âJake! Youâve come home. Jake!â
Keri couldnât see him â too many people blocked her view â but her instincts took over. Five months ago she couldâve hidden her news until sheâd told him. Now he could see for himself, without any softening of the blow first.
But wasnât he even going to acknowledge her? Keri set her hands protectively on her belly, shielding her baby from the hurt she felt herself. She hadnât realised how much it mattered that he accept her and their â
âWhatâs going on here?â Jake asked his mother.
âWeâre having a baby shower. Arenât you going to say hello to her?â she asked in little more than a whisper.
Keri managed a smile, knowing everyone expected her to run to him.
The problem was, she could barely manage to breathe, much less run.
âWell, go on, son,â Aggie said, grinning. âKiss the woman you love.â
SUSAN CROSBY believes in the value of setting goals, but also in the magic of making wishes, which often do come true â as long as she works hard enough. Along lifeâs journey sheâs done a lot of the usual things â married, had children, attended college a little later than the average co-ed and earned a BA in English, then she dived off the deep end into a full-time writing career, a wish come true.
Susan enjoys writing about people who take a chance on love, sometimes against all odds. She loves warm, strong heroes, good-hearted, self-reliant heroines and will always believe in happily ever after.
More can be learned about her at www.susancrosby.com.
Available in August 2010 from Mills & Boon® Special MomentsTM
Daddy on Demand by Helen R Myers & Déjà You by Lynda Sandoval
A Father for Danny by Janice Carter & Baby Be Mine by Eve Gaddy
The Mummy Makeover by Kristi Gold & Mummy for Hire by Cathy Gillen Thacker
The Pregnant Bride Wore White by Susan Crosby
Sophieâs Secret by Tara Taylor Quinn
Her So-Called Fiancé by Abby Gaines
Diagnosis: Daddy by Gina Wilkins
A bell jangled as Keri Overton pushed open the diner door. Heat hit her first, a welcome break from the biting December cold, then came the distinctive aromas of grilling hamburgers, onions and strong coffee. None of it appealed to a stomach already filled to capacity with butterflies.
She stepped inside and gave the lunchtime crowd a quick inspection, seeking one person, coming up blank. Disappointment but also relief swamped her. After all, what would she say? Her head started echoing with the words sheâd practiced. âHi, Jake, remember me?â Scratch that. There was no way he would forget her. âHello, Jake. Thereâs something you should know before the rest of the world finds outâ¦â Right. That would go over well.
Keri sighed. She hadnât really expected to find him so easily, but heâd told her about this town, his town, and this diner, so sheâd hopedâand fearedâhe would be sitting in a booth, having the burger and fries heâd raved about.
The other patrons gave her curious looks without interrupting their conversations. Chance City was a small tourist town, accustomed to visitors, even the day after Christmas.
Keri took the last stool at the counter, the only one available. From there she had a good view of everyone, not just those seated at the counter, but the ones in the red-leatherette-and-chrome banquettes. She plucked a menu from behind a mini-jukebox, wondering if the townspeople would close ranks if she asked questions about one of their own.
A woman in jeans and black shirt approached, her salt-and-pepper braid disappearing down her back. âWelcome to the Lode. My nameâs Honey. What can I get you?â
âDo you have ginger ale?â
âWe do. Anything else?â
âThatâll do for now, thanks.â
âAll our desserts are homemade daily,â Honey said, gesturing toward a glass case displaying pies and cakes like colorful pop art. âOur soup, too. Got chicken noodle today, and clam chowder. Warm you up from the inside out.â
Keri smiled at the womanâs enthusiasm. âThank you. Iâll keep it in mind.â After a minute, Keri stuck the menu in its holder and scanned the room again, more slowly this time. Sheâd come with a purpose, after all. He had family here. Would any of them look enough like him that she could identify a relative she might speak to? Could she even remember his face well enough?
She tried to envision him. Blue eyes, dark brown hair, tall, fit, sexy. Yes, sexy, even under the circumstances in which theyâd met. And lips that had created a firestorm inside her, deep, intense, and thrilling. Sheâd harbored fantasies about him ever since.
Honey set a glass of ginger ale on the counter as the overhead bell sounded. An elderly woman came in, escorted by two thirtysomething menâone tall, with black hair, the other a little shorter, his brown hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Many of the customers greeted them. They smiled and said hello in return, but they didnât seem relaxed, especially the man with the black hair, who carried what was no doubt the womanâs bright purple cane.