Free At Home in Stone Creek (Silhouette Special Edition) by Linda Lael Miller Page A

a special case, and Sophie was spending the night at Brad and Meg’s, so he came with me. We planned to go on to Flagstaff for the induction when I was finished, but the babies had other ideas. I went into labor in the barn, and Tanner brought me here.”
    Ashley shook her head, unable to hold back a grin.Her sister, nine and a half months pregnant by her own admission, had gone out on a call in the middle of the night. It was just like her. “How’s the horse?”
    â€œFine, of course,” Olivia said, still smiling. “I’m the best vet in the county, you know.”
    Ashley found a place for the carnations—they looked pitiful among all the dozens and dozens of roses, yellow from Brad and Meg, white from Tanner, and more arriving at regular intervals from friends and coworkers. “I know,” she agreed.
    Olivia reached for her hand, squeezed. “Friends again?”
    â€œWe were never not friends, Livie.”
    Olivia shook her head. Like all O’Ballivans, she was stubborn. “We were always sisters ,” she said. “But sisters aren’t necessarily friends. Let’s not let the mom-thing come between us again, okay?”
    Ashley blinked away tears. “Okay,” she said.
    Just then, Melissa streaked into the room, half-hidden behind a giant potted plant with two blue plastic storks sticking out of it. She was dressed for work, in a tailored brown leather jacket, beige turtleneck and tweed trousers.
    Setting the plant down on the floor, when she couldn’t find any other surface, Melissa hurried over to Olivia and kissed her noisily on the forehead.
    â€œHi, Twin-Unit,” she said to Ashley.
    â€œHi.” Ashley smiled, glanced toward the doorway in case the mystery man had come along for the ride. Alas, there was no sign of him.
    Melissa looked around for the babies. Frowned. She did everything fast, with an economy of motion; she’d come to see her nephews and was impatient at the delay. “Where are they?”
    â€œIn the nursery,” Olivia answered, smiling. “How many cups of coffee have you had this morning?”
    Melissa made a comical face. “Not nearly enough,” she said. “I’m due in court in an hour, and where’s the nursery?”
    â€œDown the hall, to the right,” Olivia told her. A worried crease appeared in her otherwise smooth forehead. “The roads are icy. Promise me you won’t speed all the way back to Stone Creek after you leave here.”
    â€œScout’s honor,” Melissa said, raising one hand. But she couldn’t help glancing at her watch. “Yikes. Down the hall, to the right. Gotta go.”
    With that, she dashed out.
    Ashley followed, double-stepping to catch up.
    â€œWho was the man who answered your phone this morning?” she asked.
    Melissa didn’t look at her. “Nobody important,” she said.
    â€œYou spent the night with him, and he’s ‘nobody important’?”
    They’d reached the nursery window, and since Sam and John were the only babies there, spotting them was no problem.
    â€œCould we not discuss this now?” Melissa asked, pressing both palms to the glass separating them from their nephews. “Why are they in incubators? Is something wrong?”
    â€œIt’s just a precaution,” Ashley answered gently. “They’re a little small.”
    â€œAren’t babies supposed to be small?” Melissa’s eyes were tender as she studied the new additions to the family. When she turned to face Ashley, though, her expression turned bleak.
    â€œHe’s my boss,” she said.
    Ashley took a breath before responding. “The one who divorced his latest trophy wife about fifteen minutes ago?”
    Melissa stiffened. “I knew you’d react that way. Honestly, Ash, sometimes you are such a prig. The marriage was over years ago—they were just going through the motions. And