Texan's Baby. Barb Han

      

       “Why didn’t you tell me about the baby?” Dawson asked.

      “I was scared.”

      He shot her a look. “Why didn’t you really?” She shrugged.

      “What aren’t you telling me?” he demanded.

      “It’s going to take time to learn everything about him, Dawson,” she hedged, trying to redirect the conversation back to a comfortable place. “Maybe it’s enough for the two of you to get to know each other. We don’t have to do this all in one day, do we?”

      “No. Of course not. But I have every intention of being there for my son as he grows up.”

      Texan’s Baby

      Barb Han

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      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 www.barbhan.com.

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      I owe a debt of gratitude to Allison Lyons and Jill Marsal for the chance to work with you both, the best editor and agent in the business.

      Thank you to the entire team at Mills & Boon Intrigue, led by Denise Zaza, for brilliant editorial, art and marketing. I’m blown away every time.

      There are a few people who inspire me, breathing joy and laughter into every day … Brandon, Jacob and Tori; I hope you know how much I love you. And to John, my one great love, for being the person I can’t wait to talk to at the end of each day.

      A huge thank-you to Chrissy McDowell for her medical research help and to her daughter, Morgan, for her all-around awesomeness and bright red hair.

      Contents

       Cover

       Introduction

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Dedication

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

       Chapter Seventeen

       Chapter Eighteen

       Chapter Nineteen

       Epilogue

       Extract

       Copyright

Chapter One

      Dawson Hill stared at the two-story Folk Victorian across the street intently. It was two o’clock in the morning and he’d been in the same spot at the front window an embarrassing number of hours already. He was staying the night at his childhood home in hopes that he would figure out a good reason to approach her. If he thought he could get a straight answer out of Melanie Dixon, he’d stalk over and ask her outright. As it was, he could only guess why she’d disappeared two and a half years ago, not long after they’d started what he thought was a real relationship. Normally he’d be able to let it go and not look back, but they’d known each other since they were kids and it wasn’t like her to pull such a stunt.

      Movement across the street caught Dawson’s eye. A dark silhouette crossed the front window. Was someone on her porch? Why would anyone be moving around outside in the dark at this time of night? The thought sat in his gut about as well as eating a handful of nails.

      Beckett Alcorn, aka The Mason Ridge Abductor—the most notorious criminal in Mason Ridge’s history—was in jail where he belonged. That should have ended the terror that had haunted this town for fifteen years. Except that, in return for leniency, Alcorn gave up his partner’s name. He and Jordan Sprigs had been running a child abduction ring throughout Texas for the past fifteen years. Sprigs was believed to be out of the state, in hiding.

      The town should be able to rest easy. It couldn’t. The feds had been brought in to actively look for Sprigs. This was the last place anyone expected to find him. And yet no one felt safe. This case never seemed to close. Maybe that was the reason Dawson didn’t believe it was over, either.

      Now that Alcorn was behind bars and every available law enforcement officer was seeking Sprigs, the town was supposed to be able to move forward. Go back to their normal lives. And yet little things were still going bump in the night. Or in this case, shadows were moving across windows.

      Melanie’s parents were on the road, so Dawson already knew she was home alone. Her parents had spent every summer in their RV traveling around the US since retiring from the post office half a dozen years ago.

      Because she was by herself in the house and