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What she knows will change everything...
at Redemption Ranch
Arianna Shrader’s new nanny gig is more than a job—it’s an opportunity to bond with the infant boy she gave up to her sister for adoption. But widower Jack DeMoise doesn’t know she’s not just his child’s aunt. As Arianna grows closer to the ranch veterinarian and his son, can she find a way to reveal her secret...and become a permanent part of their family?
LEE TOBIN McCLAIN read Gone with the Wind in the third grade and has been a hopeless romantic ever since. When she’s not writing angst-filled love stories with happy endings, she’s getting inspiration from her church singles group, her gymnastics-obsessed teenage daughter, and her rescue dog and cat. In her day job, Lee gets to encourage aspiring romance writers in Seton Hill University’s low-residency MFA program. Visit her at leetobinmcclain.com.
Redemption Ranch
The Soldier’s Redemption
The Twins’ Family Christmas
The Nanny’s Secret Baby
Rescue River
Engaged to the Single Mom
His Secret Child
Small-Town Nanny
The Soldier and the Single Mom
The Soldier’s Secret Child
A Family for Easter
Safe Haven
Low Country Hero
Low Country Dreams
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.
The Nanny’s Secret Baby
Lee Tobin McClain
ISBN: 978-1-474-09678-2
THE NANNY’S SECRET BABY
© 2019 Lee Tobin McClain
Published in Great Britain 2019
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.
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Text to speech
“Sammy notices animals more than he notices people,” Jack said.
Arianna looked up quickly. “That must be hard to deal with.”
He nodded. “I’m used to it.” He held up the puppy so Sammy could see it. “Dog,” Jack said.
Sammy didn’t speak.
“Does he know the word?”
“He used to,” Jack said, and pain twisted his heart.
He met Arianna’s eyes and saw a matching sorrow in hers.
The intimacy of their shared emotion felt too raw, and he looked away, focusing on the puppy. “He’s healthy,” he told her, “just too young to be left alone.”
“Poor thing. I wonder what his story is.”
Jack shook his head. “There are all kinds of reasons why a mother can’t raise her pup,” he said.
Arianna drew in a sharp breath, and when he looked up, her eyes glittered with unshed tears. Funny, he hadn’t realized she was so sensitive. He put a hand on hers. “We’ll find him a new mama,” he reassured her.
She swallowed hard and nodded, and then Sammy started to fuss and the moment was over.
This third book in the Redemption Ranch series is special to me, because it’s about how we can be free to be our perfectly imperfect selves. Arianna feels shame about mistakes she made in the past; that sense of inadequacy, plus a promise she made to her sister, pushes her to keep a secret that should never have been. As for Jack, he believes he’s too staid and dull for a colorful, flamboyant woman like Arianna. The reality is that both of them are just as God made them to be, their mistakes can be forgiven...and they’re perfect for one another. How wonderful!
The cream-colored puppy, Buster, who shows up on Arianna’s doorstep has a real-life model: my own golden doodle, Nash. If you enjoyed Buster, visit @nash_the_goldendoodle’s Instagram account to keep up with a lot of dog shenanigans.
Thank you for reading, and may God’s blessings follow you wherever you go.
Lee
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
—2 Corinthians 5:17
This book is dedicated to all parents of children with autism,