tion id="u6a00fd13-ba53-56cb-8834-d50e1ad28912">
HER HOLIDAY BODYGUARD
When journalist Samantha Colt finds herself tied up and dumped on a landmine outside her boss’s country house, she has no memory of how she got there. And her only clue is an ominous note warning her to quit before it’s too late. Fortunately, the quick-witted soldier who’s house-sitting for her boss rescues her…and agrees to become her bodyguard until the danger ends. Joshua Rhodes might be protecting Sam as a favor, but the spark that immediately sizzles between him and the determined, lovely reporter can’t be denied. If the puzzled pair can’t swiftly outsmart Samantha’s tormentors, though, their brimming holiday romance will be snuffed out…along with Samantha’s life.
“Do you think something bad will happen if I move you?”
Yes.
“Will somebody attack us? Like there’s somebody nearby lying in wait?”
No.
“How about a booby trap?”
Yes. Her eyes cut to the floorboards hoping he’d understand.
“Underneath you? Like a pressure-sensitive device?”
Yes! She nodded her head.
“Well, then, I get why you’re so twitchy.” He set the gun down, reached into his back pocket and pulled out his knife. “It looks like you can move your head freely without setting it off. So now that I know what’s going on, I’m thinking that if I’m really slow and careful I can probably cut off your gag and then you can tell me exactly what we’re dealing with, okay?”
Yes, but—
She took a breath and then nodded.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s do this.”
MAGGIE K. BLACK is an award-winning journalist and romantic suspense author with an insatiable love of traveling the world. She has lived in the American South, Europe and the Middle East. She now makes her home in Canada with her history teacher husband, their two beautiful girls and a small but mighty dog. Maggie enjoys connecting with her readers at maggiekblack.com.
Kidnapped at Christmas
Maggie K. Black
Say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear; your God will come.”
—Isaiah 35:4a
Thanks to Roz for giving me a safe place to hide and write. Thanks to Sunny for the puzzle-piece metaphor. You are remarkable women, and you both inspire me.
Also, thank you, Bethany, for lending me your very special headphones when mine broke, so that I didn’t have to write the suspenseful kidnap scene while listening to “Under the Mango Tree.” You are very awesome and I love you.
Contents
A fierce, biting cold that seemed to dig right into her skin was the first thing journalist Samantha Colt felt as her groggy brain swam back into consciousness.
The second was the sharp tip of the knife pressed against her throat.
“Don’t move.” The voice was coarse, male and contained more than a hint of a threat.
She froze. She was lying on her back and couldn’t move her arms or legs. The metal floor of some kind of vehicle vibrated beneath her. The shriek of December wind rose above the rough sound of the engine. A gag filled her mouth. She opened her eyes and saw nothing but a blindfold.
I’ve been kidnapped.
The thought hit her like a jolt. But who’d kidnapped her? How had they grabbed her? What could they possibly want?
She had no idea.
Help me, Lord! she prayed.
She closed her eyes again and struggled to piece