Stockyard Snatching

A Texas rancher will do anything to protect a woman in jeopardy and the little boy who could be his son…

With the ferocity of a tigress, Kate Williams desperately fights a kidnapper trying to snatch her adopted son from her arms. When rancher Dallas O’Brien sees the skirmish, he bravely saves the infant and his lovely mother. Single and new in town, Kate accepts the handsome cowboy’s offer of a safe haven at his ranch.

Spurred on by their Texas-sized attraction, Dallas and Kate untangle a web of lies that throws the baby’s paternity into question. And Dallas wonders—could he be a father? Could he be a husband? But when bullets start flying, the real question is, will he survive to find out?

His gaze didn’t budge from Kate. She was embarrassed.

“Oh, I have no one to blame. I did it to myself,” she said wistfully.

“I may not be an expert on babies, but I do know how they’re made. And I’m fairly certain there has to be a partner.” It was his turn to shoot her a confused look.

“Adoption,” she said.

And then he gave her another.

“Surely you’ve heard of adopting a baby before,” she said with an exasperated look.

“Of course I have. I just didn’t know that was your circumstance,” he said stupidly.

Looking closer at the baby, Dallas couldn’t help but notice the boy had dark curly hair.

Not unlike his own.

STOCKYARD SNATCHING

USA TODAY
Bestselling Author

Barb Han

USA TODAY
bestselling author
Barb Han
lives in north Texas with her very own hero-worthy husband, three beautiful children, a spunky golden retriever/standard poodle mix and too many books in her to-read pile. In her downtime, she plays video games and spends much of her time on or around a basketball court. She loves interacting with readers and is grateful for their support. You can reach her at
barbhan.com
.

Books by Barb Han

Harlequin Intrigue

Cattlemen Crime Club

Stockyard Snatching

Mason Ridge

Texas Prey

Texas Takedown

Texas Hunt

Texan’s Baby

The Campbells of Creek Bend

Witness Protection

Gut Instinct

Hard Target

Rancher Rescue

Harlequin Intrigue Noir

Atomic Beauty

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CAST OF CHARACTERS

Kate Williams—
Adopting a baby from Safe Haven Adoption Agency and moving to Bluff, Texas, was supposed to give her a new lease on life. An attempted kidnapping and news that other babies adopted from the agency are being abducted have her reassessing whom she can trust.

Dallas O’Brien—
He inherited the family’s successful cattle ranch with five of his brothers following their parents’ deaths. After amassing his own fortune, he had a brief relationship that could have produced a child. The question is…could Dallas be the father of Kate’s adopted baby?

Susan Hanover—
She claims to have had Dallas’s baby and then she disappeared without a trace. Her last-known trail leads to Safe Haven Adoption Agency.

Wayne Morton—
This private investigator (hired by Dallas) is killed while following up on a lead with Safe Haven Adoption Agency.

Tommy Johnson—
The sheriff who grew up at the O’Brien ranch and considers them family.

Allen Lentz—
He’s the second in command at the charity run by Kate. Does his interest in her run purely professional? If not, how far will he go to make it personal?

Raphael Manuel—
This criminal might be linked to Susan.

William Seaver—
The lawyer who handled Kate’s adoption…and Susan’s.

Harold Matthews—
He handles much of the paperwork at Safe Haven Adoption Agency, but does he do more than that?

My deepest thanks to Allison Lyons. It’s hard to believe this is already
our 10th book together! Working with you is a dream come true
and I’m so very grateful. Special nod to Jill Marsal for your
unwavering support and guidance (and brilliance!).

My love to Brandon, Jacob and Tori. I’m so proud of each one of you.
You’re bright, talented and have the best quirks!

To Amelia Rae, you stole our hearts a year ago. Happy 1st Birthday!

And to you, Babe. I can’t even imagine being on this journey
without you. All my love. All my life.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Excerpt from Into Dust by B.J. Daniels

CHAPTER ONE

It was a bitterly cold early October morning. The temperature gauge on Dallas O’Brien’s dashboard read 17 degrees, beneath a gray sky thick with clouds.

As it turned out, the Lone Star State had a temper and its tantrums came in the form of cold snaps that made him miss having a winter beard. Dallas hated cold.

