An Unlikely Mommy
Tanya Michaels
MILLS & BOON
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This is my fifteenth book to be released by Harlequin Books, and I cant imagine having hit this milestone without the encouragement, advice and friendship of the wonderful ladies (and men!) of Georgia Romance Writers. Thank you for all youve taught me and all youve seen me through.
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 One
Did Websters change the definition of celebrate and no one told me? Because I always thought it should involve being, you know, happy.
Veronica Carter turned her attention from the dance floor, with its multicolored spotlights and twirling couples, to Lola Ann Whitford, town librarian and Ronnies best friend. While it was impossible to discern Lola Anns every word over top of the exuberant local band that played every Friday night, the gist was clear.
Sorry, Ronnie said sheepishly. Im not being very good company, am I?
No. The short, curvy brunette grinned, showing all her dimples. Which is why I am ditching you for the very first guy who asks me to dance.
Well, as long as hes hot, Ronnie conceded. After todays inspection of her new home, she should be feeling celebratory. Yet her emotions were as badly tangled as a carelessly handled fishing line.
In addition to the inspector telling her shed chosen her future house well, and that the flaws were mostly cosmetic and the foundation was solid, she could still hear Wayne Carters resigned sigh. Her dads eyes, the exact green as hers, had brimmed with wistful loss instead of eager joy, an image reversed in reflection. I am twenty-five, more than old enough to move out. She shouldnt feel guilty, like some ungrateful teenager running away to the big city in the middle of the night. Heck, Ronnie wouldnt even be changing zip codes.
Lola Ann snapped her fingers in front of Ronnies face. Ive lost you again.
No, Im here. Youre right about celebrating! Is it bad luck to toast the new place before its legally mine? In a few weeks, shed officially close on the housethen spend the foreseeable future remodeling. Ronnie had always been mechanically inclined, better with power tools than curling irons or mascara wands, and without the quirks and superficial damages to the one-story brick home, she never would have been able to afford it. Come on, Im buying this round.
They edged their way through the dance halls regular weekend crowd and stopped at the teak counter that ran parallel to the far left wall. Flannel-clad Jack Guthrie, his wire-rimmed glasses and silver hair taking on an otherworldly glow beneath the neon signs, had been the bartender here since time before memory. Hed poured Ronnie a drink the night she turned twenty-one and had done the same for her three brothers before her. Hed also served inaugural beers to her parents.
There was that pang again. Often she could think of her parents, the life theyd once shared, without missing her mother too terribly, but todaythe approaching milestone of buying her first househad left her nostalgic.
Forcing a smile, Ronnie placed a ten on the bar for two drinks. In her peripheral vision, she saw that her oldest brother, Danny, was waiting to order. His wife, Kaitlyn, stood behind him, her face flushed with pleasure and the exertion of dancing. Children were allowed inside Guthrie Hall, and Ashley often accompanied her mother and father. Tonight, however, Ronnies niece was hanging out with Grandpa Wayne, whod promised to teach the second-grader how to play poker just as hed taught Ronnie when she was around Ashleys age.
Ronnie caught her sister-in-laws eye, and Kaitlyn approached, nodding hello to Lola Ann.
You look like youre having fun, Ronnie observed.
Kaitlyn bobbed her head in cheerful agreement. I adore my daughter, but I need these occasional adults-only evenings to remind myself what a passionate, flirtatious man my husband can be.
Ronnie pretended to shudder. I dont want to hear about passion and my brother in the same sentence.
Fair enough. Kaitlyn chuckled. Some unsolicited advice from an old married womanwhen you get married, dont feel like you have to have kids right away. Take the time to savor those early newlywed years.
Sound, yet pointless, advice. Last time Ronnie had checked, dating was a prerequisite to marriage.
Men werent exactly beating down her doorcorrection, her fathers doorto ask Ronnie out. Her town identity as a skinny grease monkey had long been cemented. While even a flat-chested mechanic could attract male admirers once in a blue moon, her overprotective brothers had put an end to those few budding relationships, making marriage the least of Ronnies current concerns. Not that she minded being single. Once she moved out of her dads house, she selfishly planned to make the most of the solitudewatching whatever she wanted on the television set and not worrying about preparing meals for anyone.
