The Black Sheep's Secret Child. Cat Schield

his shoulder. “I’d prefer to move to Tennessee and buy a small house there.”

      But was it really the place for her and Dylan? Savannah had latched on to Gatlinburg because her grandmother’s house had been in a town twenty miles away, and she’d built it up in her mind as a great place to raise Dylan.

      As if aware of her thoughts, Dylan gave a happy gurgle and stood. Trent’s attention swiveled toward the toddler as Dylan began his ungainly waddle toward them.

      “He’s walking already?” Trent regarded the boy impassively. “I didn’t think he was quite a year.”

      Savannah’s pride shone through as she answered, “He’s a little ahead of the curve.” Seeing his mother’s smile, Dylan came at her in a rush. With her heart thumping painfully hard, Savannah scooped him off the floor and settled him on her hip. He wrapped his hand around her three-tiered strand of pearls that complemented today’s collared black sweater dress with three-quarter-length cuffed sleeves.

      “Dylan, right?” Trent was inspecting the boy through narrowed eyes.

      “Yes.”

      Father and son stared at each other while Savannah waited for what would happen next. She’d been dreading this encounter since the day her son had been born. Part of her hoped to see recognition in Trent’s eyes. She wanted him to claim Dylan. Then she could stop feeling guilty for denying her son his father.

      “You can’t do this to him.”

      Savannah wasn’t sure what she’d expected Trent to say, but that wasn’t it. “Can’t do what to him?”

      “Let my father get his hands on him.”

      “You make it sound so ominous.” She’d become an expert at appearing more confident than she was. “What can Siggy do?”

      “He could ruin his childhood the way he did Rafe’s and mine.”

      * * *

      From the expression on Savannah’s face, she’d already considered this, and Trent’s irritation grew. How could she even consider putting her son into such a toxic environment even for a few weeks? And then he realized her finances had to be in rough shape. What hadn’t she told him?

      “All right,” he said, “let’s stop dancing around.”

      Her eyes went round with apprehension. “What are you talking about?”

      “I want to know exactly what’s going on with you.”

      Savannah turned away and carried her son back to his toys. She then took her time pouring a cup of coffee and offering it to him. Trent shook his head.

      “Dylan and I are returning to LA on an eleven o’clock flight. I have a closing on my house this afternoon. There’s nothing else to tell.”

      Trent glanced around at the young woman working her way through a thick Belgian waffle and understood that Savannah would prefer not to air her business in front of the young woman.

      “I was planning on heading to LA on business tomorrow. There’s no reason why I couldn’t go a day earlier. Perhaps you and I could celebrate after you close on your house and then tomorrow morning you could give me a tour of the company.”

      Savannah grimaced. “I’m not sure closing on my house is a reason to celebrate.”

      “Then just consider it an opportunity for the two of us to get reacquainted.”

      “Do you really want a tour of the company?” She sounded uncertain.

      He hoped she was worried about how his father would react to her bringing Trent into West Coast Records. Her notion that he could do something to help her save the company was crazy.

      “Absolutely. Why don’t you give Gerry a call and tell him you’re bringing by your financial adviser to look over the books.”

      Savannah gave him the first genuine smile he’d seen. “He’s not going to be happy about that.”

      “Do you really care?”

      “Siggy isn’t going to be happy about that, either.” It didn’t appear as if that bothered her, but Trent suspected it did a little. His father was bound to make her life miserable if he discovered she’d teamed up with Trent. “Are you going to help me with the company?”

      “No.” His intention was simply to let his father think that’s what he intended to do. Perhaps then Siggy would buy back his company from Savannah, allowing her and Dylan to head off to her new life in Tennessee.

      She looked confused by his answer. “Then why do you want to see the books?”

      “Something has to be going on,” he said. Overnight his curiosity had been aroused by what she had told him. While he’d heard West Coast Records was struggling, things didn’t sound as if they were bad enough for them to stop paying their artists. “It doesn’t surprise me that profits are down, but something more serious must be happening if things are in the state you say they are.”

      “What if Gerry refuses to give me the information?”

      “Then we’ll have our answer as to who is at the center of what’s going on there, won’t we?”

      “You think Gerry has something to do with this?”

      “With Siggy retired and Rafe sick, he was in the perfect position to mismanage the company.” And Trent had never been particularly impressed with the man’s business savvy. “So let’s go see what’s going on, shall we? I’ve chartered a plane. I’ll pick you up downstairs at ten thirty.”

      “We’re already scheduled on a flight to LA.”

      “It will be easier if I’m not chasing all over LAX looking for you.” He softened his tone. “And it will be more comfortable for you.”

      Trent felt a tug on his pant leg and looked down. His nephew was standing, looking up at him. The boy’s blue eyes, so reminiscent of Rafe’s, were fixed on Trent’s face. Something in his chest tightened. All at once he couldn’t breathe.

      This was Rafe’s son. Savannah’s son. Like a man drowning, Trent saw his past with Savannah flash before his eyes. The joy on that Christmas morning when she’d woken up to Murphy’s sweet puppy face and adorable snuffles. What had he been thinking? He’d bought her a dog. She’d been feeling gloomy about spending the holidays alone. So he bought her something to take care of and flown to New York to give it to her. Making a woman happy had never been as easy as it had been with her.

      And then because she’d misinterpreted his gift, he’d felt compelled to distance himself for months after.