Kidnapped at Christmas Read online

  This Christmas brings the revelation that he’s a father.

  Now he needs to keep his little family safe when they become a target...

  When the blonde beauty who shared his bed a year ago tells him he’s a father, Wyatt Jackson is stunned. But the attempted abduction of their newborn daughter drives the Texas cowboy to uncover the dangerous secrets of Meg Anderson’s past. Can Wyatt crack a twenty-year-old cold case before Meg’s Christmas becomes her last?

  Crisis: Cattle Barge

  “About the other day.”

  She waved him off.

  “We’re both working through some intense emotions,” she said. “I think we know better than to go down that road again. Kissing was a mistake.”

  Confusion struck him. She’d changed gears on him so fast he hadn’t had time to hit the clutch.

  Because that kiss was the first thing that felt right to Wyatt in a long time. It was a dangerous sentiment considering he and Meg would have to figure out how to care for a child and stay on good terms.

  Leading with his emotions would be a bullet through his chest when she pushed him away again. And she would.

  For that little girl’s sake he wouldn’t allow that to happen. No matter how much he wanted to haul Meg against his chest and kiss her again.

  KIDNAPPED AT CHRISTMAS

  USA TODAY Bestselling Author

  Barb Han

  USA TODAY bestselling author Barb Han lives in north Texas with her very own hero-worthy husband, three beautiful children, a spunky golden retriever/standard poodle mix and too many books in her to-read pile. In her downtime, she plays video games and spends much of her time on or around a basketball court. She loves interacting with readers and is grateful for their support. You can reach her at barbhan.com.

  Books by Barb Han

  Harlequin Intrigue

  Crisis: Cattle Barge

  Sudden Setup

  Endangered Heiress

  Texas Grit

  Kidnapped at Christmas

  Cattlemen Crime Club

  Stockyard Snatching

  Delivering Justice

  One Tough Texan

  Texas-Sized Trouble

  Texas Witness

  Texas Showdown

  Mason Ridge

  Texas Prey

  Texas Takedown

  Texas Hunt

  Texan’s Baby

  The Campbells of Creek Bend

  Witness Protection

  Gut Instinct

  Hard Target

  Rancher Rescue

  Harlequin Intrigue Noir

  Atomic Beauty

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.

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  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Meg Anderson—This single mother is ready to face the father of her newborn daughter and drop the bomb that he’s a dad.

  Wyatt Jackson—This Butler heir wants nothing to do with his relatives or their fortune after Mike Butler left Wyatt’s mother barely able to care for him when he was an infant.

  Aubrey Jackson—This two-month-old steals her father’s heart from the minute he sets eyes on her, but her life is in danger, and it could be because of Wyatt’s real last name—Butler.

  Stephanie Gable—Meg’s best friend is devastated when she’s ambushed while caring for Aubrey.

  Mary Jane Fjord—Meg’s childhood best friend went missing years ago. Has the man who took her returned to claim Meg’s daughter?

  Jonathon Fjord—Losing his sister at such a young age left a mark.

  Clayton Glass—The DNA on the missing girl’s hair ribbon belongs to him, but who is he?

  Sheriff Clarence Sawmill—This sheriff might be in over his head with a high-profile murder to solve and a town in chaos.

  Maverick Mike Butler—Even in death this self-made Texas rancher has a few cards left to play.

  Brandon, I’m amazed by your brilliance and kindness. I’m so very proud of you. Jacob, I can’t wait to play the games you’re working so hard to create. Tori, I love to watch you dance. From Twinkle to Transformation to It Is Done, you have so many stories to tell.

  Babe, my guy, for being my best friend and partner in crime. I love you.

  To Michelle Spall for helping me see a new way to define home. I’m so grateful for your friendship and am looking forward to many more dance mom antics together.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Excerpt from Lone Star Christmas by Delores Fossen

  Excerpt from Rescued by the Marine by Julie Miller

  Chapter One

  “Why can’t I think of one word to say to him?” Meg Anderson looked down at her sleeping angel, trying to psych herself up for the conversation that needed to take place with the baby’s father.

  “You’re the best child advocate in Texas, Meg. The words will come.” Meg’s best friend and business partner, Stephanie Gable, walked over and ran her finger along two-month-old Aubrey’s cheek.

  “He deserves to know about her, right?” Meg already knew the answer, but she asked anyway. She’d do just about anything to gain a few more minutes of courage before walking out the door.

  “He does.” Stephanie’s sympathetic tone struck a chord.

  “I’m being totally unfair to her by keeping her from her father.” Tears burned the backs of Meg’s eyes.

  “That’s right. If you can’t do it for yourself, think of Aubrey.” Stephanie seemed to be catching on. “It’ll work out.”

  “What if he rejects her?” Meg tamped down the panic causing her heart to gallop.

  “Then it’s his loss.” Stephanie didn’t hesitate.

  Meg made eyes at her friend. “You’re absolutely right.”

  “What’s the worst he can say?” Stephanie shot her what was supposed to be a nerve-fortifying look.

