A Very Special Delivery

baby, when Ethan began to stir. He thrust off all but one blanket and stood up.
    “Man, do I feel better.”
    As Molly looked up, her heart leaped wildly. He looked better, too. The UPS driver, scar and all, was a hunk!
    “You aren’t shaking anymore.”
    “No, but you are.” He frowned down at where she knelt beside the couch. “And you’re pale. Are you okay?”
    Molly pushed up from her spot on the oval rug and ran sweaty palms down the sides of her sweatpants. “Fine. How about that cup of cocoa now?”
    Anything to avoid the subject of why she was so afraid of a tiny baby.
    “Sounds good.” Weariness emanated from him. If she’d known him better and the situation had not been so serious, Molly would have teased him about the hot-pink blanket draped around his broad shoulders—an incongruous sight if ever there was one.
    “How about a bowl of beef stew with that cocoa?”
    “Did anyone ever tell you you’re a nice lady?”
    “I take it you haven’t had supper?”
    “Coffee and brownies, but they’re long gone.”
    “Did you get all the way up to Chester’s?”
    He nodded his head. “Yes, thank God.”
    “It couldn’t have been easy.”
    “No, but my part was a lot easier than Chester’s. He’s one tough character.”
    Still, Molly couldn’t help but admire Ethan’s determination to help another person under such dire circumstances.
    The clock had been ticking and Chester’s life had depended upon Ethan—and the Lord—to get the medication there on time.
    Molly hustled into the kitchen, returning in a matter of minutes with the hot meal.
    Ethan settled on the end of the couch next to Laney and told Molly about the trip up the mountain, the hours with Chester, and finally about the truck sliding into a ditch.
    “Don’t know how I made it in that light-bodied van.” He shook his head and corrected himself. “Yes, I do. The Lord.” He dug into the steaming bowl of soup. “Hot stew sure hits the spot.”
    Somehow she’d known Ethan was a Christian, though she’d learned the hard way that not all Christians were as self-sacrificing.
    But Ethan was a man who took responsibility seriously and didn’t give up easily. She liked that about him.
    She liked the way he ate, too, like her dad and uncles, wholeheartedly as though he might never eat again. His appreciation of a simple bowl of stew made her smile.
    From what little she’d seen, and from the way he cared for his child, Molly thought she could find a lot of things to like about Ethan Hunter.
    He took a bite of cornbread, chewed and swallowed. “I hate to ask this of you, but I don’t have a way back to town tonight. You wouldn’t happen to have a bunkhouse or a barn I could sleep in, would you? Just for tonight, I mean. If my van was here, I could sleep in that, but…” He lifted one shoulder in a shrug.
    “There’s a barn, but you would freeze out there.”
    Practical to the bone, impropriety didn’t concern Molly, but it would upset Aunt Patsy. She shifted uncomfortably, fretting. Letting a man freeze to death would be a lot worse than letting him spend the night. “I have an extra room in back. There’s no heat, but…”
    She let her voice trail off, uncertain how to handle the situation.
    “No. It wouldn’t be right for me to impose on you that way. If you’ll keep Laney inside, I’ll take the barn.”
    Molly jumped. Her windpipe tightened.
    “No. That’s not a good idea.” Her heart thundered in her chest as she searched for a solution. No way could she spend an entire night alone with Laney.
    Ethan studied her curiously. “I’m sorry she’s so much trouble.”
    “It’s not that—” How did she explain without admitting the ugly truth—that she was a danger to his child. She couldn’t, so instead she searched for a viable solution.
    “My uncle Robert keeps his fishing camper here during the winter months. It’s self-contained and has a small propane heater. It stays cozy and snug once it’s warmed up. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you used it.”
    Ethan seemed relieved. He placed his bowl on the coffee table. “That will work great. I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you for this, Molly.”
    He was the hero, risking life and limb to help a sick man. She was a coward who wouldn’t have done anything at all had he not forced her. She suddenly felt ashamed.
    He drew in a breath and leaned forward, forearms on his thighs, palms pressed together. “So if you have that camper key, I’ll