A Mother's Secret. Gabrielle Meyer

      

      Faced with the past, the truth will come to light…

      Her home is at stake...

      and her first love holds the key.

      Joy Gordon’s life is far from perfect. The lavish house she lives in with her children was loaned to her by a wealthy philanthropist—and his death means she has to give up her home. To satisfy his controlling father, Chase Asher must take his great-uncle’s property from the woman he once loved...but what will he do when he learns he fathered Joy’s twins?

      GABRIELLE MEYER lives in central Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi River with her husband and four young children. As an employee of the Minnesota Historical Society, she fell in love with the rich history of her state and enjoys writing fictional stories inspired by real people and events. Gabrielle can be found at www.gabriellemeyer.com, where she writes about her passion for history, Minnesota and her faith.

       Also By Gabrielle Meyer

      A Mother’s Secret

      A Mother in the Making

      A Family Arrangement

      Inherited: Unexpected Family

      The Gift of Twins

      Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

      A Mother’s Secret

      Gabrielle Meyer

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ISBN: 978-0-008-90621-4

      A MOTHER’S SECRET

      © 2020 Gabrielle Meyer

      Published in Great Britain 2020

      by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

      All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

      By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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       www.millsandboon.co.uk

       Note to Readers

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      “What did you want to discuss?” Joy asked.

      “I had an idea for a fund-raiser. For years, people in this community have been curious about this property.” Chase’s eyes shone with his idea. “Why don’t we have an event to honor the family’s legacy and offer tours of the house? We could also have an ice-cream-and-lemonade social on the lawn.”

      “It’s a wonderful idea. We’ll need time to plan and advertise, but I think we could hold it the last weekend in July.” Just before their eviction. Maybe, if they were successful with the fund-raiser, grants and other income sources, they wouldn’t be evicted, after all.

      The children returned with several long sticks and together, they helped the children roast their marshmallows.

      When Chase looked at her, he smiled, and she remembered all the reasons she had fallen in love with him. He was confident, smart, kind and one of the most generous people she’d ever met—thankfully she also knew his faults, because if she didn’t, she might find herself falling for him all over again.

      Dear Reader,

      It has been a joy to set A Mother’s Secret in the fictional town of Timber Falls, inspired by my hometown on the banks of the Mississippi River. In real life, Bee Tree Hill is better known to us locals as Linden Hill, and instead of one mansion, there are actually two mansions on the nine-acre property built by lumber barons in the 1890s. Today, the estate is operated as a conference and retreat center and offers tours throughout the year. Linden Hill is especially dear to me because my dad was the caretaker for the property before the last family member passed away, and we lived in the carriage house. It was a beautiful place to grow up, and every bit of Bee Tree Hill is exactly as you’d find Linden Hill today. I hope you enjoyed spending time with me in Timber Falls.

       Gabrielle Meyer

      Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: helping widows and orphans in their distress.

      —James 1:27

      To my husband, David.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

       About the Author

       Booklist

       Title Page

       Copyright

      Note to Readers

       Introduction