The Baby Bonanza
ANOTHER MAN’S FAMILYSafe Harbor ultrasound technician Zora Raditch has made some big mistakes, but sleeping with a man just before divorcing him takes the cake. And then she discovers she's pregnant—with twins. Struggling to deal with an unplanned pregnancy and accept that her ex wants nothing to do with her, the only man Zora can count on is her handsome and headstrong housemate, Lucky.Luke “Lucky” Mendez wants to protect Zora and her babies—he knows her ex won't suddenly turn into the husband she needs. But being a friend is a lot different than stepping in as a father. Can Lucky prove to Zora that he’s the family man she and her babies deserve?
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âIf you apologize again, Iâll slug you.â Zora glared at Lucky.
He laughed, an unexpected rumble that rolled right into her heart. âThatâs my Zora.â A bout of hard breathing reawakened the hope he might finally kiss her, but instead he sucked in a gulp of air and held it. âOkay. Better.â
âBetter than what?â
He ignored the question. âSince I inveigled you into working today, let me buy you lunch to celebrate.â
âYouâre on.â The heat in her body hadnât exactly dissipated, but it had faded into her normal pregnancy-enhanced high temperature. As for Lucky, clearly he didnât, couldnât and never would accept Andrewâs babies as his own.
As common sense reasserted itself, Zora was suddenly glad nothing had happened. Going any further would have been yet another in a long line of mistakes sheâd made with men. Gathering her possessions, she waited until Lucky locked up, and they sauntered out together. Friends again, nothing more.
Which was obviously how they both preferred it.
The daughter of a doctor and an artist, JACQUELINE DIAMOND has been drawn to medical themes for many of her more than ninety-five published novels, including her Safe Harbor Medical series for Mills & Boon. She developed an interest in fertility issues after successfully undergoing treatment to have her two sons, now in their twenties. A former Associated Press reporter and columnist, Jackie lives with her husband of thirty-five years in Orange County, California, where sheâs active in Romance Writers of America. You can learn more about her books at www.jacquelinediamond.com/books and say hello to Jackie on her Facebook page, JacquelineDiamondAuthor.
Contents
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
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
It was the first time Zora could recall agreeing with Lucky Mendez about anything. Although their truce surely wouldnât last long, she appreciated his good judgment this once.
âNo way are you letting that creep move into our house,â the male nurse told their landlady and housemate, Karen Wiggins. With his striking dark hair, muscular build and flamboyant tattoos, Lucky made an odd contrast to the pink streamers festooning their den.
âEverybody hates Laird Maclaine,â Zora added as she arranged baby shower prizes on a side table. Being seven months pregnant with twins, she had to avoid any strenuous activity. In fact, as one of the showerâs honoreesâalong with two of their former housematesâshe could have dodged setup duty, but she refused to take the easy way out.
Ever.
âHeâs the only one who responded to the notice I posted on the bulletin board.â Atop a step stool, Karen tied a bunch of balloons to a hook. In shades of pink and purple, each balloon proclaimed: Baby!
âWe have a vacant room and the rentâs almost due,â she continued. âItâs either Laird, or I post on the internet and we fend off the loonies. Unless you guys can produce another candidate, fast.â
Lucky hadnât finished castigating the topic of the conversation. âOne drink and Lairdâs telling raunchy jokes. Two drinks and heâs leering at any lady who walks by.â His lip curled. âThree drinks and we call the police.â
âFor a staff psychologist, he doesnât have a clue about how decent people act,â Zora threw in.
âI donât care for him, either, but there are bills to pay.â Karen, a financial counselor at Safe Harbor Medical Center, where they all worked, had inherited the five-bedroom home from her mother the previous December. Forced to take out a loan to repair the run-down property, sheâd advertised for roommates. The arrangement had worked well despite the diverse personalities whoâd signed on.
So far, three of the women had become pregnant, but the other two had married and moved out, unlike Zora. There was little chance she would marry the father of her babies, because he was already married. He was also her ex-husband, with whom sheâd foolishly and, just before finalizing their divorce, trustingly had sex in the belief that her on-again, off-again high school sweetheart still loved her.
Zora rested her palm on her bulge, feeling the babies kick. How ironic that sheâd gotten pregnant by accident at the worst possible time, after she and Andrew had tried for more than a year to conceive. Theyâd been on the point of seeking fertility treatments when sheâd discovered he was cheating on her.
âWe have plenty of other colleagues,â Lucky persisted. âYou guys are in a better position to meet them than me, since my office is out in the boonies.â Lucky worked in the medical office building adjacent to the hospital.