  “I don’t think I want to go there, not even in theory,” Meg answered honestly. The rejection from her mother still stung even ten years after she’d walked out.

  “You face bigger challenges every day and win.” Stephanie was making good points, and yet Meg’s courage still escaped her.

  “Work challenges. This is personal.” She twisted her fingers around the corner of the baby blanket swaddling her infant daughter, Aubrey. “And I’m pretty sure the statute of limitations and good taste has run out considering our daughter is two months old and I still haven’t told him about her. How am I supposed to explain that?”

  “If he’s too stupid to figure out how you guys made a baby, he’s definitely not worth all this stress.” Stephanie laughed.

  The joke was meant to ease the tension, so Meg smiled as she rolled the edge of the blanket in between her thumb and forefinger.

  Normally the ploy would work. Not today. Not when Meg’s thoughts were careening out of control.

  “Okay, I can see my bad attempt at humor isn
’t helping. How about this? I’ll take Aubrey to the park while you feel him out. See if he’s ready.” Stephanie’s calm demeanor had little impact on Meg’s frayed nerves. “You had good reasons for waiting. And he’d be crazy to turn his back on that little girl.”

  “A total nutcase,” Meg agreed, gazing down at the sleeping bundle.

  “She’s perfect.” Stephanie could hold her own with anyone in an argument. She was a huge asset to One Child—One Advocate. “She might just be the best baby in the world, bar none, and it would be his loss if he walked away from her.” Stephanie smiled at Aubrey with the kind of sheer adoration reserved for aunts. She might not be a blood relative, but Stephanie was the closest thing to family Meg had aside from her daughter.

  “The man should be given the option to be part of her life.” Meg was steeling her resolve by picking up Aubrey. Holding her daughter, so much innocence, inspired her to do the right thing even when her nerves were frayed and her stomach threatened to revolt.

  “I’ll be right down the street with her at the park. You give me the green light and I’m there at the restaurant. If you don’t pick up on the vibe that he wants to know or if he makes one wrong move before you tell him you can always do this another time.”

  “Will you text me first so I don’t seem rude or obvious if I have to whip out my phone in front of him?” Meg hedged. Thinking through an exit strategy made her feel less trapped.

  “Great idea. I’ll take the baby for a lap or two before checking in.” Stephanie picked up her purse. “The fresh air will be good for us both, and the park is so pretty this time of year. Plus, the mayor’s lighting the Christmas tree at noon.”

  “She’d love that. It’s probably just all these hormones and this time of year giving me jitters.” The first part was true enough. Meg didn’t want to acknowledge how much the thought of seeing Wyatt Jackson again affected her. This was the first time the Christmas season had brought a feeling of renewal and hope instead of sadness and dread. The magic of the holidays had always escaped Meg until having Aubrey. Facing Wyatt with the news he was a father stamped out all the newly gained warm-and-fuzzy sentiment.

  Stephanie shot a sympathetic look. “I know. Everything in town’s been strange ever since Maverick Mike Butler’s death this summer. The whole town’s been on edge. But everything’s calming down and slowly returning to normal. It’s only a matter of time before the sheriff finds the person responsible and we can put all this behind us. You have a new baby and lots of memories to look forward to. And it’s nice to focus on something besides murder for a change.”

  Meg nodded. The town had been through a lot since its wealthiest and most infamous resident was killed on his ranch this past summer. But it was more than that. The holidays brought back a memory of being interviewed for hours. The unspoken accusations had been so obvious that even a ten-year-old girl had understood them. Meg shivered involuntarily, thinking about the past. She couldn’t bring herself to talk about it with anyone. She needed to focus on something else. Bad thoughts had a way of multiplying, causing her to tumble down a slippery slope of pain and regret.

  Meg turned her attention to her sleeping baby. The change in Meg this year was because of Aubrey. That little girl brightened everything she touched. Her baby held a special kind of magic that made Meg want to believe in miracles again, precisely the innocent sentiment that would end up crushing her in—she checked her watch—less than five minutes.

  She shouldered the diaper bag. “Ready?”

  When Meg had become too sick to drive herself to a doctor visit, Stephanie had stepped up to help. Not long after, her work partner had found herself in a bind when her two-year relationship ended and she had no place to live. Meg had volunteered to room together and the friendship had blossomed from there. It was nice to have that in her life after keeping herself isolated for so long.

  Stephanie examined Meg with a questioning look. “I am.”

  “It’s just a conversation,” Meg said to herself as she walked outside, bracing herself against the blast of frigid air. Her small SUV was parked in the lot behind the office. “I speak to people every day.”

  “And you’re pretty darn good at it, too.” Stephanie closed and locked the door behind them. It was Friday and they’d let the receptionist go early so she could watch the tree-lighting ceremony. “But anything about this guy gives you pause and I’m only two blocks away. I can be at the restaurant in less than five minutes.” Stephanie snapped her fingers.

  Meg froze as an awkward thought struck. “What if he doesn’t remember me?”

