A Convenient Wife

A Convenient Wife
Carolyn Davidson

All she wanted was a kitchen to run and a garden to tendBut when Doc Gray offered his name to her and the baby she carried, Ellie Mitchum was overwhelmed. How could she, a girl of "a certain reputation," ever be the kind of wife he needed–and deserved?Winston Gray knew that Ellie was the answer to his prayers. His life required a woman's touch; she needed a man to protect her. It was simple. But when her baby's real father returned, Win would learn that marriage, no matter how convenient, was never simple.

Stories of family and romance beneath the Big Sky!

“Don’t be mad at me,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to upset you. You’re a wonderful girl, Ellie. You’re strong and honest and worthy of any man in this town.”

“I don’t want any man in this town,” she said quietly. “I just want to work for you, stay in that beautiful room you let me have, and make flowers grow in your yard.”

“I’d say that’s little enough to ask of life,” he told her, bending to touch her forehead with a gentle brush of his mouth. Drawing her hand through his arm, he turned them in the direction of his house, aware of a buggy that passed, conscious of two families who walked on the opposite side of the road…and mindful of the lapse he’d just committed.

Kissing Ellie was like placing an item in the weekly newspaper: Dr. Gray to Marry Ellie Mitchum….

A Convenient Wife

Carolyn Davidson

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

CAROLYN DAVIDSON

Carolyn Davidson’s life can be summarized in three simple words: reading, writing and research—followed by her husband and family, of course. With children and grandchildren spread across the eastern half of the country, travel has also become a big part of her life. A charter member of the Lowcountry Romance Writers of America, with women who share her love of writing, Carolyn holds her fellow members partly responsible for whatever success she has achieved in the pursuit of her career and enjoys hearing from readers at P.O. Box 2757, Goose Creek, SC 29445.

To a dear friend who cheered me on from the beginning of my writing career, in those days when only a very few thought I would ever find someone to publish my stories.

A friend who listens and celebrates with me when things are going well in my life, and is still there by my side when troubles come along.

A woman I call “warm and wonderful,” who loves me unconditionally.

Tena Hoyle, this book is for you.

And, as always, to Mr. Ed, who loves me.

Contents

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

Epilogue

Chapter One

August, 1897

“I think I’m dying.”

If her eyes had not been filled with tears, and her expression so woeful, Winston Gray might have smiled. As it was, he adjusted his spectacles and cleared his throat. Clearly, the young woman huddled in a straight chair on the other side of his desk was in dire straits. But, dying? If clear skin, soft brown eyes and a full head of dark, waving hair gave any indication at all, he’d say she was in the best of health.

True, her form was slender, but not unduly so. And yet, there was a significant thickening of her waist and a suggestion of recent weight gain, if the fit of her dress was anything to go by.

“What’s the reason for you to be so worried?” he asked, watching as her slender hand lifted to swipe at the tears on her cheeks. Concern was written all over the girl, and suddenly he lost his urge to smile. Rising from behind his desk, he moved slowly to where she sat, pulling a second chair closer.

She looked up at him, her mouth working as though she might burst into a full-fledged crying spell any minute. “My mama died from a growth in her belly,” she whispered, and one hand spread across her own abdomen as she spoke. “I was only six years old, but I remember how she just got skinnier and skinnier, and her belly got bigger and bigger, till one morning she just stopped breathing.”

Dr. Winston Gray knew heartbreak when it stared him in the face, and he sensed the girl’s need for comfort. His large hand reached for hers, clasping it within his palm. “And you think you might have the same affliction?” he asked quietly.

She nodded, allowing the tears to flow now. “I’ve been feeling poorly lately, maybe for three months or so now. And my belly’s getting bigger all the time.”

And if his training had taught him anything, Win knew exactly what the girl’s problem was. “Is there any chance you might be in the family way?” he asked.

Her eyes widened and her head shook with a violent movement. “Heavenly days, no,” she blurted. “I’m not married, Dr. Gray.”

“That doesn’t always preclude a pregnancy,” he told her. “Perhaps you…” How to phrase it delicately, so she would not take offense? “Do you have a gentleman friend?”

Her flushed cheeks lost their color and she wilted in the chair, tugging her hand from his grasp. “No.” The single word was abrupt, and she straightened her shoulders. “Not anymore, anyway. Tommy Jamison used to come calling, but his folks moved back East a couple of weeks ago, and—” Her shoulders lifted in a telling shrug. “My pa didn’t like Tommy anyway, and now, with me probably dying, it’s just as well. His folks wanted him to go to college to get a good education.”