The Midwife's Little Miracle by Fiona McArthur

affected a baby’s future, but none of it would sink in if she couldn’t engage Emma’s interest.
    Montana twitched a tablecloth over the table to create a bumpy but blank face to the room. She’d see if curiosity would encourage Emma’s interest later.
    Montana moved to the door as Andy ushered in the girl. His face showed palpable relief when he saw her. ‘Here’s Montana. Montana, this is Emma.’
    He looked particularly handsome this morning in his open-necked shirt, and his thick hair was tousled as if they’d had the windows open on the drive. Or he’d been running his hands through it as he’d driven Emma here.
    His stressed relief at seeing Montana made her realise for the first time that he wasn’t always as comfortable with everybody as he was with her. Strangely that warmed her to him even more.
    ‘Hello, Emma,’ she said. ‘Thank you, Andy.We’ll sit on the lounge, not at the table, and just chat for a bit.’
    Andy tapped the ends of his fingers together a few times and looked hopelessly out of his depth. He stepped back. ‘Do you need me?’
    Montana took pity on his discomfort and shook her head, although Emma threw him an anguished glance.
    Montana smiled at him. ‘That’s fine. How about if you run Emma home later when we’re finished, unless you get called away?’
    ‘Great idea. I’ll leave you ladies to it, then, and be back in a little while?’
    He dropped the keys onto the bookshelf as if they were hot. ‘Emma can give directions if I’m not around and I’ll use the utility if I need to go to the hospital.’
    Andy waved and backed out of the room. Both women watched him go.
    ‘Well, you really had him scared,’ Montana commented, and watched the sudden glint of amusement in Emma’s face before she schooled her features into a surly frown again.
    Gotcha, Montana thought with an inner smile and a little relief.
    She watched Emma perch uncomfortably on the edge of the lounge and share her glances between the door and the floor and tried to remember how it had felt at sixteen in the head’s office.
    Montana smiled. ‘I gather you’re a bit nervous about being here?’
    ‘Andy said I had to come.’ Emma darted a quick look at Montana and narrowed her eyes. ‘I’m keeping my baby.’
    So this was the issue. Fair enough, then, Montana could understand her attitude. ‘Great. I’m a midwife and I’m a good person to know because I catch them.’
    Emma smiled reluctantly.
    Montana went on. ‘But your baby isn’t going to be here for a long time and Dr Buchanan and I thought you might like some extra knowledge to help you in the rest of your pregnancy.’
    Montana paused, didn’t rush to fill the silence, and waited. The silence lengthened. The relaxed expression on Montana’s face didn’t change, but Emma began to fidget and finally she looked at Montana.
    Emma shrugged. ‘So what are you going to talk about?’
    ‘I guess I need you to participate and ask questions otherwise you won’t take home as much as you could have. It would help if I knew what would you like to know.’
    Emma shrugged again and Montana saw the frightened girl Emma was trying to hide.
    ‘Maybe we should get to know each other before I do all the talking,’ Montana suggested. She waited, and Emma eventually nodded.
    ‘You could tell me one thing about yourself, Emma. Tell me about your family maybe.’
    Emma stayed balanced on the edge of the lounge with her arms crossed but she did answer eventually. ‘There’s my dad, who has a sawmill. I get on well with him.’
    She looked down darkly at the carpet. ‘Or I did before I was pregnant.’
    Life wouldn’t be fun for Emma at this moment, Montana could see that, and she softened her tone. ‘He’ll come around. He’s trying to adjust the dreams he had—parents have huge dreams in their minds for their children—and now he has to change those pictures into the ones that you will make for yourself.’
    Emma looked up and pondered