Yvonne Lindsay - The Christmas Baby Bonus

Snowbound with the boss—and a baby! Only from USA TODAY bestselling author Yvonne Lindsay.

When his assistant finds an abandoned baby at his family’s lodge, wealthy Piers Luckman takes full responsibility. He might be clueless about children, but being snowbound with his capable, sexy employee has its benefits. Except Faye Darby shies away from little Casey and wants nothing to do with baby-rearing, Christmas...or the smoldering attraction between her and her boss. For the first time in his life, Piers must fight for what he wants—this little family...and Faye by his side and in his bed.

“This little one isn’t going to grow up alone,” Piers said.

He kept his gaze on the baby in his arms and added, “I will always be there for him.”

“You don’t even know for sure he’s your brother’s child,” Faye protested.

Piers caressed the baby’s cheek. “It fits. I want to offer him the kind of life he deserves.”

His words made something twist deep in Faye’s chest. Made her see another side of him that was all too appealing. It was the baby. It had to be. After the terrible tragedy she’d been through thirteen years ago, she’d learned to inure herself to getting involved, to forming an emotional bond.

And here she was, stranded with a man who appealed to her on so many levels, despite her best efforts to keep her reactions under control—and a helpless infant who called on those old instincts she thought she’d suppressed.

She knew he was determined to get to the root of why she was so unwavering about having nothing to do with the baby. Or him.

She couldn’t give in to temptation.

* * *

The Christmas Baby Bonus

is part of Mills & Boon Desire’s No.1 bestselling

series, Billionaires and Babies: Powerful men…

wrapped around their babies’ little fingers

The Christmas Baby Bonus

Yvonne Lindsay

www.millsandboon.co.uk

A typical Piscean, USA TODAY bestselling author YVONNE LINDSAY has always preferred her imagination to the real world. Married to her blind-date hero and with two adult children, she spends her days crafting the stories of her heart, and in her spare time she can be found with her nose in a book reliving the power of love, or knitting socks and daydreaming. Contact her via her website, www.yvonnelindsay.com.

To my wonderful friends,

who often know me better than I know myself.

In particular to Nalini, Nicky and Peta for

prompting (aka pestering) me to write this book

while I stared with loathing (yes, I’m a Grinch)

at a Christmas tree, and to Shar,

who couldn’t make it that night

but who would have been pestering, ahem,

prompting me right along with them.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Snowbound with the boss—and a baby! Only from USA TODAY bestselling author Yvonne Lindsay. When his assistant finds an abandoned baby at his family’s lodge, wealthy Piers Luckman takes full responsibility. He might be clueless about children, but being snowbound with his capable, sexy employee has its benefits. Except Faye Darby shies away from little Casey and wants nothing to do with baby-rearing, Christmas...or the smoldering attraction between her and her boss. For the first time in his life, Piers must fight for what he wants—this little family...and Faye by his side and in his bed.

Introduction “This little one isn’t going to grow up alone,” Piers said. He kept his gaze on the baby in his arms and added, “I will always be there for him.” “You don’t even know for sure he’s your brother’s child,” Faye protested. Piers caressed the baby’s cheek. “It fits. I want to offer him the kind of life he deserves.” His words made something twist deep in Faye’s chest. Made her see another side of him that was all too appealing. It was the baby. It had to be. After the terrible tragedy she’d been through thirteen years ago, she’d learned to inure herself to getting involved, to forming an emotional bond. And here she was, stranded with a man who appealed to her on so many levels, despite her best efforts to keep her reactions under control—and a helpless infant who called on those old instincts she thought she’d suppressed. She knew he was determined to get to the root of why she was so unwavering about having nothing to do with the baby. Or him. She couldn’t give in to temptation. * * * The Christmas Baby Bonus is part of Mills & Boon Desire’s No.1 bestselling series, Billionaires and Babies: Powerful men… wrapped around their babies’ little fingers

Title Page The Christmas Baby Bonus Yvonne Lindsay www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author A typical Piscean, USA TODAY bestselling author YVONNE LINDSAY has always preferred her imagination to the real world. Married to her blind-date hero and with two adult children, she spends her days crafting the stories of her heart, and in her spare time she can be found with her nose in a book reliving the power of love, or knitting socks and daydreaming. Contact her via her website, www.yvonnelindsay.com .

Dedication To my wonderful friends, who often know me better than I know myself. In particular to Nalini, Nicky and Peta for prompting (aka pestering) me to write this book while I stared with loathing (yes, I’m a Grinch) at a Christmas tree, and to Shar, who couldn’t make it that night but who would have been pestering, ahem, prompting me right along with them.

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Thirteen

Fourteen

Extract

Copyright

One

There, let that be the last tartan bow to be tied, Faye begged silently as she stood back and eyed the turned-wood balustrade that led to the upstairs gallery of the lodge. Swags of Christmas ribbon looped up the stairs, with a large tartan bow at each peak.

Not for the first time, she cursed the bad luck that had seen her boss’s usual decorator fall off a ladder and dislocate her shoulder a week before Piers was due to arrive at his holiday home here in Wyoming for his annual Christmas retreat and weeklong house party.

Faye had suggested he go with a minimalistic look for the festive season this year, but, no, he’d been adamant. Tradition, he’d called it. A pain in the butt, she’d called it. Either way, she’d been forced out of her warm sunny home in Santa Monica and onto an airplane, only to arrive in Jackson Hole to discover weather better suited to a polar bear than a person. So, here she was. Six days away from Christmas, decorating a house for a bunch of people who probably wouldn’t appreciate it. Except for her boss, of course. He loved this time of year with a childlike passion, right down to the snow.

She hated snow, but not as much as she hated Christmas.

She turned slowly and surveyed the main hall of the lodge. Even her late mother would have been proud, Faye thought with a sharp pang in her chest, before she pushed that thought very firmly away. The entire house looked disgustingly festive. It was enough to make a sane person want to hurl, she told herself firmly, clinging to her hatred of the season of goodwill. There was no reason to be sad about being alone for the holidays when she hated the holidays with a passion, right?

At least her task was over and she could head back to the sun, where she could hide in her perfectly climate-controlled apartment and lose herself in her annual tradition of binge-watching every Predator movie made, followed by every Alien DVD in her collection, followed by any other sci-fi horror flick that was as disassociated from Christmas as it was from reality.