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The Bachelor's Baby
Mia Ross
Forging a FamilySingle mom-to-be Lindsay Holland is hoping for a fresh start in her sleepy New England hometown. First on her agenda is finding a way to support herself and her precious baby. But the only job opening is as an office manager to her high-school sweetheart—the man she once ran from. She knows Brian Calhoun needs help resurrecting his family’s blacksmith shop, but can she get him to take a chance on her? Organizing a Valentine’s Day fundraiser together makes Lindsay realize just how much she wants a second chance with the handsome craftsman. As sparks fly, can they transform their rekindled friendship into a new, loving family?Liberty Creek: Love takes root in a New England town
Forging a Family
Single mom-to-be Lindsay Holland is hoping for a fresh start in her sleepy New England hometown. First on her agenda is finding a way to support herself and her precious baby. But the only job opening is as an office manager for her high-school sweetheart—the man she once ran from. She knows Brian Calhoun needs help resurrecting his family’s blacksmith shop, but can she get him to take a chance on her? Organizing a Valentine’s Day fund-raiser together makes Lindsay realize just how much she wants a second chance with the handsome craftsman. As sparks fly, can they transform their rekindled friendship into a new, loving family?
MIA ROSS loves great stories. She enjoys reading about fascinating people, long-ago times and exotic places. But only for a little while, because her reality is pretty sweet. Married to her college sweetheart, she’s the proud mom of two amazing kids, whose schedules keep her hopping. Busy as she is, she can’t imagine trading her life for anyone else’s—and she has a pretty good imagination. You can visit her online at miaross.com (http://www.miaross.com).
Also By Mia Ross (#uc198ad8e-3bc2-5d68-9cca-7fc7dc43ef46)
Liberty Creek
Mending the Widow’s Heart
The Bachelor’s Baby
Oaks Crossing
Her Small-Town Cowboy
Rescued by the Farmer
Hometown Holiday Reunion
Falling for the Single Mom
Barrett’s Mill
Blue Ridge Reunion
Sugar Plum Season
Finding His Way Home
Loving the Country Boy
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
The Bachelor’s Baby
Mia Ross
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08033-0
THE BACHELOR’S BABY
© 2018 Andrea Chermak
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
“Can I make a suggestion?”
“You’re the boss.”
“I mean, just as me. Not your boss.”
“Oh.” Resting her hands in her lap, Lindsay gave him a curious look. “Go ahead.”
“How ’bout if we both agree to let the past be in the past, and go on from here? That way you can stop apologizing for what happened years ago.”
“Does that mean you forgive me?”
Until recently, Brian never would’ve thought that kind of thing was possible. But now, sitting here with the woman who’d single-handedly helped him save his fledgling business, he couldn’t imagine anything else. Smiling, he said, “Yes, Lindsay, I forgive you.”
She beamed at him. “If I could get out of this chair gracefully, I’d hug you.”
“No problem. I’ll settle for that smile.”
“Really?”
“Sure. I always loved seeing you happy.”
He hadn’t intended to say that out loud, but when those incredible blue eyes brightened with joy, he decided maybe it hadn’t been such a bad idea, after all.
Dear Reader (#uc198ad8e-3bc2-5d68-9cca-7fc7dc43ef46),
I hope you enjoyed your visit to snowy Liberty Creek!
I was watching one of my favorite home improvement shows one day, and there was a guest star who ran a custom metalworking shop. He made that cold, impersonal medium into beautiful works of art, and an idea started forming in my head. I remembered going to a local living history museum and a Renaissance festival and being fascinated by the blacksmiths and how the tools of their trade hadn’t changed much in the three hundred years separating their eras. From there, Brian Calhoun’s vintage forge and the challenges it would face operating in this century came to life for me, and the research was some of the most interesting I’ve ever done.
But as good a metalsmith as he was, he needed some help. Lindsay Holland walked onto the stage of this charming little town, and I liked her right away. Sassy, smart and independent, she’s the kind of woman I admire: one who takes the curveballs life gives her and turns them into home runs. Despite the odds stacked against her, she was able to move past her failures and do what was necessary to build a better future. The world can be a tough place to navigate, and it takes serious determination—and faith—to be successful. Lindsay had the first trait all along, and once she discovered the second, she found the strength to make a good life for herself and her daughter.
If you’d like to stop in and see what I’ve been up to, you’ll find me online at miaross.com (http://www.miaross.com), Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. While you’re there, send me a message in your favorite format. I’d love to hear from you!
Mia Ross
Love one another.
—John 13:34
For the talented artisans and craftspeople
working to keep our history alive.
Acknowledgments (#uc198ad8e-3bc2-5d68-9cca-7fc7dc43ef46)
To Melissa Endlich and the dedicated staff at
Love Inspired. These very talented folks help me
make my books everything they can be.
More thanks to the gang at Seekerville,
a great place to hang out online with readers—and writers.
