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Sofia took the drink. "I'm not talking about it."
"Why not? You know I'm good to hold a secret, and that truth had to have been weighing on you like a freaking hippo on a chocolate binge. Plus, now that Gabby knows, you can't hide it away anymore. Time to face it, babe, with your best friend at your side."
Sofia paused and looked over at Jocie. There were things she'd never even told Jocie. Things she could never tell her. "It ended badly with Keegan," she said simply. "Like really ugly. Neither of us ever would want to go back there. So, it is what it is."
"Oh…so you're afraid of being rejected by him, then?"
Sofia started laughing. "Honestly, Jocie, do you ever give up?"
"Never. You know that." Jocie grinned back. "Tell you what. I'll go get the new boxes of books out of your car, and when I come back, you can tell me one thing. Cool?"
"No—"
"Can't hear you!" Jocie raced outside, and the door slammed shut behind her.
Sofia chuckled as she picked up the box of books that Jocie had dropped. As always, Jocie had made her feel better. How bad could life be when she owned a bookstore/café for romance novels, had a great kid, and a best friend who knew how to make her laugh? Everything would be fine. Gabby was a good kid. She'd adjust—
"Hey!" Jocie flung the door open. "I have bad news."
Sofia set the box down on one of the coffee tables and pulled out her pocketknife to cut the tape. "What's that? Keegan's married?"
"No. Your car's gone."
Sofia looked up. "What?"
"Yep. I'm guessing it got towed, stolen, or your lovely, sweet munchkin of a daughter took it and is driving over to meet her bio dad even as we speak. I'm going with option three, personally, given that this is a charming little town not known for its car thefts."
Sofia stared at her. "Gabby wouldn't steal my car."
"Of course she would. She's sixteen, has her license, and just found out her bio dad is a hot, rich celebrity billionaire. I'd go if I were her. You would, too. She probably left early morning, when she texted you not to come in her room. She's probably almost there by now."
"Crap!" Sofia pulled out her phone and quickly opened the Find Friends app. It circled for a minute, and Jocie leaned over her shoulder to watch. After a moment, Gabby's location came up.
Sofia's gut sank. "She's in the Cascade Mountains, only a couple hours from the Hart Ranch."
"Holy crap," Jocie said. "I'm so impressed that she did that. I love that spunk."
"Seriously?" Dear God. Sofia immediately called Gabby, but her daughter didn't answer. "Shit!" She texted her. Gabby. Don't go after him. Call me now.
No response.
"Dammit!" Sofia tried to call again, but this time, it went directly to voicemail. Grimly, she checked the app again, but now there was no location. "She shut her phone off." She should have broken her promise to her daughter. Dammit. "I need to call the police—"
Jocie took the phone out of her hand. "You can't."
"But—"
Jocie shook her head, all amusement gone from her face. "Keegan's a celebrity. If you get the cops involved, you risk the press. And if the press gets wind of it—"
"He could find us."
Jocie nodded. "He could find you."
For fifteen years, Sofia had stayed off the radar. Then one truth to her daughter, and everything was at risk.
"Can you call Keegan? Give the billionaire cowboy a heads up that his secret baby is minutes away from claiming her inheritance?" Jocie grinned. "That's literally a romance novel right there. This is awesome."
"It's not awesome, and I don't have his number. He didn't even have electricity when I knew him, let alone a phone."
