Read Online His Surprise Son by WENDY WARREN - Free Book Online Page A

then?
    No. Nate went to college and moved on with his life. She was just the girl who was going to ruin everything for him. Her baby was such a “mistake” that Nate’s parents chose to pretend he’d died rather than be part of his life.
    Revulsion filled Izzy until she honestly thought she was going to throw up.
    My son is not a mistake, and nobody—nobody—is going to make him feel that way. The Thayers had thrown away the chance to get to know Eli, to be part of his life, to influence him in a positive way. The Thayers—Nate included—had never done a thing to deserve Eli Lambert.
    “You were involved with college, Nate.”
    “So?”
    “You’d moved on with your life.”
    “I was in Chicago, not the antipodes. I cared about what was happening back here.”
    Which is why you found another girl right away. “You were busy all the time—”
    “Not too busy to talk to you, damn it!” Obviously frustrated by her responses, Nate slammed his hand on the heavy oak table in the meeting room.
    “We cannot do this here,” she hissed, rising from her chair and glancing at the door as she slung her purse over her shoulder. She shook her head. “I don’t want to do this at all.”
    “Too bad.” Nate blew the air forcefully from his lungs as he, too, rose. The conference room felt claustrophobic as he advanced on her. “Look, I didn’t come to town intending to stir up the past. I didn’t even know you’d be in Thunder Ridge.”
    Izzy’s teeth clenched. Was that supposed to make her feel better?
    “But we’re both here, for the first time since we were kids.” His demeanor softened. “That’s got to mean something.”
    Oh, no, she refused to get sentimental. Maybe he had nothing to lose by rehashing the past, but she did. Eli did.
    “It means you have business in town, and I liked Thunder Ridge enough to make my home here. That’s all it means.”
    “You sure?” He regarded her steadily, and her skin began to prickle with awareness. “I have time tonight. We can have dinner.”
    “No.” Absolutely no. Scraping back her chair, she rose so quickly she got dizzy.
    With one hand on the table, he leaned into her. “You’re going to keep avoiding me, aren’t you?” His eyes and his voice were velvet—soft, smooth, strong.
    She remembered that voice in the dark, remembered the way his whisper had seemed to penetrate her very pores and how she’d often thought she could feel his words vibrate inside her.
    “Meet me tonight,” he stated again.
    “I have a previous engagement.”
    “Break it.”
    “I can’t do that.” She had to go somewhere and think. Right now. Making a show of looking at her watch, she announced, “I have to go. I’m late for work.”
    “Fine.” He straightened. She felt a momentary relief until he said, “Call me later today when you know your schedule, and we can set up a time to talk more.”
    Without answering, she headed toward the door.
    “Don’t wait too long, Izzy.”
    Reflexively, she turned. His blue eyes were narrowed and considering, trying to decide, she knew, if he could trust her to call him. Black hair, as thick and shiny as it ever was, fell across his tanned forehead.
    Her reluctance to see him was only whetting his curiosity.
    Swallowing hard, she shot out the door, realizing he’d followed right behind her when she heard someone say, “Nate Thayer, is that you?”
    The voice belonged to an older man. She didn’t recognize it right off and refrained from turning around. Even though she was a fixture in town today, back in high school she’d primarily hung around the deli or by herself at the library. Or in the broken-down trailer she shared with Felicia. It was Nate who’d been something of a local hero. Varsity football quarterback who’d led the Thunder Ridge Huskies to their first state finals. Valedictorian. Polite and well raised. Never made a misstep until he’d met her.
    Izzy walked quickly toward the front of the library. Holliday was