I’ve been blessed with a wonderful network
of supportive, encouraging family and friends.
You inspire me every day!
Contents
Cover (#u21b59a46-586d-574a-8743-bcc2c2987253)
Back Cover Text (#u6e00cd0c-1f3b-5c58-b5cf-449b1aa86534)
About the Author (#u15401454-c138-5fa3-91a9-32d7fcd1d5fe)
Booklist (#u6ac230b1-ec3e-5453-9e69-4ca3511d1fbb)
Title Page (#u94e8c2ef-939a-5c71-9881-8b1f37528020)
Copyright (#u490de295-293b-57f8-8af7-ca49ed8a65cb)
Introduction (#uad6cfcf3-b9af-5994-965c-d701f4a73743)
Dear Reader (#uba866cd7-1c42-5707-ad82-e973e3f8d2a6)
Bible Verse (#ub16150a7-2b42-546c-a706-c518f3096a49)
Dedication (#u39012614-74fc-5ec3-b381-cc70d0222bca)
Acknowledgments (#u4c9ca606-8e90-59f3-b9e2-7f4eee6ec7ce)
Chapter One (#u14b20f4f-5cdf-5803-8d0f-ffb0af1e308e)
Chapter Two (#u6422ee41-4173-5b0e-a591-ccbebe9ffcb8)
Chapter Three (#ucf4fb9bd-798e-554e-83c3-0c146c28dd62)
Chapter Four (#u470aff54-d48d-5ca3-afc4-947f8178054b)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#uc198ad8e-3bc2-5d68-9cca-7fc7dc43ef46)
Liberty Creek was the last place on earth she wanted to be.
Lindsay Holland reluctantly dragged her feet up Main Street of the backwater New Hampshire village she’d escaped from five years ago, berating herself for allowing her life to slide so far out of control. As her mind took an unpleasant spiral down memory lane, she resolutely jerked her thoughts out of the past to focus on her immediate—and precarious—present. A long line of bad decisions had landed her here, she reminded herself sternly. Now she was completely out of options, and the only thing she could do was find a job so she could begin digging herself out of the black hole that had engulfed her and swallowed up what had once seemed to her like a promising future.
It was a frigid January morning, and a Monday to boot, neither of which did much to lift her mood. Pausing outside the only place in town that was currently hiring, she couldn’t help smiling at the hand-lettered slab of cardboard hanging in the grimy window of Liberty Creek Forge.
“Office Help Wanted” it had said at one point. Apparently, things were getting more urgent, because someone had crossed out “Wanted” and in bold black marker had written “Desperately Needed.”
Constructed in the 1820s by the founders of the town, the building and run-down cottage beside it didn’t look as if they were capable of housing anything other than a lot of spiders and archaic ironworking equipment. But the ad that had been tacked to the bulletin board inside the post office was dated only two days ago, so she’d decided to take a chance on it. How bad could it be? she mused as she knocked on the door. Worst case, they’d tell her she wasn’t right for the job. She’d heard that so often recently, she’d become immune to the sting of being rejected. Almost.
But this time, she couldn’t let that happen, she reminded herself. She had to make this work because this was the end of the line for her, and as hard as she’d tried, she hadn’t been able to devise a plan B. So Lindsay squared her shoulders and did her best to think positive. It had been so long since anything good had happened to her, she’d almost forgotten what confidence felt like. How depressing.
When no one answered her knock, she inched the door open and realized that whoever was inside couldn’t hear anything over the loud rock music and clanging of steel. She’d been on field trips to the old metal shop during middle school, and as she stepped inside and set down her single duffel bag, it struck her that the lobby probably hadn’t changed a bit in the twenty-six years she’d been alive.
Neat but unapologetically functional, the bare-bones area held four mismatched folding chairs and a battered table that looked as if it could have been left behind by the original owners of the business. The stainless steel coffee maker on top of it looked decidedly out of place, and the collection of teas and coffees alongside it was an encouraging sign. Despite the rustic environment, it was clear that someone thought enough of their staff to provide them with some creature comforts.
A set of wide sliding doors stood at the rear of the entryway, and even though they were closed, she could hear the muffled hard-driving bass from a rock classic. Funny, she thought as she edged one of the doors open, it had been one of her favorite songs since high school. Unfortunately, that brought up more unpleasant memories, and she batted them aside as she strode into the production area of the metalworks.
As tidy as the front was, this section of the building was a step short of a disaster. A tall man wearing a protective mask and leather apron was welding one old piece of equipment to another, possibly even older, machine. Really, he should just call a scrap metal firm to haul everything out so he could start over. Then again, this was her prospective new boss, and in her situation she couldn’t afford to be picky.
Before she could lose her nerve, Lindsay crossed the dusty floor and waited for an opportune moment to tap him on the shoulder. Clearly startled, he whipped around so fast, she had to dodge the glowing torch in his gloved hand.
