Theyâll do anything for the babyâs sake! Only from New York Times bestselling author Barbara Dunlop!
He came to the United States to find his adversary, not fall for a tempting stranger. Yet millionaire Brody Calder can tell Kate Dunhern needs his help. Sheâs desperate to know her orphaned niece is in a loving home. But baby Annabelle is actually in the hands of Brodyâs enemy.
Though their motives are different, their goal is the same: take down the babyâs nefarious father and get Annabelle safely into Kateâs arms. It means playing a risky gameâone where pretend passions could reveal real feelings both unexpected...and dangerous.
âHow does lying look?â
What was the matter with her? She sounded like a fool, and she didnât seem to be able to stop it. âI mean to you. How can you tell?â
âLack of eye contact.â He moved closer. âA tense, closed expression, halting speech, hesitation.â
He certainly didnât look tense. He looked powerful, in control and way too sexy.
âTake now,â he said, leaning ever so slightly forward. âYour expression is open. Youâre not nervous. Itâs like youâre inviting me in. Like you want me to see your innermost thoughts,â he continued.
She definitely didnât want that.
âLike youâre thinking of physical contact...â He brushed her fingers, gently holding the tips of hers with the tips of his. He drew in a deep breath. âWouldnât be a bad thing.â
She felt a warmth rise over her wrist, up the inside of her arm and through to her chest. She didnât want him to let go.
* * *
One Baby, Two Secrets is part of Mills & Boon Desireâs #1 bestselling series, Billionaires and Babies: Powerful men...wrapped around their babiesâ little fingers.
One
Stale cigarette smoke warred with sharp memories as Kate Dunhern stood in the doorway of her motherâs tattered third-floor walk-up in south central Los Angeles.
âDarling,â her mother Chloe cried, pulling her into a bony embrace.
Chloeâs hair was cut spiky short, her tank top crisp with colored sequins, and the scent of Vendi Dark Mist wafted in an invisible cloud around her. The floor seemed to shift momentarily, and Kate was transported back to her childhood.
âI didnât think youâd come,â Chloe singsonged, rocking Kate back and forth in her arms.
âOf course I came,â Kate said, firming her stance and waiting for the embrace to end.
âItâs been terrible on us all,â Chloe said with a sniff, finally pulling back and giving Kate space to breathe.
âI canât believe sheâs gone.â An image of her sister, Francie, formed in Kateâs mind.
She saw Francie as a teenager, grinning as they dug into a bowl of ice cream with colored sprinkles. The memory was good. But it was followed swiftly by the memory of Francie shouting that she hated Chloe before storming out of the apartment and slamming the door.
Not that Kate blamed Francie for bailing. Chloe had never been a candidate for mother of the year.
She had loved her daughters when the mood struck her and ignored them when it didnât. Sheâd criticized them when she was in a bad mood, which was most of the time. She claimed they had cramped her style, ruined her figure and kept her home with their snotty-nosed whining when sheâd rather be out with an eligible man. In Chloeâs mind, the only thing between her and happily ever after with some handsome, wealthy Prince Charming had been the anchor of Kate and Francie.
Kate had followed Francieâs lead, leaving for Seattle with her best friend, Nadia Ivanova, as soon as theyâd graduated high school. She and Nadia had supported each other through teachersâ college, and sheâd never looked back, at least not until now. Not until Francie had been killed in a car accident.
âShe was drinking, you know,â Chloe said, closing the apartment door and crossing the worn braided rug on high heels.
âI read the news article.â Kate was the last person to defend Francieâs actions, but she bristled at the critical tone in her motherâs voice.
Chloe lifted a glass of orange juice from the small, chipped dining table. âShe should have known better.â
Even if ice cubes hadnât clinked against the glass as she drank, Kate would have guessed the juice was laced with vodka.
Because of the great example you set for us? The sarcastic question rang silent in Kateâs mind.
âWhen is her service?â she asked instead.
Chloe waved a dismissive hand. âShe didnât want a service.â