Danny joined them, handing his wife a cold bottle of water and sipping draft beer from a plastic cup. With his free hand, he tugged lightly on Ronnies ponytail. You saving a dance for your big brother?
Nah, Ill leave you to a woman who can truly appreciate you. She jerked her chin toward Kaitlyn, then grinned teasingly. Personally, Im holding out for a better offer.
Kaitlyn and Lola Ann both laughed at the jibe, but Danny took the words at face value.
Like who? he asked, scanning the crowd with narrowed eyes.
Ronnie groaned. Kaitlyn, go keep your husband occupied, wont you?
My pleasure. Ronnies sister-in-law winked at them and stood on tiptoe to whisper something in Dannys ear. Giggling like teenagers, they headed toward a dimly lit corner.
Turning back to Lola Ann, Ronnie sighed. Does it make me pathetic that the only invitation to dance Ive had since we got here is from my brother?
Even if she werent at a point in her life where she yearned for his-and-her towel sets, the occasional two-step partner would be nice. An image began to form in her mind, of a man with light brown hair and storm-cloud-gray eyes, but she shook off the ludicrous idea of being in his arms. Beyond some chance encounters and casual hellos, Jason McDeere barely knew she existed. Besides, he almost never came to Guthries, much to the disappointment of the towns single women.
You forget, Lola Ann said, Id love to be asked to dance by a Carter brother.
Sympathy tugged at Ronnie. A few months ago, shed realized Lola Ann harbored a crush on Devin, the only remaining bachelor among Ronnies siblings. Unfortunately, Dev seemed hell-bent on his bachelor status, having already dated half the eligible women in Joyous, Tennessee, and never staying with one for long.
Scuse me. A deep voice interrupted the womens conversation, and Ronnie looked upand upinto the gentle brown eyes of Teddy Blinn. The nearly six-and-a-half-foot-tall man was known to most simply as Bear. I hope Im not interrupting you ladies?
Not at all. Ronnie craned her neck back as far as it would comfortably go and smiled hopefully. Shed danced with him once or twice before. While it was difficult to match his long-legged stride, he was at least big enough not to be intimidated by her brothers. How are things with you?
Good, good. The trucks running great, he informed her. Shed ordered some engine parts for him last month. You both look real pretty tonight.
With men like Bear, the compliment wasnt a come-on so much as part of the perfunctory courtesy his mama had instilledlike opening doors for others or saying maam.
He edged a step closer to Lola Ann, their differences in height nearly comical. I wondered if youd do me the honor of a dance?
Love to. Lola Ann passed her drink to Ronnie. Would you mind holding this?
Some celebration, Ronnie thought with a wry smile. Shed been reduced to cup-holder in the absence of an unoccupied table.
Truthfully, she knew she wasnt scintillating company tonight, and she was glad to see Lola Ann having fun. Bear moved with surprising agility for a man his size, and the two of them seeming to be enjoying a brisk polka around the sawdust-sprinkled floor. When the song ended, Bear escorted Ronnies friend back with the solicitousness of a boy whod promised to have his date back by curfew.
Lola Ann fanned her face with her hand. Whew. That was fun. Thanks, Bear.
Always a pleasure. He touched the front of his gray cowboy hat. Ronnie, maybe you and I can cut a rug later?
Sounds good. But as Bear walked away, she couldnt help a quick double check over her left shoulder.
Yep, there was her brother Devin, smiling noncommittally at something a blonde was saying, but keeping one eye on Ronnie. As a kid, shed adopted tomboy mannerisms and hobbies, wanting to fit in with her three brothers so that she didnt get left behind while they camped or attended sporting events. Little had she known that all she had to do to get her brothers attention was hold sixty seconds of conversation with anyone ofgasp!the opposite sex. She crossed her eyes at Devin, watched him stifle a laugh, then turned away.
