LITMIR.BIZ

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he’d better check on mother and child, he took his cup of coffee into the bedroom. Standing just inside the wide door, he smiled at the sight of Alisha sleeping peacefully. Then Jared walked to the white wicker bassinet over by the bed and peeked inside.

      The baby slept wrapped in swaddled blankets. The baby he had delivered, and bathed and held.

      Jared held out one of his hands and looked at the size of it, marveling that he’d held that little head inside it just hours before. Bringing a child into the world truly was a miraculous thing. Being a part of that, being a witness to that, had left Jared shaken and changed. He couldn’t put his finger on the change inside him. He just knew it was there.

      Not one to put too much store in religion, Jared thought about Mother’s Day. It was only a few weeks away. That, and this Easter morning, made him think of his deceased parents. They’d died in a plane crash when Jared was a small boy. He’d lived with his grandparents after that, in the big, rambling mansion in Buckhead. Mother’s Day had always been hard for him. He couldn’t remember his mother, nor his father, for that matter.

      He thought about Christmas, too. Maybe because Grandmother Fancy Murdock had always insisted on telling him those particular Bible stories when he was growing up. He’d heard the story from the book of Luke about the birth of Jesus, of course. But not until this night had Jared ever considered how that story could affect his own life. This morning, he stood reliving the whole Easter story, and remembered how Christ had suffered and died on a cross, then had risen on the third day.

      Was that what humans had to do? Did they suffer, then rise triumphant over their adversities? Over their sins?

      Jared closed his eyes, wonder coursing through his system. Then he opened his eyes to the bright sunshine washing over the hills and trees. The first green buds of spring were sprinkled throughout the woods like confetti. What a glorious morning to witness the birth of a child! It was the calm after the storm. Everything was glowing and glistening in the fresh, dewy morning light.

      “Thank you,” he said to whoever might be listening up there.

      He’d never had time to turn to a higher source for inspiration or guidance. Coming from an uppercrust, well-respected family, Jared had always hurried through life. His grandparents believed, but Jared hadn’t followed through with that tradition on a regular basis. He’d been too busy keeping up with all his social and business obligations. And he’d always had the best, from prep school to an expensive college education. Jared had been handed everything life had to offer. He’d accepted all of it with an inbred arrogance that made him think he deserved it.

      Maybe there was something to be said for being overly educated and overly rich. And overly cynical. Maybe he didn’t deserve anything, after all.

      “No tests or trial by fire for me, Lord,” he whispered as he glanced down at the sleeping baby. At least not until now.

      Was this his test, then? Was all the turmoil that had brought him here just the beginning of some sort of faith journey for Jared? He had to wonder. And he had to have answers, concrete answers. Yet as he stared down at this little baby and remembered Alisha’s screams of agony, followed by her tears of joy, Jared finally understood that some things didn’t require an answer. Some things just…were. Some things had to be accepted without question. Life. Death. Betrayal. Forgiveness. Renewal.

      But…he always had questions.

      “You did a fine job.”

      Hearing Alisha’s soft Southern-tinged words, Jared turned from the baby to her, his breath hitching inside his chest. “So did you.”

      She smiled as she snuggled underneath the now-clean bedding. “He’s so beautiful, isn’t he?”

      Jared nodded, thinking, And so is his mother, then sank down in the chair he’d pulled to the bed during all the earlier commotion. “He certainly is. And he seems in good shape, all things considered.”

      “Yes. As soon as we can, though, we have to get the doctor here.”

      “Of course. Or I’ll take both of you to the nearest hospital myself. That is, if you’re feeling up to the trip.”

      “Need to rest some more, I think,” she said with a sleepy yawn. “So tired. Just need to see Dr. Sloane.”

      “No wonder you’re tired. You worked very hard.”

      “Couldn’t have done it without you. You…will always hold a special place in my heart. And in his.” She waved a hand toward the baby. “What’s your middle name?”

      Surprised, he said, “Callum. Jared Callum Murdock. There’s a lot of Irish and Scottish blood on my father’s side of the family.”

      “Callum,” she said. “Then that’s what we’ll call him. Callum Andrew Emerson. Andrew was my father’s name.”

      Jared watched as she drifted back to sleep, her words echoing in his mind like the music of the mandolins and fiddles she had listened to during her labor. She was going to name her son after him. That brought him comfort and made him feel proud.

      He hadn’t felt proud, really proud, for a very long time now. And in spite of the awesome events that had transpired since he’d first arrived at this cabin, Jared knew that sooner or later he was going to have to go back to Atlanta and accept everything he’d left behind, so he could start fresh.

      Soon. But not just yet. He wanted to sit here a while longer and watch Alisha sleep. He wanted to keep an eye on the little tyke nestled inside the old bassinet. Just for a few more precious minutes, Jared wanted to experience the peace of this beautiful spring morning.

      He could ignore the fallen tree limbs in the nearby woods and his vehicle stuck out on the narrow, rutted road. He could ignore the piercing chill of this last snap of cold before spring was officially here. He could ignore the pounding pressure of guilt and worry inside his own head. But he couldn’t ignore the soft breathing of this beautiful and brave woman, nor could he ignore the sweet heartbeat of the infant sleeping right next to her.

      But mostly, he couldn’t ignore the questions. He wanted to know all about Alisha Emerson. And he especially wanted to know what had brought her here to Dover Mountain.

      Chapter Three

      H e heard the screams in his sleep.

      Jared opened his eyes, disorientation making him wonder where he was for just a minute. Then he saw the woman in the bed and remembered what had happened here last night. He’d helped Alisha Emerson give birth to a little boy.

      Alisha was having a nightmare. She moaned and cried out again. “No, no. My baby—no!”

      Jumping up out of the chair where he’d been drifting in and out of sleep, Jared grabbed her arm, gently shaking her. “Alisha! Alisha, wake up!”

      Her eyes flew open while her arms went up in defense. “No—” She stopped, looking around the room with wild eyes before her gaze came back to him. Then her hand flew to her mouth. “Where’s Callum?”

      “He’s right here, in his bed,” Jared said, his hand still on her arm. His gaze held hers and he saw the alarm in her eyes. A fine sheen of cold sweat covered her face. She was shaking; he could feel it through the heavy flannel of her flowered nightgown. Wanting to reassure her, he said, “Your baby is fine, just fine.”

      Alisha fell back against the pillows then closed her eyes again. “I was having a bad dream. They were…trying to take Callum from me.”

      “Who?” Jared asked, concerned as he saw the flush of anxiety moving across her face. “Who was trying to take him?”

      She shook her head. “Just some people, in the dream. It wasn’t real. Thank goodness it wasn’t real.”

      Jared touched a hand to her forehead. “You feel warm. You might have a fever.”

      “No, I’m just—it was the dream.” She shrugged, fluffed her long hair, then

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