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    Penny Parker's Pregnant!
    Penny Parker's Pregnant!
    Penny Parker's Pregnant!
    Ebook267 pages4 hours

    Penny Parker's Pregnant!

    By Stella Bagwell

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    About this ebook

    When a prim and proper judge becomes pregnant by a sexy cop, a marriage of convenience leads to love in this romance from a USA Today bestseller.

    Hardly a soul in Lincoln County believed any man could get near enough to kiss Judge Penelope Parker—let alone get intimate! But someone had gotten a heck of a lot closer—because Penny Parker was pregnant!

    Yep, Penny was in the family way—and Sheriff Ethan Hamilton was the proud papa-to-be. The long, lean lawman and the straitlaced judge had come together one desperate, dangerous night—and made a baby.

    Honorably, Ethan proposed. But no one expected what happened after Penny Parker said “I do!”
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateJul 15, 2011
    ISBN9781459260221
    Penny Parker's Pregnant!
    Author

    Stella Bagwell

    The author of over seventy-five titles for Harlequin, Stella Bagwell writes about familes, the West, strong, silent men of honor and the women who love them. She credits her loyal readers and hopes her stories have brightened their lives in some small way. A cowgirl through and through, she recently learned how to rope a steer. Her days begin and end helping her husband on their south Texas ranch. In between she works on her next tale of love. Contact her at stellabagwell@gmail.com

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      Penny Parker's Pregnant! - Stella Bagwell

      Chapter One

      "She did what?"

      Sheriff Ethan Hamilton rounded the desk and glared down at the cowering deputy.

      You heard right, sir, the younger man answered with a helpless shrug. Judge Parker sent me back here to you. She says she doesn’t want or need protecting.

      Ethan’s jaw clamped down on a stream of choice words. Being the sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico he expected to deal with everything from a weary illegal to a crying child to the lowest snake-in-the-grass criminal. But today of all days he had more important things to do than coddle her icy highness, Judge Penelope Parker.

      Slowly, he folded his arms against his broad chest and let out a long breath. Doesn’t she understand these threats were made against her personally?

      The freckle-faced deputy bobbed his head up and down. I told her you weren’t going to like this.

      And what did she say to that?

      The other man opened his mouth, paused, then let out a reluctant groan.

      Ethan felt the tension in the back of his neck tighten like a chain caught in a boom. Out with it, Lonnie! What did the woman say?

      Lonnie swallowed as though he’d rather be facing a mad Brahma bull with foot-long horns than his boss when he was riled. She said, ‘I don’t particularly care if Sheriff Hamilton likes it or not. He has his job to do and I have mine.’

      Blood poured into Ethan’s temples and throbbed like a bass guitar. He didn’t have time for such silliness. Half his force was out combing the mountains and the desert searching for Willis Kirkland, the criminal who believed the judge was to blame for all his troubles. So far, they had yet to find a solid lead as to where he might be hiding. All Ethan did know was that the man had definite intentions to harm Penelope Parker if or when he got the chance. And Ethan couldn’t let that happen.

      How the hell does she think she can do her job if some maniac murders her?! Ethan bellowed.

      Loath to say more, the deputy made a palms-up gesture.

      Ethan drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. Well, I damn well don’t know, either. So get your a—your rear end back over there! I want her every move guarded.

      Lonnie would normally have jumped to do the sheriff’s bidding. But this time, he had the look of a man who’d just been ordered to walk through fine. She, uh, she said for me not to come back, sir. That she was going to talk to you personally about the situation.

      Ethan’s brows disappeared beneath the brim of his gray Stetson. Is that so? he said with finality. Well, she’s going to get her wish!

      Grabbing a leather jacket from a coat tree jammed into one corner of the cluttered room, he jerked it on as he stalked toward the door.

      The deputy hurried through the door after his boss. You goin’ over to the judge’s chambers?

      Damn right I am, Ethan barked back at him. That woman needs to be shook up.

      I don’t think that’s possible, Lonnie found the nerve to say.

      Ethan snorted loudly as the two men pushed through the building’s main entrance and stepped into the New Mexico morning. Spring was near in Lincoln County and the small town of Carrizozo. Calves and foals were beginning to drop, grass was starting to peep through the valley floors, and blossoms of wildflowers sprinkled some of the lower mesas. Normally, this was a pleasant time of the year for Ethan. He loved seeing the earth’s rebirth and feeling the promise of hot weather to come. This spring, however, he’d rarely had time to look up from his desk.

