Deadly Trap by Addison Fox

Author:Addison Fox
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-01-05T21:07:02+00:00

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Finn spent the remainder of the day actively avoiding the image of Darby Gage with a baby in her arms. He’d been excited to see his niece again, Lora’s arrival bringing a sense of familial bond he’d never fully known. He loved his siblings, but he had no idea what fierce protective instincts would be—or even could be—generated by the arrival of his sister’s child.

One look at the baby and it was easy to understand why. She was so small and helpless, the natural urge was to protect. The fact she was family made that need infinitely stronger.

Yet the sight of Darby holding her had been off the charts. It made no sense, but he couldn’t shake the image of the protective cradle of her arms securing Lora or the sweet cooing noises she made to his niece as she’d held her.

Which only made him imagine her with a baby of her own in her arms.

His baby.

The thought was so jarring he must have tensed up because Lotte barked beside him, the slightest whine edging her communication. She nudged his hand where he still held her favorite ball, her eyes full of question. He brushed her cheek with his crooked finger before tossing it once more.

The light touch and toss of her favorite rubber ball sent her off, barking all the way, down a long stretch of cleared path in the park by his apartment. The Red Ridge parks department had cleared the walking paths after the snowfall earlier that week and since the park was relatively empty he didn’t mind using the areas for Lotte’s exercise. The snow piles on either side of the path didn’t deter her enthusiasm and she skittered toward the ball, tumbling over her quarry and landing with half her body in the snowbank.

Leaping up, she shook it off and raced back toward him, her tail wagging all the way.

This, he understood. Quiet moments with his dog, the one entity in the entire world he trusted more than himself. He didn’t even trust Darby. Heck, up until the day before, he’d been half convinced she was a murderess.

But what about the other half?

All along he’d questioned if it was even possible she’d murdered anyone. His half-cocked plan to roust out a killer by pretending to be a couple was putting himself directly in the line of fire if she had been guilty. Yet it had never crossed his mind that Darby would hurt him or that he was in any sort of danger from her at all.

He tossed the ball again, watching it bounce down the path, with Lotte racing after it, and wondered when things had become so unexpected. Wondered even more when he had he begun thinking of Darby on such personal terms.

And where had that strange thought of children come from?

He’d accepted a long time ago that the family life that worked for so many wasn’t meant for him. He’d gone into his marriage with good intentions and had realized fairly quickly that it wasn’t for him.

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