Series: Mystery Christmas (Book 2)
Duty and danger bring an alpha hero to Mystery, Montana
Waylon Fitzgerald had a life of adventure all planned out -- one that did not include returning to his family's ranch to bring his missing ex-wife into custody for murder. With so much bad blood between them, the sexy military police officer understands why his ex's sister, Christina Bell, hates him. And yet he and Christina spark a sizzling attraction.
What changes everything for Waylon is Winnie, Christina's adorable ward…and the startling revelation that he's her father. When she goes missing -- her mother a killer at large -- Waylon's world is upended. Will he redeploy to follow his passions around the world…or stay where his heart has found an unexpected Christmas present?
Good book. Waylon has taken some time off his job as an army MP to return to Mystery, Montana. He is on a mission to help find and apprehend his ex-wife, who is wanted for murder. Then he will go back to his regular life, away from the monotony of ranch life. The first people he sees when he arrives are the adorable toddler, Winnie, and her guardian, his ex's sister Christina. Christina seems to despise him, but there's also an undercurrent of attraction.
Alli made Christina Winnie's guardian before she disappeared, after allegedly killing two people. Alli has always had her problems, but Christina finds it hard to believe that her sister is capable of murder. Now that Waylon is back at the ranch, Christina begins to question the terrible things that Alli said about him. She also feels guilty about keeping the secret that Waylon is Winnie's father.
I liked the development of the relationship between Waylon and Christina. I was really impressed by Waylon's understanding of Christina's anger with him. He admired her loyalty to Alli and accepted that he was not completely innocent in the breakdown of his marriage. He was surprised by his attraction to her and tried to resist. He would not be staying at the ranch, and he knew Christina had no plans to leave it. As they spent time together trying to find Alli, Christina realized that the things Alli had told her were far from the truth. She was especially surprised by the way that Waylon connected with Winnie, the sight of him playing princess with her melted Christina's heart. Over the next few days their attraction grew, and so did the feelings beneath it. I liked that Christina came to trust Waylon enough to tell him the truth and that once he got over the shock, Waylon realized that no harm had been meant in the keeping of the secret. It gives Waylon and Christina one more tie to bind them closer together. Each of them has to come to terms with their fears and expectations before they can consider a future together. I liked Waylon's big moment at the end as he takes a chance on having it all.
The suspense of the story was good. Even though I haven't read the first book yet, there was enough information provided that I didn't feel lost. The problem at hand is finding Alli, and so far there haven't been any useful leads. Waylon turns up one that leads to local resident William Poe, but it doesn't seem to pan out. I did not get a good feeling about Poe, who seems to have a problem with Waylon and his family. I have a feeling there is more going on with him that we see in this book. An encounter with a truck driver and a robbery at the ranch bring up some frightening possibilities and fear for Winnie. Things get intense really fast when Winnie disappears. An unexpected twist brings a resolution that I did not expect. I'm looking forward to reading the first book for more background, and future books to see what comes next.
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