If the Ring Fits by Cindy Kirk Read Free Book Online Page B

walking and Travis fell into place beside her. After several steps he cast a sideways glance. “Have you thought about who you’ll see for your OB care?”
    Something about the way he asked the question made her suspicious. “Please don’t tell me you’re thinking of volunteering?”
    “Well, I am the best.” The dimple in his cheek flashed. “But it’d be a conflict. You saw Tim Duggan for Logan. He’ll do a good job.”
    The mere thought of walking into Travis’s practice, where she knew all of the doctors and most of the nurses made Mary Karen break out in a cold sweat. “I’m sure he would, but I was actually thinking of going to that new woman OB in town.”
    “But we’re the premiere group in Jackson.” A frown furrowed Travis’s brow. “Why would you want to go anywhere else?”
    “I walk into your clinic pregnant with your baby…and it will be all about you. What kind of delivery you think is best, how you think the pregnancy is progressing,” Mary Karen whispered although there was no one for miles. “What I want, what I feel, won’t even matter.”
    Her voice broke. Yet, even as the words were leaving her lips, she’d known they weren’t true. Travis wasn’t that kind of guy. He wouldn’t take over and run the show. But how could she explain that picking the doctor was something she needed to do to show she was in control of some part of her life?
    For a long moment, Travis didn’t speak. She knew he was surprised. After all, Tim had delivered Logan. Why would she switch now? And to a doctor who wasn’t even part of his group. She braced herself for an argument.
    “I’ve heard good things about Dr. Kerns,” he said finally.
    “You’re okay with me seeing her?”
    “Do I have a choice?” His smile took any sting from the words.
    “Of course you do,” she said, her defenses breached by his easy acquiescence. “This is your baby, too.”
    “But it’s your body.” His expression had turned serious. “If seeing Dr. Kerns will make this pregnancy easier for you, I’m all for it.”
    Her heart did a slow roll just as the alarm on her phone went off. Mary Karen glanced at the readout then back up at him. Normally her brother or her parents watched her children on the rare occasions when she went out. But tonight a high school girl was babysitting. She’d warned the boys to be nice, but didn’t hold out much hope. “I’m sorry but we’re going to have to go back. I promised the babysitter I’d be home by eleven.”
    “No worries.” He crooked his arm and she slipped her hand through it. “It’s been a long day for both of us.”
    They turned around and headed back to the car. By the time they reached the vehicle, the wind had picked up. Mary Karen slipped inside as soon as Travis opened the door.
    After buckling her seat belt, she rested her head against the seat, suddenly fighting an overwhelming sense of fatigue. Warmth soon flooded the small vehicle wrapping itself around her like a favorite blanket. She closed her eyes for just a moment. When she opened them, Travis was pulling the car to a stop in front of her home.
    “Sorry. I guess I’m a little tired,” she mumbled, letting her heavy lids drift shut again.
    Travis chuckled. “I’d never have guessed.”
    A moment later she felt a hand on her shoulder and a gentle shake. “C’mon, sleepyhead.”
    Forcing her eyes open, Mary Karen stumbled out of the car. Travis took her arm, ignoring her protests. They’d barely stepped onto the porch when the door flung open. Erin, the sixteen-year-old babysitter, motioned them inside.
    Dressed in skinny jeans and an oversize cotton sweater, belted at the waist, the girl looked as if shecould be in college instead of high school. Her family lived just down the street and she’d offered to watch the boys before, but the timing had never been right.
    “Mrs. Vaughn, I did my best. I really tried.” The girl brushed a strand of hair back from her face, her cheeks as bright