The Secret Father

Dr. Lindy Lacey is hired as medical consultant on her sister's latest movie. Lindy's cool exterior isn't just professionalism, it's also a shield. She was hurt deeply while in school when her lover, whom she hadn't known was married, deserted her when she needed him most. Years later, the U.S. movie job provides an escape from her boss' unwanted attentions. She expects the stars to be shallow and conceited but finds that the film's sexy superstar, Sam Rourke, is very down to earth. He's also her sister's houseguest so there's plenty of time to get acquainted. Sam is used to erecting barriers around himself, too. His past includes a son he had at 18 and gave up a college education to work to support--until the mother found someone new and asked a devastated Sam to leave his beloved son's life. When he's 19, a fluke begins Sam's film career and leads to stardom. He hasn't let a woman close to him since. Both Sam and Lindy keep their pain private but the physical heat between them can't be denied. Their tentative steps toward a relationship are wiped out when a woman scorned tells Lindy a version of Sam's situation making him the villain. Assuming that Sam is just like her old lover--happy to dance but unwilling to pay the piper--she attacks him for deserting a woman and their child to advance his own career. Hurt, Sam doesn't even bother to explain. They part ways and Lindy goes home to a new job. It takes a life-threatening medical crisis to bring everyone together to unravel the tangled mess they've made of each other's lives and their own. A better read the second time around.