The Baby Bonanza. Jacqueline Diamond

      

       “If you apologize again, I’ll slug you.” Zora glared at Lucky.

      He laughed, an unexpected rumble that rolled right into her heart. “That’s my Zora.” A bout of hard breathing reawakened the hope he might finally kiss her, but instead he sucked in a gulp of air and held it. “Okay. Better.”

      “Better than what?”

      He ignored the question. “Since I inveigled you into working today, let me buy you lunch to celebrate.”

      “You’re on.” The heat in her body hadn’t exactly dissipated, but it had faded into her normal pregnancy-enhanced high temperature. As for Lucky, clearly he didn’t, couldn’t and never would accept Andrew’s babies as his own.

      As common sense reasserted itself, Zora was suddenly glad nothing had happened. Going any further would have been yet another in a long line of mistakes she’d made with men. Gathering her possessions, she waited until Lucky locked up, and they sauntered out together. Friends again, nothing more.

      Which was obviously how they both preferred it.

       The Baby Bonanza

      Jacqueline Diamond

      

www.millsandboon.co.uk

      The daughter of a doctor and an artist, JACQUELINE DIAMOND has been drawn to medical themes for many of her more than ninety-five published novels, including her Safe Harbor Medical series for Mills & Boon. She developed an interest in fertility issues after successfully undergoing treatment to have her two sons, now in their twenties. A former Associated Press reporter and columnist, Jackie lives with her husband of thirty-five years in Orange County, California, where she’s active in Romance Writers of America. You can learn more about her books at www.jacquelinediamond.com/books and say hello to Jackie on her Facebook page, JacquelineDiamondAuthor.

      Contents

       Cover

       Introduction

       Title Page

       About the Author

      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 Fourteen

       Chapter Fifteen

       Chapter Sixteen

       Chapter Seventeen

       Chapter Eighteen

       Chapter Nineteen

       Extract

       Copyright

       Chapter One

      It was the first time Zora could recall agreeing with Lucky Mendez about anything. Although their truce surely wouldn’t last long, she appreciated his good judgment this once.

      “No way are you letting that creep move into our house,” the male nurse told their landlady and housemate, Karen Wiggins. With his striking dark hair, muscular build and flamboyant tattoos, Lucky made an odd contrast to the pink streamers festooning their den.

      “Everybody hates Laird Maclaine,” Zora added as she arranged baby shower prizes on a side table. Being seven months pregnant with twins, she had to avoid any strenuous activity. In fact, as one of the shower’s honorees—along with two of their former housemates—she could have dodged setup duty, but she refused to take the easy way out.

      Ever.

      “He’s the only one who responded to the notice I posted on the bulletin board.” Atop a step stool, Karen tied a bunch of balloons to a hook. In shades of pink and purple, each balloon proclaimed: Baby!

      “We have a vacant room and the rent’s almost due,” she continued. “It’s either Laird, or I post on the internet and we fend off the loonies. Unless you guys can produce another candidate, fast.”

      Lucky hadn’t finished castigating the topic of the conversation. “One drink and Laird’s telling raunchy jokes. Two drinks and he’s leering at any lady who walks by.” His lip curled. “Three drinks and we call the police.”

      “For a staff psychologist, he doesn’t have a clue about how decent people act,” Zora threw in.

      “I don’t care for him, either, but there are bills to pay.” Karen, a financial counselor at Safe Harbor Medical Center, where they all worked, had inherited the five-bedroom home from her mother the previous December. Forced to take out a loan to repair the run-down property, she’d advertised for roommates. The arrangement had worked well despite the diverse personalities who’d signed on.

      So far, three of the women had become pregnant, but the other two had married and moved out, unlike Zora. There was little chance she would marry the father of her babies, because he was already married. He was also her ex-husband, with whom she’d foolishly and, just before finalizing their divorce, trustingly had sex in the belief that her on-again, off-again high school sweetheart still loved her.

      Zora rested her palm on her bulge, feeling the babies kick. How ironic that she’d gotten pregnant by accident at the worst possible time, after she and Andrew had tried for more than a year to conceive. They’d been on the point of seeking fertility treatments when she’d discovered he was cheating on her.

      “We have plenty of other colleagues,” Lucky persisted. “You guys are in a better position to meet them than me, since my office is out in the boonies.” Lucky worked in the medical office building adjacent to the hospital.

      “I’ve tried, but... Oh, yuck!” Karen broke off as a breeze through the rear screen door carried a fetid whiff of decomposing vegetation and fish from the estuary behind the property.

      Zora nearly gagged, too. Karen praised the marsh ad nauseum because it provided critical habitat for plants and small animals, as well as for California’s migratory birds. However, despite the cooling weather at the end of September, it stank. “Who left the door open?”

      “I must have forgotten to close it after I swept the patio.” Lucky shut the glass slider with a thump. “How about renting to that receptionist in your office?”

      “She declined.” Descending from the stool, Karen stood back to assess the position of the balloons. “She prefers to save money by living with her parents. Speaking of money, if we don’t find anyone by next