A minister with a heart of gold…
and a pregnant bride with no groom!
Jilted at the altar, Natalie Davis has no one she can turn to—until Jacob Stone steps in. The single minister’s drawn to the beautiful mommy-to-be and wants to help…even if it goes against his congregation’s wishes and could cost him his job. But when she refuses to accept charity, can he convince her she’s more than a ministry project?
LAUREL BLOUNT lives on a small farm in Middle Georgia with her husband, David, their four children, a milk cow, dairy goats, assorted chickens, an enormous dog, three spoiled cats and one extremely bossy goose with boundary issues. She divides her time between farm chores, homeschooling and writing, and she’s happiest with a cup of steaming tea at her elbow and a good book in her hand.
Love Inspired
A Family for the Farmer
A Baby for the Minister
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk
A Baby for the Minister
Laurel Blount
ISBN: 978-1-474-08594-6
A BABY FOR THE MINISTER
© 2018 Laurel Blount
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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Her little son was absolutely perfect…
“He’s zonked. Our Ethan’s a great little sleeper.”
Our Ethan. A fresh wave of confused longing rose up in Natalie, painful feelings she had no idea what to do with.
“You’ve been sleeping pretty well yourself.” Jacob smiled at her. “I’m glad. You earned it.”
“You must be pretty exhausted, too.”
Dark circles shadowed his eyes, but when their glances met, he offered her another easy smile.
“Don’t worry about me. Not the first night I’ve spent at the hospital. Besides, I had the easy job.” His tired smile widened. “You were the superhero.”
“Not me.” Natalie shook her head. “I was scared to death.”
“That’s what makes it amazing. You pushed through the fear and pain with everything you had. It was one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen. Nope,” he said as Natalie started to speak. “No arguing. I was there. I saw it. Give yourself some credit, Natalie. You’re way stronger than you seem to think.”
Hello! I’m so glad you found your way to Pine Valley, Georgia. If you read my first book, A Family for the Farmer, then we’re old friends! If not, I’m so pleased you let me share A Baby for the Minister with you. Come sit down at the kitchen table, let me pour you a cup of tea and we’ll get ourselves acquainted!
I’m a Georgia girl, so I feel right at home in this small town! It was wonderful to revisit some of the characters from my first story, and I enjoyed helping bachelor Jacob Stone find his very own happy ending. And I don’t think the good pastor has anything to complain about, do you? After all, he didn’t just end up with a beautiful bride, but he got an adorable baby son to boot!
Getting to know Natalie was a delight, too. She’s a brand new Christian, still sorting through the mistakes of her past—and she’s had some unfortunate church-related experiences that make her leery of Jacob’s kindness. But with the help of the Good Lord (along with a bossy church secretary and a rambunctious billy goat), she and Jacob overcome all the obstacles to their happily-ever-after.
This story was such fun to write that I hope these old Georgia back roads lead me to Pine Valley for another visit or two. In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] or come look me up on Facebook. I’m always ready for a chat!
Laurel
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over
and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
—Song of Solomon 2:11–12
For my beloved parents-in-law, Lamont and Annette Blount, whose kindness, integrity and strength bless all who know them, and whose real-life love story is more inspiring than any I could ever write.
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