âTis the season for second chances...and secrets!
Forget the mistletoe maneuvers. Kelly Rasmussen isnât planning on having that reunion kiss with Dr. Caleb Buchanan any time soon. Things had long ago gone south for these former high school sweethearts. Except for that one night six years agoâwhich resulted in an explosive secret Kellyâs kept till this very day.
Now career and family have brought them both back to Weaver, Wyoming. Their unavoidable clashesâand instant chemistryâmake them realize this town isnât big enough for the two of them. Or three of themâcounting Kellyâs son. Because thereâs something about that little boy... For one thing, he has Calebâs eyes...
âIf youâre gonna hate me anywayââ
She barely had a chance to frown before his mouth hit hers.
She went rigid with shock, yanking away. But only two inches away. Maybe three. Just far enough to stare into his dark eyes while her chest heaved.
Then his mouth was on hers again, and she wasnât sure if sheâd moved first, or if it had been him.
But what did it really matter?
They were once more in the shadows on the side of the high school gym, Calebâs weight pressing into her while his hands raced down her sides, delving beneath her short leather jacket. She felt devoured by his kiss.
Why was it always that way? His lips on hers, and sheâd forget all rhyme or reason. Sheâd forget every single thing but the taste of him, the smell of him, the weight ofâ
A burst of laughter accosted them and they both pulled apart. It was hard to tell who was breathing harder.
âSome things donât change, eh, Caleb?â
Kellyâs cheeks burned. The sooner she and Tyler could get back home to Idaho Falls, the better off they all would be.
Prologue
Six years ago
âYouâre pregnant?â
Startled, Kelly hid her hand down by her side, but it was too late. Her mother had already seen the distinctive plastic stick and snatched it out of her hand.
This is what Kelly got for not waiting until she was back at work on Monday to take the test. But sheâd been too anxious. Too worried to wait through the weekend, to wait another two days when she already knew.
After a glance at the stick, where a huge blue plus sign broadcast the results, her mother pitched the test into the faded pink trash can that had been in Kellyâs room since sheâd been ten. âWell? What do you have to say for yourself?â
She wished sheâd waited until Monday, thatâs what she had to say.
She wisely kept the sarcastic thought to herself. Kelly was twenty-three. Old enough to deal with the consequences of her actions, but not old enough to deal with her motherâs reaction.
Evidently unsatisfied with Kellyâs silence, her mom grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly. âWell? At the very least, tell me itâs the Buchanan boyâs baby.â
Kelly looked away from her motherâs face. âWhy? Caleb and I broke up two years ago.â She was only buying time, though. Because she knew why.
Her mother made a disgusted sound and let her go. âBecause youâll be set for life, obviously!â She propped her hands on her skinny hips. âHeâll marry you. Even when it doesnât work out, youâll be taken care of. Those people take care of their own. Always have. Always will.â
Those people.
Kelly felt nauseated. More from her motherâs words than from the baby inside her that hadnât even existed five weeks ago. By those people, her mother meant anyone connected to the wealthy Clay family. The family who possessed everything that Georgette and Kelly Rasmussen did not.
Money. Plentiful land. Education. Class.
Georgette envied everything they possessed, even as she seemed to hate them for it.
âI donât want to marry Caleb.â
Her mother made another disgusted sound. âSince when?â
Since he dumped me more than two years ago? Again, Kelly kept that answer to herself. She was over Caleb Buchanan. Had been for a long while now. Sleeping with him thirty-four days ago had been her way of proving it. Convoluted thinking, perhaps, but it was true, nevertheless. Which only seemed to confirm that the Rasmussen nut didnât fall far from the tree.