Her Secret Sons

Tina Leonard

Pepper Forrester has been keeping a secret–make that two secrets–for years. When the love of her life, Luke McGarrett, took off after high school not knowing she was pregnant, she didn't bother to track him down. He'd always wanted to shake the dust of Tulips, Texas, off his boots, and he certainly wouldn't need an instant family tied to him.But now Pepper's secret is out and the whole town has conspired to bring Luke back to face his responsibilities. Luke is happy to take up the mantle of fatherhood–and a marriage of convenience to Pepper. But when a new job opportunity for Luke arises, he takes off again. Will he ever come back–or is history repeating itself?And what about the new baby?

Luke perched on the couch. “So. You wanted to talk.”

Pacing the room, Pepper stopped to look out a window, then faced him again. Her eyes were so big in her face that she seemed startled.

“Go on,” he said, “tell me what’s on your mind. You’re starting to worry me.”

Tears jumped into her eyes, and her hands frantically wiped at her face. He didn’t know what else to do, so he put an arm around her, surprised by how quickly she collapsed and put her head against his chest.

The moment was too brief. Pulling away from him, she squared her shoulders and stuck out her chin. “Luke, years ago, you and I—”

“Wait. I think I know where you’re going with this. I don’t even think about it much. What happened, happened. We were just kids.”

Pepper swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Well, we kids made kids.”

He stared at her, perplexed. “You were pregnant?”

Dear Reader,

I loved writing THE TULIPS SALOON series, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the Forrester family. Pepper Forrester struck me as the kind of woman who held strongly to family and friends and community, and therefore she reminds me of the best of what many of my readers have shown me in their own lives. I’ve enjoyed the notes and letters you’ve sent me over the years, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything I’ve learned from you. Pepper is her own woman, but like many of you, she’s strong and giving, and charms her bad boy on her terms. That, for me, is the essence of a happy ending for a heroine—my own personal happy ending is the great honor you’ve given me by letting me tell you my stories.

Best wishes,

Tina Leonard

Her Secret Sons

Tina Leonard

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

Tulips Saloon Red Velvet Cake

Cream 1? cups granulated sugar and 2 eggs. Sift 2? cups self-rising flour with ? tsp salt. Add 1 cup buttermilk and 1? cups vegetable oil to sugar and eggs. Slowly add flour to mixture. Mix 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp vinegar together and quickly pour into batter. Add 2 oz red food coloring and mix well. Makes three 8-inch cake layers.

Grease and flour cake pans. Bake at 350°F for twenty to twenty-five minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the frosting, mix:

8 oz cream cheese (softened)

1 stick margarine

1 box powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Add:

1 cup chopped nuts

Frost layers and enjoy!

—Many thanks to Julie Goode for sharing this recipe with me twenty years ago.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tina Leonard loves to laugh, which is one of the many reasons she loves writing Harlequin American Romance books. In another lifetime, Tina thought she would be single and an East Coast fashion buyer forever. The unexpected happened when Tina met Tim again after many years—she hadn’t seen him since they’d attended school together from first through eighth grade. They married, and now Tina keeps a close eye on her school-age children’s friends! Lisa and Dean keep their mother busy with soccer, gymnastics and horseback riding. They are proud of their mom’s “kissy books” and eagerly help her any way they can. Tina hopes that readers will enjoy the love of family she writes about in her books. A reviewer once wrote, “Leonard had a wonderful sense of the ridiculous,” which Tina loved so much she wants it for her epitaph. Right now, however, she’s focusing on her wonderful li