Her Secret, His Child

Kyle nodded, as if he'd expected as much. "I do love you, you know," he said, so serious.

"I love you, too," she whispered back. Because it was the truth. And she'd never said it out loud before. Except to Ashley.

Leaning slowly forward, giving her every chance to reject him, Kyle touched his lips to hers. Jamie didn't even try to escape. Didn't want to escape. His touch was comforting, not sexual—but only until Jamie leaned into him, deepening the contact, mating her mouth with his. It didn't seem to matter what went on between them, her explosive physical need for him didn't change. Except to grow stronger.

And yet, despite the insidious desire curling through her, Jamie's stomach was filled with other tensions. The knots got tighter and tighter.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The president of the United States was traveling through Denver in late April. He was making a public appearance out by the airport, and Miss Peters wanted to take Ashley's preschool class. Karen and Jamie offered to go along to chaperone, as did most of the other moms. Early that Tuesday morning, they boarded the bus that would take them to the airport, all chattering excitedly. It was hard to tell who was more excited about the outing, the children or their mothers.

It was a gorgeous spring day, and the children were in high spirits, all wearing red, white and blue in some form or other. Ashley and Jamie both had on blue denim overalls and white T-shirts. With their auburn hair, red wasn't a good color on either of them, but she'd bought them each a pair of red sneakers.

Karen and Kayla were in the matching red, white and blue striped jumpers Karen had made especially for the occasion.

"I figure if I make mine a tent, we can wear them for the Fourth of July, too," she'd laughed when she'd shown Jamie the material. Jamie had laughed,

TARA TAYLOR QUINN

also. It just felt so good to see her friend happy again.

"So what's going on with you and Kyle?" Karen asked as the two women shared a seat in the back of the noisy bus.

Still getting used to having a friend she actually confided in, one who really knew her, Jamie shrugged. "He comes over for dinner almost every night."

' 'Just for a free meal?''

' 'Of course not. He always brings dinner or dessert or flowers or wine. Anyway, the man's loaded. He makes good money, doesn't spend much on himself, made smart investments. I'm his accountant— I should know how much money he has." Not that it made a difference to either of them. Money mattered only if you didn't have enough of it.

"You sure couldn't tell by his clothes."

Smiling, Jamie looked out at the huge trees zooming past the window. "That's just Kyle," she said. ' 'He finds something that fits him, buys ten of them and figures he's done. Says it's much simpler that way."

"So, are you two—you know—happening?"

Karen's hands lay across the mound of her belly. Jamie envied her that.

Jamie shook her head. "I don't know what we are, Karen."

"You love him."

"Yeah."

"Does he know that?"

"Yeah."

HER SECRET, HIS CHILD

"Well, he loves you, that's obvious."

"Yeah." Though Jamie felt a jolt of happiness at hearing her friend say so, she'd never get used to hearing those words.

"So?"

"So, he loves me, but there are parts of me he can't stand."

"Your past."