Carla Cassidy - Her Secret, His Duty

New York Times bestselling author Carla Cassidy writes about a scandal—and a passion—that could be front-page news…

When Debra Prentice discovers she’s pregnant, she knows two things are true: that she can’t wait to become a mother…and that she can never reveal the father’s identity to anyone. Because not only is Trey Winston her boss’s son, he’s also got his eye on the North Carolina senator’s seat—and he doesn’t need a scandal.

But when Debra must work with Trey in organizing his fund-raising dinner, the sparks from their one night of passion still sizzle. Trey knows he should stay away from Debra, but it soon becomes impossible. And as Debra’s life is threatened, Trey promises to keep her—and, unknowingly, the baby she carries—safe.

“Come dance with me.”

Trey’s eyes twinkled brightly as he pulled Debra to the dance floor and into his arms. She leaned closer to him.

Trey smiled down at her. His hand on her back was strong and masterful as they took off across the dance floor. “You look amazing tonight,” he said.

“Thank you,” she replied, hoping he couldn’t hear the loud thunder of her heartbeat. She wanted to dip her head into the hollow of his throat, feel his body scandalously close against hers. “Your speech was pretty amazing, too.”

He laughed. “We’ll see about that by the campaign donations that appear in the next few weeks. If nothing else, it seems that everyone has had a wonderful time tonight. My only regret is that I haven’t had a chance to dance with you before now.”

She raised her head to gaze up at him, and in his blue eyes she saw what she felt—desire and want and everything that shouldn’t have been in those blue depths.

Dear Reader,

It’s always exciting to kick off a new series, and The Adair Legacy promises to have it all—hot heroes, strong heroines, plenty of secrets and danger all set against a background of politics.

The Winston family is extraordinary, with a strong mother and three brothers who share not only a family bond of love, but also enough dysfunction to crank up the intrigue.

I loved writing the story of eldest brother Trey, a strong man with a dream, and Debra, his mother’s assistant, who threatens everything Trey believed he’d wanted in his life. I hope you enjoy reading their story.

Thanks and keep reading!

Best,

Carla Cassidy

Her Secret,

His Duty

Carla Cassidy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CARLA CASSIDY

is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author who has written more than one hundred books for Harlequin. In 1995 she won Best Silhouette Romance from RT Book Reviews for Anything for Danny. In 1998 she won a Career Achievement Award for Best Innovative Series from RT Book Reviews.

Carla believes the only thing better than curling up with a good book to read is sitting down at the computer with a good story to write. She’s looking forward to writing many more books and bringing hours of pleasure to readers.

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Extract

Chapter 1

“Impossible.” The single word escaped Debra Prentice’s lips in disbelieving horror as she stared at the three separate pregnancy tests lined up like little soldiers on her bathroom vanity.

Not one, not two, but three tests and each showing a positive sign. Undeniable results that her brain tried to absorb.

Pregnant. There was no question now that she was pregnant. She’d wondered about it when she was late with her period, but had written it off as stress. She’d been late in the past.

Pregnant. How was it possible? Even as the question formed in her mind, memories of a single night six weeks ago gave her the answer.

An unexpected encounter, too many drinks and a mad dash to a nearby hotel room where she’d found complete abandon with a man she had no business being with at all.

Her cheeks burned as she remembered the awkward morning after. Gazes not meeting as they both hurriedly dressed and then the humiliating ride in a cab from the hotel to her front door. And now this, the icing on a cake that should have never been baked in the first place. Pregnant.

A glance at the small clock in the bathroom forced a gasp from her. If she didn’t hurry she’d be late to work, and in all the years that Debra had worked as personal secretary and assistant to Kate Adair Winston, she had never been late to work.

She got up and tossed the tests into the trash, then gave herself a quick glance in the bathroom mirror. The slim black pencil skirt she wore didn’t display a hint of her current condition but the red tailored button-up blouse only emphasized the paleness of her face, a paleness that the results of the tests had surely created.

Her light brown hair was already attempting to escape the twisted bun she’d trapped it in earlier, but she didn’t have time to fix it now.

She left the bathroom, deciding that she couldn’t, she wouldn’t think about her pregnancy right now. She had a little time to figure things out, but right now she had to get her brain in work mode.

She pulled on a black winter coat and grabbed her purse, then left her two-story townhouse and headed for her car parked at the curb. There was parking behind the townhouse, but she rarely used it, preferring the convenience of curbside parking instead.

The January air was bracing, hovering right around the freezing mark. Thankfully the sky was bright blue and she didn’t have to worry about snow or sleet.

The townhouse was located just off Glenwood Avenue in the uptown district of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was Debra’s pride and joy, bought two years ago after years of renting. She loved the area, loved the fact that she could paint walls and hang pictures without getting a landlord’s approval. It was cozy and filled with all the colors and textiles she loved.

Once inside the car she checked the clock. It was just after seven, but she still had to maneuver morning traffic to get to North Raleigh where the Winston Estate was located.

Every morning in the capital city of North Carolina the morning rush traffic was bad, but on this Wednesday morning it seemed particularly heavy.

Or, maybe it was the racing of her thoughts that made the ride feel longer and more difficult than usual. Even though it was unplanned and unexpected there was no doubt in her mind that she would keep the baby. For her, that decision was a no-brainer.

She would just need to keep the father’s identity to herself for the rest of her life. She would let the people close to her assume that the baby was Barry’s, the snake-in-the-grass boyfriend who had broken up with her on the night she’d been in that restaurant bar, the same night she’d done something completely out of character.

But, there was no question in her mind who the father was because she hadn’t been pregnant when she and Barry had broken up and she was pregnant now. There had only been that single night of utter madness to account for her current condition.