Free Her Secret Sons by Tina Leonard

truth he could not take in. “I’m going,” he said.
    “Wait,” she said, clutching his arm again, “they don’t know. They don’t know you’re here.”
    He turned to her. “They know I’m their father?”
    “No. I never told them anything about you.”
    “I’ll never forgive you for that,” he said.
    She nodded. “I know. Let me go with you. Please! This needs to be as gentle as possible for them.”
    “I’m going to my truck. You can get in it, but don’t say a word,” Luke said, his mind still not completely believing that his life as he knew it had pretty much been a lie. He had to hear their voices, touch them, before he’d know—accept—that he’d been a father. Was a father. Am a father.
    He strode down the street toward the saloon, where he’d left his truck. Pepper followed him anxiously. Normally, he would be a gentleman and offer to get the vehicle, return to pick her up. Too much anger flowed through him.
    It was impossible to slow down, anyway. He had the overwhelming urge to race to meet his destiny.

Chapter Eight
    An iron band of terror tightened Pepper’s chest. She’d set in motion something that couldn’t be stopped now, yet a profound sense of relief warred with her fear. Luke drove quickly toward the ranch, and the whole way Pepper didn’t dare glance at him.
    He parked the truck at the Triple F, and silently, they walked to the porch. She let herself in and he followed. They stood under the chandelier in the hallway for a moment, and Pepper could no longer remain quiet. “They’re such good kids, Luke.”
    He frowned at her, his dark features forbidding.
    “I want this to be as calm a meeting as possible,” she said, “something they’ll look back on and remember was a good thing for them. Their father coming into their lives should be a positive experience.”
    “Not positive enough that it should have happened years ago.”
    “That’s a discussion for another time,” she said firmly. “It doesn’t involve them. That’s between you and me and the past.”
    “And obviously the future.”
    She didn’t understand his meaning, but was satisfied he intended to handle the situation with her sons carefully. Pepper walked into the den. Duke was showing the boys how to braid rope, and they were drinking it in with huge eyes. When her brother looked up and saw that Luke was with her, he slowly got to his feet.
    “Hello, Luke,” he said. “Long time no see.”
    Luke nodded.
    Pepper sensed the tension between the two big men, and clearly, the boys did, too, for they glanced back and forth at times. After a moment, Duke said, “I best get back to Liberty and the baby,” and he left. The front door closed and they heard him gun the truck engine and take off.
    “Hi, Mom,” Toby said, and Josh nodded, always content to follow his brother.
    Pepper walked farther into the room. Luke followed. “Boys,” she said, “I’d like to introduce you to someone.”
    They didn’t like the sound of that, because their brows furrowed. Pepper realized they thought she had a boyfriend, and quickly said, “This is Luke McGarrett, an old family friend.”
    Luke reached out as the boys got up reluctantly to shake hands with him. “Rope tricks, huh?”
    “Not tricks,” Toby said. “We have to learn to make one.”
    Luke nodded. “I do sailors’ rope knots.”
    “You do?” This interested the boys.
    “Yeah.”
    “Sit down, Luke,” Pepper said, and the boys moved back to their previous positions.
    “I think…I think I’ll head home,” Luke said. “I guess you’ll need a ride back to town, Pepper.”
    “We can stay here,” she said. “We’re sort of half here and half at the house right now.” She didn’t want to accept a ride from him—and she was surprised by how quickly he wanted to leave.
    He stared at his boys for a long time as if trying to decide what to do. They had busily returned to trying to practice what Duke had taught them. Luke’s gaze caught hers