      The woman is tough, sir, Lonnie felt obliged to warn him. She’ll wind up hanging you like she does everybody else.

      A mocking laugh erupted from Ethan as he slid behind the wheel of a black four-wheel-drive vehicle marked with the sheriff’s department emblem.

      Lonnie, no woman alive is going to tell me how to do my job. As soon as Judge Parker gets that straight, we won’t be having any more problems with her.

      Lonnie didn’t get the opportunity to make a reply. Ethan slammed the door and gunned the vehicle out of the parking lot.

      At the courthouse, he avoided passing by the county offices where he might be caught by officials wanting to chat politics. Instead, he walked directly through the empty courtroom toward the judge’s chambers.

      A young secretary caught him just as he was about to enter a door marked Private. I’m sorry, Sheriff, but Judge Parker is busy right now. Shall I tell her you need to see her?

      Ethan shook his head. That won’t be necessary. I’ll tell her myself.

      But, Sheriff... The secretary gasped as he opened the door and stepped inside unannounced.

      Ethan glanced back at the distraught young woman and winked. Don’t worry, this isn’t the royal chamber as she’d like for you to think, he said under his breath. It’s just the judge’s chambers.

      He shut the door behind him, then turned and took a quick survey of the room and its lone occupant. Compared with the bright sunlight outside, the room was dark. Blinds were shut against the windows, while only one lamp burned near a huge oak desk. Behind it, Judge Penelope Parker continued to read the legal motion in her hand.

      Julie, I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed, she said quietly.

      Neither did I.

      The unexpected sound of his voice brought her head up. Still, she didn’t remove her reading glasses but rather peered over the rims at him as though he were a third-grader and had just walked into class fifteen minutes late.

      Sheriff Hamilton. I wasn’t expecting you.

      Really? You told my deputy you were going to have a talk with me.

      That’s true, she replied. But at my own convenience.

      He stepped over to the massive desk, which was polished to a high sheen. Other than a telephone, a penholder and the typed papers from which she’d been reading, there was nothing cluttering the smooth expanse of wood. A stark contrast to his own desk, which was always piled with folders, photos, scribbled notes and numbers, not to mention several days’ worth of dirty coffee cups and half-eaten meals.

      Ethan turned his attention to her placid expression. And to hell with my convenience, I suppose.

      She folded her small hands primly in front of her, and not for the first time Ethan wondered if there was really a female beneath her smooth face and black robes. At the moment, her pale pink lips were compressed in a tight line and that was more emotion than he’d ever seen her express.

      I realize you are a busy man, Sheriff Hamilton. But I, too, am pressed for time. And this matter of your posting a bodyguard—

      You had no authority to dismiss him, Ethan interrupted sharply. And I’ll tell you another thing. He’s coming back and you’re going to leave him alone and let him do his job.

      Several moments of pregnant silence passed. The only sign Ethan had that she’d digested his decree was the faint sweep of pink across her high cheekbones.

      I’m not without common sense, Sheriff. I do understand I should take precautions until you’ve caught this man—

      He isn’t just a man, Ethan pointed out. Kirkland is a criminal. You sentenced him to twenty years in prison for manslaughter. He’s dangerous.

      Penelope’s cool gray eyes followed the sheriff as he started to pace back and forth in front of her desk. She’d first met Ethan Hamilton two years ago while she’d been the practicing district attorney and he a deputy under Sheriff Roy Pardee. She’d been secretly overwhelmed by his presence then, and now after two years, she still found his looks and his bearing set her heart aflutter.

      His brown hair was threaded with streaks of rust and gold and teased the back of his neck with curls most women would love to tangle around their fingers. The bones of his face were lean and angular, his eyes pale green and so limpid she felt she was looking into a tropic sea. And as though his striking coloring and features were not enough, he had the sort of body men killed themselves in the gym to acquire. Broad shoulders, long, muscled legs, a waist without an ounce of fat.

      The sight of him was indecent and Penny despised herself for reacting to him in such a schoolgirl way. Especially when it was obvious he didn’t see her as an attractive woman but simply as an arm of the legal system.

      Jerking herself back to the point of his visit, she said flatly, Kirkland should never have been paroled.

      Her remark had Ethan pausing in midstride to glance at her. Her black hair was worn tightly pulled away from her oval face and caught in some sort of elaborate twist at the nape of her neck. Black wire-rimmed glasses were perched on her nose, and if she was wearing any makeup on her pale skin he couldn’t see it. Her appearance never changed, nor did her calm countenance, making it hard for him or anyone else to believe she was only twenty-nine years old. The same age as himself.

