It would be a hell of a lot easier to psych himself into confronting an armed perp than to face delivering a babyâ¦.
Armed with a plastic drop cloth and a stack of worn-but-clean towels, Dan went back and prepared the couch the way Fay had told him to.
âThanks,â she said. âIf I hadnât seen your lightâ¦â Her words trailed off and she began to take deep breaths.
âAnother contraction?â
She nodded, and he knelt beside her, tentatively resting his hand on her abdomen. Through the flannel cloth, it felt rigid as a board. He checked the second hand of his watch. Before he could move his hand, something thrust against it, surprising him. Damned if the baby hadnât kicked him. The realization made him smile. Feisty little thing. Dan decided the most reassuring thing he could do for Fay was to keep his mouth shut about how inexperienced he really was. Strange how people assumed cops delivered lots of babies.
âUm, Dan? Itâs comingââ
And without hesitation, he sprang into actionâ¦.
Dear Reader,
Well, if itâs true that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, youâre going to need some fabulous romantic reads to get you through the remaining cold winter nights. Might we suggest starting with a new miniseries by bestselling author Sherryl Woods? In Isnât It Rich?, the first of three books in Ms. Woodâs new MILLION DOLLAR DESTINIES series, we meet Richard Carlton, one of three brothers given untold wealth from his aunt Destiny. But in pushing him toward beautifulâif klutzyâPR executive Melanie Hart, Aunt Destiny provides him with riches that even money canât buy!
In Bluegrass Baby by Judy Duarte, the next installment in our MERLYN COUNTY MIDWIVES miniseries, a handsome but commitment-shy pediatrician shares a night of passion with a down-to-earth midwife. But what will he do when he learns there might be a baby on the way? Karen Rose Smith continues the LOGANâS LEGACY miniseries with Take a Chance on Me, in which a sexy, single CEO finds the twin sister he never knew he hadâand in the process is reunited with the only woman he ever loved. In Where You Least Expect It by Tori Carrington, a fugitive accused of a crime he didnât commit decides to put down roots and dare to dream of the love, life and family he thought heâd never have. Arlene James wraps up her miniseries THE RICHEST GALS IN TEXAS with Tycoon Meets Texan! in which a handsome billionaire who can have any woman he wants sets his sights on a beautiful Texas heiress. She clearly doesnât need his money, so whatever can she want with him? And when a police officer opens his door to a nine-months-pregnant stranger in the middle of a blizzard, he finds himself called on to provide both personal and professional services, in Detective Daddy by Jane Toombs.
So bundle up, and take heartâspring is coming! And so are six more sensational stories about love, life and family, coming next month from Silhouette Special Edition!
All the best,
Gail Chasan
Senior Editor
lives most of the year on the shore of Lake Superior in Michiganâs Upper Peninsula along with a man from her past and their crazy calico cat, Kinko. In the winter, though, they all defect to Florida for three months. In addition to writing, Jane enjoys knitting and gardening.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Listening to the howl of the wind outside the hunting lodge in Michiganâs Upper Peninsula, Dan Sorenson dropped another log onto the fire and poked it into place. A good night to be indoors, he thought. These storms usually lasted up to three days, switching back and forth from sleet to snow, until they finally petered out. Hell to try to drive in them or to venture out at all. Lucky heâd piled enough wood into the back shed before this particular April storm began.
He glanced around at the comfortable, if shabby, main room of what had been his grandfatherâs, then his dadâs hunting lodge set in acres of wilderness. Its cedar logs had been carefully notched into place long ago by immigrant craftsmen from Finland; the place could stand up to whatever Mother Nature threw at it. Favoring his left leg, he crossed to a side window in a vain effort to peer into the darkness.
He checked the switch to the porch light, left in the up position and shook his head. Heâd turned the light on, the same way his mother always had done in a storm.
âYou never know who might have need of a light in bad weather,â sheâd always said.
Certainly no one in this isolated area. But, somehow, he couldnât bring himself to shut it off. He turned away, about to head back to the comfort of the Morris chair drawn up by the fireplace when he was startled by a noise.
Was someone at the doorâon this miserable night in the middle of nowhere? Impossible. And yet he was almost sure heâd heard a sort of scrabbling sound, all but drowned by the wailing wind. Better check it out. He turned back toward the door, automatically reaching for his gun. Once a cop, always a cop, but, of course he wasnât wearing his piece, heâd left it up in the loft. Didnât need to keep it on him here in the wilderness, especially during a storm. He reached for the knob and pulled the door toward him.