Her Baby, His Proposal. Teresa Carpenter

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      Now, holding the tiny being that belonged to her, opening the blanket to count fingers and toes, Jesse experienced a new level of awe, even if baby Allie did sleep through the whole examination. “She’s beautiful.”

      “Prettiest baby in the hospital,” Brock agreed. “She takes after her mama.”

      He tucked a burnished red curl behind her ear. “How are you doing?”

      “My baby’s here.” She flashed him a half-shy glance. “You’re here. I’ve never been better.”

      Dear Reader,

      I read my first romance when I was twelve. I was shopping with my mother and I begged and pleaded for her to spend fifteen cents to buy me this pretty pink book in a special display at the front of the store. An attractive couple faced off on the cover and the back teased me with the prospect of a marriage of convenience. My mother gave in, and I’ve never looked back. In fact, my latest story, Her Baby, His Proposal, is a marriage-of-convenience story. What an honor if it catches the imagination of a young reader.

      Harlequin Romance^® celebrates life, family and the power of love. I admire and respect this genre of fiction because no matter the hardship or loss the characters suffer, they choose to fight, to survive and to triumph.

      Teresa Carpenter

      Her Baby, His Proposal

      Teresa Carpenter

      TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON

       AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG

       STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID

       PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND

      From bump to baby and beyond….

      Whether she’s expecting or they’re adopting, a special arrival is on its way!

      Follow the tears and triumphs as these couples find their lives blessed with the magic of parenthood….

      Look out for more bumps and babies coming soon to Harlequin Romance^®.

      Next month:

      Adopted: Outback Baby

      by Barbara Hannay

      With her baby grandson in need of her care and her former sweetheart back in town, Nell finds, at the age of thirty-nine, she may finally become a wife and mother….

      Teresa Carpenter believes in the power of unconditional love and that there’s no better place to find it than between the pages of a romance novel. Reading is a passion for Teresa, a passion that led to a calling. She began writing more than twenty years ago and marks the sale of her first book as one of her happiest memories. Teresa gives back to her craft by volunteering her time to Romance Writers of America on a local and national level. A fifth generation Californian, she lives in San Diego within miles of her extensive family and knows with their help she can accomplish anything. She takes particular joy and pride in her nieces and nephews who are all bright, fit, shining stars of the future. If she’s not at a family event, you’ll usually find her at home reading, writing, or playing with her adopted Chihuahua, Jefe.

      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 ONE

      Hey Babe,

      It’s been fun but it’s over. I can’t be a father. Like you keep telling me, I haven’t grown up yet myself. Have a happy future. Good luck with the kid.

      Tad

      P.S. I used Tracy’s computer to set up online banking for you and took the money you owed me. Your password is goodbye.

      JESSE Manning pulled the sticky note off the unopened early pregnancy test and crushed it in her fist.

      Message received.

      With a sick feeling of dread she rushed to Tracy’s computer, booted up and logged on to her bank account. He’d cleaned her out.

      He’d left her. Taken her money and left her alone and possibly, probably, oh-God-she-prayed-she-wasn’t pregnant.

      Dragging in a deep breath, she swept her red hair behind her ears and tried to regroup.

      She hadn’t owed Tad any money. As always he’d owed her. A half-hysterical laugh escaped her tear-clogged throat. How ironic that he was the one who had always chided her for keeping her money in a shoebox rather than the bank. And when she finally followed his advice, he wiped her out in one swipe.

      On top of that Tracy had hit her up this morning for $150 because she was short on the rent. Tad’s fond farewell along with Tracy’s shortage left Jesse reeling, emotions and finances both strained to the breaking point.

      She called the bank to see if she could reverse the transaction. They advised her to put the complaint in writing and contact the police regarding the theft.

      She would, too.

      No more protecting Tad, no more making excuses for him. He’d gone too far this time.

      His desertion didn’t surprise her. His timing could have been better, but in reality, they’d been over for a long time. But this time he hadn’t just taken from her, he could potentially have stolen from his child.

      She’d made a break a year ago when she’d left him and the Midwest behind for a new beginning in San Diego. Her mistake was in believing he’d changed when he’d shown up on her doorstep three months ago.

      Her spirits sank further as she realized he’d stolen her dream along with her money. Again. She wanted to teach, and had been saving for tuition and books while she gained California residency status.

      Now she’d have to start saving all over again.

      Ignoring the pregnancy test—she had neither the time nor the strength for that right now—she ran a brush through her hair, then reached for her mascara before running to catch the bus. She wouldn’t be sorry Tad was gone, wouldn’t regret the loss of a man too shallow to see she was the best thing that ever happened to him.

      Working the tables at the Green Garter, a bar and grill not far from the 32nd Street Navy pier, she brooded on Tad’s disappearance and the thin state of her bank account. So, when Stan told her he was short-staffed, she wearily agreed to a double shift.

      “Hey, red,” a voice called out, “we need another round over here.”

      Clenching her teeth at the stale, hated nickname, Jesse nodded to indicate she’d heard. She caught her manager’s eye from behind the bar. His grin was really big, a reminder to smile at the customers.

      Dutifully she showed her gritted teeth.

      No surprise that by the time she started her second shift a headache beat behind her brown eyes. A gnawing low in her belly reminded her she hadn’t eaten since leaving for the grocery store that morning. She’d meant to grab something at home, but she’d been running behind, and Tad’s note had distracted