Kristin Morgan - The Daddy And The Baby Doctor

Amanda hurried over, then bent down in front of her patient. “What’s going on, Lucy?” she asked, trying to evaluate the situation for herself. For the moment, at least, Sam Arquette was nowhere within her immediate thoughts. Still, her pulse was racing from the urgency of the moment—and, regardless of what else she told herself, from the fact that it was him, she knew, who was now standing right behind her, practically breathing down her neck. As a result, chills ran rabid down her spine.

But, regardless of her reaction to Sam Arquette, one thing was becoming perfectly clear to her.

Ready or not, there was a baby on the way, and it looked as though he or she wasn’t planning to wait around very much longer for the rest of the world to figure that out.

“It’s the baby, Dr. Lucas,” Lucy cried out.

“I know, Lucy,” Amanda said in a comforting voice. “But don’t worry. Everything is going to be okay. Where’s Tom?”

Tom was not only Lucy’s husband, but he was also supposed to be her coach during labor.

“At a cattle auction in Freemont Springs,” Lucy replied, tears brimming in her eyes.

Amanda stood and drew in a deep breath. Freemont Springs was almost two hours away from Mason’s Grove. There was no way Tom Foreman could make it back to Mason’s Grove in time to be at his wife’s bedside for the birth of their first child. One thing about babies, they were notorious for ignoring the readiness of others and coming into this old world when they were good and ready.

And, without a doubt, Lucy’s baby was ready.

“I can’t do this without Tom,” Lucy cried out.

“Of course, you can,” Amanda said, giving her patient a warm, reassuring smile. In her experience as an OB doctor, it never failed that when a woman went into labor, the one person she wanted at her side was the man she loved. But sometimes that simply wasn’t possible. She thought of Sabrina Jensen. If Mr. Arquette’s story was true, the young waitress would have to deliver her baby into the world all alone. As a woman, Amanda allowed herself a moment to feel sad for Sabrina; however, as a physician, she knew she had to get a grip and focus on what was happening right now.

“I know you were counting on Tom being here with you,” she said, gazing at Lucy, “but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. Just think about it, honey,” she added, her whole manner growing serious, but confident. “You could do this all by yourself if you had to. But, of course, you don’t have to. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

After a moment’s pause, Amanda’s words seemed to sink in, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

Assured in her ability to get her patient through her labor without the added guidance of a labor coach, Amanda moved quickly to get her office ready for the unexpected delivery. Still, she took a moment to give Lucy a reassuring hug.

Turning with the idea of giving her staff additional instructions on what to do next, Amanda was startled to find herself face-to-face with Sam Arquette.

Well, they weren’t exactly face-to-face. It was more like face-to-chest. Her face. His chest. Her eye level was just below the base of his threat—in fact, right above the V opening of his sport shirt. Never in her life had she been so starkly aware of the dark, springy hair that grew on a man’s chest. Not even in med school. He swallowed, and without much upward movement of her eyes, Amanda watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down. Her breath lodged in her throat. The whole thing gave her the silliest feeling in the pit of her stomach. Then she lifted her eyes a few inches higher, and wham! They locked with his.

He grinned knowingly, as though somehow he knew about the silly feeling in the pit of her stomach and the breathlessness that was presently making her feel almost light-headed. “What do you want me to do?” he asked.

For some reason, that question was enough to suck out any air that was left in her lungs. If she ever decided to allow herself a naughty moment, there would have been plenty of things she would have liked to have seen him do. But, of course, she never allowed herself such things.

“Uh...” she stammered, mentally shaking herself free of the unconscious hold he had on her. “I need to get Lucy Foreman to one of the examining rooms in the back. Can you help me?”

A cocky, lopsided grin slid up one side of Sam’s face. “I can do better than that,” he said, brushing past her and lifting Lucy into his arms. “I can get her there myself.”

In his sudden move to get to her patient, he had rubbed his arm across Amanda’s breasts. Without actually looking at her, he mumbled an apology.

“Uh—no problem,” Amanda answered.

But, of course, there was a problem.

A big problem.

Her nipples were squeezed tight. And the tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach persisted.

Amanda was rattled, no doubt about it. Still, she refused to accept what was happening to her. She had come too far from her past experience with men to allow some arrogant so-and-so to walk into her world and shake it up.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Amanda straightened her shoulders. “Have you ever done this before, Mr. Arquette?” she asked, adding a slight edge to her voice. It was intentional, of course. She wanted to make sure that the distance she planned to keep from him was well-defined. She only hoped he had gotten her message.

Sam gave her the most incredulous-looking smile. “What—carry a woman?”

Amanda felt a blush rise to her cheeks. She had no idea why she had asked him such a dumb question. Of course, a guy like him had carried a woman before. Plenty of times, no doubt. And straight up to bed, she was more than willing to bet. Nonetheless, determined now to see this moment through, she met his stare evenly. “I was referring to the fact that Lucy’s in labor,” she added for clarification.

The corners of Sam’s mouth twitched up. “Well, now that you mention it, I once came to the rescue of a pregnant woman.” He tightened his hold on Lucy. “But it’s a long story. We probably don’t have time for it right now.”

Lucy groaned.

Amanda felt another wave of heat rise to her face.

“N-no, of course not,” she finally stammered after coming to her senses. Still, she found herself intensely curious about his story—particularly about the pregnant woman. And though she usually minded her own business, she would have liked nothing better in that moment than to have heard its details. “Follow me,” she commanded instead.

“I want Tom with me,” Lucy wailed, wrapping her arms around Sam’s neck.

They reached the nearest examining room. “Place her in here,” Amanda said. Sam entered the room and gently laid Lucy down on the examining table that had been made ready for her just moments ago. Then he stepped back, clearly with the intention of leaving the room.

Reaching out, Lucy grabbed hold of his arm. “Don’t leave me,” she cried. “Please...”

Startled, Sam gaped at her. Finally, he said, “I’m not what you need, Lucy. I’m not a doctor.”

“I don’t care,” she cried out. “Tom’s not here. Please don’t leave me.”

Sam glanced up, his startled gaze meeting Amanda’s. His eyes probed hers and he didn’t blink once during the following few seconds. But finally, unable to deal with the intensity of the moment, Amanda had to look away. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “If Lucy wants you to stay, that’s fine with me.”

Looking completely bewildered, Sam shook his head from side to side. “Now wait a minute,” he said, his hands perched on his hips. “You’ve got the wrong guy here. That story I mentioned a moment ago had nothing whatsoever to do with delivering any baby. The woman just happened to be pregnant. Period. I don’t know the first thing about women having babies.”