Standoff At Christmas

DANGEROUS HOLIDAY HOMECOMING

Anchorage K-9 officer Jake Nichols returns home for Christmas to recover from the accident that almost killed him—and find a little peace and quiet. But those plans are shattered when his childhood friend Rachel Hart gets caught up in a drug-smuggling ring after her aunt is brutally murdered. Jake quickly discovers that Port Aurora is no longer the tranquil little fishing town he left behind. He promises Rachel that he’ll stick around until he tracks down the killer—and vows to protect her at all costs. Both of their lives are in peril as he battles against the Alaskan winter, a ruthless criminal…and his developing feelings for Rachel.

Alaskan Search and Rescue: Risking their lives to save the day

“Hurry, Rachel. The fire is spreading over the roof.”

The sound of his voice calmed the fear rising in her even as she climbed to the window and grabbed Jake’s hands to hold tight. With her arms hanging out the window and her upper chest lying on the bottom of it, her legs dangled in midair in the bathroom. She tried to move forward, but something sharp scraped her side.

“There must be some glass on my right, but don’t stop.”

“Sorry, I thought I got all the glass out of the frame.”

Another crash sounded behind her. Time was running out.

Rachel managed to shift a bit while Jake said, “I’ll be right back. I remember there was a blanket in the shed.” Jake raced toward the small building.

The scent of smoke and burning wood bombarded Rachel. Someone wanted to destroy the house and Rachel and her aunt with it. But why? Coughs racked her while Jake rushed back. He took the blanket and put it between her and the window frame.

“This should help you move easier.” Then he grabbed her arms and yanked.

“Just get me out.” She imagined the flames eating away at the door and any second bursting into the room…

MARGARET DALEY, an award-winning author of ninety books (five million sold worldwide), has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread, and corralling her three cats, who think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret, visit her website at margaretdaley.com.

Standoff at

Christmas

Margaret Daley

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will

of God and our Father.

—Galatians 1:4

For Helen, who introduced me to Alaska

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

EPILOGUE

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

ONE

Rachel Hart left the warmth of her office building to trudge through the snow toward the processing center at the Port Aurora Fishery. The lights on in the building beckoned her in the predawn morning. The sun was just rising to the east in Port Aurora, Alaska, and then it would set by three in the afternoon.

She was used to the winters, having lived most of her twenty-eight years in the town, but today she wished the sun would shine for more than six hours. She looked up at the dark clouds rolling in and quickened her pace. An omen?

She lifted her cell phone and listened again to the message from Aunt Betty. “Rachel, I’ve got to talk to you. Today. Alone. Something’s wrong. I don’t know what to do. I’m taking my break at nine this morning.” Luckily, today was payday, so Rachel could use her position as bookkeeper as an excuse to visit the processing center.

The urgency in her aunt’s voice shivered down Rachel’s spine. What’s wrong? Aunt Betty is always so cheerful and calm. She must have called earlier while Rachel was away from her office.

Entering the building, Rachel walked down the hallway that led to the mail room for the employees who worked in the processing center. It was part of the large break room next to the office where Sean O’Hara managed this part of the company.

When she popped into the break room, Aunt Betty sat at the table with one of the newer employees. “I’ve got your paychecks.” Rachel covered the distance to the two women and handed Betty and Ingrid their checks. “The next one will come with a bonus right before we close down for Christmas.” She wanted to pull her aunt out in the hallway and find out what was wrong, but when she looked at the older woman with touches of gray hair around her face, her brown eyes widened and she shook her head slightly.

“I’m just thankful for the extra hours.” Aunt Betty opened the envelope, looked at the amount and forced a grin, the corners of her mouth twitching.

In past years the fishery had closed down during the winter months, and the crabs were sent to another plant. Rachel had been thrilled about that part of the fishery’s expansion in the last year. So had everyone else, especially Aunt Betty.

“But I’m also excited to have a few weeks off for the holidays.” Her hand shaking, Aunt Betty stuck her paycheck in her pocket.