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The Baby Legacy
Pamela Toth
A MIX-UP AT THE BUTTONWOOD BABY CLINIC…Megan Malone just needed a Lamaze coach–not a handsome, hormone-spinning father-to-be who insisted he help raise herbundle of joy! But that's just what Mac Duncan–the man who should have stayed the anonymoussperm donor–was demanding when he found out he'd fathered a child.Now Megan began to welcome Mac's protection and promises for their baby's future. And uh-oh–was that the baby kicking, or Megan's heartstrings being tugged when Mac started to show something other than fatherly concern?
SO MANY BABIES
Four heart-tugging stories about the littlest matchmakers as they find their way through the Buttonwood Baby Clinic and into a family’s welcoming arms!
THE BABY LEGACY by Pamela Toth
When an anonymous sperm donor tries to withdraw his “contribution,” he learns a beautiful woman is eight months pregnant—with his child!
WHO’S THAT BABY? by Diana Whitney
A handsome Native American lawyer finds a baby on his doorstep—and more than he bargains for with an irresistible pediatrician who has more than medicine on her mind!
MILLIONAIRE’S INSTANT BABY
by Allison Leigh
Pretend to be married to a millionaire “husband”? It seemed an easy way for this struggling single mom to earn a trust fund for her newborn. But she never thought she’d fall for her make-believe spouse….
MAKE WAY FOR BABIES! by Laurie Paige
All she needed was a helping hand with her infant twins—until her former brother-in-law stepped up to play “daddy”—and walked right into her heart.
Dear Reader,
It’s going to be a wonderful year! After all, we’re celebrating Silhouette’s 20th anniversary of bringing you compelling, emotional, contemporary romances month after month.
January’s fabulous lineup starts with beloved author Diana Palmer, who returns to Special Edition with Matt Caldwell: Texas Tycoon. In the latest installment of her wildly popular LONG, TALL TEXANS series, temperatures rise and the stakes are high when a rugged tycoon meets his match in an innocent beauty—who is also his feisty employee.
Bestselling author Susan Mallery continues the next round of the series PRESCRIPTION: MARRIAGE with Their Little Princess. In this heart-tugging story, baby doctor Kelly Hall gives a suddenly single dad lessons in parenting—and learns all about romance!
Reader favorite Pamela Toth launches Special Edition’s newest series, SO MANY BABIES—in which babies and romance abound in the Buttonwood Baby Clinic. In The Baby Legacy, a sperm-bank mix-up brings two unlikely parents together temporarily—or perhaps forever….
In Peggy Webb’s passionate story, Summer Hawk, two Native Americans put aside their differences when they unite to battle a medical crisis and find that love cures all. Rounding off the month is veteran author Pat Warren’s poignant, must-read secret baby story, Daddy by Surprise, and Jean Brashear’s Lonesome No More, in which a reclusive hero finds healing for his heart when he offers a single mom and her young son a haven from harm.
I hope you enjoy these six unforgettable romances and help us celebrate Silhouette’s 20th anniversary all year long!
Best,
Karen Taylor Richman
Senior Editor
The Baby Legacy
Pamela Toth
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Books by Pamela Toth
Silhouette Special Edition
Thunderstruck #411
Dark Angel #515
Old Enough To Know Better #624
Two Sets of Footprints #729
A Warming Trend #760
Walk Away, Joe #850
The Wedding Knot #905
Rocky Mountain Rancher #951
* (#litres_trial_promo)Buchanan’s Bride #1012
* (#litres_trial_promo)Buchanan’s Baby #1017
* (#litres_trial_promo)Buchanan’s Return #1096
The Paternity Test #1138
The Mail-Order Mix-Up #1197
* (#litres_trial_promo)Buchanan’s Pride #1239
The Baby Legacy #1299
Silhouette Romance
Kissing Games #500
The Ladybug Lady #595
PAMELA TOTH
USA Today bestselling author Pamela Toth was born in Wisconsin, but grew up in Seattle where she attended the University of Washington and majored in art. Now living on the Puget Sound area’s east side, she has two daughters, Erika and Melody, and two Siamese cats.
Recently she took a lead from one of her romances and married her high school sweetheart, Frank. They live in a townhouse within walking distance of a bookstore and an ice cream shop, two of life’s necessities, with a fabulous view of Mount Rainier. When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling with her husband, reading, playing FreeCell on the computer, doing counted cross-stitch and researching new story ideas. She’s been an active member of Romance Writers of America since 1982.
Her books have won several awards and they claim regular spots on the Waldenbooks bestselling romance list. She loves hearing from readers, and can be reached at P.O. Box 5845, Bellevue, WA 98006. For a personal reply, a stamped, self-addressed envelope is appreciated.
Contents
Chapter One (#ua124058a-3486-5de6-be1c-a51ffd9f8ce9)
Chapter Two (#u7c3dda11-589e-51f1-bee8-a11c18c184aa)
Chapter Three (#uf96481ea-cc62-5d5c-b587-168f432435ee)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
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)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
Mac Duncan stared down at the letter in his hand and swore softly. This was a hell of a way to find out he was going to be a father.
