Her Sister's Secret (Mills & Boon Vintage Superromance) (28 page)

“You, me and SaraJane—we can be a family.”

Whitney’s heart stopped completely.
A family.

“All I know—” Rhys’s pupils dilated and his voice became a soft caress against her cheek “—is that we were meant to be together for the rest of our lives. Trust me to love you, Whitney. Always.”

He pressed gentle kisses on her cheeks, lifting away the wetness, and then his mouth claimed hers, hungry, needy, and she tasted the saltiness of her own tears on his lips.

Trust me. Trust me to love you.
A surge of warmth infused her. Oh…she did trust him. Without a doubt, she did. Because she’d never have left SaraJane with him if she didn’t.

Her heart swelled and suddenly her head spun and she was dizzy with love and joy, and she kissed him back and knew her heart was his forever.

When finally they broke the kiss, she said, “I love you, too, Rhys, and I will for the rest of my life.” It sounded—and felt—like a vow.

A giggle erupted from the dunes behind them, and SaraJane ran out, tugging off her shoes as she went. A slightly frazzled Maddie plunked down on the sparse tufts of salt grass, hands raised in exasperation.

SaraJane dashed over to them, grabbing Whitney around the knees. “See. You can’t get away now,” Rhys said.

SaraJane let go of Whitney and stared at her with round-eyed innocence. “Please don’t go away. I promise to be good.”

Whitney gasped with a shiver of recollection and a fleeting vision of her own past. She quickly reached down and scooped SaraJane into her arms, holding the child tightly between her and Rhys.

Oh, Lord, what had she almost done? She’d almost pushed the two most important people in the world out of her life. Her throat seized and she said in a whisper, “No, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere. I love you very much, both you and Poppy. And I’m not going anywhere without you.”

SaraJane stuffed a finger in her mouth. “Promise?”

Whitney had come full circle. It was the same promise she’d made to Morgan so many years before.

But seeing the love and trust in SaraJane’s eyes, and the same love and trust in Rhys’s, she knew. Whatever it took, it was a promise she had to keep.

She rubbed SaraJane’s nose with her own and said tenderly, “I promise, angel.”

And SaraJane, apparently satisfied, wriggled down and planted her feet squarely in the sand. Placing one chubby hand on her hip, she cocked her head, looking up at both of them. Her blue eyes sparkled impishly. “Are you gonna stay, too, Poppy? ’Cause I want you
and
a mommy.”

Rhys looked at Whitney, his expression solemn. “I will, if you will.”

Whitney’s heart soared. “Promise?”

“Forever,” Rhys whispered. “I promise forever.”

HER SISTER’S SECRET

Copyright © 2014 Linda Fensand Style

LMS Press

Gilbert, AZ 85234

[email protected]

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.              

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

First Copyright © 2000 by Linda Fensand Style. Published as “Her Sister’s Secret” by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. This second edition has been updated to reflect changes in time, technology and language.

ALSO BY LINDA STYLE:

Fiction: from Harlequin Enterprises Ltd

Copyright © Linda Fensand Style

Her Sister’s Secret

Daddy in The House

Slow Dance With a Cowboy

The Man in the Photograph

What Madeline Wants

The Witness

His Case, Her Child

And Justice for All

Husband and Wife Reunion

Going for Broke

The Man from Texas

The Mistake She Made

The Promise He Made

A Soldier’s Secret

Protecting the Witness

Fiction from LMS Press

L.A.P.D. Special Investigations series:

The Deceived, July 2014, Book 1

The Taken, August 2014, Book 2

The Silent, September 2014, Book 3

COMING SOON: LMS Press

DETROIT RULES, Street Law series, book #1

Not everyone plays by the rules.

Non-Fiction:

BOOTCAMP FOR NOVELISTS BEYOND THE FIRST DRAFT: Writing Techniques of the Pros. By Linda Style Copyright © 2013, LMS Press, Gilbert, AZ 85234 (403 pages) In digital and in print.

Bootcamp for Novelists Basic Training Manual: What You Need to Know BEFORE You Write Your Novel. With Connie Flynn. Copyright November 2012. Available in digital format.

Linda’s books are available on her website, on Amazon, eHarlequin.com and other bookstore outlets. http://ww.amazon.com/-/e/B001HCV3PQ,
http://www.LindaStyle.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Styl
e
is an Award-Winning, National Bestselling author with over a million copies sold in thirteen different countries. With an education in behavioral science and in journalism, Linda has worked in a number of jobs, from social services to Director of a state mental health program to magazine editor, but she says nothing is more rewarding than writing her stories or romance, suspense and intrigue. Her books—often described as emotional, fast-paced stories that keep you riveted to the page — have won several awards, including the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence, the Orange Rose award for Best Book of the Year, and the HOLT Award of Merit.

When not writing, Linda loves to travel, a passion that has taken her all over the world and. allows her to indulge in her other passion … photography. A Minnesota native, she now lives with her family in Arizona, where she likes to play tennis and hike in the mountains — the best place in the world to think up more stories. She invites you to stop by her website at
www.LindaStyle.com.