I have read a few books by Melanie Milburne and have loved them. An Australian author, she writes for the Harlequin Presents and Medical Romance lines.

In The Secret Baby Bargain, Jake Marriot is never keen on marriage or babies. He has made this clear with his every relationships, and he always stick by his rule. So Ashleigh Forrester chose to leave Jake when she knows she is carrying his child.

After four and a half years, Jake returns to Sydney to resolve his past demons and to pick up whatever his father has left him before he passed away. He looks for Ashleigh, hoping they will renew their relationship but she is already engaged to Howard Caule, who owns an antique shop although she isn't fully in love with her fiancé. She feels they are more like friends than an engaged couple.

Jake offers to sell off some priceless paintings and antiques to Howard which his father has left, and he wants Ashleigh to do the assessment and work with him. Ashleigh is a little skeptical by his request, but she gives in knowing how those items means to Howard. While they are together, Ashleigh begins to know more about Jake and understand why he has refused to tell her about his past lives because he was abused by his father. She feels she should let Jake know about their son, but decides she needs some time but unfortunately her sister let the cat out of its bag accidentally. Jake is furious, and he demands for a marriage. Ashleigh then calls Howard, telling him that Jake has known of his son's existence; Howard tells her it is all right of her to fall back into Jake's arms, after all she and Jake has a son and he wishes her all the best.

Ashleigh isn't sure of Jake's intention of marrying her, and thinks he is doing it out of duty. But she is still in love with him, and moreover their son needs a father. On the other hand, Jake decides to bury his past and start anew with his life, and also giving his son the most important thing which he had missed during his childhood - love.