Read Online The Secret She Kept by Amy Knupp - Free Book Online

The last was said to Savannah and Lindsey.
    “You could stand to eat a sandwich or two,” Savannah said at the sight of her sister’s thin frame.
    “Stop,” Katie said. “I’m starving. Now, who’s Jake?”
    The bridal shop they were in was located in Topeka. The fact that they didn’t know anyone in the city was the only reason Savannah dared to continue the conversation.
    “He was in my class from kindergarten on. We competed in everything. Something about him has always egged me on. At first the rivalry was natural. Then he started taunting me and encouraging it. I used to hate him,” Savannah said.
    “I’m not sure hate’s the right word,” Lindsey mused. “I recall how much you talked about him. Usually complaining, yes, but an unnatural amount of it. I used to think you had a crush on him.” She took the dress from Beth and began digging through the layers of material to try to slip it over Katie’s head.
    Savannah made a sound of disgust, a cross between a grunt and a laugh. “He’s always made me crazy. He gets my pulse up every time I’m in contact with him, and I don’t mean that in a good way. Not always, anyhow.”
    “He gets under your skin,” Lindsey said.
    “Yes. Exactly.”
    “Then how in the world did you end up sleeping together?” Katie asked this from inside the dress, so she didn’t immediately catch the glare Savannah shot her.
    When Katie’s head finally emerged from the white satin, Savannah made a discreet gesture toward the sales-clerk, and Katie mouthed, Sorry.
    Savannah helped Lindsey arrange the skirt of the wedding dress as the woman left the room.
    “It’s not like we’re ever going to see her again after we pick up the dresses, Van. She doesn’t care what we’re talking about. So, how did this happen?”
    “The usual way.”
    “She means how did you and Jake get together,” Lindsey said as she started fastening the million little hooks down the back of Katie’s dress.
    Savannah stood aside to admire her sister. “You’re stunning.”
    Katie attempted to turn and primp, but the dress didn’t seem easy to move in. “Thanks. Now answer the question.”
    Savannah sat on a stool in the middle of the room and crossed her arms. “We were at a party one night during winter break my freshman year in college. My friends—the ones I’d ridden there with—had an accident when they went out to pick up snacks. I’d stayed at the party but was pretty freaked out when we heard the news. Jake became Super Caring Guy and took me to visit them at the hospital in Layton so I could stop worrying.
    “After I’d gotten reports on all of them—they wouldn’t let me in to visit Lisa, who was hurt the worst—neither of us was in the mood to return to the party. We didn’t want to go home, either.”
    Savannah stood again, unable to sit still. “This is the embarrassing part. We went to an old barn near his house. The owners only used one part of it, for a couple horses. It was warm and private.”
    “The proverbial roll in the hay,” Katie said from up on her pedestal.
    “Hey, watch it. All I have to do is push you and you’ll be tangled in satin for a week.” Savannah managed a half grin in spite of how uncomfortable she felt baring all.
    The fact was she’d needed to confide in her sisters. Needed to talk to someone about the insanity she’d been going through this past week.
    “For once, Jake wasn’t trying to get to me and I wasn’t trying to one-up him. We just…talked. Something clicked. We connected over losing our mothers, and so much more. We spent the whole night there and it was…well, it was the best sex of my life.”
    Beth reentered the room, carrying two coral dresses. “Usually, it’s the bride we overhear saying that,” she commented with a grin, and if Savannah had been the blushing type, she would’ve been beet-red.
    She took her gown and laid it over the end of the couch while she undressed. Lindsey was nearby, doing the