      I agree. The parole board must have been in a generous mood that day, he retorted. But none of that makes a damn bit of difference now. He’s skipped off to God-only-knows where and you’re his next target.

      She shook her head. I believe you’re dramatizing the situation, Sheriff Hamilton. The man isn’t going to risk his freedom just for a chance to do me harm. I’m hardly that important.

      Ethan was struck with the urge to round the spotless desk, jerk the controlled Ms. Parker from her leather chair and shake her until the carefully wound hair at the back of her head tumbled onto her shoulders.

      We’ve been receiving letters and calls from the man. He blames you for not allowing evidence in his trial that might have cleared him. In his mind, you’re the reason he’s a fugitive.

      That’s nonsense, she said brusquely. There was no evidence submitted to me that could have proven him innocent. The man was guilty.

      Ethan cocked one rusty-brown brow at her. That’s the whole point, Judge. He’s deranged, and as long as he’s loose you’re in danger. And since you’re a citizen of Lincoln County, it’s my duty to see that you’re protected.

      I understand that. But I don’t like having my privacy invaded.

      Not for the first time, Ethan was amazed by this judge. Not only did he have to keep reminding himself she was a woman, he had to wonder if she was even human. Most normal people in their right minds would be shaken or distraught to hear that someone was out to kill them. But Penelope Parker showed no signs of distress. There was no quiver to her lips, no rapid rise and fall of her small bosom. No nervous twisting of her fingers or hesitation in her voice. The only thing evident to him was that she deeply resented the idea of his posting a guard on her.

      I didn’t especially like getting only two or three hours of sleep for the past few nights, either, he countered. But sometimes we have to make the best of a rotten situation.

      She straightened her shoulders to an even more rigid line and planted her gray eyes on Ethan’s face. Or take control of it. I find I’d rather do the latter.

      Well, lady, if you think you can find Willis Kirkland, then have at it, he thought hotly.

      Outwardly, he kept his face smooth and as void of emotion as possible. The last thing he needed was to have an all-out war with the judge. To make the legal system work in this county, the two of them needed to be on amicable terms. He wouldn’t jeopardize the success of his department for any amount of satisfaction he would get from telling her exactly what he thought of her. At least he wouldn’t risk it at this moment.

      And how would you propose to take control, Judge? he asked, finding it next to impossible to keep the sarcasm from his voice.

      Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly on his face. I do own a handgun. And I can use it if needed.

      Damn if he didn’t believe her, too, Ethan thought. She could probably pump a bullet into a man and never bat an eyelash.

      Do you think the people of this county want their judge to be put in such a situation? What sort of light do you think that would throw on my department?

      She took her time weighing the questions he’d tossed at her. Ethan waited impatiently as he felt each precious moment ticking by. He needed to be back at his office doing his job, not here trying to persuade this stubborn woman she was in danger.

      Eventually, she replied, All right, Sheriff Hamilton. Send the deputy back. I won’t like his constant presence. But I’ll tolerate it.

      It was all Ethan could do to keep from breating out a loud sigh of relief. Fine. I’ll tell him to make himself as invisible as possible.

      I certainly hope you do, she said, then picked up her work and adjusted her glasses.

      Ethan knew it was her way of dismissing him, but at the moment he didn’t let her curtness bother him. He was just glad to be able to get the hell out of her dark chambers.

      As he made his way past the secretary’s desk, the young woman glanced worriedly up at him. Was she very angry at you for butting in, Sheriff Hamilton?

      The devilish grin on his face brought a pleasurable flush to the woman’s face. Isn’t she always? he asked, then with a smug chuckle, he left the courthouse and Judge Penelope Parker behind.

      The deputy was getting on her nerves. Penny couldn’t help the way she felt. No one liked having their every move watched. His being around while she worked was bad enough, but to have him accompany her during every meeting and chore was ridiculous. She couldn’t even go to the powder room without him standing outside the door, waiting for her to get back under his watchful eye.

      Penelope understood he was only doing what his boss had ordered him to do. But enough was enough. Now he was sitting here beside her in the doctor’s office while she waited to be called back to the examining room. It was humiliating and frustrating and she couldn’t take much more.

      If Ethan Hamilton didn’t catch Kirkland soon, she was going to have another talk with him. Not that she wanted to meet with the man again. God forbid. Their last encounter two days ago had set her on such an edge she still wasn’t back to normal. It was infuriating that he had such power over her. She was a judge. She wasn’t supposed to be emotional over anything or anyone! But when the sheriff was around her, she turned into a different person, one that she just couldn’t control.

