A Baby For Christmas
He’s fighting for themWhen Amy Donovan married the town playboy and left Texas, Cole McCullough wished her well – no matter how much it hurt. He got past it – but never really over it. Now the one that got away is back and needs his help… in more ways than one!Recently divorced and fleeing her abusive ex-husband, Amy needs a safe place to hide and someone she can trust. And she’s not alone. Her fussy, six-month-old son needs sanctuary, too… and Cole is determined to protect them both. It’s not his family, but it’s the family – and the woman – he’s always wanted. So when Amy’s jealous ex tracks her down, hell-bent on reclaiming his ‘property,’ Cole’s ready to fight this time….
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Heâs fighting for them
When Amy Donavan married the town playboy and left Forever, Texas, Connor McCullough wished her wellâno matter how much it hurt. He got past it, but never really over it. Now the one that got away is back and needs his help...in more ways than one!
Recently divorced and fleeing her abusive ex-husband, Amy needs a safe place to hide and someone she can trust. And sheâs not alone. Her fussy six-month-old son needs sanctuary, too...and Connor is determined to protect them both. Itâs not his family, but itâs the familyâand the womanâheâs always wanted. So when Amyâs jealous ex tracks her down, hell-bent on reclaiming his âproperty,â Connorâs ready to fight this time...
âAll right,â he said to Amy as he headed toward the door, âthen I guess Iâll say good-night and turn in.â
Connor was almost at the threshold when he heard her call after him.
âConnor?â
He turned around quickly, thinking that she had remembered something she needed. âYes?â
Gratitude was shining in her eyes as she said, âThank you.â
The two words caused sunshine to filter all through him. He hadnât felt like that since they were kids in high school.
âMy pleasure,â he told her.
The next moment he pulled the door closed behind him and then he was gone.
âWell, we did it, Jamie,â she whispered softly to the child, who was asleep in the nearby cradle. âWe escaped. Now all we have to do is figure out what to do with the rest of our lives.â
USA TODAY bestselling and RITA® Awardâwinning author MARIE FERRARELLA has written more than two hundred and seventy-five books for Mills & Boon, some under the name Marie Nicole. Her romances are beloved by fans worldwide. Visit her website, www.marieferrarella.com.
To Audrey,
The Best Pet In The Whole World.
Ten Years Wasnât Nearly Long Enough.
We All Miss You More Than Words Can Say.
Contents
It was so quiet, he could literally hear himself breathe.
Maybe he needed to get a dog.
Connor McCullough frowned and shook his head.
That was the thinking of a desperate man, the twenty-eight-year-old rancher told himself. He shouldnât be desperate. After all, he had earned all this peace and quiet. Lord knew heâd worked hard enough for it over the years.
The only trouble with peace and quiet was that it was, well, too quiet. And peaceful could also be another word for boring.
For the last twenty-eight years, the ranch house he was sitting in had seen more than its share of bustling activityâas well as its share of sorrow. His mother had died here giving birth to Cassidy twenty-three years ago and this was where his father had passed away, as well. The latter had happened a week before he was about to go off to college. The first one in his family to actually go to college.
That dream wound up being temporarily shelved, or so he told himself, because if he had gone off to college, Cody, Cole and Cassidy would have been farmed out to foster homes, most likely separate ones.
So heâd stayed on and the four of them had worked as hard as they could to eke out a living and keep the ranch, his fatherâs legacy, going.
It definitely hadnât been easy.
At times it was damn near impossible, but somehow, theyâd always wound up managing, thanks to hard work and the kindness of their fellow neighbors in Foreverâespecially Miss Joan, the redheaded, wisecracking, dour-faced guardian angel who ran the diner that had been, and still was, the small townâs only restaurant.
Looking back, he kind of missed those years. Missed working so hard that he fell into bed, bone tired and asleep before his head had a chance to hit his pillow.
Missed hearing his siblings arguing about whose turn it was to do what chore.
At times, he recalled, it had gotten so noisy, he couldnât hear himself think.
Well, he certainly could hear himself think now. But all he could really think of was that he missed the arguing. Missed all the sounds of a family living together.
One by one, Cody, then Cassidy and finally Cole had found the one they were supposed to be with and they had all gotten married in what seemed to him to be, now that he looked back, an amazingly short amount of time. All three were now married with kids. And, of course, they were all here every Sunday. Sunday dinners were pure bedlam and he loved it. But in contrast it made the rest of the week feel almost as quiet as a tomb.
At least, that was the way the evenings felt.
Most of the time Rita, his housekeeper, was around. The woman wasnât exactly a chatterbox, but she did talk on occasion and the sound of her voice took away the oppressive feeling of loneliness.
