Mommy Midwife
ALMOST NINE MONTHS PREGNANT AND ON THE RUN...
Staying several moves ahead has kept Troy Weathers alive in the world’s most explosive hot spots. So when this marine learns that Olivia Laughton is being stalked, he immediately takes her and their unborn child on the run. His instincts tell him it will require more than skill to keep them safe—and to prove just how much he wants to stay in their lives.
Olivia has no problem trusting Troy to keep her safe, or following his orders. It’s believing their one night together was more than just a passionate fling that seems riskiest of all. Still, with time running out and an unsuspected enemy closing in, Olivia knows Troy is her best chance at survival...and their baby’s only shot at a promising future.
Troy swept Olivia into his arms. “Get back in the car!”
“Are you all right?” Her eyes were wild. “Tell me you’re all right.”
“Not until you’re in the car.” He shoved her into the backseat and dove in behind her, slamming the door behind him.
She held his face in both her hands. “You scared me half to death.”
“I’ll need to get this suit dry-cleaned for my brother. Other than that, I’m fine.”
Her mouth pressed gently against his. His pulse was still racing. He was breathing hard. The extreme pressure of battle clenched inside him, tying his gut into knots. But the sweetness of her kiss did a lot to ease his tension. Every fight should end with a kiss from a beautiful woman as a reminder of what was really important....
Cassie Miles
Mommy Midwife
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Though born in Chicago and raised in L.A.,
USA TODAY
bestselling author Cassie Miles has lived in Colorado long enough to be considered a semi-native. The first home she owned was a log cabin in the mountains overlooking Elk Creek, with a thirty-mile commute to her work at the
Denver Post.
After raising two daughters and cooking tons of macaroni and cheese for her family, Cassie is trying to be more adventurous in her culinary efforts. Ceviche, anyone? She’s discovered that almost anything tastes better with wine. When she’s not plotting Harlequin Intrigue books, Cassie likes to hang out at the Denver Botanical Gardens near her high-rise home.
Books by Cassie Miles
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE
904—UNDERCOVER COLORADO**
910—MURDER ON THE MOUNTAIN**
948—FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW
978—PROTECTIVE CONFINEMENT*
984—COMPROMISED SECURITY*
999—NAVAJO ECHOES
1025—CHRISTMAS COVER-UP
1048—MYSTERIOUS MILLIONAIRE
1074—IN THE MANOR WITH THE MILLIONAIRE
1102—CHRISTMAS CRIME IN COLORADO
1126—CRIMINALLY HANDSOME
1165—COLORADO ABDUCTION‡
1171—BODYGUARD UNDER THE MISTLETOE‡
1177—SECLUDED WITH THE COWBOY‡
1193—INDESTRUCTIBLE
1223—LOCK, STOCK AND SECRET BABY‡‡
1229—HOOK, LINE AND SHOTGUN BRIDE‡‡
1255—MOUNTAIN MIDWIFE
1279—UNFORGETTABLE
1293—SOVEREIGN SHERIFF
1317—BABY BATTALION
1343—MIDWIFE COVER
1368—MOMMY MIDWIFE
**Rocky Mountain Safe House
*Safe House: Mesa Verde
‡Christmas at the Carlisles’
‡‡Special Delivery Babies
To Christine Jorgensen and the Monday Think Tank.
And, as always, to Rick.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Olivia Laughton—
Eight and a half months pregnant, the midwife is about to become a mommy.
Troy Weathers—
The baby’s father wants to marry Olivia but isn’t ready to give up his career as a marine captain in special ops.
Alex Weathers—
Troy’s brother is a doctor who works in the E.R. and at a homeless clinic.
Bianca Laughton—
Olivia’s sister, a lawyer, is on her way toward partnership in her firm.
Richard and Sharon Laughton—
Olivia’s diplomat parents have kept their life-changing secret for years.
Sergeant Blaine Nelson—
Troy’s second-in-command is running the show on the investigation into a terrorist cell code named Hatari.