The letter was from the Buttonwood Baby Clinic where he’d left a certain deposit with the fertility department three years before to help out a platonic female friend. Since Linda had changed her mind about having a baby by artificial insemination and was now happily married, Mac had figured it was time for his sperm sample to be destroyed. Spotting the envelope with his incoming mail this afternoon, he’d assumed it contained some kind of consent form for him to sign.
Was he ever wrong.
The brief letter read,
Dear Mr. Duncan,
Our staff is looking forward to helping you and Ms. Megan Malone prepare for the birth of your baby. As per your request, you have both been registered for the next series of childbearing classes at the clinic. Please see the enclosed brochure for details.
Huh?
He hadn’t signed up for a childbirth class, he wasn’t having a baby—and who the hell was Megan Malone?
Could one of his men be playing a practical joke? No, that didn’t make sense. None of them knew about Mac’s donation to the clinic.
Slowly he read the letter again, staring hard at the innocent-looking blue script printed on thick, cream paper. Was it possible that some mix-up had occurred and his sperm had actually been used without his permission?
Mac laid the letter on his drafting table, his hands shaking as the implication sank in. This woman, this stranger, could be pregnant with his child.
His stomach did a queasy somersault. And what was this nonsense about a childbirth class? Weren’t the names of donors and recipients supposed to be kept confidential? Mac glanced at the enclosed flyer in disbelief. The class was for expectant mothers and their partners, not anonymous donors. Not even if their sperm had been used by accident.
Fury replaced Mac’s original confusion. One way or another, a hell of a big mistake had been made and he wanted some answers.
Anger simmering, he grabbed the cordless phone from his desk and punched out the clinic’s number from the letterhead. “Dennis Reid,” he growled.
Mac and the chief of staff had met at the local health club and sometimes played racquetball. Although Dennis was older than Mac, he was fiercely competitive. If he didn’t have answers, he could at least point Mac in the right direction.
Unfortunately Dennis was at a seminar in Denver. “Can I take a message?” the receptionist asked.
“Yes. This is Mac Duncan. There’s been a foul-up,” Mac said, too impatient to wait. “Let me speak to the person in charge of class registration.”
“Just a moment.”
Mac sat back, leather chair creaking like an old saddle, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I’m sorry,” said the same cheerful voice. “She’s not available. Perhaps I can help you with that.”
“Not unless you’re prepared to explain why I’m having a child I knew nothing about and am registered for a class with a pregnant woman I’ve never heard of.” Mac held on to his temper with difficulty, frustration curdling in his gut.
“Just a moment.” The annoying cheerfulness was gone from her voice as she put him on hold again. Unable to sit still, he leaped to his feet. His elbow bumped a stack of blueprints and they rolled to the floor. Swearing, he nudged them aside with the toe of his boot. He’d stayed home this morning to get some work done. Too bad the sun and his dog, Rusty, had lured him outside to the mailbox. Now the plans for the Delany project would just have to wait.
After several frustrating minutes, the receptionist came back on the line. “I’m sorry for the delay. I’ll access your file now.”
There was another pause long enough for Mac to slowly count to ten while he stared out the window overlooking his backyard. The flower beds needed attention, he noticed absently. The warmer weather had brought out the weeds.
“I’m sorry,” she said finally. “Patient records aren’t coming up on my computer screen. We’ve been having trouble with the system. Why don’t you call back later?”
“Isn’t there anyone else who can help me now?” he demanded through gritted teeth.
“Not really, but I can have someone get back to you.”
“You do that.” He rattled off his number before he hung up. Then he sat back down and reread the letter for the third time. It had to be some kind of clerical error. Any clinic dealing with fertility would take precautions against this kind of breach or they’d be up to their test tubes in lawsuits.
Mac drummed his fingers on his desk. Someone else named Duncan had probably signed up for the class and the letter had been sent to Mac by mistake. It was a computer glitch. No point in getting stressed out.
Not yet, anyway.
He wanted a baby, but not by a stranger. He was thirty-seven and it was past time to start a family, but there was more to fathering a child than just standing at stud like a syndicated racehorse.
He’d been considering the idea of proposing to Justine Connors, the woman he’d been seeing for the past six months, and that was one reason he’d finally gotten around to contacting the clinic about his sperm.
Tying up loose ends was quickly turning into unraveling the Gordian knot.
What if they had actually used his sample by mistake? A chill slid down his spine. If not for the letter, he never would have known.
What if a similar notice had been sent to Ms. Malone? She’d certainly know if she was pregnant, and by whom. All he had to do was to ask her.
Mac flipped open the local phone book, found the right page and ran his finger down the column. There was only one M. Malone. She must be single. He reached for the phone and then he hesitated. What was he going to say? Are you having my baby?
