Chapter Eleven
The Midwife’s Glass Slipper
by
Karen Rose Smith has seen more than sixty novels published since 1991. Living in Pennsylvania with her husband – who was her college sweetheart – and their two cats, she has been writing full-time since the start of her career. She enjoys researching and visiting the West and Southwest, where this series of books is set. Readers can receive updates on Karen’s latest releases and write to her through her website at www.karenrosesmith.com, or at PO Box 1545, Hanover, PA 17331, USA.
To my husband Steve – may we always believe in fairytales.
Chapter One
Rising from the desk in her office, Emily Diaz hurried into the hall at the sound of children’s laughter.
Dr. Jared Madison stood there, his shock of dark-brown hair falling over his brow, his tie askew. He held the hands of his identical twin daughters. Usually the epitome of calm and tact, he dropped the stuffed unicorn he’d clutched under one arm.
One of the little girls—both were dressed in Cinderella T-shirts and pink shorts—let go of his hand and warned, “Don’t step on Stardust!”
“I’d never do that,” the physician replied, his Texas drawl more evident this morning than it usually was. He spotted Emily as his daughter saved the unicorn.
Emily didn’t know quite what to say. Dr. Madison had hired her over seven months ago to be his obstetrical nurse practitioner. Ever since she’d interviewed for the position, she’d felt…a current between them, though Dr. Madison had never been anything but professional. She’d told herself more than once that she wouldn’t get involved personally because she valued her job and because…
She shivered to think of the consequences for her job if he learned her secret.
“Who are you?” the twin not clutching Stardust piped up. Both girls were adorable with light-brown hair and huge green eyes, the same color green as their father’s.
Without thinking, Emily dropped down to the their eye level, her own black, very curly hair flowing forward to tickle her chin. She kept it banded back when she examined patients, but this morning she’d intended to spend a quiet morning in her office catching up on paperwork. “My name is Emily, and I work with your dad.”
Everyone knew Dr. Madison had twin, three-year-old daughters, though that was about all they knew. He was a very private man. One very tall, broad-shouldered, sexy man.
Emily tried to ignore him as she concentrated on the two little girls. “What are your names?” She glanced up at the physician, hoping he wouldn’t mind her asking.
The twins checked with their dad and he gave a nod.
“Amy,” the twin on the left easily told Emily.
The little girl on the right poked her finger into her mouth, studied Emily for a few moments, then mumbled, “I’m Courtney.”
Amy added, “Daddy’s taking care of us because Grandma fell boom.”
“Honey, how about if you and Amy go into my office?” He opened the door across the hall and gestured the girls inside.
His daughters ran into the office as if they’d never been there before, peering at everything in sight—the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, the long mahogany desk, the two comfortable padded chairs facing it, the old-fashioned car replicas on the credenza, the coffeepot and packet of sandwich cookies on a side table.
“Cookies!”
