Free Anything but Mine by Linda Winfree Page A

set his watch by her irregular cycle, caused in part by a missing ovary and Fallopian tube.
    He lifted his head. “Cait, precious, come on. Don’t get your hopes up. Dr. Astin’s not even starting you on the Clomid until next month—”
    “I took one of those home tests, just to make sure.”
    He closed his eyes, steeling himself. This whole trying-to-have-a-baby thing was going to be one wicked rollercoaster ride and somehow he knew the first dip was about to hit. “Cait, we agreed we weren’t going to do this to ourselves.”
    “It was positive.” She was biting her lip, obviously trying to hide a grin.
    Hopeful joy spiked in him and he squashed it. “Those things aren’t always reliable. Deanne got two false negatives when she was pregnant with Charlie—”
    “Yeah, that’s what I thought too. A false positive.” She leaned back in his arms, her dark green gaze glowing. “So I did it again, three different times, with three different brands.”
    That was his Caitlin, covering all the angles. A burn of excitement started in his chest. “And?”
    “And I got three more positives.” The grin spread across her face. “So I dropped in on Layla at the clinic. We did another urine test and a blood test.”
    “Both positive.”
    She nodded.
    An answering grin tugged at his mouth. “For real?”
    “Would I kid about this?”
    “Good Lord.” He ran a hand through his hair. She was pregnant, without all the fertility drugs and artificial insemination, the in-vitro process and everything else they’d researched in the last few months, getting a head start before they’d even exchanged vows. He laughed, hugging her close and rocking from side to side. “Holy hell. You’re pregnant.”
    She wrapped her arms snugger around his neck, her husky laugh bubbling between them. “I know.”
    “A baby.” The rocking wasn’t enough, and he lifted her, swinging around with a wild whoop. Laughing, he set her on her feet, still bound in his embrace. He slid his hands to her stomach. “Our baby.”
    “Yes.” She bit her lip again and a sheen of tears glimmered in her eyes. “Our baby.”
    The joy was unbearable and he wanted to yell again, to shout it for everyone to hear. Instead, he leaned down to kiss her. His mouth whispered over hers, lowered again, clung. “I love you, Falconetti.”
    She pulled him close, her kiss fierce and possessive. “I love you too, Calvert.”
    At that moment, he had to be the happiest man in Chandler County, Georgia, and absolutely nothing could change that.

Chapter Five
    Autry woke to the rich smell of fresh coffee. Half-asleep, she inhaled the well-loved scent. Her stomach rebelled, nausea wrapping rough fingers around her throat. With a groan, she rolled from the bed and dashed for the small bath off Stanton’s guest room.
    “Baby,” she mumbled around her toothbrush after retching her lungs out again, “you’d better make up for this when it’s time for the terrible twos. I expect you to be quite well behaved.”
    “Autry?” A quick rap at the closed bedroom door accompanied Stanton’s voice. “You up? Breakfast’s on.”
    Ignoring the way his deep tones sent a rush of warmth through her, she rinsed her mouth and spit. “Be right there.”
    She didn’t bother with her hair, but threw a robe on over her pajamas and padded to the kitchen. Cereal and bowls of fresh fruit waited on the small table, along with glasses of juice. She cast a longing look at the coffeemaker and covered her mouth and nose.
    Stanton pulled the milk from the refrigerator and turned. His brows descended in a concerned frown. “What’s wrong?”
    Breathing through her mouth, she shook her head. He followed her line of sight and groaned. Setting the milk on the table, he reached for the carafe. “The coffee. I’m sorry. The smell made Renee sick too, but I didn’t think…”
    His voice trailed away as he walked outside and Autry envisioned him pouring the rich liquid off the side of the