Countdown to Baby

Countdown to Baby
GINA WILKINS

TALL, DARK, HANDSOME…AND THE PERFECT FATHER?Unexpected sparks flew when midwife Cecilia Mendoza met young Geoff Bingham, Merlyn County's most eligible bachelor. But she was even more surprised when their dinner date exploded into a night of passion that neither of them would soon forget.Practical-minded Cecilia wanted more than just one evening of romance; however, she needed Geoff's help to realize her lifelong dream–to have a baby. With only a few weeks left in town, Geoff plunged into their affair–and embraced the idea of having a child with no strings attached. But was it only baby-making that was in the cards, or was this love?

“I don’t regret anything that happened last night,” Cecilia said.

Geoff reached out to cover her hand with his. “It was one of the best nights I’ve had in a very long time.”

She laced her fingers with his. “For me, too.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“I’m sort of afraid of ruining everything now.”

“Not possible.”

“You haven’t heard what I want to ask you yet.” In response to Geoff’s wary expression Cecilia laughed a little and held up her hands. “Relax. I’m not asking you to marry me. Our night together hasn’t turned me into a starry-eyed romantic with dreams of a happily-ever-after.”

“So what is this request?”

She drew a deep breath, then blurted the words before she lost her nerve. “I want you to help me make a baby.”

Dear Reader,

It’s that time of year again—when every woman’s thoughts turn to love—and we have all kinds of romantic gifts for you! We begin with the latest from reader favorite Allison Leigh, Secretly Married, in which she concludes her popular TURNABOUT miniseries. A woman who was sure she was divorced finds out there’s the little matter of her not-so-ex-husband’s signing the papers, so off she goes to Turnabout—the island that can turn your life around—to get her divorce. Or does she?

Our gripping MERLYN COUNTY MIDWIVES miniseries continues with Gina Wilkins’s Countdown to Baby. A woman interested only in baby-making—or so she thinks—may be finding happily-ever-after and her little bundle of joy, with the town’s most eligible bachelor. LOGAN’S LEGACY, our new Silhouette continuity, is introduced in The Virgin’s Makeover by Judy Duarte, in which a plain-Jane adoptee is transformed in time to find her inner beauty…and, just possibly, her biological family. Look for the next installment in this series coming next month. Shirley Hailstock’s Love on Call tells the story of two secretive emergency-room doctors who find temptation—not to mention danger—in each other. In Down from the Mountain by Barbara Gale, two disabled people—a woman without sight, and a scarred man—nonetheless find each other a perfect match. And Arlene James continues THE RICHEST GALS IN TEXAS with Fortune Finds Florist. A sudden windfall turns complicated when a wealthy small-town florist forms a business relationship—for starters—with a younger man who has more than finance on his mind.

So Happy Valentine’s Day, and don’t forget to join us next month, for six special romances, all from Silhouette Special Edition.

Sincerely,

Gail Chasan

Senior Editor

Countdown to Baby

Gina Wilkins

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

For Sally—she of the untapped wisdom.

GINA WILKINS

is a bestselling and award-winning author who has written more than sixty-five books for Harlequin and Silhouette. She credits her successful career in romance to her long, happy marriage and her three “extraordinary” children.

A lifelong resident of central Arkansas, Ms. Wilkins sold her first book to Harlequin in 1987 and has been writing full-time since. She has appeared on the Waldenbooks, B. Dalton and USA TODAY bestseller lists. She is a three-time recipient of the Maggie Award for Excellence, sponsored by Georgia Romance Writers, and has won several awards from the reviewers of Romantic Times.

Merlyn County Regional

Hospital Happenings

Welcome to Lily Cunningham, public relations director extraordinaire! Lily’s experience—from dining with royalty to saving billion-dollar corporations—is sure to bring prestige to our hospital and the new biomedical research facility sponsored by Dr. Mari Bingham. If you see Lily in the halls—she’ll be wearing her signature color: red—give her a warm Kentucky hello!

Congratulations to Eric Mendoza on his promotion—and his engagement to expectant mother Hannah Bingham!

If anyone has seen any strange behavior at the Foster Clinic or in the pharmacy department of the hospital in the last few weeks, please report this to Dr. Mari Bingham or her receptionist immediately!

And thanks to midwife Cecilia Mendoza for her hard work and dedication to the Foster Clinic. Please congratulate her on ten years of caring for Merlyn County’s mothers and babies!

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 One

The slippery seven-pound boy squirmed in Cecilia Mendoza’s arms. Pink legs flailed with his irritation at being shoved out of his warm, liquid cocoon and into the openness and light of the clinic birthing room. A series of shrill screams issued from his toothless mouth, and his scrunched face was beet red with fury.

Cecilia thought he was absolutely beautiful. With hidden reluctance, she transferred the child into the arms of his exhausted but eager mother. The stocky young father hovered close by, his ruddy face split with an enormous, proud, and just a bit nervous, smile.