Unfortunately, Lola Ann had followed Ronnies line of sight. The librarian scowled as fiercely as if shed just caught someone defacing a reference book. What has she got that I dont have? Besides mile-long legs, flowing gold hair and a size-two waist.
Youre every bit as pretty as she is, Ronnie insisted.
Yet hes never asked me out. Youd think, with all the different women he dates, hed have worked his way around to me eventually.
My fault. Lola Ann had probably been placed out of romantic bounds by virtue of being best friends with Devins kid sister. Not that Ronnie was a kid anymore, but Dev, who still called her Red and had given her pajamas featuring cartoon characters for her last birthday, obviously didnt think of her as an adult. Still, considering his track record, was it such a bad thing that he hadnt asked out Lola Ann? Ronnie would hate to see her friend hurt.
Lola, you know I love himhes my brother, so Im obligated. But even I have to admit that hes
Unable to emotionally connect? A commitment-phobe? A serial dater? Lola Ann sighed. Youre right, of course. The problem is, Ive spent too much time with your family and got to know him as a real human being.
In a way that most of his dates probably hadnt, Ronnie acknowledged silently. Dev came off as such a carefree charmer that most people never noticed how truly guarded he was.
You think I should forget it and move on, Lola Ann surmised.
Hey, Im the last person to judge when it comes to illogical crushes, Ronnie insisted. Lola Ann knew her secret. With most guys in town, Ronnie could shoot the breeze about anything from spark plugs to the finer bluffing strategies of Texas Hold Em to the Titans most recent football season. But there was one man who left her tongue-tied and uncomfortably aware that no one had taught her the feminine arts.
Jason McDeere. The high school English teacher whod moved to Joyous last spring with his toddler daughter was unlike any of the other men Ronnie knew. While it was true they hadnt said more than a few words to each other, she couldnt help but feel a bond with him, given the losses hed experienced.
Hi, girls! The throaty alto voice was instantly recognizable, and Ronnie was grinning even before she turned her head.
Treble! Always good to see you, Mrs. Caldwell. Ronnie emphasized the title with a wink.
Absolutely, Lola Ann chimed in, but Im shocked to see you out and about. I figured newlyweds had better ways of spending their Friday nights than hanging with the likes of us.
Treble, a gorgeous brunette who towered over them, compliments of her spike heels, laughed good-naturedly. Are you kidding? I go out of my way to find you two. At least neither of you resent me for taking Keith off the market. She punctuated this with a fond glance at her husband, who was ordering them drinks at the bar.
Though Treble had grown up in Joyous, shed moved away years ago. When shed returned to Tennessee over the summer, shed won the heart of Dr. Keith Caldwell, one of the most sought-after men in town. To celebrate Valentines Day, theyd eloped last month. Trebles family grumbled about her nontraditional ways, but Ronnie knew they were thrilled for her newfound happiness, especially Trebles sister, Charity. Resent you? Lola Ann echoed. Heck, no. We want to live vicariously through you! Ronnie here hasnt had a date in
Hey! Ronnie interrupted her friends impish tone. Pot, kettle, very black.
LolaAnn grinned. I meant to say, neither of us have had a date in ages. Were living out a different story from the whirlwind courtship, followed by impulsive elopement.
So whats your story like? Treble asked.
The love from afar kind, Lola Ann said, glancing furtively at Devin and the blonde.
Treble made a sympathetic face. Have you tried telling him your feelings?
Of course not! Lola Ann looked horrified. That would defeat the afar concept. Now, if youll excuse me, Im going to the ladies room to freshen my lipstick before Treble talks me into something ludicrously bold that Id regret tomorrow.
What? Treble widened her eyes in feigned innocence. Its like you dont know me at all.
Ronnie snorted.
So, what about you? Treble asked, zeroing in on a fresh victim. Have you considered telling Jason McDeere about your mad, secret love?
Hell, no. You exaggerate. I dont think you can call it love I barely know the man. Their very first conversation had been after Ronnie rammed into Jason with her shopping cart at the local grocery. Shed apologized, feeling clumsy and starstruck by his good looks. Those eyes Someone with Trebles fearless poise had probably never had to maim a man to get his attention.