Page 1 of Luke

Chapter One

With a screech of tires, Luke McCallister’s truck came to an abrupt halt in his driveway. He quickly switched off the headlights and pulled in behind the unfamiliar car that was parked there. Frowning, he grabbed a flashlight from the console and unsnapped the retention button on his holster and removed his weapon, before stepping out of the truck. Carefully approaching the car, he peered inside but couldn’t see through the fogged-up windows.

“If some damn kids are using my driveway for... I’ll be pissed,” he grumbled to himself.

Just as he was about to tap on the window, a woman’s terrified scream pierced through the air. Startled, Luke rapped on the rear side window.

“Hello? Is everything okay?”

“Go away,” whimpered a frightened female voice from inside.

Realizing that something was definitely not right, Luke replied firmly, “No ma’am, you sound like you need help.”

Another loud shriek echoed from within the car. Luke holstered his weapon, opened the back door, and immediately regretted it. A woman lay on the backseat, clearly in labor and looking panicked.

He gaped at her for a moment before asking urgently, “How far apart are your contractions?”

The woman groaned in response, clutching her swollen stomach. “Less than a minute.”

“Did you call for an ambulance?” Luke asked, trying to remain calm.

“My phone died.” She gasped. “Please, help me.”

Luke wasted no time and dialed nine-one-one on his phone. As he gave them his address and explained the situation, he felt ahand grip his tightly. Looking down, he saw that the woman had grabbed onto him in pain as her water broke.

“Shit,” Luke muttered under his breath. “Her water just broke. Please hurry.”

After disconnecting the call, he turned to the woman.

“Do you have any blankets? We need to make you as comfortable as possible until help arrives.”

“In the trunk. I’m so cold,” she said, and her teeth chattered.

“It’s below thirty. You picked a hell of a time to have a baby in the back seat of a car. Just breathe. I’ll grab them.” He reached under the dashboard and pushed the button to unlock the trunk.

“Breathe? Easy for you to say,” she grumbled.

Luke lifted the trunk lid, saw multiple suitcases, a car seat, and blankets. He grabbed a few of the blankets. What was going on? Moving now would be insane. He returned to the backseat.

“Can you lift up so I can slide this blanket underneath you?”

“Yes,” she said, raising her hips as he placed the blanket underneath.

“You’ll have to take off your pants.”

“I will when you leave me alone.”

“You need my help though.”

“Have you done this before?”

“I’ve delivered numerous calves—”

“Calves?Don’t you dare compare me to a cow,” she spat out.

“That’s not what I meant. Do I look crazy enough to call a woman a cow?”

“How do you want me to answer that?”

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