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SNEAK PEEK: SECRETLY MINE
NEW RELEASE!
She's back in town with no time for the rebel who stole her heart long ago…but now he's playing for keeps.
* * *
Dash Stratton had just picked up his welder when he heard his name hollered from the front of the house.
Recognition flooded him, and he swore, spinning around. That voice sounded familiar, but there was no way Leila Sheridan would be at his house, bellowing his name.
But he'd thought he'd seen her in that car outside Wright's.
That was twice in the span of an hour.
What the hell was going on?
She, whoever it was, shouted his name again, and something prickled along his skin. He would have sworn it was Leila.
He set down the welder and strode out of his studio. He jerked his sunglasses down over his face, and headed across the lawn around the side of his house, moving with an instinctive urgency.
He practically sprinted around the side of the house, and then stopped dead, stunned.
Leila Kerrigan was in front of the house, her hands on her hips, staring right at him.
Emotions flooded him, so many emotions he couldn't sort them out. He couldn’t take his gaze off her. She was a woman now, not a scrawny, scared eighteen-year-old. She was wearing shorts and sneakers, and a blue tank top, looking like she was ready for a day on the lake, like the old days.
She had curves now she hadn't had before, the curves of a woman. Her sunglasses were on top of her head, revealing those glorious blue eyes and dark lashes that he'd begun to think he'd imagined.
She sucked in her breath. "Dash."
"Fuck." He grimaced. That was all he could think of to say after all this time. "I mean, what the fuck are you doing here?"
Her eyes widened. and he swore under his breath. "Sorry. I'm just stunned to see you in my front yard. You look great." Suddenly, he realized why she was there.
She wanted a divorce. The time had come.
Fuck. This time, he meant it.
A cute little frown furrowed between her eyebrows. "You don't know why I'm here?"
Double fuck. Had her lawyer served him? Had he missed an email? "No."
"You don't know about Bea's will?"
He narrowed his eyes. Bea's will? Not a divorce? He was annoyed by the relief that shuddered through him. "What about it? I know I got the house, because she told me many times that's what she was doing." He frowned. "What did she put in there for you?" Was there something at the house that was for Leila? He hadn't seen anything with her name on it, but Bea might have hidden it well. "Do you need me to find something for you?"
Leila stared at him, then understanding dawned on her face, and she burst out laughing. "I swear to God, I'm going to kill Eppie. And Clare!"
Ah…Eppie. He knew what kind of chaos she could cause. "What did they do?" Eppie was as much trouble as Bea had been.
"Clare gave me a letter for you." She fished around in her back pocket, then held up a folded envelope. "I suspect she explains it here."
He didn't move. If it was a letter from Bea, he didn't want to read it, hear her words, feel her presence. It was too soon for him. "You explain it."
Leila waved the letter at him. "No, thanks. Here."
Swearing under his breath, Dash walked over to her to take it, but as he neared, he felt like his world was spinning. Leila Sheridan was back, and she was unfinished business. His unfinished business.
