He pushed her hair back over her shoulder. “I bet there are lots of excellent programs out there, aren’t there?”

She nodded and tried to send him a mental message. Say it, she thought. Tell me you love me; tell me you wish I could stay right here. With you. “And the one right here is as good as any of them.”

Instead of talking, he tightened his arms around her and rolled with her until she was beneath him. Then he covered her mouth in a deep, hot kiss. And his hands began to move in long, slow, thrilling caresses, his fingers gently probing her again.

With a sigh of disappointment, she yielded to him, filling up on sensation, knowing in her heart this might be all she ever had of him.

Abby had called Vanessa from her parents’ house in Seattle on New Year’s Day. “What are the chances you’re up for a little visit?” she asked.

“Perfect,” Vanessa said. “Your timing is great! We just moved into our new house before Christmas and there’s still lots of stuff to do around here. Between trips to the coast to shop and putting things right around here, you can help me.”

“I’d love to help,” Abby said. “How soon can I come?”

“As soon as you like,” Vanni said.

“Then get the sheets on the guest bed, I’ll be on my way in a few days.”

On her travel day, Abby kissed her parents goodbye in the driveway at dawn and headed south. The second she got into the car, her tummy muscles relaxed and she felt herself expand into the pants with the elastic waistband. She had a cooler packed with food and drinks and only stopped for gas and more potty breaks than seemed fair. By early evening, she was driving past the general’s house, around the curve past the stable and down the road to a brand-new house. She gave her horn a toot and got out of the car. Vanessa came out to greet her, her smile bright and happy. As Abby walked toward Vanni, the latter stopped suddenly, eyes wide. Abby hadn’t put her coat on and stood before her friend, running a smooth hand over a very slightly rounded belly.

Vanni recovered herself and wrapped Abby in her embrace. “You didn’t say you were bringing company,” she said with a soft smile.

“Vanni, I’m in a terrible mess,” Abby said.

“You’d better come in, honey. I get the sense you want to talk about some things.”

Vanni had something that smelled delicious in the oven, Matt was crawling around the living-room floor and pulling himself up on the furniture, and Paul, Abby learned, was not yet home, very likely having stopped off at the bar in town for a beer with his friends.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Vanni asked.

“I’m pretty embarrassed for one thing,” she said. “I’m in some trouble, for another. The only people who know about the pregnancy are my parents and my doctor. And now you.”

“You know I’d do anything to help you, but not talking about it isn’t going to work much longer.”

Abby shook her head. “At Nikki and Joe’s wedding, you all knew divorce was in the wind. I couldn’t stand to talk about it—but the marriage to Ross was long over by that time. If you keep up with any tabloid news, you know he had been living with another woman for more than six months by the time our divorce was final.”

“Sorry, honey—I just don’t see any tabloids.”

“Well, I should have dispensed with that divorce immediately. The day he asked me, I should have signed the papers.” She laughed suddenly. “Did I say he asked me? His lawyer asked me. A threatening and hostile man, he called weekly. I let the machine pick it up. I haven’t heard from Ross in forever. More than a year by now. Don’t ask me why I waited—I didn’t want him back in my life. I think I was just stunned senseless and couldn’t move. Plus, I felt like such a fool for marrying him in the first place, thinking I knew him when clearly I didn’t. It just ripped me up. As soon as I got back to Los Angeles after the wedding, I signed. A little over a month later, I was a free woman.”

“I think you’re better off,” Vanni said.

“Oh, I’m sure of it. Did you know that I met him while he was in recovery from drug addiction? For a little while, he was wonderful. Sweet and charming and going to meetings every day. By the time we’d been married six weeks, he was back on tour, using again. But I screwed up, Vanni. I signed a prenuptial agreement. A very simple and uncomplicated one—if I remained faithful during our marriage, in the event of divorce I could collect alimony. There was no reason for a promise like that to make me nervous.

“But—his lawyer presented me with bills. Credit cards—credit cards that I didn’t even have! I immediately owed thousands of dollars, tens of thousands. I needed that alimony. To pay my share of his bills.”

“Oh God, the turd! Of course you did,” Vanni said. “You shouldn’t feel guilty about that.”

“I don’t,” she said. She smoothed her hands over her belly. “This happened right before I signed the papers, before the divorce was final. It’s irrelevant that he was already living with another woman.”

“Who’s the father?” Vanni asked as delicately as she could.

“I’m not able to talk about that, Vanni. I’m sorry. It was, in fact, a one-night stand with a complete stranger. A completely lovely, tender stranger. If I wasn’t pregnant, I’d get in touch with him, get to know him better. I could take my time figuring out if he’s really a lovely man—months and months longer than I gave Ross. But now it’s too big a risk,” she said. “He would know he’s the father. And what if he’s not as wonderful as he seemed? Vanni, I don’t really know anything about him except that he was nice to me for one night. Jeez, Ross was nice to me for longer than that and look at what he turned out to be. I just can’t take the chance. I can’t subject the babies to that.”