      Penelope Parker.

      The nurse’s summons pulled Penelope out of her mus-ings. As she rose to her feet, the deputy quickly glanced up at her. I’ll be waiting right here, Judge, he promised.

      She sighed inwardly. I’m sure you will, she replied, then followed the beckoning nurse down the hallway to the examining rooms.

      More than an hour later, the nurse instructed Penelope to get dressed and join the doctor in his private office. Once she sat facing the fatherly man across a cluttered desk, her mind was racing with all sorts of fearful questions.

      During the examination, he’d discovered something that concerned him, and now Penelope was wondering just what his findings were going to mean. Was he going to tell her she was terminally ill?

      The hysterical thought that she could tell Ethan to pull off his deputy, that she was going to die anyway, zipped through her mind. But then the calm, fierce strength she’d used to get her through her parents’ deaths, through years of law school to her job as a judge took over, and she faced the doctor with grim readiness.

      Penny, I’m glad you’re a woman who comes in for her yearly checkup on time. Otherwise this problem might have gotten out of control before it was too late.

      A lump of emotion lodged in her throat, but she refused to swallow or let the older man see she was the least bit fearful of his diagnosis. She would face whatever he had to say with quiet dignity.

      What sort of problem are you talking about, Doctor? she asked. You’ve never performed an ultrasound on me before. You must have been concerned you were going to find something.

      He nodded. When you described the monthly pain you’ve been experiencing, I had my suspicions. He rested his forearms on the desktop and leaned slightly toward Penelope. From what I could tell from the test, you have endometriosis. A fairly advanced case from the pictures the ultrasound gave me.

      The long word he’d used was not a familiar one. But Penelope rarely had time to read any sort of medical literature. She was constantly faced with legal briefs and motions that kept her up until the wee hours of the morning.

      What is endometriosis? Is it fatal?

      The doctor shook his head. Only in very rare cases. For the most part, the disease is painful and insidious and after a length of time destroys the reproductive organs.

      Penelope stared at the older man as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. You mean I’m sterile?

      He threaded his fingers together and gave her a reassuring smile. Without further testing, I can’t be certain of that You could be, but I’m hoping the disease hasn’t reached that stage yet. However, I’m certain if things keep progressing at this rate, you’ll have to conceive in the next twelve months. Otherwise, the chances of your becoming pregnant after that will probably be nonexistent.

      This time, Penelope had to swallow at the painful knot that had suddenly developed in her throat again. You mean if I don’t get pregnant within a year, I might not ever conceive?

      He nodded. That’s my initial opinion right now. Of course, we need to do further testing to make sure. But as a doctor, I feel I would be remiss not to warn you that your time to reproduce is very limited.

      Very limited. The doctor went on to discuss a method of treatment he wanted to try, but it was those two words that refused to leave her as she walked dazedly out of his office. Over and over like a ceaseless mantra, his warning reverberated in her head. She was going to be childless. Alone for the rest of her life.

      Like a robot, she walked back toward the waiting area, but halfway there, she suddenly remembered Lonnie, the deputy, would be waiting to escort her home. And once they got there, she wouldn’t be able to simply drop her head in her hands and howl with pain. She’d have to pretend that nothing was wrong.

      Penelope was a strong woman, but she couldn’t hold up under that much strain. She had to be alone! She had to think, try to come to terms with the news the doctor had just given her.

      As discreetly as possible, she turned on her heel and started back down the hallway from which she’d just come. Hopefully, she could find a back exit where she could leave the building without anyone noticing.

      Ethan tossed several blocks of alfalfa into the horse’s manger, and the buckskin stepped up to chomp greedily into the hay. While he patted the animal’s neck, he tried to remember exactly how long it had been since he’d saddled Buckeye and ridden across the valley just for the simple enjoyment of riding.

      Hell, it had been three days since he’d slept in his own bed, much less fed the livestock himself so that his hired hand could have a few hours off. And he wouldn’t have come home this afternoon if it hadn’t been for the necessity of taking a shower and grabbing some clean clothes.

      Ethan had been born into a big ranching family and the tradition of raising cattle and horses was in his blood. As soon as he was grown and financially able, he’d purchased this spread, which was snuggled in a mountain range some fifteen miles east of Carrizozo.

      During his years as a deputy, Ethan had been blessed with more time to spend on the old place. Little by little, he’d replaced the sagging fence with new barbed wire and metal posts. The roof on the main barn had been restored and the inside of the stucco house

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