A Family to Call Her Own
After becoming a foster parent to a young boy, equine therapist Jordan Conleyâs life gets turned upside down. Little Levi is in need of an exceptional pediatrician, which means seeking help from Dr. Ash Sheehanâa man that, despite her heart-pounding crush, isnât her type. Her life is horses and hay, and she canât imagine the suit-clad doctor in a pair of cowboy boots. As a confirmed bachelor, Ash has never been nervous around women, but thereâs something about Jordan that flusters him, and working closely together doesnât help. The last thing heâs looking for is long-term romance. But the more involved he gets, the more he wishes they could stay together...always.
Ash pulled a lollipop out of the pocket of his coat.
Levi looked at him with suspicion, but took it and stopped crying.
âWhere were you when I was trying to dress him?â Jordan rolled her eyes at Ash and he couldnât help but laugh.
âNext time Iâll do better.â
She clicked the car seat harness into place and closed the door.
He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. âIâll come by and check on him tomorrow. And you can call me if you need anything.â
She nodded and her eyes lingered on his for a long second. âIâm sure weâll be fine.â
Jordan rounded the car and got in, turning around to give her little charge a reassuring smile. Ash watched as she drove out of the parking lot.
Yeah, she was different. Not his type at all. So why was he so interested?
Dear Reader,
I love a good calendar! Itâs always a big decision which planner Iâll use for the next year. I replenish my suppliesâpens, sticky notes, stickersâand I delight in filling in the little squares with my lists and checking off my daily tasks.
In A Baby for the Doctor, Jordan has plans. Sheâs busy starting a business. She isnât prepared for a child in her life and she definitely doesnât have time for romance! Sheâs surprised when God leads her to both and struggles to understand His plans for her.
Sometimes Iâm like that, too, and I struggle with laying aside my tasks to follow Godâs plan. It takes faith to put down the to-do list and step out into the unknown, but itâs when we put aside our agenda and follow Godâs that we find true joy and fulfillment.
Thanks for joining me again in Red Hill Springs! Iâd love to hear from you! Find me at my website www.stephaniedees.com or on Facebook!
Wishing you all the best,
Steph
Award-winning author STEPHANIE DEES lives in small-town Alabama with her pastor husband and two youngest children. A Southern girl through and through, she loves sweet tea, SEC football, corn on the cob and air-conditioning. For further information, please visit her website at stephaniedees.com.
Many are the plans in a personâs heart,
but itâs the Lordâs purpose that prevails.
âProverbs 19:21
Man plans, God laughs.
âOld Yiddish Proverb
For my favorite three-year-oldâ
youâve had my heart from the moment I saw you.
Special thanks to Melissa Endlich and the
editorial team at Love Inspired and to Melissa Jeglinski and the Knight Agency. Iâm so thankful to be able to work with you!
Chapter One
Jordan Conleyâs phone rang for the third time in as many minutes. She gave her horse Bartlet one last scratch on the neck and nudged him out of the way. âSorry, old boy. Three calls in a row is a distress signal.â
She tossed the curry comb into the pail next to the stall and dug her phone out of her back pocket. It was her twin sister. âClaire?â
âOh, thank God you answered.â
Jordan could hear the newest baby, the one they called Sweetness, screaming in the background. âWhatâs up?â
âSweetness has a double ear infection. And the principal at Kieraâs school called. She punched a girl in last period and they wonât put her on the bus. I have to pick her up right now.â
âWhat do you want me to do?â
Claire sighed. âI just got a call from the county. They need someone to pick up a three-year-old boy at the hospital. I told them twice we couldnât do it. They just called again and said theyâre going to have to keep him at the office tonight if we canât take him.â
âWhere do I pick him up?â Already Jordanâs mind was sifting through what she needed to do to make it happen. She didnât have time for this. Of course she didnât. She could barely manage the horsesâ upkeep much less build her therapy practice, but there was a three-year-old in a hospital with no one.
She had a therapy session at five she could postpone. Opening the door to the tack room, she grabbed a toddler car seat from the storage closet, hauling it out the door of the barn before heading into the big house, where Claire and Joe lived with theirâat least for the momentâeight kids.