Maureen Child - The Tycoon's Secret Child

A Lone Star paternity bombshell, only from USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen Child!

Texas toy mogul Wes Jackson is on the brink of a billion-dollar breakthrough—until a sinister anonymous tipster reveals Wes is a dad! Suddenly his family-friendly company is in crisis and Wes’s sole focus is finding the daughter he never knew. But confronting the child’s mother, Isabelle Graystone, means resisting a chemistry that is as fierce as ever.

Wes’s failure to commit sent Belle running five years ago. Now he’s back, making himself indispensable and stoking Belle’s deepest passions. But is his interest in her part of a bigger ploy?

“We have to talk.”

“No, we really don’t.” Isabelle wasn’t going to give an inch. She wasn’t even sure why Wes was there, and if he didn’t know the whole truth, then she wasn’t going to give him any information. The only important thing was getting rid of him before he could see Caroline.

“That’s not gonna fly,” he said and moved in, putting both hands on her shoulders to ease her out of the way.

The move caught her so off guard, Isabelle didn’t even try to hold her ground. He was already walking into the house before she could stop him. And even as she opened her mouth to protest, his arm brushed against her and she shivered. It wasn’t fear stirring inside her, not even trepidation. It was desire.

The same flush of need that had happened to her years ago whenever Wes was near. Almost from the first minute she’d met him, that jolt of something more had erupted between them. She’d never felt anything like it before Wes—or since.

“I think I deserve an explanation,” he said tightly.

“You deserve?” she repeated, in little more than a hiss. She shot a quick look down the hall toward the kitchen where Caroline was.

“You should have told me about our daughter.”

* * *

The Tycoon’s Secret Childis part of the series Texas Cattleman’s Club: Blackmail—No secret—or heart— is safe in Royal, Texas...

The Tycoon’s Secret Child

Maureen Child

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MAUREEN CHILD writes for the Mills & Boon Desire line and can’t imagine a better job. A seven-time finalist for a prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA® Award, Maureen is an author of more than one hundred romance novels. Her books regularly appear on bestseller lists and have won several awards, including a Prism Award, a National Readers’ Choice Award, a Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence and a Golden Quill Award. She is a native Californian but has recently moved to the mountains of Utah.

To the world’s greatest editors, Stacy Boyd and Charles Griemsman—in the world of writers and editors, you two shine. Writing isn’t always easy but you guys bring out the best in all of us.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text A Lone Star paternity bombshell, only from USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen Child! Texas toy mogul Wes Jackson is on the brink of a billion-dollar breakthrough—until a sinister anonymous tipster reveals Wes is a dad! Suddenly his family-friendly company is in crisis and Wes’s sole focus is finding the daughter he never knew. But confronting the child’s mother, Isabelle Graystone, means resisting a chemistry that is as fierce as ever. Wes’s failure to commit sent Belle running five years ago. Now he’s back, making himself indispensable and stoking Belle’s deepest passions. But is his interest in her part of a bigger ploy?

Introduction “We have to talk.” “No, we really don’t.” Isabelle wasn’t going to give an inch. She wasn’t even sure why Wes was there, and if he didn’t know the whole truth, then she wasn’t going to give him any information. The only important thing was getting rid of him before he could see Caroline. “That’s not gonna fly,” he said and moved in, putting both hands on her shoulders to ease her out of the way. The move caught her so off guard, Isabelle didn’t even try to hold her ground. He was already walking into the house before she could stop him. And even as she opened her mouth to protest, his arm brushed against her and she shivered. It wasn’t fear stirring inside her, not even trepidation. It was desire. The same flush of need that had happened to her years ago whenever Wes was near. Almost from the first minute she’d met him, that jolt of something more had erupted between them. She’d never felt anything like it before Wes—or since. “I think I deserve an explanation,” he said tightly. “You deserve?” she repeated, in little more than a hiss. She shot a quick look down the hall toward the kitchen where Caroline was. “You should have told me about our daughter.” * * * The Tycoon’s Secret Child is part of the series Texas Cattleman’s Club: Blackmail—No secret—or heart— is safe in Royal, Texas...

Title Page The Tycoon’s Secret Child Maureen Child www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author MAUREEN CHILD writes for the Mills & Boon Desire line and can’t imagine a better job. A seven-time finalist for a prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA® Award, Maureen is an author of more than one hundred romance novels. Her books regularly appear on bestseller lists and have won several awards, including a Prism Award, a National Readers’ Choice Award, a Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence and a Golden Quill Award. She is a native Californian but has recently moved to the mountains of Utah.

Dedication To the world’s greatest editors, Stacy Boyd and Charles Griemsman—in the world of writers and editors, you two shine. Writing isn’t always easy but you guys bring out the best in all of us.

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Copyright

One

Wesley Jackson sat in his corporate office in Houston, riding herd on the department heads attending the meeting he’d called. It had been a long two hours, and he was about done. Thankfully, things were winding down now and he could get out of the city. He didn’t mind coming into town once in a while, but he always seemed to breathe deeper and easier back home in Royal.

Didn’t appear to matter how successful he became, he’d always be a small-town guy at the heart of it. Just as, he thought with an inner smile as he set one booted foot on his knee, you couldn’t take Texas out of the businessman.

“Am I keeping you from something important?” Wes asked suddenly when he noticed Mike Stein, the youngest man on his PR team, staring out a window from the other side of his wide mahogany desk.

Mike flinched. He was energetic, usually eager, but a little distracted today. Not hard to understand, Wes thought, considering it was January 2 and everyone in the office was probably nursing the dregs of a hangover from various New Year’s parties. And Wes could cut the kid a small break, but that was done now.

“What?” Mike blurted. “No, absolutely not. Sorry.”

Tony Danvers snorted, then hid the sound behind a cough.

Wes’s gaze slid to him, then to the woman sitting on the other side of him. Mike was new, but talented and driven. Tony knew his way around the company blindfolded, and Donna Higgs had her finger on the pulse of every department in the building. The three of them exemplified exactly what he expected from his employees. Dedication. Determination. Results.

Since everything else he’d wanted discussed had been covered in the last two hours, Wes finally brought up the most important item on his agenda.