Twin Threat Christmas by Rachelle McCalla

Author:Rachelle McCalla [McCalla, Rachelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780373446322
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

THREE

Just as she’d been about to start trusting him, Alyssa was reminded that this police officer, no matter how charming his smile, was a stranger, an unknown entity. And just like the incompetent officers who’d failed to find her sister eight years ago, even going so far as to suggest she and her grandfather had pushed Vanessa to run away, this man was more likely to hurt than help her.

She’d also thought of something else. Surely her sister knew better than to leave the baby with her without any instructions. Vanessa had always been the twin who was good with kids—Alyssa had been better with cement mix. Like the note on the baby’s shirt, perhaps Vanessa had left more instructions. Alyssa just needed to find them. She could check the car seat, the diaper bag, the rest of the baby’s clothes.

And really, she needed to get the kid indoors. Not only was the evening growing dark and cooling off, but if Vanessa had left the baby there to hide him, Alyssa wouldn’t be doing her sister any favors, either, standing outside in plain sight from the road.

“I’ll take him.” She held out her hands toward the baby, whom the officer still held upright in his arms. “I need to get him inside.”

“I can carry him in for you.”

Alyssa watched the man’s face as he spoke. Was he just offering to be friendly? There almost seemed to be a hint of challenge in his words. His steely gaze didn’t leave her face.

She weighed her options quickly. She wanted to get the baby inside, perhaps even more desperately than she wanted rid of the officer. And the man did seem to have a knack for handling the kid. He knew about gas bubbles, anyway, which Alyssa had no clue about. Perhaps it would be easier in the long run, if she let him carry the baby inside. He could hold her nephew while she searched for further instructions from her sister.

And if Vanessa needed help, it might not be a bad idea to have the law on her side. Granted, the officers who tried to find her sister eight years before hadn’t been much help. Their efforts had certainly been disappointing.

But there was something about this man that made her almost wish he could help her.

“Okay,” she agreed. Then, for good measure, she added, “Thank you. I’ll carry the car seat and the diaper bag.”

“You sure you can handle both of those?” the policeman asked as Alyssa hoisted up the bulging bag and awkward car seat.

“Portland cement comes in ninety-four-pound bags,” she informed him. She lifted the car seat high enough to avoid bumping it into any of her statuary as she led him to the front door of the cottage. “I carry those around all the time.” As she spoke, she paused and set down the car seat on the front stoop to free up her hands to open the door.

The officer let out a low whistle.

“What?” Alyssa glanced around the yard but didn’t see anything in the twilit darkness.

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