Yesterday, the sun had been out and he had been in short sleeves. Texas weather—like life—could turn on a dime.

Another frigid breeze blasted through Dallas, piercing his coat as he slid out of the driver’s seat and then closed the door of his pickup. He flipped up the corners of his collar. Since there was no traffic, he’d made it to the supply store in record time. Normally the place would be open, but Jessie had been running late ever since his wife gave birth to twins early last month.

A car tooled around the back of the building and across the parking lot. Was that Kate Williams, the proud owner of the soup kitchen, The Food Project? Dallas hadn’t had a chance to meet her yet, with everything going on at the ranch after his parents’ deaths.

A female came out of the driver’s side, rounded the car and moved to the rear passenger door. From this distance, Dallas estimated she wasn’t an inch more than five and a half feet tall. He couldn’t see much of her figure through her thick, buttoned-to-the-collar, navy blue peacoat. Her cable-knit scarf looked more like an afghan wrapped around her neck. He suppressed a laugh. Apparently, she didn’t do cold any better than Dallas.

From what little he could see of her legs, she had on blue jeans. Furry brown boots rose above her calves. She wore expensive clothing for someone who owned a soup kitchen. And apparently—Dallas glanced at his watch—that process began at five thirty in the morning.

This had to be her, he reasoned, as she pulled a baby out of the backseat, bundled from head to toe in what looked like a fitted blue quilt. Blue.

A boy?

Didn’t that twist up Dallas’s insides?

First, his ex Susan Hanover had dropped the bomb that he was going to be a father. Then she’d pulled a disappearing act. And even the best private investigator money could buy hadn’t been able to locate her or the baby since.

Knowing Susan, she’d been lying to trap him into a wedding ring. Dallas’s finger itched thinking about it.

With her and the baby gone, all he had left were questions—questions that kept him tossing and turning most nights.

What if she’d been lying? What if she hadn’t? What if Dallas had a child out there somewhere? What if his child needed him?

Dallas would never be able to rest until he had answers.

Walking away from a child wasn’t something an O’Brien could ever do. Dallas had already lost his parents, and family meant everything to him.

As Ms. Williams closed the door to her vehicle, shivering in the cold, a male figure emerged from around the side of her building. The guy had on a hoodie and his face was angled toward the ground. His clothes were dirty, dark and layered. He was either homeless or trying to look the part.

The guy glanced around nervously as he approached Ms. Williams.

Didn’t that get Dallas’s radar jacked up to full alert? He strained to get a better view.
Come on. Look up.

All this guy would have to do would be ask Ms. Williams a question to distract her—say, what time the place opened. She would answer; he would rob her and then run. There were plenty of places to disappear downtown or in the neighborhood near the stockyard.

It would be a perfect crime, because not only was she holding a baby, but her thick clothing would weigh her down, making it impossible for her to catch him.

Well, a perfect crime if Dallas wasn’t right there watching.

Then again, this really could be a man in need of a meal. Experience had taught Dallas not to jump the gun when it came to people. There was no shortage of homeless, even in a small town like Bluff, Texas.

The times he had driven by this location early in the morning and found the line of needy individuals stretched around the block were too many to count. He was pretty certain Ms. Williams’s neighbors on Main Street didn’t appreciate her clientele. None of them would be wandering through the stores after a meal to buy handmade jewelry or quaint Texas souvenirs. These businesses were important to the local economy.

Just then, the hooded figure lifted his head and made a grab for the baby.

This wasn’t a robbery; it was a kidnapping.

Dallas spewed curse words as he ran full throttle toward them. “Stop right there!” he shouted.

Ms. Williams fought back and her attacker shifted position, ensuring she was between him and Dallas.

The baby cried, which seemed to agitate the attacker. Ms. Williams kicked the guy where no man wanted the tip of a boot. He coughed, then cursed as he seemed to catch sight of Dallas out of the corner of his eye.

The man shouted as he struggled to take the baby out of Ms. Williams’s arms. “Don’t come any closer!” His voice was agitated and Dallas didn’t recognize it. Must not be someone local. The guy forced the woman back a few steps with him, a knife to her throat. “I didn’t want to do it like this, but now she’s coming with me.”