Her Christmas Baby Bump. Robin Gianna

      

Dear Reader,

      This book is the first I’ve written as part of a continuity, and it was fun and challenging. I really enjoyed the way the editors came up with story ideas and connected the different books. It would have been hard to choose which hunky hero I wanted to write about, so I’m thrilled I was given sexy Aaron Cartwright to fall in love with in my story.

      The other authors in the series set up an online chat so we could discuss the storylines and ask questions of each other. A thank-you shout-out to Louisa George, Scarlet Wilson and Tina Beckett for their help—particularly Scarlet who, as the only author in our group currently living in the UK, was always happy to answer the numerous questions I had about medicine and midwives in England as compared to the US … and there were plenty of surprising differences.

      Aaron and Hope share an attraction they’ve felt just from noticing one another in the hospital corridors even before they officially meet. When they finally do, it’s zing with a capital Z! But both have baggage from their pasts that make a relationship impossible. Not to mention Hope’s secret plans to have a baby on her own through IVF very soon—a decision that rips open Aaron’s old wounds when he finds out. But a fling isn’t a relationship, right? Or so they think …! :)

      I hope you enjoy Hope and Aaron’s story, and the way they both come to see that the things they’ve always believed about themselves aren’t necessarily true. Learning this isn’t easy, and it takes falling in love with one another to see it.

      I’d love to know what you think of this story! You can email me at [email protected], find me on my website, RobinGianna.com, or look me up on Facebook.

      I look forward to hearing from you!

      Robin xoxo

      After completing a degree in journalism, working in the advertising industry, then becoming a stay-at-home mum, ROBIN GIANNA had what she calls her ‘mid-life awakening’. She decided she wanted to write the romance novels she’d loved since her teens, and embarked on that quest by joining RWA, Central Ohio Fiction Writers, and working hard at learning the craft. She loves sharing the journey with her characters, helping them through obstacles and problems to find their own happily-ever-afters. When not writing, Robin likes to create in her kitchen, dig in the dirt, and enjoy life with her tolerant husband, three great kids, drooling bulldog and grouchy Siamese cat. To learn more about her work visit her website: RobinGianna.com.

       Her Christmas Baby Bump

      Robin Gianna

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      This one is for you, Flora Torralba!

      Thanks so much for your steady willingness to help in any way, for tolerating my nuttiness, and for keeping me sane.

      I don’t know what I’d do without you—you’re the best! xoxo

      Contents

       Cover

Dear Reader

       About the Author

       Title Page

       Dedication

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

       EPILOGUE

       Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

      “HELLO, KATE? IT’S just me.” Hope Sanders gently knocked on the door and stepped inside her patient’s room. “Let’s check and see how it’s going, shall we?”

      Kate kept sucking on her ice cube and just stared, apparently so exhausted she couldn’t conjure up any kind of response. Hope gave her a positive smile, sending up a silent prayer that, this time, the poor woman would finally be ready to deliver. After thirty-six hours of labor, any soon-to-be mother was beyond ready, mentally and emotionally, but sometimes her body and her baby just wouldn’t cooperate the way everyone wished they would.

      “Are you feeling all right?” Hope asked as she washed her hands and snapped on green examination gloves. “Contractions any worse or more frequent?”

      “I’m not sure. I just want the baby out. Why can’t you get it out?” Kate asked in a tearful voice.

      “I know. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” Hope gave Kate’s huge belly a gentle pat. “And you’ve been so tough throughout all these hours. But you’re making good progress, so the doctor and I are pretty positive we can avoid a C-section. Maybe you’re there now, so let’s see.”

      “I’m sorry,” Kate said, sniffing back her tears as Hope began an internal exam. “I shouldn’t snap at you like that. Why on earth did you want to become a midwife and have to deal with cranky women like me?”

      “First, you’re not cranky, believe me. You’ve been very brave and stoic all this time.” And the truth of that made Hope smile as she thought of the many mums who’d been so far past cranky during labor that there wasn’t a word for it. “I enjoy helping mums through the difficulty of labor and delivery, and on to the joy of getting to hold their newborns for the first time. There’s nothing as beautiful as a baby, is there? That’s exactly why I