Mummy in the Making

Mummy in the Making
Victoria Pade

Makeshift mum…to blushing bride?High-school teacher Issa McKendrick had plenty of reasons to swear off men. With a baby on the way after a bad breakup, she retreated to the safety of her home town. Only to have two more men knocking at the door – her delicious landlord, Hutch Kincaid, and his adorable little boy.The widower had wounds of his own, but Hutch was determined to provide a happy home for his son. Then Issa changed everything. But when attraction starts to get in the way of their good intentions, will Issa and Hutch be able to get out of their own way and let love in?

They were standing so close that she could smell the scent of his cologne, and it was going to her head.

And there were those eyes of his…

Sky-blue and looking down at her with something that might have been interpreted as appreciation, if she didn’t know that was crazy.

He’s just being friendly.

I’m pregnant.

He’s not going to kiss me…

And yet…

He also wasn’t making any move to leave. Or to take his hand away from her arm. Or even to stop that tiny massage of his thumb that seemed increasingly like more than support or comfort.

And he was studying her with an intensity that seemed more than friendly.

Was she imagining it because she wanted it to be true? Because she wanted him to kiss her?

Dear Reader,

Issa McKendrick has moved back to her hometown of Northbridge, Montana, with a secret. The end of her last relationship left her with a little surprise—she’s pregnant. That relationship is one-hundred-percent over and done with. But she’s decided to have the baby, despite the fact that doing it on her own is a daunting prospect.

Former football star Hutch Kincaid has moved to Northbridge to raise his toddler son and to mend fences with his twin brother. He’s been widowed for a year and a half but he’s not in the market for a new woman in his life, or in the life of his son.

But in comes Issa anyway. And while a baby fathered by someone else has to be one of the biggest obstacles there is, somehow not even that can keep these two apart.

Or can it?

I hope you enjoy finding out!

Best wishes,

Victoria Pade

About the Author

VICTORIA PADE is a USA TODAY bestselling author of numerous romance novels. She has two beautiful and talented daughters—Cori and Erin—and is a native of Colorado, where she lives and writes. A devoted chocolate lover, she’s in search of the perfect chocolate-chip-cookie recipe. For information about her latest and upcoming releases, and to find recipes for some of the decadent desserts her characters enjoy, log on to www.vikkipade.com.

Mummy in the Making

Victoria Pade

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

Chapter One

“Ash! Asher! Get back here!”

A man’s voice.

Whispering.

Something about ashes?

Coming out of a sound sleep, Issa McKendrick’s first thought was that she was dreaming.

Until, very near to her ear, she heard, “Pit-tee.”

Pity?

Struggling out of heavy slumber, she opened sleep-bleary eyes.

Staring at her almost nose-to-nose was a very small boy.

“Hi!” he greeted her happily.

“I’m sorry.”

A man’s voice again, this time not whispering, coming from the door to her apartment. The door that was wide open.

From her position lying on the sofa, Issa bolted upright, alarmed by the fact that she wasn’t alone. That a strange man and child were there.

“Get back here, Ash,” the man repeated more firmly.

“Bye,” the child said before he did as he’d been told.

Issa’s vision was beginning to focus as her gaze followed the child and landed on the man.

Whoa!

Dreamy-looking guy—maybe this was a dream….

“I didn’t mean to just come in,” he said then, convincing her with the deep tones of an intensely masculine voice that she was awake. “I’m Hutch Kincaid, your landlord…”

Hutch Kincaid.

Still trying to get her bearings, Issa was not quick on the uptake. It took her a moment to put things together in her mind.

Hutch Kincaid was the owner of the house-turned-duplex where Issa had an apartment on the upper floor. Her brother had rented it for her when she’d announced that she was moving back to her hometown of Northbridge, Montana and wanted a temporary place while she looked for a property to buy.

Hutch lived in the lower half of the building, but he’d been out of town when Issa had arrived two days ago, so they’d yet to meet.

“I got the note you left under my door downstairs and you’re right,” he was saying when she began to gather her wits, “this lock is broken—all I did was knock and the door opened. And then Ash barged in before I could grab him.”