Christmas Baby: A Baby Under the Tree / A Baby For Christmas / Her Christmas Hero. Judy Duarte

Чтение книги онлайн.

Читать онлайн книгу Christmas Baby: A Baby Under the Tree / A Baby For Christmas / Her Christmas Hero - Judy Duarte страница 33

Christmas Baby: A Baby Under the Tree / A Baby For Christmas / Her Christmas Hero - Judy  Duarte

Скачать книгу

up in Brighton Valley, where he found work on Dan Walker’s ranch. “Code Blue—canceled.”

      Thank God. He hated to think of any parents having to go through what he’d gone through.

      Now here he was, expecting another child and no closer to having the happy family he’d always wanted.

      “You can come back now,” the nurse said to him from behind the slightly opened door.

      When Shane entered the exam room, Dr. Ramirez explained that there was no sign of labor.

      “Sometimes, one of the ligaments that holds the uterus in place is pulled. So that’s probably what happened today.” She turned to Jillian, who was sitting up on the exam table. “Why don’t you go home and take it easy tonight. But give me a call if that pain comes back.”

      Jillian seemed to be okay with both the diagnosis and the instructions, so Shane was, too.

      Not that he wasn’t still worried about her and the baby.

      “There’s just one more thing I’d like to do,” Dr. Ramirez said. “If you’ll lie back on the table, we’ll give you a sonogram and double-check to make sure everything is okay on the inside.”

      Shane was about to excuse himself and leave the room, just as he’d done before, but he wanted to see the baby—his baby.

      If Jillian had any objections to him staying in the room, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she lay down on the exam table.

      As the nurse wheeled in a machine, Dr. Ramirez lifted Jillian’s gown, then squeezed out a dab of gel and smeared it on her rounded belly.

      As the sonogram began, the doctor studied the screen. And so did Shane. Just like the time Marcia had the very same test run, he was intrigued by the image of the growing child in the mother’s womb.

      “The baby looks good,” Dr. Ramirez said. “Strong heartbeat, healthy umbilical cord.”

      “Can you tell if it’s a boy or girl?” Jillian asked.

      “It’s…” the doctor said, as she zeroed in on the screen, “…a girl.”

      A girl.

      As much as Shane had missed Joey, as often as he’d imagined himself coaching a Little League team or taking his son fishing at the lake, the thought of a girl nearly took the breath out of him.

      He hadn’t wanted to replace Joey. He’d just hoped to recover those paternal feelings, like pride and love. And with the doctor’s announcement that it appeared as though his daughter was healthy, all those hopes and dreams came rushing back to him.

      Without giving it a thought, he bent down, placed his lips near Jillian’s ear and whispered, “Are you okay with us having a girl?”

      Jillian looked up at him and smiled. As their gazes met and locked, happy tears overflowed and streamed down her face, convincing him that she wasn’t just cool with it, she was over the moon.

      “What about you?” she asked. “Are you up to being the daddy of a little girl?”

      He smiled, then brushed a kiss on her brow. “Absolutely. As long as she’s as pretty as you.”

      For a moment, everything seemed perfect, and Shane couldn’t help thinking that life would be beautiful this time around.

      How could it not be?

      At least, as long as Jillian agreed to let Shane be involved in his daughter’s life.

      Once Shane had gotten Jillian home and comfortable, he went downstairs to Caroline’s Diner and ordered dinner to go—the pot roast and apple pie that the sign claimed the sheriff had eaten.

      Shane had plenty of stuff in the pantry, as well as the refrigerator, to cook for dinner. But he didn’t want Jillian to even think about getting up or helping out. She was reclining on the sofa, with her feet up on a stack of pillows, the television remote in her hands.

      Now, as he took a seat at an empty table near the front of the diner, he waited for Margie to bring out his order.

      He’d been more than relieved to know that Jillian’s pain hadn’t been an indication of preterm labor and that the baby—a girl, imagine that—appeared to be healthy.

      Jillian had mentioned on the way home that she’d really liked Dr. Ramirez. In fact, she thought the Brighton Valley obstetrician had spent more time with her than the doctor she had back in Houston.

      Shane wondered if there was any chance she might want to switch obstetricians and stay in town until she delivered. He sure hoped so.

      When the front door of the diner opened, he looked up to see Sheriff Jennings enter. He lit up when he spotted Shane, moseyed up to him and reached out his right arm in greeting.

      “How’s it going?” Shane asked, as the two men shook hands.

      “Not bad.” Sam folded his arms around his ample belly and grinned. “You’re just the guy I wanted to see.”

      “Oh, yeah? What’s up?”

      “I told you about my buddy Charlie Boswell, the fire chief who just retired.”

      “Yes, you mentioned that he was taking his wife on a cruise of some kind.”

      “He’s also been getting in a lot of fishing lately, something I haven’t had time to do since last August.”

      “Sounds like the life to me,” Shane said.

      “Me, too. In fact, Caroline and I were talking last night, and she asked how I felt about retiring. I’d never expected to turn in my badge, thinking they’d have to pry it from my hands. But I thought about it all night long, and when morning came around, I started to make a list of all the things I’d do if I had a little time off.”

      “So why’d you want to talk to me?”

      “Well, now I’m not saying that I’ve made up my mind. But if I did decide to give up my position here in town, how would you feel about taking my place—even if it was just in the interim?”

      “Until a permanent sheriff could be found?”

      Sam nodded. “I’d have to talk to the county commission, but they were impressed with the help you gave me on that burglary case. I’m sure they’d appoint you in a heartbeat.”

      “I honestly don’t know,” Shane said. Thing was, if he agreed, even for a while, he’d be leaving Dan in the lurch. And that didn’t sit well with him. Besides, he really liked working on the ranch. But there was a part of him that missed police work, and he didn’t want to be too quick to decline the offer. “I’d have to think about it, I guess.”

      “You do that,” Sam said, before waving at some people in the rear of the restaurant and heading over to join them, leaving Shane to his thoughts.

      If he had reason to believe that Jillian would consider settling in the valley, if there was any future for them together, he’d need to find

Скачать книгу