"Who are you and what are you selling?" he asked harshly.
"I'm not selling anything. I'm looking for Alex Manning. Are you him?"
"That depends on what you want."
"No, that depends on who you are," she stated, holding her ground.
"Is this conversation going to end if I tell you I'm not Alex Manning?"
"Not if you're lying."
He stared at her, squinting through his one good eye. His expression changed. His green eyes sharpened, as if he were trying to place her face. "Who are you?"
"My name is Julia DeMarco. And if you're Alex Manning, I want to ask you about a photograph I saw at the Legion of Honor today. It was taken by your father—a little girl standing behind the gates of an orphanage. Do you know the one I'm talking about?"
He didn't reply, but she saw the pulse jump in his throat and a light flicker in his eyes.
"I want to know who the little girl is—her name—what happened to her," she continued.
"Why?" he bit out sharply.
It was a simple question. She wished she had a simple answer. How could she tell him that she couldn't stop thinking about that girl, that she felt compelled to learn more about her? She settled for, "The child in the picture is wearing a necklace just like this one." She pulled the chain out of her purse and showed it to him. "I thought it was odd that I had the same one."
He stared at the swan, then gazed back into her eyes. "No," he muttered with a confused shake of his head. "It's not possible."
"What's not possible?"
"You. You can't be her."
"I didn't say I was her." Julia's heart began to race. "I just said I have the same necklace."
"This is a dream, isn't it? I'm so tired I'm hallucinating. If I close the door, you'll go away."
Julia opened her mouth to tell him she wasn't going anywhere, but the door slammed in her face. "I'm not her," she said loudly. "I was born and raised in San Francisco. I've never been out of the country. I'm not her," she repeated, feeling suddenly desperate. "Am I?"
Buy DON’T SAY A WORD
Book List
The Callaway Family Series
#1 On A Night Like This
#2 So This Is Love
#3 Falling For A Stranger
#4 Between Now And Forever
The Wish Series
#1 A Secret Wish
#2 Just A Wish Away
#3 When Wishes Collide
Standalone Novels
Almost Home
All She Ever Wanted
Ask Mariah
Daniel's Gift
Don't Say A Word
Just The Way You Are
Love Will Find A Way
One True Love
Ryan's Return
Some Kind of Wonderful
Summer Secrets
The Sweetest Thing
The Sanders Brothers Series
#1 Silent Run
#2 Silent Fall
The Deception Series
#1 Taken
#2 Played
The Angel's Bay Series
#1 Suddenly One Summer
#2 On Shadow Beach
#3 In Shelter Cove
#4 At Hidden Falls
About The Author
Barbara Freethy is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of 35 novels ranging from contemporary romance to romantic suspense and women's fiction. Traditionally published for many years, Barbara turned to Indie publishing in 2011 and in two years has sold over 3 million ebooks! Fourteen of her titles have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists.
Known for her emotional and compelling stories of love, family, mystery and romance, Barbara enjoys writing about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary adventures. She is currently writing a connected family series, The Callaways, which includes: ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS (#1), SO THIS IS LOVE (#2), FALLING FOR A STRANGER (#3) and BETWEEN NOW AND FOREVER (#4). There will be at least eight books in the Callaway series, and if you love series with romance, suspense and a little adventure, you'll love the Callaways.
Barbara also recently released the WISH SERIES, a series of books connected by the theme of wishes including: A SECRET WISH (#1), JUST A WISH AWAY (#2) and WHEN WISHES COLLIDE (#3).
Other popular standalone titles include: DON'T SAY A WORD, SILENT RUN and RYAN'S RETURN.
Barbara's books have won numerous awards - she is a six-time finalist for the RITA for best contemporary romance from Romance Writers of America and a two-time winner for DANIEL'S GIFT and THE WAY BACK HOME.
Barbara has lived all over the state of California and currently resides in Northern California where she draws much of her inspiration from the beautiful bay area.
For a complete listing of books, as well as excerpts and contests, and to connect with Barbara:
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