From Kiss to Queen by Janet Chapman

from all the teen magazines they used to read in their secret clubhouse in the woods at the back of Katy’s parents’ Christmas tree farm.
    Her friend had lost her virginity three years after graduating high school, Jane knew, because Katy had told her it had finally happened when she’d moved to Bangor to live with her sister and taken a course at community college to become a paramedic. She’d also made Jane promise to never, ever get drunk if there were horny, handsome men around. Because, Katy had explained, liquor apparently made a girl’s hormones overrule her good sense—especially the first time she didn’t have overprotective brothers and male cousins scaring off every guy she even smiled at.
    And even though Katy had been a font of sexual information—garnered over the next few years and a couple of relationships—it had been the men of the woods ofMaine who had given Jane her insights into the male mind. Because while Katy had eventually chosen a profession other than selling real estate in and around Pine Creek, Jane had started working full-time at her foster parents’ sporting camps right out of high school, until her foster dad had died in an auto accident and her foster mom had sold the camps and gone to live with her sister in Georgia. Jane had worked at various camps after that, and what she’d learned was that some men were jerks, some were nice, and all of them were braggarts. While catering to a lodge full of sports or spending the day in a boat as their fishing guide, she’d heard enough one-upmanship and macho bragging to wish her ears had lids like her eyes.
    She’d been taught from the age of twelve to hunt and fish and camp out just like one of the guys. It was her foster parents’ way of giving her a place with them, as well as skills that would serve her well into adulthood. So she’d guided hunters and fishermen, and cooked and cleaned and flown parties in and out of camp. In Maine, in her woods, she was plain old ordinary, invisible Jane Abbot.
    But now this handsome, arrogant, awesome man had seen her as a woman; as somebody to make love to. So despite the fleeting pain and abrupt ending, she was overjoyed it had finally happened. Jane smiled into the golden eyes silently watching her. “Do you think I got pregnant last night?” she asked.
    â€œPregnant!” he shouted, bolting upright and looking incredulous.
    â€œYeah,” she said, hugging the blankets around her. “I could be, you know. I hope so.”
    â€œYou
hope so
?”
    She nodded. “More than anything in the world, I want a baby.” Smiling dreamily, she elaborated. “I’m going to buy a nice little house on a lake. Near a town, of course, so my child can go to school. I hope it’s a boy. I’d like to have a boy.” She canted her head. “He could have your eyes. You have beautiful eyes.”
    â€œJane.”
    â€œAnd someday I’d get him a brother or sister. He shouldn’t be alone. Then we’d be a real family. Every kid should have a brother or sister.”
    â€œJane.”
    â€œYou may have saved me a lot of trouble, if I got pregnant last night. Thank you.”
    â€œJane.”
    Hearing his growl, she looked up to see his cheek was twitching again—which she was coming to realize only happened when he was . . . agitated. About her maybe being pregnant? “Why is your cheek twitching this time?”
    He sighed hard enough to nearly part her hair, and ran a hand through his own. “Jane, I . . .” He sighed again. “Well, hell.”
    â€œYou shouldn’t cuss. And I know you cuss in Shelkovan as well. You’re going to spend a long time in purgatory if you don’t quit.”
    His eyes grew incredulous again. “Who in hell brought you up, a bunch of nuns?”
    She nodded.
    His eyes widened even more. Then he said something suspicious in