Read Online In Shelter Cove by Barbara Freethy - Free Book Online

the church for as long as she could remember. She shut off the engine and sat for a moment. It still felt odd to see Andrew as the minister, a position her father had held for more than thirty years. In high school Andrew had been a smooth-talking, party-loving jock.
    She had no idea what he’d been up to since then—not because he wasn’t interested in telling her but because she kept putting him off. She wasn’t sure how to handle his renewed interest in her. Their breakup had been messy and ugly and filled with adolescent angst. While they’d both grown up, she was reluctant to rekindle their old flame.
    High school had been a painful time for her, a period of rebellion, indecision, restlessness. The role of minister’s daughter didn’t suit her well, not like her older sister, Doreen, or her younger brother, Jamie. Her mother had been continually disappointed in her behavior, and her father, while much more kind and compassionate, had been frustrated by her inability to accept that certain behaviors were required of a minister’s family.
    Eventually, she’d left Angel’s Bay and gone to college and medical school, along the way coming into her own. She knew who she was now. As for what she wanted . . . well, that was still to be determined. She wasn’t very good at long-term relationships.She’d never figured out how to let someone all the way in. It was too damn scary to be that vulnerable; it was much easier to keep things light and fun.
    She got out of her car and crossed the lot. Andrew gave her a wave as he finished his conversation. His black slacks and black shirt were set off by his neatly combed blond hair; despite his conservative dress, he was a handsome man. At sixteen, he’d made her heart jump into her throat, and she wasn’t immune to his charm now, especially when he flashed her his golden-boy smile. He’d probably gotten the closest to her of anyone—but look where that had ended.
    “Thanks for coming,” he said as she joined him on the steps. “I’m glad you could get away from work.”
    “No problem. Is Annie here yet?”
    “No, but the Lowells have arrived. I had Jeannie take them into my office.” He glanced down at his watch. “I hope Annie didn’t forget.”
    “She mentioned it this morning.” Charlotte hoped that Annie hadn’t backed out. “But she is nervous. She isn’t sure that she wants to give the baby up. I don’t want you to push her, Andrew.”
    “Do you think that’s what I’m doing?” he asked in surprise. “I just want her to explore all of her options.”
    “I know, but you’re also very persuasive. Annie wants to do the right thing, and she doesn’t want to disappoint you.” She remembered a time when she hadn’t wanted to disappoint him either, but she shook that errant thought out of her head.
    “Adoption is a good solution for her situation, Charlotte. You and your mother have been generous to take Annie in, but do you really want to take on a baby, too? And if you don’t, where will Annie go?”
    She understood his argument all too well. “It still has to be her decision. Did you explain to the Lowells that Annie is unwilling to name the biological father?”
    “Yes. They’re hoping that Annie will change her mind, but they’ve been waiting for a baby for a long time, and they’re willing to take the chance.”
    “It’s a risk. If the father suddenly appears and wants the baby . . .”
    “I agree. But let’s take it one step at a time.”
    “I wish they were Angel’s Bay people, so we’d know more about them,” Charlotte said.
    “It might be good that they live in Montgomery. It could be difficult for Annie to live in the same town as her child and not be able to mother her. But I also have some Angel’s Bay couples who are interested in adopting.” He paused, giving her a considering look. “I would think that as an ob/gyn, you’d be cheering on the idea of adoption. You must run into a lot of infertile couples