Diana Whitney - Ooh Baby, Baby Part 3

36 Hours Serial

As a devastating summer storm hits Grand Springs, Colorado, the next thirty-six hours will change the town and its residents forever….

Ooh, Baby, Baby Part 3

Peggy’s been strong so far, but there are some things even she can’t handle on her own. Fighting to protect her new family from her ex, confused by Travis’s disappearance and now postnatal complications—it’s tough to hold on.

Travis is determined to do what’s best for Peggy and the twins he helped bring into the world—even if it means staying away. It seems the effects of the storm that blew into Grand Springs that night will be felt long after the rains have stopped.

Don't miss the next book in the series, For Her Eyes Only by Sharon Sala.

Dear Reader,

In the town of Grand Springs, Colorado, a devastating summer storm sets off a string of events that changes the lives of the residents forever….

Welcome to Mills & Boon exciting new digital serial, 36 Hours! In this thirty-six part serial share the stories of the residents of Grand Springs, Colorado, in the wake of a deadly storm.

With the power knocked out and mudslides washing over the roads, the town is plunged into darkness and the residents are forced to face their biggest fears—and find love against all odds.

Each week features a new story written by a variety of bestselling authors like Susan Mallery and Sharon Sala. The stories are published in three segments, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and the first segment of every three-part book is free, so you can get caught up in the mystery and drama of Grand Springs. And you can get to know a new set of characters every week. You can read just one, but as the lives and stories of each intertwine in surprising ways, you’ll want to read them all!

Join Mills & Boon E every week as we bring you excitement, mystery, fun and romance in 36 Hours!

Happy reading!

A three-time Romance Writers of America RITA® Award finalist, RT Reviewers' Choice Award nominee and finalist for Colorado Romance Writers' Award of Excellence, Diana has published thirty romance and romantic suspense novels since her first Silhouette title in 1989. Diana has conducted many writing workshops and has published several articles on the craft of fiction writing for various trade magazines and newsletters. She is a member of Authors Guild, Novelists, Inc., Published Authors Network and Romance Writers of America. She and her husband live in rural Northern California with a beloved menagerie of furred creatures, domestic and wild!

Diana Whitney

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Peggy Saxon was all prepared to give birth to her twins in the hospital, but when the massive storm knocked out power, closed roads and caused major mudslides throughout Grand Springs, her plans went astray. Enter Travis Stockwell, cowboy, taxi driver and baby deliveryman—the last one was not his choice. But Travis found himself falling for those twins and their mother, something a rodeo cowboy couldn’t afford to do, so he hit the road before things got too complicated, leaving Peggy alone. Despite not feeling well and completely brokenhearted, Peggy focused on her little family—until everything went black and she fell to the kitchen floor, out cold. As she was falling Peggy called out Travis’s name, but he wasn’t close enough to hear it.

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Travis Stockwell slouched over the counter and fiddled with a limp French fry, using it to draw designs in the ketchup that flooded one side of his plate. He remembered that Peggy didn’t like ketchup on her French fries. She ate the danged things dry. A man just couldn’t have serious feelings about a woman who didn’t know how to eat French fries.

Worst part was that she’d probably raise those babies to eat French fries wrong, too. That’d be a real shame, especially for T.J. The little wrangler needed someone to teach him real-man stuff, like how to whack the ketchup bottle with a flat palm instead of a fist so the contents wouldn’t glug out all at once. And then there was the fine art of chomping down a burger in four bites or less. None of this nibbling around the edge stuff. Girls nibbled. Men gobbled. Belching was optional.

It wasn’t that Peggy wouldn’t be a good mother to those babies. She was a wonderful mama. The best. Patient and tender, all cooey and kissy. And the bravest woman he’d ever met. Peggy had given birth to twins in the back of his taxi during one of the worst storms Colorado had ever experienced, and she never complained once. Travis didn’t have a doubt in the world that those sweet babies would be well-loved and happy. It’s just that there were girl manners and boy manners, and Travis hated the idea that T.J. would grow up not knowing the difference.

Travis pushed away his plate, eyeing his own half-eaten burger with disdain. It looked, well, it looked nibbled. Pitiful, just pitiful. Ordinarily he was a three-bite-man and proud of it. Tonight his stomach wasn’t up to the challenge.

Maybe it was the peculiar sense of apprehension that had been plaguing him. He’d had trouble concentrating, had even missed a turnoff and found himself heading toward Nebraska. It had taken an extra hour to backtrack. Now he’d be lucky if he made it to Cheyenne by morning.

Travis took a final gulp of cold coffee, then tossed a two-buck tip on the counter and went to the diner’s cash register to pay his bill. The cashier greeted him with a lukewarm smile, waiting while he eyed the array of gum and mints displayed in the glass counter case.

“Got any pumpkin seeds?” he asked, handing over a twenty.

She accepted the currency and gave the display a disinterested glance. “We’ve got sunflower seeds.”

“I don’t want sunflower seeds.”

“We’ve got gum.”

“I don’t want gum. I want pumpkin seeds.”

She plopped his change on the counter. “Well, cowboy, you can’t have ’em if we don’t got ‘em. How about a breath mint?”

He narrowed his eyes. “How about some antacids?” he said loudly enough to startle some patrons that had just entered the establishment. “I could use ’em about now.”

The patrons did a U-turn and left.

Travis barely noticed, nor did he pay attention to the infuriated cashier’s dark scowl. He was completely overwhelmed by a soft buzz in his skull and the chill skittering down his spine. He shifted, glanced over his shoulder, saw nothing but his own reflection in the diner’s glass door.

Then he felt it again, a whispered uneasiness, unfocused but intensely compelling. His shoulder tingled as if touched. And he could have sworn he heard someone call his name.

* * *

“Why did you leave me, Daddy?”

“I had to.”

“Didn’t you love me anymore?”

“I loved you.”

“Then why did you go away?”

“I thought you’d be better off.”

His face was blurred, features obscured by a cloudy vapor. But Peggy could hear his voice and knew without doubt who he was. “But I cried, Daddy, and so did Mommy. We were so sad without you.”

“I know.” The vapor grew thicker, more opaque. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry….”

“Daddy?” As Peggy reached out, empty mist swirled around her fingers. “Daddy, please come back. I’ll be a good girl, I promise. I promise, Daddy.”

A wail emanated from beyond the cloudy wall, a cranky, frightened sound that pierced her very soul. She clawed forward, only to find herself lost in the mist. The cry intensified, more desperate now, more terrified. She had to find the source. She had to.