Kruger—
A legendary undercover operative who entered the U.S. more than twenty years ago has linked with the Hatari terrorists.
Prince Amir—
The powerful Saudi prince is attracted to Bianca.
Matthew Clark—
A top executive in an oil company, he is a client of Bianca’s law firm and a man with many secrets.
Jarvis Raines—
A former client of Olivia’s, he blames her for the death of his baby.
Carol Raines—
The trauma of losing her baby propelled her to help others at the homeless clinic run by Alex.
Contents
Prologue
Cold and alone, Olivia Laughton shuffled aimlessly through the dark streets of Denver. A stiff November wind rattled the last of the dead, dry leaves clinging to the branches, and she clutched the broken zipper on the front of her borrowed sweatshirt, a navy blue rag she’d discovered in the hospital lost and found office. She’d left her bloodstained parka behind.
She couldn’t throw away her memories so easily. In horrible detail, she recalled the scene of the car accident in the mountains, the chopper that brought her and the victims into town and the E.R. staff who told her there was nothing more she could do for them.
There was always something more.
She was a nurse. She should have tried one more procedure. She should have found a way to save them.
A sob crawled up her throat but she was too numb to make a sound. All she could do was keep walking, step after step, mile after mile. If she stood still, the gathering sorrow would rise up and roll over her like an avalanche. Would she still feel pain when she was frozen in a solid block of ice?
Though she hadn’t planned her destination, her surroundings were familiar. Stumbling to a halt, she looked to her right and saw the beige brick bungalow where Alex Weathers lived. Alex was a doctor; he’d hold her hand and tell her that everything was okay.
It’s not your fault.
That was what he’d say. And she wouldn’t believe him.
Seeing Alex wouldn’t help her. His brother, Troy, was a different story. When she thought of him, she felt a burst of heat in her belly. Troy Weathers would give her what she needed. He’d take her in his arms and make her forget what happened. With Troy, she could purge her memory.
Did she dare approach him? They’d been on only two dates. Once for coffee. Once for lunch. There had been a fiery kiss that left her craving more, and he’d promised that he’d call her the next time he was in Denver. In spite of their nearly combustible chemistry, she didn’t make the mistake of thinking they were headed toward a relationship. They had nothing in common. She was a nurse midwife, a healer. And he was a career marine in special ops, a dangerous man.
Unaware of moving toward the porch light, she found herself standing at the front door. She pressed the buzzer.
Troy opened the door. “Olivia?”
Through the screen door, she stared into his dark brown eyes. “I need you.”
He pulled her inside. The light from a table lamp glared in her eyes, and she blinked until the room came into focus—a typical bachelor pad with mismatched furniture. The lamplight shone on the spine of an open book. Odd. She never would have thought a man of action like Troy would spend his spare time reading.
“Alex isn’t here,” he said. “He’s working a night shift.”
“I don’t want Alex.”
The warmth inside the house penetrated the cold that wrapped around her like a shroud. Her skin prickled as her heart began to pump and her blood began to flow.
“You look like hell,” he said.
She couldn’t say the same about him. He looked damn good. With his wide shoulders and narrow hips, he made the black Mickey Mouse T-shirt he wore seem sexy. Even in his bare feet, he towered over her. His sinewy, tanned forearms were cut to perfection. She wanted his arms around her, wanted to feel him inside her.
Was she really doing this? Showing up on the doorstep of a casual acquaintance and demanding sex? Never before had she done anything so desperate. She was the type of person who took care of others, not the other way around. She prided herself on being able to handle any crisis. Not this time. Never before had she felt so shattered.
Her arms fell loosely to her sides, and the oversize sweatshirt gaped open. Troy stared at her T-shirt.
“That’s blood,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Are you injured?”
“It’s not mine.”
“Do I need to call 911?”
She was puzzled. “Why?”
“Well, if it’s not your blood, there’s somebody else out there who’s in need of first aid.”