His Secret Christmas Baby

The first week after Natalie had died, she’d been too grief-stricken to do anything but buy the essentials. A baby bed, a cradle for the downstairs, car seat, bottles, diapers, toys and baby clothes. When she’d cleaned out Natalie’s apartment, she’d found a few onesies and baby clothes Natalie had already purchased along with an infant bathtub, diaper bag and baby book.

Brianna hadn’t been able to open the baby book yet.

Still, she’d vowed to Natalie that her son would know how much she’d loved him.

What if she never got the chance?

Pain gnawed at her insides, but she willed herself to be strong. Derrick and the sheriff would find Ryan. She couldn’t, wouldn’t allow herself to believe anything else.

And she had to admit that it was comforting to have Derrick working on the case.

By the time she descended the steps, she heard a pounding on the door and Derrick calling her name. She rushed to let him in, but disappointment filled her when she saw the bleak expression on his face.

“What happened?”

Snowflakes swirled with the wind, and he quickly stepped inside, stomped his boots on the mat and closed the door. “I didn’t talk to the Phillips couple.”

“Why not?”

He ushered her into the living room. “I wanted to watch them first. To see if they had the baby. They didn’t.”

Brianna’s stomach caved. “If they don’t have him, who does? Some child predator? Someone who wants money that I don’t have?” She hadn’t realized how much she’d banked her hopes on the fact that Dana had Ryan and was taking good care of him.

That he wasn’t in danger from a crazed, cold-blooded killer who might take money, then kill him anyway.

Derrick stroked her arms. “Listen Brianna, I’ve worked these cases before. If they kidnapped Ryan, they obviously hired someone else to the job which means they’re planning to meet him later. I waited until both of them left home, then searched the house.”

Her hopes skyrocketed. “What did you find? Evidence they’d paid someone or were preparing for Ryan?”

He gave a noncommittal shrug. “Not exactly. There is a crib in the house, and a book of baby names. But no formula, diapers or supplies to indicate they were expecting a baby right away. And their financial records didn’t indicate a recent large withdrawal as if they’d paid a kidnapper.”

She sank onto the sofa. “But they could be meeting the kidnapper out of town?”

“It’s possible, although neither left with a suitcase. If they’re smart though, they’ll probably wait a few days before making the connection.”

She grabbed his arm, adrenaline kicking in. “Then we have to talk to them now. Dana is emotional. Maybe she’ll break down and tell me where he is.”

Derrick’s look turned skeptical, but they had no other leads and she had to do something. “Please, Derrick. I know Dana is on the edge. She wants a baby so badly she’s unstable. Maybe if I talk to her, woman to woman, she’ll open up.” Either that, or the woman would hate her.

But at this point, she didn’t care. All that mattered was finding little Ryan. Because if Dana didn’t have him, someone else did.

And for once in her life, she couldn’t waste time playing nice.

H E CURSED AT THE SOUND OF THE baby crying from the backseat. “Hush up, kid. I’ll get you out soon.”

He swung the car into the motel parking lot, circled around to the backseat and unbuckled the kid, then picked him up. The baby’s cries escalated to a blazing crescendo, and he jiggled him up and down. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered. “It’s so not worth the cash.”

With the key he’d pocketed earlier, he strode down the row of rooms, and let himself inside.

Candy, his girlfriend, lay stretched out on the bed, blowing at her hot red fingernails reading a magazine. When she looked up at the screaming infant, she pursed her lips. “I can’t believe you brought the brat here.”

“You have to take care of him, sugar, until we can drop him off.”

“You’re kidding, right?” She stood, hands on voluptuous hips. “I don’t know anything about taking care of a baby.”

“Then learn.” He gestured toward the bag of baby supplies he’d stowed earlier. “Get him a bottle and take him. I gotta make a call.”

She frowned and made a pouty look, but did as he said.

Shoulders straightening, he stepped outside with his phone and punched in the number. “I have the baby. It’s done.”

“And Brianna Honeycutt?”

“She woke up and tried to stop me. I threw her down the stairs, but she’s alive.”

“Damn. If she keeps asking questions, we’ll have to get rid of her, too.”

“You have a plan?”

“Yeah. We’ll kill her, then fake a suicide note where she confesses that she dropped the baby at an orphanage because she couldn’t handle the kid.”

“And she cried kidnapping to throw suspicion from herself?”

“Exactly.”

Laughter boomed from his chest. That sounded like a plan that would work. They’d drop the kid, get rid of the problematic woman, take their money and run.

Chapter Four

“Where does Dana Phillips work?” Derrick asked.

“She’s a receptionist at the insurance office in town.” Brianna stewed over whether she believed the young couple would resort to kidnapping. “And Robert is the head of the construction team building those new cabins on the east side of town.”

“They were arguing when he left the house,” Derrick said. “Maybe their fight had to do with the baby.”

“Or it’s possible it had nothing to do with this and the kidnapper is long gone.”

“There hasn’t been a call?” Derrick asked.

Brianna shook her head. “No. I can’t figure out what the kidnapper wants.”

Derrick’s silence added to the anxiety knotting her insides. “I’ll talk to Dana.”

“I’m going with you,” Brianna stated.

He paused, his look filled with concern. “Are you sure you’re up to that, Brianna? You have a concussion, and the medic said you probably cracked some ribs.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “I can’t just sit here and wait, Derrick. I’m going crazy.”