Read Online Megan's Hero (The Callahans of Texas Book #3): A Novel by Sharon Gillenwater - Free Book Online

find a way to thank you for saving me and Sweet Baby. Even if you did it to rescue Mr. Bentley, I’m so very grateful. Maybe someday, somehow I can be good enough to deserve what you’ve done for us.”

     
    At 7:30 the next morning, Megan heard familiar footsteps coming down the hall. Will hadn’t been lying when he said he was an early riser. He tapped lightly on her open door, then walked into the room.
    She tried not to stare, but it was next to impossible. Western summer straw hat, burgundy shirt, crisply ironed blue jeans with a sharp crease, a big ol’ I-won-this-at-the-rodeo belt buckle, and him all freshly shaven and smelling um-um good—it all added up to one drool-worthy cowboy with a capital C .
    Here she was in a pale-blue checked hospital gown—totally the wrong color for her—no makeup, smashed frizzy bed-hair, dark circles from lack of sleep, and her mouth full of scrambled eggs and toast.
    His dark, serious eyes lit up when he saw her, even before he smiled. The concern in his expression melted into tenderness and joy. Her heart rate shifted into overdrive, and her mouth went dry.
    “Good mornin’.” Removing the hat, he laid it upside down on the end of the bed, well beyond the reach of her feet, and finger-combed his hair.
    Megan swallowed her food and croaked, “Good morning.” She cleared her throat and took a sip of orange juice. “You’re out and about early.”
    “I have a bank board meeting this morning, so I thought I’d drop by and visit with you a spell. With all the excitement yesterday, I forgot all about the meeting. But we won’t leave you stranded. Mom and the girls will be by later to pick you up.”
    “Oh, okay.” Great. That sounded brilliant. She’d been able to talk to him fine yesterday. Why was she being a dunce this morning? Because no man had ever looked at her the way Will just did. “I hope I’m not being a bother.”
    “Not a bit. Mom said they were coming to town this morning anyway.” He angled the chair toward her and sat down, stretching out his long legs. “How are you feeling? Did you get any sleep?”
    “Not much. They checked me every thirty minutes. I’d just doze off, and the nurse would be in here again.”
    “Is everything okay? Are you having any contractions?” A frown creased his forehead.
    “Just a few more of the Braxton Hicks ones.”
    “Those are kind of like practice contractions, right?”
    “That’s what I’ve read, and that’s what the night nurse called them.” That didn’t seem like common subject matter for a bachelor. “How did you know about them?”
    “I heard you and Dr. Cindy talking yesterday, so I looked it up on the internet when I got home. Is Sweet Baby’s heartbeat still good?”
    “Yes. The nurses said it’s been in the right range the whole time.”
    “Good. How are they treating you?”
    “Everyone has been very nice. The meals were certainly better than I’d expected. I think they brought me a double serving of everything plus snacks.”
    “I thought Cindy might try to fatten you up. Alva, Nadine, and their helpers are great cooks. They prepare the food in the cafeteria too. I eat there occasionally when I’m visiting someone, like last night.
    “I was also in here for a few days my junior year with a broken leg. Ran into an overzealous tackle. The food was the only good thing about it. Seemed like I’d just get to sleep, and somebody would come wake me up to check this or that or some visitor would come stompin’ down the hall.” His grin was a little sheepish. “Of course, half the time, my football buddies were the ones doing the stomping. I was real happy to go home. Mom would just peek in the door and leave me alone if I was asleep.”
    Her mother had checked to see if she was asleep only when she wanted her to do something or to steal money from her purse. Sometimes she’d barged in when she was drunk and angry.
    Megan was nervous about staying with the Callahans. Would she be able