The Bachelor's Baby

by Mia Ross

  “You know, that should look ridiculous,” Lindsay teased as she packed up her laptop and lifted Taylor from her seat. “But you make it work somehow.”

  “I’m a modern guy,” he protested in a wounded tone that was betrayed by the humor twinkling in his eyes. “When there’s a job to do, I roll up my sleeves and get it done. Taylor likes that about me.”

  Pausing in the middle of the lobby, Lindsay smiled and craned her neck to peck him on the cheek. “So do I.”

  The grin warmed to something much more personal, and she suspected that if he hadn’t been playing pack mule, it would have taken them a while to leave the forge. Their experiments in “distraction” had been infrequent but very successful, and she was enjoying the way he managed to defer to her and pamper her at the same time.

  “So, is Jeff still coming this weekend?” he asked in a casual way that did nothing to hide his lingering mistrust of her ex.

  “Yes, but I’ll be around, just in case. We agreed that for now, he’ll visit Taylor at home so she can stay on her schedule.”

  “I’m kinda surprised he went for that.”

  “I didn’t give him an option,” Lindsay told him. “Legally, he doesn’t have any rights beyond what I give him, so it’s my way or nothing.”

  Brian flashed her an approving grin. “Good for you.”

  Once outside, he locked the door to the forge and rested his arm lightly around her shoulders for the stroll through town to Ellie’s house. It hadn’t escaped her that since she and Brian had officially been together, no one dared to look askance at her. She knew it was more because they were afraid of his temper than out of respect for her, but she was grateful for his unwavering commitment to being her knight in shining armor. She was hardly a damsel in distress, but it was still nice to know he had her back.

  Riley came from behind them, leading the way for a few yards, then circling behind them before trotting back to the front. The dog seemed as happy as anyone that the long-anticipated spring had finally arrived.

  “He’s really filled out since you took him in,” Lindsay commented. “And he’s a big hit with people visiting the forge. It’s like you’ve always had him.”

  “If I could just get him to sleep at the foot of the bed instead of crammed up next to me,” Brian replied with a chuckle. “It’d nice to be able to stretch out again.”

  Several people were out enjoying a walk in the late-afternoon sunshine, and the sound of some eager beaver’s lawn mower rumbled from somewhere nearby. The trees and shrubs surrounding the square were beginning to put out buds, and there was a group of kids playing catch while their friends set up bases for an impromptu game of baseball. The door of the bakery stood open, letting out the sounds of Duke Ellington and the smell of something that made Riley start sniffing the air.

  “Don’t even think about it, dude,” Brian warned him sternly. “The last time you went in there, Gran’s customers had a fit. Don’t make me go and buy a leash.”

  “He actually ran into the bakery?”

  “Yeah. Hard to blame him, though, considering how good everything smells.”

  Lindsay saw his point, and she was impressed that the dog was able to ignore the temptation and continue walking toward the other end of Main Street. When they got to Ellie’s, Lindsay got the mail and went ahead to open the front door and hold it open for Brian.

  Inside, Taylor let out a stream of totally adorable baby sounds that made it clear she realized they were home for the day.

  “Someone’s happy,” Brian said, leaning in to rub noses with her. “That’s how I always feel when I come here, too.”

  Lindsay caught sight of a large envelope from Waterford University and took a deep breath to steady her suddenly racing heart. “Brian, could you take Taylor so I can open this?”

  “Sure.”

  In an easy motion, he took the baby into his arms. Taylor stared up at him in unabashed adoration, patting his cheek with a tiny hand before cuddling against his shoulder in an unmistakable show of trust. Lindsay frequently did that herself, and she knew just how reassuring it was to have him there, day in and day out. Sometimes she didn’t even need the comforting, but he offered it all the same, allowing her the opportunity to either take it or stand on her own.

  Having that kind of calm, steady influence in her life still amazed her sometimes. That he offered the same to her daughter was almost more than she could believe.

  Her hands were shaking, but she managed to open the envelope and pull out the top sheet of parchment. Tears of joy flooded her eyes, and she read out loud. “‘Dear Lindsay, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the psychology department of Waterford University. We look forward to seeing you in the fall.’”

  “That’s awesome!” Brian approved, rewarding her with a kiss before bouncing Taylor gently. “Mommy’s gonna be a college student. Isn’t that cool?”

  Taylor clearly understood that he was asking her a question, and she responded in some sweet nonsense that made them both laugh.

  “I can’t believe it,” Lindsay said, staring at the letter that had changed her life in a matter of seconds.

  “I can. I always knew you could do anything. You just had to want it bad enough.”

  He was being so great, she thought. But he must be wondering how this would affect his business. Eager to reassure him, she told him, “They have a lot of online and night classes available. I’ll put together a schedule that won’t interfere with my job at the forge.”

