Free Wanted: A Family by Janet Dean Page B

“Reckon what don’t kill you makes you strong.” She patted his arm, then made the rounds, pouring coffee.
    Jake drained his cup. On top of the heavy load she carried, Mrs. Mitchell would cope with motherhood alone.Why did that trouble him? Wasn’t that what he thought his mother should’ve done? And hadn’t?
    He paid his bill, adding a generous tip. He’d come, hoping Jessie would rattle off a list of other unwed mothers in town, but he’d gotten nowhere. From what she’d said, unwed mothers weren’t as rare as he’d thought. One thing for sure, the waitress had a soft spot in her heart for Callie Mitchell.
    Much like the feelings he had for the woman.
    Jake’s stomach plunged as it had when he’d heard the jury pronounce the guilty verdict. He wouldn’t care about Callie Mitchell. Caring carried a stiff penalty. He wasn’t here to get involved with anyone. Not even with a woman whose heart appeared to be the size of Texas.
    Jake knew better than to pin his happiness on how someone appeared. Both Lloyd and Susan had taught him that even a loving demeanor could hide a devious heart.

Chapter Six
    A s she sat on one of the two chairs in the examining room, the scent of antiseptic tingled in Callie’s nostrils. Across the way, Doctor Wellman, a thatch of blond hair falling across his forehead, moved his stethoscope along Elise’s stomach. Doc looked like he could use a wife, to see he got a haircut and his suit pressed, but the life of a small-town doctor probably didn’t give a man much time to court.
    Doc straightened and removed the earpieces of the stethoscope. “Everything’s fine. From the baby’s heart rate, I’m guessing you’re having a girl.”
    Elise beamed. “If it is, I’m naming her Kathryn Marie. Marie is Callie’s middle name.”
    Callie grinned. “I’d be honored.”
    If she had a girl, Callie would give the baby her mother’s name. If a boy… She probably should name him after Martin, but she thought of her father and brother and knew she wouldn’t.
    “If you’re wrong, Doc,” Elise said, “and this baby’s a boy, I’m naming him David.”
    “Thank you.”
    “David’s your name?”
    “Joseph David Wellman. My folks call me Joe David.”
    “King David was God’s man, a perfect name for my baby if it’s a boy.” Elise’s smile drooped. “Oh, David sinned with Bathsheba. Maybe I should select another name—”
    “Nonsense.” Doc tapped her on the hand. “God used David in a mighty way, sin and all. None of us are perfect.”
    “Obviously, I’m not.” Laying a hand on her abdomen, she flushed. “My sin is out there for everyone to see.”
    “That baby was knit in your womb by God Himself. That makes her special.” He waggled his brows. “No more of that harsh talk, you hear?”
    Callie wanted to hug Doc for reassuring Elise.
    “Some people make sure I don’t forget what I’ve done.” She sighed. “Not that I should.”
    Doc helped Elise to a sitting position. “If I thought it would do any good, I’d crack a few hard heads together.” He lifted Elise’s chin. “But it’s folks’ hearts that need softening. Only the good Lord’s got a cure for that.”
    Something close to adoration filled Elise’s eyes. Did Doctor Wellman realize how much he meant to Elise? Perhaps she saw him as a father figure, a substitute of sorts.
    “Your baby’s healthy and hardy, Miss Langley. Most likely, she’ll make an appearance around May Day.”
    “I like the name David.”
    “You can use David for the next baby,” Doc said with a laugh. “This one’s a girl.”
    Elise smiled up at Doc as he leaned over her, a teasing look on his lean face. Why hadn’t she noticed the magnetism between them at other appointments? Doc always joked with Elise, tried to ease the guilt she wore like her personal scarlet A.
    Up until now, Callie had thought Doc’s kindness towardElise stemmed from a physician’s concern for his patient, but now she wondered if it could mean