Reunited By A Secret Child

Reunited By A Secret Child
Leigh Bale

‘You're the father.’These words bring the Men of Wildfire series to an emotional conclusion!Katie Ashmore thought she'd be a single mom forever…until hotshot crew firefighter Reese Hartnett comes home. Now Katie can't hide her secret—their six-year-old daughter! Learning he's a dad gives Reese hope there’s a reason he survived the wildfire that killed his crew. And though he’s bonding with little Chrissy, Reese wants more. He wants forgiveness…and a forever family.

“You’re the father.”

These words bring the Men of Wildfire series to an emotional conclusion!

Katie Ashmore thought she’d be a single mom forever...until hotshot crew firefighter Reese Hartnett comes home. Now Katie can’t hide her secret—their six-year-old daughter! Learning he’s a dad gives Reese hope there’s a reason he survived the wildfire that killed his crew. And though he’s bonding with little Chrissy, Reese wants more. He wants forgiveness...and a forever family.

LEIGH BALE is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author. She is the winner of the prestigious Golden Heart® Award and is a finalist for the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and the Booksellers’ Best Award. The daughter of a retired US forest ranger, she holds a BA in history. Married in 1981 to the love of her life, Leigh and her professor husband have two children and two grandkids. You can reach her at leighbale.com (http://www.leighbale.com).

Also By Leigh Bale (#u4ee61e5a-4509-5865-9e14-062c83372a24)

Men of Wildfire

Her Firefighter Hero

Wildfire Sweethearts

Reunited by a Secret Child

Lone Star Cowboy League

A Doctor for the Nanny

The Road to Forgiveness

The Forest Ranger’s Promise

The Forest Ranger’s Husband

The Forest Ranger’s Child

Falling for the Forest Ranger

Healing the Forest Ranger

The Forest Ranger’s Return

The Forest Ranger’s Christmas

The Forest Ranger’s Rescue

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

Reunited by a Secret Child

Leigh Bale

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

ISBN: 978-1-474-08250-1

REUNITED BY A SECRET CHILD

© 2018 Lora Lee Bale

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

“Why didn’t you tell me I had a daughter?”

His gaze burned into hers, as if he could see inside her tattered heart.

“Frankly, I didn’t plan to ever tell you. But then I saw you on the news and I thought...”

“You thought I might die and Chrissy would never know her father.” He ran a hand through his hair. “A daughter... I can’t believe it.”

Katie tried to forget all the hurt and resentment she felt toward Reese. But it pained her to know that he’d never wanted her. Then or now.

“Back then I was young and thoughtless,” he said. “Now all I can do is ask for your forgiveness.”

She didn’t trust Reese. But she knew she had to try. “It’s in the past.”

“Not for me. I just found out that I’m a father. I need time to adjust.”

She didn’t want him adjusting. Frankly, she didn’t know what she wanted. All she knew was that she didn’t want trouble. But as she looked at Reese, she was certain trouble was unavoidable.

Dear Reader (#u4ee61e5a-4509-5865-9e14-062c83372a24),

We were each sent here to earth to learn obedience to God’s will, to keep His commandments and to learn to live by faith. But sometimes, that is easier said than done.

In this story, Reese Hartnett returns to his hometown, seeking answers and solace after losing his entire hotshot crew during a wildfire. After being raised by an abusive alcoholic father, Reese turned his back on God and has lived a lonely life free of good works and service to others.

When we face trials in our lives, it’s easy to cling to our hurt, anger and pride. When we humble ourselves, that is when the Lord can do His greatest work in our lives. The power of prayer is great and the power of repentance is real and absolute.

I hope you enjoy reading this story and I invite you to visit my website at www.leighbale.com (http://www.leighbale.com) to learn more about my books.