  “Your hours can be as flexible as you need them to be. Pick the courses you want, and we’ll manage the business around them.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Of course, I am,” he answered, making it sound like a no-brainer. “Wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”

  “That would be fabulous, Brian. Thank you.”

  “No problem. Why don’t you go warm up Taylor’s bottle?” he suggested, as if sensing that Lindsay could use a minute to herself. “We’ll be in the living room soaking up the sun.”

  Grateful for the reprieve, Lindsay followed his suggestion and then joined them. Taking the baby who was the absolute joy of her life, she settled down to feed her while she caught Brian up on the other big news she’d gotten that day.

  “I heard from that winery in Vermont, and their event was a huge success. There was a married couple there who asked where they got their racking, so she gave them the forge’s contact information. She said they wanted it for displays and seemed very interested, so we should be hearing from them soon.”

  “What kind of business do they have?”

  “Pottery, ceramics, that sort of thing,” Lindsay answered, pausing when she realized that Taylor had drifted off. Lifting the sleeping baby to her shoulder, she covered her with one of Ellie’s handmade afghans. “I’ll just run her upstairs, if you don’t mind waiting.”

  “Not a bit.”

  Leaning back in the wing chair, he folded his hands over his stomach and stretched his long legs out in the kind of pose that said he wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere. The always alert Riley followed her up to her room, sitting patiently while she settled Taylor into her bassinet and switched on the baby monitor. Taking the receiver with her, she walked back downstairs and was surprised to find the living room empty.

  The front door was open, and on the other side of the screen she saw Brian sitting on the front steps, elbows resting on his bent knees while he looked out into the yard. Rugged and strong, he’d proven over and over that he was the kind of guy even a jaded girl like her could depend on. A rush of emotions surged up inside her, and for the thousandth time she wondered what she possibly could have done to deserve him.

  Pushing the screen open, she let Riley out before setting the monitor down and joining Brian on the steps. Leaning her cheek against his arm, she sighed. “This is nice.”

  “Yeah,�
� he agreed, lifting his arm to put it around her. “Makes up for all those eighteen-hour days I had at the beginning.”

  “Ugh, I remember those. I used to wonder how you managed to stay so positive all the time.”

  “No sense in being a pessimist,” he reasoned calmly. “If things get bad, you dig in and fix ’em. Worrying about what might or might not happen is a waste of energy.”

  Lindsay wished she could be that upbeat. “I’m more optimistic than I used to be, but I’m still a worrier.”

  “You’re a mom. Worrying is part of the territory.”

  “I guess when you love someone, that’s just how it works.”

  “I guess so.” He was quiet for a few moments, then pulled away slightly to look down at her. When she met his eyes, she saw something in them that was so rare, she could count the times she’d noticed it on one hand. Uncertainty. “Did you want to say something else?”

  He didn’t answer at first, but the darkening blue in his eyes clued her in that something important was going on. To her immense relief, he gave her the warm smile she’d always treasured. “You may not want to hear this right now, but I love you, Lindsay. The honest truth is, I never stopped.”

  From nowhere, tears sprang into her eyes, and she blinked furiously to keep them in check. Returning that smile was the easiest thing she’d ever done, and she was only too happy to reassure him. “I love you, too. I think I always did, but I didn’t realize it because I was too busy being stupid.”

  That got her a wry smirk. “So loving me is smart?”

  “The smartest thing I’ve ever done.”

  She followed up her confession with a long kiss filled with gratitude for this man who’d never let her down, even when she’d given him all kinds of reasons to turn his back and walk away. Resting her hand on his cheek, she said, “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

  “Anytime. Y’know, I’ve been curious about something.”

  “What’s that?”

  Leaning to the side, he fished something from the pocket of his jeans and held it out in front of her. There, sparkling in the late-afternoon sunshine, was an antique diamond ring. Sliding it onto her finger, he gazed down at her with the most serious expression she’d ever seen on him. “Will you marry me?”

  Stunned beyond words, she stared at the beautiful ring, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Designed with precise points and delicate scrolls, the setting reminded her of a piece of jewelry she’d seen before.

  When it hit her, she sat upright and stared at him in amazement. “This looks like my watch.”

  “It is like your watch. They go together, like us.”

  The implication of what he’d done dawned on her, and she stared at him in amazement. “You bought this for me at that antique show you took me to six years ago?”

  “Yeah. I went back for it later.”

  “And held on to it for six years, even after I left,” she continued, still unable to believe it. “Why?”

  “Lost the receipt.” Her chiding look made him laugh. “Okay, you got me. I guess part of me hoped you’d come back, and we’d have another chance to get it right.”

