Feeling her baby's first kick was
supposed to be a joyous moment for Colleen McKenna. When life dealt
her the hardest blow, Colleen knew that she would have to summon up
all her courage to cope with her pregnancy alone.
Now gorgeous millionaire Eamonn's
kindness is testing her fierce independence. And having Eamonn
Murphy's hand on her bump, feeling each tiny kick with her, makes
every moment more special than the last….
REVIEWS
"Trish Wylie's Rescued: Mother-to-Be (4.5) has it all -- great
dialogue, a solid plot and excellent characters. This one's a
keeper." Catherine Witmer - Romantic Times - A ROMANTIC TIMES
TOP PICK FOR APRIL 2007!
"How would a reader possibly describe this book? It's intense,
sensual but more to the point I fell in love; in love with a
horse farm and Ireland...." Marilyn Shoemaker - Marilyn's
Romance Review
"Rescued: Mother-To-Be is a sweet romance that is a pleasure to
read. I enjoyed reading about Eamonn coming to terms with his
feelings for Inisfree and Colleen... Ms. Wylie has written a
romance that anyone's collection would be enhanced by." Regina -
Coffee Time Romance
"Trish Wylie creates characters that are leery and cautious due
to past experiences, characters we can relate to on many levels.
Their flaws overshadow what their hearts tell them. After all,
it's easiest to play it safe in an effort to protect the most
delicate part of the body. The heart." Connie - Once Upon A
Romance
EXCERPT
It occurred to Eamonn that it was the
longest time he’d ever spent completely silent in a woman’s company. And it
wasn’t an entirely unpleasant experience.
Then, with a turn of his head in her direction he caught sight of her poking her
fingers against an irregular bump below her crimson shirt. Her fingers circled
it, pushed a little, circled again and when he looked up at her face she had her
eyes closed. But she was smiling a small, secretive smile.
His gaze back on her fingers, he asked in a low voice, “Is that a foot you’re
pushing?”
“I think so,” She opened her eyes, tilted her head forwards so that her chin
rested on her chest, and looked down at her hand, smoothing the soft material
around the small bump so it was more defined.
“Doesn’t it hurt when that happens?”
Long lashes fluttered as she raised her eyes to his, surprised by the look of
fascination she saw there, “Not as much as when the precious pushes a bottom
out. That can be very uncomfortable.”
The golden flecks in his hazel eyes glowed warmly across at her, “Does he do
that often?”
Colleen smiled an amused smile, “He? What makes you so sure baby is a ‘he’?”
“She then?” The corners of his mouth twitched, hinting at a smile being held
inside. He did that a lot, she’d noticed. As if he always felt the need to keep
himself in check, and controlled. It made her ache to tease the smile out, to
have him soften and relax when he was around her.
Her smile grew in return, “Haven’t the faintest. I’m a leave the presents ‘til
Christmas morning kinda gal.”
The music faded in the background, static sounded, and then the room surrendered
to silence as Colleen stayed focused on Eamonn’s eyes watching the movement of
her hand on her stomach. It was one of the most intimate moments she had ever
shared with a man and yet it felt, almost right. Not as awkward as it should
have felt, not as if they were crossing a boundary, and certainly not as if
they’d spent the last fifteen years apart and were strangers.
Everything she was holding back from him faded into the background. For a brief,
fleeting moment they were just two people caught up in the miracle of an unborn
child. And Colleen knew she wouldn’t forget the experience in a hurry. Didn’t
want to. What she wanted was to savour it, to hold onto it like a security
blanket for later reference, when she would be alone again. Because moments like
this one were what she should have had. It was a sense of sharing, of
companionship, that she had been denied by the one person who should naturally
have shared the experience.
His lashes brushed his tanned skin as he blinked, “Are you scared Colleen? About
having a baby?”
Her heart thundered at the husky question. She looked away from his face and
down to where his hand rested over his lap, focusing on his long tapered
fingers, on his neatly cut clean nails, “I guess I am. I don’t know who wouldn’t
be. It’s natural to feel that way. I just hate that I am, so I try to ignore
it.”
His chin rose as she made the confession. He waited, hoping she would lift her
eyes so he could look into their blue depths while she spoke. So he could try
and see behind her words and into her mind. It occurred to him that maybe, just
maybe, she hid behind her brave words and smart mouth.
But although her head moved, it was away from him, her eyes focusing on her
stomach as she continued, “Some days it doesn’t feel real, like someday soon I’m
not actually going to have this little life that I’m totally responsible for.
That’ll become the centre of mine.”
Her breasts rose and fell as she took a breath, drawing his eyes in that
direction. So he stared, mesmerized by the simple sensuality of the movement.
While her soft voice sounded beside him, “And you can con yourself into
believing that at the start,” Her mouth twitched, “When your body hasn’t changed
and you haven’t put on too much weight. Until the first time they move and you
realize it’s really happening. Then it hits you. And I just, well, I worry. I
worry that I might not be able to give this baby everything it needs, be a good
enough parent,” She paused, “Does that make any sense?”
He managed to raise his gaze as she turned her face to his. But when her eyes
flickered to his in question he froze, the air trapped in his chest. The answer
suddenly terribly important to him.
It wasn’t something he’d ever had to think about. He was man after all. Yes,
somewhere in the back of his mind he’d maybe believed that he’d have kids of his
own some day. But he’d never actually put a specific date on it happening, or
thought about the woman that would carry his child. It had been a long way
ahead; it hadn’t involved planning or thinking how he’d feel when the time came.
Hadn’t ever involved thinking how the woman might feel in that situation. How
frightening it must be for her first time out. Let alone doing it without any
support from a partner or family.
But sitting beside Colleen while she told him how she felt made him think. And
he knew he would worry too if it were happening to him, if a child of his was so
close to coming into the world and changing his life forever. It would be scary
as all hell. Could he be a great Dad when the time came; the kind of Father a
child deserved?
Could he be a better Father than he’d been a son?
With no firm answers to his silent questions he knew one thing. He’d try.
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RESCUED:
Mother-To-Be
