The Secret She Kept Read Online Free PDF

sweat.
    It was the exact same shape, in the exact same place, as his sister’s.

CHAPTER FOUR
    S AVANNAH’S GAZE WENT from Jake to Allie and back as he leaned against the stone column and covered his eyes with his hands. He was acting weird, as though he was fighting off a sudden migraine or something. Savannah couldn’t figure out what she’d missed.
    “Jake?”
    He didn’t appear to hear her.
    Allie glanced up at him then, as if finally noticing his strange behavior. “You don’t like my picture?”
    Savannah glared at him anew, daring him to ignore her daughter’s hurt feelings, but he didn’t react.
    “It’s great, Allie,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. “The best.” He held the drawing out in front of him and stared at it, as if just now appreciating all the detail. “I’ll hang it on the refrigerator at my grandmother’s house.”
    “Can I visit you sometime so I can see it hanging?”
    “I don’t think—” Savannah began.
    “Hey, Allie, I have to talk to your mom about something really important. Could you go check on your brother?”
    Savannah observed him more closely, her heart picking up speed. Something was definitely wrong. She turned to her daughter. “Go. Make certain Logan’s not bothering Zach. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
    Allie’s eyes sought out Jake’s, but he didn’t meet her gaze. She pivoted and headed toward the office, shoulders sagging. How had she become so eager for Jake’s attention so quickly? She’d have to unlearn that, and fast.
    Jake slid down until he was squatting, braced against the column behind him. Savannah was so unaccustomed to him showing any sign of weakness that she wasn’t sure how to react.
    “Are you…okay?” she asked finally, in a low voice so Allie wouldn’t hear.
    Her daughter opened the office door, then looked back at them once again before slipping inside, out of earshot.
    Jake sprang up angrily and pushed himself away from the column. “When were you going to tell me?” The tightly controlled rage in his voice was unmistakable.
    “Tell you what?” But something inside Savannah knew, even before her brain processed the message. She crossed her arms protectively over her chest and sought out the support of the stone wall of the building.
    “When were you going to mention that Allie’s mine, Savannah?”
    Dizziness made her vision blur. She closed her eyes and feared she might throw up as she fought the bile bubbling from deep inside.
    “When?” His demand made her jump, and his anger sparked her own.
    She uncrossed her arms and straightened, then stepped forward. She shook all over, and clenched her hands to fight the trembling. “I wasn’t going to tell you. You were gone.”
    “It’s true then. She’s my…daughter.” He ran a hand through his hair, staring into space, unseeing. The tic in his jaw belied the eerie calm that fell over them.
    “How did you figure it out?” Savannah asked quietly. “She doesn’t resemble you at all—”
    “She doesn’t resemble me so you planned to take the secret to the grave with you, didn’t you? The birthmark on her neck. It’s the same as my sister’s. Same shape, same place. My dad’s mother had it, too. Apparently, it shows up in our family among the females.”
    Savannah would never have guessed. She’d kissed the mark countless times, but had never reckoned it might make such a difference in their lives. Ever since Jake had returned to town, she’d soothed herself with the reassurance there was no way he could find out the truth….
    Savannah slumped against the wall again, in desperate need of its solidity. Her head fell back and hit the stones, but she barely felt it. Her mind became numb. She couldn’t form a thought, knew only that her world was falling apart. The security she’d clung to since the divorce was evaporating like a cool mist on a scorching day.
    Her chest constricted as she considered Allie. Her baby. Her daughter, who already