get out of the house more. As long as youâre reasonably careful, the exercise will be good for you, too. Not to mention the fact that youâll be doing a big favor to a very nice young woman.â
âI donât do favors.â
âYouâll do this one.â Her voice was as soft as hisâand just as unyielding.