  “It’s only been a year, Meg. You said that he’d been clear about not being the type to settle down, but I seriously doubt you’d spend time with anyone who was that much of a jerk.” Stephanie jangled her keys. “Besides, I’m following you in my car in case you both remember all too well and decide to get to know each other again while I babysit.” Stephanie wiggled her eyebrows.

  Meg held back the laugh trying to force its way out of her throat. Wyatt Jackson didn’t want anything to do with her.

  “I had to email him half a dozen times in order to get a response. If he remembers me at all from a year ago, he obviously wasn’t too impressed.” Meg secured Aubrey in her car seat in Stephanie’s car. The baby stretched but didn’t wake. She’d had a bottle twenty minutes ago so, fingers crossed, that should buy Meg a couple of hours to do what she should’ve done months ago before the baby arrived. Shoving the guilt aside, she climbed into the driver’s seat.

  Meg glanced around with that awful feeling of someone watching her. Her stress levels were already on an upward trajectory and this made it worse. It was probably nothing more than the thought of facing her baby’s father that had her insides braided and the tiny hairs on her arms standing at attention. Or maybe it was the time of year. The holidays. The cold. The memories...

  Meg glanced at the rearview. No one was there. She started the vehicle.

  Wyatt Jackson was just a man like any other. This wasn’t the time for her brain to point out that he was intelligent, successful and unnervingly gorgeous. In retrospect, the man seemed almost superhuman to her. But then, he’d given her the absolute best gift in her life, her daughter, and that was likely the reason she’d built him up so much in her mind.

  Meg checked the rearview one more time, making sure that Stephanie had cleared the parking spot behind her. She glanced at the backup camera as she pressed the gas pedal. Something crossed the corner of the screen.

  Heart jackhammering, she touched the brake.

  What was back there? An animal?

  A tiny little thing darted toward the trees, yellow stripes streaking past the driver’s side. It was just a cat, barely more than a kitten.

  Hands shaking, Meg white-knuckled the steering wheel, trying to calm her rattled nerves by sheer force of will.

  There was nothing to be afraid of.

  Right?

  * * *

  CHRISTMAS MIGHT ONLY be weeks away, but the holidays were something Wyatt Jackson would have no trouble skipping over altogether. New Year’s was more his style with its all-night partying and the attitude of ringing in the New Year with free-flowing booze and a carefree attitude.

  Speaking of which, receiving an email from the blond-haired beauty Wyatt had spent time with last year had caught him off guard. She’d made it look easy to ignore his repeated phone calls this time last year, so he’d returned the favor by deleting her messages when she’d first contacted him.

  In fact, in the past twelve months he’d done his level best to forget she existed. Although part of him had known that would be impossible given that he couldn’t seem to shake the feel of her soft skin on his fingertips, her intellect or the easy way she made him laugh.

  The last email from Meg had seemed urgent, and to make matters even more interesting Maverick Mike Butler’s lawyer had been hot on Wyatt’s
tail to get him to come to Cattle Barge. Mike Butler had been one of Texas’s most colorful citizens. A billionaire cattle rancher who’d been murdered on his own property this summer had sent the media into a feeding frenzy.

  Ed Staples, the family’s lawyer, had seemed downright shocked that Wyatt already knew he was Mike Butler’s illegitimate son. Probably because Wyatt hadn’t made a single attempt to contact the estate—and thereby claim his right to the Butler fortune. Wyatt had made a success of himself on his own terms and had no need for a handout from the family who’d left his mother pregnant and destitute.

  The first thing Wyatt had noticed when he hit Cattle Barge city limits was the swarm of media people. The town was still overrun months after Butler’s murder, although reporters were starting to write fluff. News about the famous will being read on Christmas Eve splashed across headlines on every outlet. Maverick Mike could take his money and shove it up his...

  Wyatt realized he’d white-knuckled the steering wheel and laughed at himself. The holidays had soured his mood, and he had no plans to let emotions get in the way of what he hoped would be a hot reunion between him and the blonde. Besides, he couldn’t imagine that Maverick Mike’s legitimate kids would welcome him with open arms. Making the Butler heirs uncomfortable wasn’t the main reason Wyatt had hit the highway leading to Cattle Barge. He saw it more as a fringe benefit.

  Wyatt knew the reason he’d been summoned, and to say he had mixed feelings about Maverick Mike Butler being his father was a lot like saying ghost peppers burned the tongue. Was he a Butler? His mother had said so, but in his heart he could never be connected to the man who’d walked away from her, from him.

  Wyatt didn’t want the man’s money. His twenty-fifth Tiko Taco restaurant was about to open and he didn’t need a handout from anyone. Wyatt had learned how to work hard for his successes and he enjoyed the fruits of his labor to the fullest.

  The Butlers weren’t the real reason he’d accepted the invitation to meet the family. There was another benefit to coming to Cattle Barge—seeing Meg Anderson again. He’d needed a good reason to show, convincing himself that a reunion wasn’t pull enough and especially with the way she’d left things. To prove a point to himself—the point being that he didn’t need her—he’d taken his time to return her emails.