Her Christmas Hero: Christmas Justice / Snow Blind / Christmas at Thunder Horse Ranch

He’d never find Bradley this way.

If he couldn’t chase after Bradley, he’d just have to find bait that would attract him.

Trouble, Texas, was the way to do it.

Chapter Nine (#u9efcc841-fcab-552b-8d99-3836b8e73c47)

Laurel wrenched open the door of the SUV. The destroyed chip lay on the ground, along with her shredded heart. “You’re wrong about my father,” she said, her face hot with anger. “He would never hurt you like that.”

“I know what I saw,” Garrett said. “First your sister’s evidence pointing to James, and now this.”

She scooted into the front seat and gripped the steering wheel. It couldn’t be. “He might not have been the perfect father or even around much, but he’s a patriot through and through. And he’s definitely no traitor.”

“Well, neither am I,” Garrett snapped. “Yet I’m being hunted. He told lies about me, acted like the heartbroken, betrayed mentor, supposedly to save my life. But now I have to wonder. What better way to hide your true leanings than to throw someone close to you to the wolves and mourn the treason?”

She didn’t want to admit the plan sounded good—just simple enough and brilliant enough to have her father’s name attached to it. But she wouldn’t—couldn’t—believe James McCallister would do that to Garrett.

“Why did he save your life, then?” Laurel shot back, desperate to convince him—and herself—that her father hadn’t betrayed both of them.

“I haven’t figured that out yet.”

“If my dad really were responsible for all of this, he wouldn’t have kept you alive. He wouldn’t have given you your new identity.” Laurel put her arm on the back of the seat and faced him. “And Dad sure wouldn’t have—” she glanced back at Molly “—caused the explosion in Virginia,” she said under her breath.

The little girl’s wide eyes went back and forth between them, her lip trembling.

“You’re making me cry. I don’t like fighting.”

Garrett’s eyes softened. “Sorry, sugar. Your aunt and I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Molly hunkered back in the seat, hugging Mr. Houdini close. “Mommy and Daddy fighted about her job all the time.”

Laurel twisted in the car. “I didn’t know that. What did they say?”

“Daddy wanted Mommy to stay at home with me. I wanted her to stay home, too. Now she’ll never stay with me.” Molly hugged the stuffed animal and picked at its neck. “She said she was doing something ’portant and couldn’t stop them.”

“I’m sorry, Molly.” Laurel shot Garrett a glare. “We won’t fight anymore. Will we?”

He shook his head. “I’m not lying to Molly, because we’re going to disagree about this.” He gave Molly a small smile. “But, sugar, we’ll promise to discuss things more quietly next time. Okay?”