Delores Fossen - Santa Assignment

“Santa will find you,” Ashley promised. “I’ll make sure of it.”

He considered that with his now-pensive green eyes. Ashley had seen those eyes before. Brayden’s eyes. It stirred at least a dozen new emotions seeing them on a child she loved.

Then Brayden was there, in the doorway, watching them.

“I want you to accept my offer to stay at my house,” he said softly. “You might think I’m a couple of steps below navel lint, but I didn’t ask you to come here so you could get hurt.”

So, he didn’t dismiss her fears of the stalker. Didn’t give her one of those icy cop glances. It was one nearly perfect moment in what had been far from perfect between them.

And Ashley knew exactly where this had to go. Maybe she’d always known, but she’d needed this visit with her nephew for it to sink in. Now, she only hoped she could live with the decision she was about to make.

“I’ll do it,” she heard herself say. “I’ll have your baby.”

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

Our romantic suspense lineup this month promises to give you a lot to look forward to this holiday season!

We start off with Full Exposure, the second book in Debra Webb’s miniseries COLBY AGENCY: INTERNAL AFFAIRS. The ongoing investigation into the agency’s security leak heats up as a beautiful single mom becomes a pawn in a ruthless decimation plot. Next up…will wedding bells lead to murder? Find out in Hijacked Honeymoon—the fourth book in Susan Kearney’s HEROES, INC. series. Then Mallory Kane continues her ULTIMATE AGENTS stories with A Protected Witness—an edgy mystery about a vulnerable widow who puts her life in an FBI special agent’s hands.

November’s ECLIPSE selection is guaranteed to tantalize you to the core! The Man from Falcon Ridge is a spellbinding gothic tale about a primitive falcon trainer who swoops to the rescue of a tormented woman. Does she hold the key to a grisly unsolved murder—and his heart? And you’ll want to curl up in front of the fire to savor Christmas Stalking by Jo Leigh, which pits a sexy Santa-in-disguise against a strong-willed senator’s daughter when he takes her into his protective custody. Finally this month, unwrap Santa Assignment, an intense mystery by Delores Fossen. The clock is ticking when a desperate father moves heaven and earth to save the woman who could give his toddler son a Christmas miracle.

Enjoy all six!

Sincerely,

Denise O’Sullivan

Senior Editor

Harlequin Intrigue

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Imagine a family tree that includes Texas cowboys, Choctaw and Cherokee Indians, a Louisiana pirate and a Scottish rebel who battled side by side with William Wallace. With ancestors like that, it’s easy to understand why Texas author and former air force captain Delores Fossen feels as if she was genetically predisposed to writing romances. Along the way to fulfilling her DNA destiny, Delores married an air force top gun who just happens to be of Viking descent. With all those romantic bases covered, she doesn’t have to look too far for inspiration.

Lieutenant Brayden O’Malley—San Antonio Police Department. To save his young son, Brayden asks his former sister-in-law, Ashley, to have his child.

Ashley Palmer—Once a rising star among criminal defense attorneys, for the past two and a half years she’s been hiding from a vicious stalker. However, to save her nephew, she’s willing to risk everything to have Brayden’s baby.

Colton O’Malley—Brayden’s three-year-old son and Ashley’s nephew. He’s too young to realize the sacrifices Ashley and his father are willing to make for him.

Miles Granville—Ashley’s former boyfriend. He’s jealous of Brayden and Ashley’s relationship, and is holding an old grudge, since Ashley once defended the two men who tried to kill him.

Trevor Chapman—Once Ashley’s close friend. Is Trevor hiding behind a timid facade, and is he the stalker who’s been tormenting her?

Hyatt Chapman—A fugitive who blames Ashley for his felony conviction.

To my editors, Denise O’Sullivan and Stacy Boyd.

Thanks for everything.

Prologue

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

Northern Virginia

He’d found her.

Finally.

And that meant now he could kill her.

From across the street, he watched Ashley Palmer as she parked her dark blue compact in her driveway. Since there was no garage, she stepped out in plain view. Practically right in front of him.

Yes, it was Ashley all right. A different hair color. But definitely her.

She turned—not in his direction, though—and ducked her head down slightly, probably to shelter her face from the angry December wind. A few stray snowflakes swirled through the air, some landing on her hat and scarf. Her breath created a filmy cloud around her face.

Her footsteps slowed as she approached her house, and she examined the other vehicle parked in front. Not his. But a rental, driven there by a visitor who was probably the last person on earth she expected to see today.

Well, the second to the last anyway.

He almost certainly had the honor of being at the very bottom on that theoretical list. But he had no plans for her to see him.

Not until he was actually in the process of killing her, that is.

He smiled. The thoughts of her death sent a rush of pleasure and anticipation through him. It wouldn’t be fast. Not some impulsive act born out of rage and the need for vengeance. It would be methodical. Precise. Cold-blooded. Because she had to be punished for what she’d done, and a quick bullet to the head wouldn’t punish her enough.

No.

Not nearly enough.

He’d made a mistake when he’d killed her sister, Dana. But he’d learned a lot from that little faux pas. Without suffering, retribution just wasn’t very satisfying. This time, there would definitely be suffering.

In fact, he’d already set his plan of suffering into motion with the surprise he had left in her house while she was out. It’d been easy to disarm the security system and slip inside. And his gift would perhaps rid her of any peace of mind she’d managed to find since her sister’s death.

Sweet, delicious torture. With the promise of much more to come.