The Pregnancy Promise. Barbara McMahon

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      Barbara McMahon was born and raised in the South, but settled in California after spending a year flying around the world for an international airline. She later settled down to raise a family and work for a computer firm, and began writing when her children started school. Now, feeling fortunate that she’s been able to realize a long-held dream of quitting her day job and writing full-time, she and her husband have moved to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, where she finds her desire to write is stronger than ever. With the beauty of the mountains visible from her windows and the pace of life slower than that of the hectic San Francisco Bay Area, where they previously resided, she finds more time than ever to think up stories and characters, and share them with others through writing. Barbara loves to hear from readers. You can reach her at P.O. Box 977, Pioneer, CA 95666-0977, U.S.A.

      Readers can also contact Barbara at her Web site, www.barbaramcmahon.com.

      To Bridgette Anne Hessler,

       the newest in our family, with lots of love

      CONTENTS

      CHAPTER ONE

      CHAPTER TWO

      CHAPTER THREE

      CHAPTER FOUR

      CHAPTER FIVE

      CHAPTER SIX

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      CHAPTER EIGHT

      CHAPTER NINE

      CHAPTER TEN

      CHAPTER ONE

      LIANNE O’MALLORY sat bundled up in an old quilt. The wind blew from the sea, the tang of salt filling the air. It was too cold to be outside, but she snuggled in the warmth of the quilt and stared out at the gray sea. It had been raining until a half hour ago. The gray skies looked as if they melded into the water at the horizon. It was a dreary day. One that suited her mood to perfection. Tears welled again. Sniffing, she refused to cry.

      Staring over the deserted beach from the family cottage, she tried to make her mind go blank—but the doctor’s words echoed over and over. Her recommendation—a hysterectomy. Lianne blinked back the tears. She was only twenty-eight, far too young to face this. Never married, she still held the hope she’d find the man of her dreams one day and get married and start a family. That wouldn’t happen if she had the operation. She’d thought she had all the time in the world. Instead she was limited to months.

      The painful menstrual cramps and heavy bleeding contributed to her being almost incapacitated several days each month. If she wanted relief from the pain, this was the option her physician recommended. She snuggled against the hot water bottle pressed to her abdomen. Pills and heat helped, but nothing fully relieved the pain.

      Not that she’d get an operation based on one doctor’s opinion. Lianne believed Dr. Wright, however, and expected a second and even third doctor to support her prognosis. But not yet. She couldn’t bear to end all hope of having a family one day. She had already made an appointment with another ObGyn. But she knew it was only a matter time. Her doctor would not have recommended the procedure if she hadn’t been certain it was the only option left.

      The pronouncement had been unexpected. Visiting the doctor yesterday afternoon, she’d been hoping for a new treatment, something that would work after five years of trying different medication. But the miracle she hoped for hadn’t appeared. Each month the pain grew worse. This month she’d been driven to the doctor’s again. Too distraught to even think after the doctor’s recommendation, she’d hopped in her car and driven СКАЧАТЬ