“Babies?” Vanni asked.

Abby looked down. “I just found out. Twins,” she said.

“Holy cow.”

“I know. That’s why I’m so big already.”

“So—what’s your plan?” Vanni asked.

“I have to hide out somewhere until the babies are at least a few months old. I figure after they’re here, no one on Ross’s legal team can prove I defied the prenup and ask me for the alimony back—but if anyone representing him discovers I’m pregnant, they might be able to subpoena tests to determine when I conceived. It was a little more than a month before the divorce was final—I’m scared to death that can be proven. Vanni, I can’t pay those bills I’m stuck with.”

“Have you asked anyone? Like your OB?”

She nodded. “It’s possible to determine the date of conception from prenatal records. I need to disppear until those bills are paid and I stop accepting the alimony, until the babies are older and Ross’s lawyers lose interest…

“So,” she went on, “I took a year’s unpaid leave from the airline and I’ll look around here for something to rent. My change of address is to my mom’s in Seattle and she’ll collect my mail and send it to me. I put my mom on my account in Seattle, and to keep the trail cold, she’ll wire me cash for my living expenses. Just six more months. Or so.” She got tears in her eyes. “Vanni, I don’t want his money. But I don’t have any other way to pay those bills, to live.”

Vanni reached out and put her hand over Abby’s. “Don’t you dare feel guilty about that! Good God, Abby—he cheated on you, lied to you, used drugs…”

“Yes, but I got pregnant.” She shook her head. “Except for that money I need to cover his bills, I’m going to find a way to give it back to him. Eventually. I don’t want his money. It’s like it’s stained. I just have to get beyond this. Then…”

“And you’re not renting something! You’re going to stay right here with us!”

“Oh, I can’t do that—”

“You’re not staying alone, pregnant with twins! I won’t allow it! Paul won’t allow it! We’re going to get you through this, help you regroup. We have a wonderful nurse midwife—Mel. You met her at Nikki and Joe’s wedding. But there’s also a fantastic OB right down the road in Grace Valley. And recently, a new pediatrician in town. An old friend, actually. So you see, everything is going to work out.”

Abby’s face melted into tears and she leaned into her hands, sobbing. Vanni immediately enfolded her in loving arms. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “No crying! We’re having babies! Wonderful little babies.” Matt crawled over to Abby, pulled himself up on her knees and began to pat her thigh, babbling. “That’s right—we never cry about babies.”

“Oh God, Vanni. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I not only shouldn’t be having one—there’s no way I should be having two! And God help me, I want them! I want them so much!”

Abby settled in with Vanni and Paul and got comfortable, feeling safe for the first time in weeks. She wasn’t quite ready to be introduced to the town. When they made their occasional trip into Virgin River to have dinner at Jack’s, she declined. She was still feeling embarrassed and shy about presenting herself as a single mother even though in this day and age it was hardly a rarity.

Later in January she was due a prenatal exam and made an appointment with Mel Sheridan. It was time to consider her delivery options and resume her prenatal care, which she would pay for in cash.

When she had her appointment with Mel, she was as captivated as Vanni promised her she would be. And the professional way in which Mel handled her was refreshing. “Single mom, huh? That’s got it’s challenges, but you’re a lucky woman. Twins, good friends, perfect health, I can’t think what else you need.”

“I’m pretty nervous about the birth. I want them to be full-term, healthy, and then…”

“Have any idea how you’ll take care of them and work?”

“As soon as they’re big enough, I’m going home to my folks. My mom will help. She’s very excited.”

“That’s a good plan. With a supportive family, you should be able to work things out. There are options for you—you can have John Stone in Grace Valley deliver you at Valley Hospital or I can attend you in birth with John’s assistance. I don’t administer anesthesia, but honey, these are twins—they’re going to be smaller than the average birth. Probably quicker and earlier. We’ll keep up with ultrasounds to make sure they’re in the right position. And we have John Stone, in case we need anything special, like a cesarean. He’s wonderful. As luck would have it, we have a fabulous pediatrician. Did you know that Paul assisted in Vanni’s delivery of Mattie?”

“I heard something about that,” she said.

“It was a wonderful birth. We had a birthing party. Everyone was there, at the general’s house, waiting. Paul thought he couldn’t handle it, yet he was perfect.”

“This might be my only childbirth experience….”

“Oh, don’t try to plan ahead like that,” Mel advised. “You’re young. Fertile. You have a few years to change your mind.”

“This took me by surprise,” she admitted.

Mel laughed. “Yeah?” she said. “Both of mine took me by surprise, and I’m the expert. Get dressed and I’ll see you out front.”

Abby was feeling real good about her appointment as she dressed. She even felt better about coming out to the town. This was going to be okay, she decided. People were nice, accepting. Mel was everything a woman could want in a midwife—warm, humorous, delightful.

When she walked out front, Mel was waiting at the reception counter with Abby’s chart. “Everything looks great, Abby. Do you have enough vitamins or can I hook you up with a refill?”