  “That’s crazy,” she announced, easing the insult with a kiss. “And the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “I’m gonna go out on a limb here,” he teased, “and take that as a yes.”

  “Good, because that’s how I meant it.”

  “You know you drive me nuts, right?”

  “Till death do us part, Calhoun,” she reminded him playfully, cuddling against him while she held out her hand to admire her ring.

  Taking her hand in his, he brushed his lips over the back and smiled. “That’s what I’m counting on.”

  * * * * *

  If you loved this tale of sweet romance,

  pick up the first book

  in the LIBERTY CREEK series

  from author Mia Ross:

  MENDING THE WIDOW’S HEART

  And check out these other stories

  from Mia Ross’s previous miniseries,

  OAKS CROSSING:

  HER SMALL-TOWN COWBOY

  RESCUED BY THE FARMER

  HOMETOWN HOLIDAY REUNION

  FALLING FOR THE SINGLE MOM

  Available now from Love Inspired!

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  Keep reading for an excerpt from A MAN FOR HONOR by Emma Miller.

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  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed your visit to snowy Liberty Creek!

  I was watching one of my favorite home improvement shows one day, and there was a guest star who ran a custom metalworking shop. He made that cold, impersonal medium into beautiful works of art, and an idea started forming in my head. I remembered going to a local living history museum and a Renaissance festival and being fascinated by the blacksmiths and how the tools of their trade hadn’t changed much in the three hundred years separating their eras. From there, Brian Calhoun’s vintage forge and the challenges it would face operating in this century came to life for me, and the research was some of the most interesting I’ve ever done.

  But as good a metalsmith as he was, he needed some help. Lindsay Holland walked onto the stage of this charming little town, and I liked her right away. Sassy, smart and independent, she’s the kind of woman I admire: one who takes the curveballs life gives her and turns them into home runs. Despite the odds stacked against her, she was able to move past her failures and do what was necessary to build a better future. The world can be a tough place to navigate, and it takes serious determination—and faith—to be successful. Lindsay had the first trait all along, and once she discovered the second, she found the strength to make a good life for herself and her daughter.

  If you’d like to stop in and see what I’ve been up to, you’ll find me online at miaross.com, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. While you’re there, send me a message in your favorite format. I’d love to hear from you!

  Mia Ross

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

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  A Man for Honor

  by Emma Miller

  Chapter One

  Luke Weaver lifted the collar of his lined jean jacket to his neck, pulled down his still-wet black hat and made his way toward the exit of the convenience store and the raw December morning.

  “That is you, isn’t it?” the college-aged boy behind the register called after Luke. He pointed to the TV screen mounted above the snacks section. “Look!” he proclaimed to several customers. “That guy’s the mystery cowboy they’re looking for! He’s the he
ro that rescued those people from the bus wreck in Pennsylvania last night!”

  Luke kept walking. The last thing he wanted was to be recognized in his hometown of Dover, Delaware. When a tractor trailer had skidded on an icy highway the previous night, causing a multivehicle collision, he’d been in the midst of it. The bus he’d been riding had flipped on its side and slid down an embankment into a deep drainage pond. With icy water fast pouring in and people panicking, he hadn’t considered that his photo might end up being plastered all over the national news.

  Luke had acted without thinking. He’d pulled the unconscious driver to safety and then broken a window to assist a mother and several small children out of the sinking bus. He’d gone back into the rapidly submerging vehicle twice to help other trapped passengers before state troopers and paramedics arrived. One of the officers had asked who he was, but not wanting to draw attention to himself, he’d refused to give his name. And that had only made things worse because the news media had made a big thing of it. Now everyone was hunting for the mystery cowboy, calling him a real-life superhero.

  “Hey, mister! Are you the super cowboy?” a woman headed toward the doors to the convenience store asked as he stepped out. “You look just like him.”

  Luke strode down Lepore Street. He was supposed to meet someone from the Seven Poplars Amish community at the bus stop, but he wasn’t hanging around. He’d find his own way to Sara Yoder’s home.

  Beads of freezing sleet stung his face and hands, but he kept walking. Winters in Delaware weren’t as cold as those in Kansas, and he could dry off when he got to the matchmaker’s. He hoped someone had some spare clothes he could change into, because the trousers he was wearing were ripped and stained, and his duffle bag with spare clothes was still in the bus’s luggage compartment, probably resting at the bottom of that drainage pond.

  Luke had just crossed the street and turned onto North State when he caught sight of a mule and buggy coming at a sharp pace. Guessing that that must be his ride, he waved the driver to a stop. To his surprise, the only occupant of the buggy was a plump, middle-aged Amish woman with dark curly hair, a nutmeg-colored complexion, and eyes as dark and shiny as ripe blackberries. “Sara?”