Texan's Baby
A Texas bodyguard never thought he'd see Melanie Dixon again—or learn he was the father of her little boy…A shotgun blast shatters the night and Dawson Hill foils a ruthless stalker. Now the fearless bodyguard is committed to protecting Melanie Dixon—the alluring woman who left him two years ago without a word. Not only is he surprised she's back in Mason Ridge, Dawson is doubly stunned to learn they have a son.Now the three of them are on the run, and Dawson is determined to protect the baby boy he never knew he could love so much. With his passion for Melanie reigniting like Texas wildfire even as he struggles to forgive her deception, a madman closes in. A madman who threatens the family Dawson never dreamed would be within reach.
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âWhy didnât you tell me about the baby?â Dawson asked.
âI was scared.â
He shot her a look. âWhy didnât you really?â She shrugged.
âWhat arenât you telling me?â he demanded.
âItâs going to take time to learn everything about him, Dawson,â she hedged, trying to redirect the conversation back to a comfortable place. âMaybe itâs enough for the two of you to get to know each other. We donât have to do this all in one day, do we?â
âNo. Of course not. But I have every intention of being there for my son as he grows up.â
USA TODAY bestselling author BARB HAN lives in north Texas with her very own hero-worthy husband, three beautiful children, a spunky golden retriever/standard poodle mix and too many books in her to-read pile. In her downtime, she plays video games and spends much of her time on or around a basketball court. She loves interacting with readers and is grateful for their support. You can reach her at www.barbhan.com.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Allison Lyons and Jill Marsal for the chance to work with you both, the best editor and agent in the business.
Thank you to the entire team at Mills & Boon Intrigue, led by Denise Zaza, for brilliant editorial, art and marketing. Iâm blown away every time.
There are a few people who inspire me, breathing joy and laughter into every day ⦠Brandon, Jacob and Tori; I hope you know how much I love you. And to John, my one great love, for being the person I canât wait to talk to at the end of each day.
A huge thank-you to Chrissy McDowell for her medical research help and to her daughter, Morgan, for her all-around awesomeness and bright red hair.
Contents
Dawson Hill stared at the two-story Folk Victorian across the street intently. It was two oâclock in the morning and heâd been in the same spot at the front window an embarrassing number of hours already. He was staying the night at his childhood home in hopes that he would figure out a good reason to approach her. If he thought he could get a straight answer out of Melanie Dixon, heâd stalk over and ask her outright. As it was, he could only guess why sheâd disappeared two and a half years ago, not long after theyâd started what he thought was a real relationship. Normally heâd be able to let it go and not look back, but theyâd known each other since they were kids and it wasnât like her to pull such a stunt.
Movement across the street caught Dawsonâs eye. A dark silhouette crossed the front window. Was someone on her porch? Why would anyone be moving around outside in the dark at this time of night? The thought sat in his gut about as well as eating a handful of nails.
Beckett Alcorn, aka The Mason Ridge Abductorâthe most notorious criminal in Mason Ridgeâs historyâwas in jail where he belonged. That should have ended the terror that had haunted this town for fifteen years. Except that, in return for leniency, Alcorn gave up his partnerâs name. He and Jordan Sprigs had been running a child abduction ring throughout Texas for the past fifteen years. Sprigs was believed to be out of the state, in hiding.
The town should be able to rest easy. It couldnât. The feds had been brought in to actively look for Sprigs. This was the last place anyone expected to find him. And yet no one felt safe. This case never seemed to close. Maybe that was the reason Dawson didnât believe it was over, either.
Now that Alcorn was behind bars and every available law enforcement officer was seeking Sprigs, the town was supposed to be able to move forward. Go back to their normal lives. And yet little things were still going bump in the night. Or in this case, shadows were moving across windows.
Melanieâs parents were on the road, so Dawson already knew she was home alone. Her parents had spent every summer in their RV traveling around the US since retiring from the post office half a dozen years ago.
Because she was by herself in the house and Dawsonâs creepy radar was on full alert, he slipped out the back door to investigate.
A quick walk around the perimeter followed by peeking in a couple of windows just to make sure she wasnât in trouble would allow him to rest peacefully. Rest? He suppressed a laugh. Knowing Melanie was across the street alone while one of Mason Ridgeâs most notorious criminals was on the loose wasnât exactly the cure for insomnia.
Making sure she was safe would go a long way toward giving him the peace of mind he needed to sleep, he told himself. And this had nothing to do with the fact that he needed to see her again.
Dawson ignored the little voice in the back of his mind calling him a liar and slipped across the street.
