The Secret Father

The Secret Father
Anna Adams

How is it possible to forget the love of your life?Zach Calvert has no memory of his last three years as a Navy pilot. And for the most part, he's resigned himself to that. He's content with his new life as the sheriff of his hometown, happy that his small daughter lives close by.But everything changes when he discovers he has a five-year-old son and a lover he can't remember.

“You must be Olivia Kendall.”

His voice was as thick as if he were thinking of making love to her. He clearly was not, but Zach’s low, I’ve-waited-for-you-all-my-life tone had seduced her when they’d met the first time.

She’d been unable to forget him. He obviously hadn’t bothered to remember.

Seeking composure, she crossed to his desk and offered her hand. “Call me Olivia.” For their son’s sake she had to feel out the situation and wait for the right moment to remind Zach of their past.

When he closed his fingers around hers, memories flooded back, images of his hand on her waist, at her breast, the scent of him as he lowered his head to kiss her. She gritted her teeth, recognizing the texture of his palm as if she were touching her own skin.

Why had this man remained such a part of her? As if what she wanted to feel didn’t matter. She backed up a step. He had to release her. Curiosity flickered in his gaze, but not recognition.

Her first love had forgotten her.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Bardill’s Ridge, Tennessee, and to the Calvert family. You’re about to meet three cousins who find love in their own Smoky Mountain backyards.

Put yourself in Olivia Kendall’s shoes. You thought your son’s father, a Navy pilot, died five years ago during a training mission. Then you see him on the news, a small-town sheriff, foiling a bank robbery in Tennessee. You’ve gotten over him—or have you? You’ve made a life that doesn’t include him. You could even choose not to tell him about his son, but a man has a right to know he has a child.

And besides, where’s he been?

Now think about Zach. He lost one of his best friends and his memory in the crash that ended his Navy career. He lost his ability to believe he had a right to life or happiness. When Olivia comes to town he discovers he has a five-year-old son and a lover he doesn’t remember. Together, Olivia and Zach find love that heals the wounds of their past and forges the family that is their future.

I’d love to hear what you think. You can reach me at anna@annaadams.net. Come back to Bardill’s Ridge in November when Zach’s cousin Dr. Sophie Calvert abandons her bodyguard groom, Ian, at the altar.

Best wishes,

Anna Adams

The Secret Father

Anna Adams

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

To Debbie, my cousin, but much more—my sister

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

EPILOGUE

PROLOGUE

Six Years Ago

OLIVIA KENDALL HAD three problems. She was pregnant, she couldn’t find her baby’s father, and the moment her own father—James Kendall of Kendall Press—found out, he was bound to fire her to avoid the shame of her unwed motherhood.

Six months out of Columbia’s School of Journalism, she’d spent the summer and fall learning Kendall Press from the mail room up. She couldn’t afford to get fired. Even if she found Lieutenant Zach Calvert, she’d need a salary to support her unborn child.

Behind her the door opened, and every head in the room bent toward the monitors in front of them. After his daily management meeting, her dad always hunted her down to remind her she was wasting her time and his with her learn-it-all attitude. He crossed the quiet, equipment-filled room. “Any news today?”

Her job this week was her favorite—scanning the wires for good stories. “Plenty.” She clipped the word, tugging down the hem of her blouse. She couldn’t be more than seven weeks along, but James Kendall hadn’t reached the top of the media heap by ignoring other people’s secrets.

He stopped beside her desk and pulled up a chair. “You’re always defensive at work because I’m right.” Lowering his voice so that it was covered by the computer’s hum, he flicked the screen she was reading. “You shouldn’t distract yourself from your true job with these menial tasks.”

“Learning how Kendall Press runs is my job, Dad.”

“I’ll teach you. My father taught me.”

“The same father who suggested you park me with him and Grandma while you sowed more wild oats?” Her mother had died in childbirth. Her dad had never remarried.