Ransom At Christmas. Barb Han

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      KELLY BLINKED HER eyes open. She felt woozy and disoriented as she pushed up on her elbows.

      Fear seized her as she realized it was pitch black and she had no idea where she was or what she was doing there.

      “You awake?” A familiar male voice sent a shiver of awareness through her.

      She didn’t respond because warning bells also sounded.

      He must’ve realized she was scared beyond belief because he added, “It’s Will Kent. I found you on my ranch about an hour ago.”

      She searched her memory… Will Kent? The wealthy kid she remembered from grade school? What on earth would she be doing with him? An image of a large man wearing a tuxedo rippled panic through her.

      “What are you wearing?” she said in a whisper. Her voice was raspy.

      “What?” He sounded bewildered but she needed to know.

      “Clothes. What do you have on?” she choked out.

      There was a moment of silence before a sharp breath issued. “Well, let’s see. I have on jeans and a T-shirt.”

      Tux was definitely not Will Kent. Relief was a flood to dry plains.

      “Where am I?” she whispered.

      “In a casita on my family’s land. I’d open a curtain or turn on a light but we can’t risk being discovered until help arrives.” His voice brought a sense of calm over her she knew better than to trust.

      She strained to remember but it felt like someone had poured concrete inside her skull and it had hardened.

      “Why am I here?” she finally asked, hating that she sounded scared.

      “You tell me,” the strong masculine voice said. The deep timbre reverberated down her spine, sending sensual tingles behind it. Her reactions were totally inappropriate to the situation and she mentally chided herself for them.

      “Mind if I come closer?” Will asked.

      She felt around her body to see if she was wearing clothes and was relieved to find that she was. But then she couldn’t imagine a man like Will Kent taking advantage of her.

      “Okay,” she said.

      She was being cautious but that was silly because a voice inside her told her that she could trust this man. And then the memory of the tuxedo man flashed in her thoughts. Fear was a living, breathing entity growing inside her. The overbearing smell of piney aftershave hit her—Tux’s aftershave. It had burned her nose and threatened to overwhelm her again just thinking about it.

      She gripped her stomach to stave off nausea.

      The mattress dipped next to her but she felt his male presence as he walked across the room toward her.

      She should be afraid. Instead, warmth blanketed her.

      This wasn’t the time to remember the crush she’d had on Will Kent in grade school, or that being near him now brought certain feelings to life. As a grown woman she didn’t do childish fantasies and it felt silly that her cheeks flamed with him this close despite her internal admonishment.

      Apparently, reason flew out the window as soon as a hot cowboy entered the picture. Will was more than a good-looking face with a body made for sin, though. He was intelligent but careful. He’d always been a little quiet and intense, which only made him more attractive in her eyes.

      Will seemed the kind of man who stood by his principles and didn’t seem to see the need to move his lips unless there was purpose.

      “Are you taking medication?” he asked.

      “What?” She didn’t bother to hide her shock at his question.

      “You seemed out of it when I found you—loopy. And at first, I thought you’d been drinking with it being your wedding day and—”

      “Hold on right there. My what?”