Undercover Christmas
She Claimed Her Baby Was His…Yet Chase Calloway swore he'd never met the mysterious pregnant woman who appeared at his family's ranch. True, an accident had blocked parts of his memory, but he wouldn't have forgotten the desire that flared between them….Marni McCumber deceived so that she might learn the truth. She hadn't counted on the pre-Christmas snows stranding her with Chase's secretive family–or the dangerous mishaps that have hinted she’s not the only one with something to hide. Forced to accept Chase's protection, Marni has found one truth impossible to conceal–she wants Chase. But when he regained his memory, would he want her?
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She Claimed Her Baby Was His…
Yet Chase Calloway swore he’d never met the mysterious pregnant woman who appeared at his family’s ranch. True, an accident had blocked parts of his memory, but he wouldn’t have forgotten the desire that flared between them….
Marni McCumber deceived so that she might learn the truth. She hadn’t counted on the pre-Christmas snows stranding her with Chase’s secretive family—or the dangerous mishaps that have hinted she’s not the only one with something to hide. Forced to accept Chase’s protection, Marni has found one truth impossible to conceal—she wants Chase. But when he regained his memory, would he want her?
Previously Published.
“All I can tell you is…the truth.”
“The truth?” Chase asked, sounding skeptical.
Marni nodded as she turned to face him. “The truth is…I’m in love with you.”
For a moment, she thought he’d laugh in her face. “Cut your losses and give up this charade,” he said, dropping his voice to a menacing softness as he leaned closer. “You are no more pregnant with my child than you are in love with me.”
Before she could move, he took her face in his hands. In the depths of his gaze, she saw what he planned to do. He took her mouth with an intensity that stunned her. Her body ached; no one had ever kissed her like this.
He broke off the kiss and shoved himself away from her. “You and I have never kissed before,” he said. “If we had, I would have remembered.”
You’ve told us that stories about hidden identities are some of your favorites, so this month we’re happy to bring you another, in the HIDDEN IDENTITY promotion. Join B. J. Daniels for a special Christmas HIDDEN IDENTITY mystery.
B.J. loves old houses, like the one in Undercover Christmas—set in her hometown of Bozeman, Montana—because they always have secrets of their own. So do families. Coming from a family that is rumored to have had a few horse thieves of its own, B.J.’s always been fascinated by family dynamics. She’d love to hear from her readers at P.O. Box 183, Bozeman, Montana 59771.
We hope you enjoy it—and all the HIDDEN IDENTITY books coming to you in the months ahead.
Regards,
Debra Matteucci
Senior Editor & Editorial Coordinator
Mills and Boon
300 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017
To my daughter, Danielle Rosanne Smith.
Thanks for all the laughs, the love and the encouragement. You’re the best
Marni McCumber—She had no idea what she was getting into when she pretended to be seven months pregnant to help her twin.
Chase Calloway—He knew he wasn’t the father of this woman’s baby and he planned to prove it—if he could just keep her alive long enough.
Elise McCumber—All she did was fall in love with a man named Chase Calloway and now someone wanted her and her unborn baby dead.
Jabe Calloway—He wanted a grandchild and he would do anything to get one.
Vanessa Calloway—She was determined to keep the Calloway fortune for herself and her sons.
Lilly Calloway—Who knew what she’d do to settle an old score?
Hayes Calloway—He was in a loveless marriage, tied to a woman he suspected was a killer.
Felicia Calloway—She planned to have the baby who would inherit the Calloway fortune—and nothing was going to stop her.
Dayton Calloway—He was tired of not being the favorite son and decided to do something about it.
Table of Contents
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
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
November 3
A biting cold wind stole down Main Street, sending the last of the shoppers scurrying. Chase pulled his coat around him and stepped to the curb in front of the old Bozeman Hotel to check again. It wasn’t like his father to be late. But then Jabe Calloway had been doing a lot of unlikely things in the past few weeks.
Lights flickered off as downtown stores closed for the night. The traffic dwindled, exhausts cloudy and white as the vehicles passed. From the dark sky, snow sifted, covering the town in an icy layer of frost.
Worry stole Chase’s thoughts the way the cold stole his body heat. He stomped his feet and rubbed his gloved hands together trying to stay warm. No, it wasn’t like Jabe Calloway to be late nor to call his oldest son and ask him to meet him on a street corner.
The memory of something Chase thought he’d heard in his father’s voice suddenly chilled him more than the weather. He hadn’t been able to put a name to it. Probably because it was a word he’d never associated with his father. Fear. Chase glanced at his watch. Almost an hour late. Jabe had been explicit about the time. Nine sharp. Jabe had some papers he needed to sign at the family attorney’s office and he wanted Chase to go with him. But at this late hour? No, Jabe Calloway wasn’t himself lately. Either something was terribly wrong or—
