Tara Quinn - Somebody's Baby

He sat back and looked at the bare wall opposite him. He was mistakenly caught in someone else’s life. He had to be.

“Did you hear me?” Caroline Prater’s voice, though soft, seemed to grate.

“I’m sorry.” He turned to look at her. “What did you say?”

“I said I’m pregnant.”

Uh-huh. Well. What did he do now? “I, uh, I’m sorry,” he told her. “I don’t really know what to say.”

“I had to tell you. You have a right to know.”

This was a right?

“Aren’t you going to ask if it’s yours?”

His eyes met hers. Their brown depths were as luminous as he remembered them. Her slim, strong, perfectly curved body was pretty impressive, but it was those eyes that had captivated him that cold December night in Kentucky. What, six weeks ago?

“I’m assuming you wouldn't be here if it wasn’t.”

Dear Reader,

Whether you’ve been to Shelter Valley before or find yourself here for a first visit—welcome! It’s never too late to join us in this town—a home away from home for many readers around the world. Shelter Valley has become a place of refuge, of hope and happiness, of new beginnings, of strength through adversity, of life.

If you’re here for the first time, don’t worry. So is Caroline Prater. Join this intelligent but uneducated farm girl as she comes to town with a big heart…and some shocking secrets. You’ll travel with her from her home in Kentucky, find a boardinghouse, meet the residents of Caroline’s new town. And if you’ve been here before, I think you’ll enjoy seeing the world of Shelter Valley through her eyes. You’ll meet old friends and find out what they’re up to, how they’ve fared since you saw them last. Pretty much everyone you’ve met in Shelter Valley appears in Somebody’s Baby.

Don’t let me give you the impression that this is going to be a lighthearted romp through town. It’s not. Caroline and John and the rest of the Shelter Valley residents are living life—real life—with its ups and downs, its fears and hardships. They ask questions of themselves and each other, the same questions we all ask. Hard questions that don’t always have answers. Certainly not easy answers…

So come to Shelter Valley! We’re waiting. With refuge and hope, the promise of happiness, the possibility of new beginnings and—most of all—with the belief that love truly is the greatest thing of all.

Tara Taylor Quinn

I love to hear from my readers. You can reach me at P.O. Box 13584, Mesa, Arizona 85216 or through my Web site at www.tarataylorquinn.com.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For all the members of my family, blood and otherwise, who manage to hang on through all my life’s changes and love me, regardless. Who accept my love for them, regardless. You’ve shown me the real life strength of love—a knowledge I now share with the world.

Will Parsons: Dean of Montford University.

Becca Parsons: Mayor of Shelter Valley, wife of Will.

Bethany Parsons: Daughter of Becca and Will.

Ben Sanders: Husband of Tory, cousin of Sam Montford.

Tory Sanders: Wife of Ben.

Alex Sanders: Daughter of Ben, stepdaughter of Tory.

Phyllis Christine Sanders: Daughter of Ben and Tory.

Randi Foster: Sister of Will Parsons, married to Zack Foster. Manages women’s athletic department at Montford.

Zack Foster: Veterinarian. Husband of Randi.

Cassie Montford: Veterinarian. Married to Sam Montford.

Sam Montford: Descended from the founder of the town. Married to Cassie.

James Montford: Father of Sam, married to Carol.

Mariah Montford: Adopted daughter of Sam and Cassie.

Phyllis Sheffield: Psychologist. Prominent in psychology department at Montford. Married to Matt Sheffield.

Matt Sheffield: Married to Phyllis. Works in theater at Montford University.

Calvin and Clarissa Sheffield: Twin children of Phyllis and Matt.

Beth Richards: Found refuge for herself and her son after escaping abusive ex-husband. Married to Greg Richards.

Greg Richards: Sheriff of Shelter Valley. Married to Beth.

Bonnie Neilson: Sister of Greg. Runs local day care. Married to Keith Neilson.

Katie Neilson: Daughter of Bonnie and Keith.

Martha Moore: Friend of Becca Parsons. Married to David Cole Marks, minister.

Ellen Moore Hanaran: Martha’s daughter, married to Aaron.

John Strickland: Architect. Widower. Originally from Chicago.

Caroline Prater: New to Shelter Valley…

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 SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

EPILOGUE

“ARE YOU CRAZY, Ma? You’ve lived in Grainville your whole life!” Caroline Prater could hear her son clearly, even with the phone held at arm’s length. “You can’t just pack up and move across the country all by yourself! And where is Shelter Valley, anyway? I’ve never even heard of the place. This is nuts! I knew I should never have left home….”

“It’s in Arizona, Jess.” She moved the phone close enough to speak into the mouthpiece, but kept the earpiece as far from her head as she could.

Sitting on the front porch of the little white farmhouse she’d lived in for almost eighteen years, Caroline snuggled more deeply into her old winter coat and pushed gently against the ground with one booted foot, setting the aged rocker in motion—and waited for Jesse to slow down enough to be able to listen to her. At not quite thirty-five, she was far too young to have a son who was a freshman at Harvard.

And way too old to be in her current predicament.

“What about Gram and Papa? And Grandma and Grandpa? You can’t just leave them….” Her parents. And Randy’s. She shored up her defenses against the twinge of guilt as Jesse’s words hit their mark. Randy’s parents had taken his death hard. He’d been their only son. Seeing her seemed to make things worse. And they had four daughters in Grainville—four sons-in-law. They’d be fine.

But her parents… Caroline looked out over the slush-covered two-acre yard in front of the house. She was going to have to get out the plow to smooth the potholes in the two dirt paths that served as a driveway or she’d never get her little and embarrassingly old pickup out of the gate.

She was going to miss her parents terribly, especially her mother, but there were things about her parents—about her father—that Jesse didn’t know. And something about her that no one knew.

“Why didn’t you say anything when I was home at Christmas, Ma?”

“Because I hadn’t made up my mind then.”

“It was only a week ago!”

Their first Christmas without Randy had been hard on all of them. It was harder on Caroline than anyone knew. Not only had she just lost the man she’d loved since childhood, but she’d suddenly become far too aware that, other than Jesse, none of the family with whom she’d been surrounded all her life were actually related to her. That had never been an issue before.

Jesse went on for another five minutes, reminding her about her responsibilities to the small cattle farm she and Randy had worked for the nearly eighteen years they’d been married.