Lovers' Lies by Shirley Wine Read Free Book Online Page B

family pressure to take over Donovans was stifling me. An overseas post and the chance of gaining wider experience was by far the easiest way out."
    "And yet, here you are back at the helm of Donovans."
    "Yes, here I am, older and infinitely wiser."  
    The harsh thread in his voice caught her attention, as did his expression, emotion so raw, she averted her eyes.
    Intuition screeching, Victoria knew some shattering event brought him back to New Zealand and home to a family he clearly held in contempt.
    Why?
    Something—or was it someone—had changed and hardened this man. Was this why he's prepared to settle for marriage to a woman as cold as Davina Strathmore?
    He looked so—she searched for the right word—alone.
    That was it.
    There was a decided air of aloneness about him. Not a state usually associated with a man on the brink of marriage.
    Victoria, well acquainted with the ache of loneliness, recognized it. She’d endured long years alone, caring for her child without the support of a mate.
    She’d learned that just living was often the most difficult undertaking of all.
    They continued walking, Victoria’s hands deep in the pockets of the jacket.
    The more they talked the greater the sense of intimacy. And this made her nervous. His revelation about his mother made her very glad she’d never lied to Connor.
    Caine Donovan didn't strike her as a stupid man. Surely he must have known such a massive deception could not remain a secret forever.
    Had he not anticipated his son's reaction when he discovered the lies he’d been fed?
    And he was surprised he was closer to Logan than his own son? A snort of disbelief almost escaped her.
    Even as a small boy, Keir had a way of looking at you, judging you and finding you wanting.
    Had Keir sensed he was being lied to?
    No. She shook her head. That was Caine's guilt talking. The movement caught Keir’s attention.
    "What is it?"  
    He tilted his head and looked at her, an eyebrow quirked.
    Yet another trait he shared with his son. The likeness between father and son was uncanny. Had Logan guessed the connection? Was that the reason he'd badgered her into this weekend visit?
    "Caine probably thought he was acting for the best," she said grasping the subject uppermost in her mind.
    "Whose best?" He turned, gripping her shoulders, "Certainly not the best for a grieving child."
    That was unanswerable.
    What a shattering disillusionment. How would she cope with such deception? Not at all well, she suspected.
    "How did you learn your mother was still alive?"
    She watched him from beneath lowered brows as he struggled to frame an answer.
    The silence stretched.
    High in the treetops a thrush serenaded the morning, its clear musical notes joined by other birds. The first fingers of sun crept over the hills, turning the floating mist into a moving cotton wool shroud.
    Keir walked on, the crunch of his boots on gravel and fallen leaves strangely soothing.
    "I met her, quite by accident," he said at last.
    Victoria sensed the words cost him an enormous effort.
    "Where?"
    At her soft question, he glanced her way, and then frowning, concentrated his attention on the path beneath their feet.
    "I was staying with a school friend for the school holidays. And she brought one of her daughters over. The daughter was my friend's girl friend."
    Victoria halted, staring up at him frowning. "How did you know she was your mother? After all those years?"
    Keir stopped. His black brows met in a heavy frown, his clenched fists bulged in his trouser pockets. He looked at her shaking his head.
    It was all Victoria could do not to cry out as she glimpsed his devastation, even now. Devastation she sensed he would deny with his dying breath.
    What had his parents' lies done to this man?
    She had the strongest urge to cradle him in her arms and soothe away his hurt.
    "Would you believe it was her perfume?" Keir gave a bark of scornful laughter. "And then she tried to explain."
    "Explain?" The word