A Christmas For Santa

By Taylor Anne

Christmas…a time of joy, until Jill McDowell's niece is kidnapped from a busy mall. Scared and feeling powerless, Jill welcomes Mall Santa Matt Webb's help and take-charge attitude. But can Jill trust this man's mesmerizing eyes and sexy grin?

 

Tossing aside his own fears and insecurities, Matt jumps into action the second Chloe goes missing. He'll do anything to protect Jill from experiencing the agony he knows cuts straight to the heart. The anguish of losing a child.

 

Matt wants only to bring Chloe home safely. But even if he does, can his tormented heart allow Jill and her five-year-old niece into his life? Will Jill and Chloe's love be enough to bring the joy of Christmas to Santa?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Taylor Anne
• Release date: Dec 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201782313

Book preview

Praise for Taylor Anne’s ‘Bride Interrupted’:

Just when you think you’ve figured out who it is, SURPRISE!... ~ Amazon Customer

Good read, compelling suspense, and a dash of a little heat with the romance... ~ Trish F Leger, author of The Amber Druid Series

A Christmas for Santa

by

Taylor Anne

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

A Christmas for Santa

COPYRIGHT © 2013 by Taylor Anne

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Poised Pen Productions

Publishing History

First Crimson Rose Edition, 2013

Taylor Anne, 2021

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Published in the United States of America

Dedication

Christmas wishes to all! Especially those who helped bring this story back to life. Teresa and Poised Pen Productions, thank you for all you do!

I hope this Christmas season brings joy and happiness to everyone.

Other works by Taylor Anne:

Heat Flash – The Wild Rose Press

Smoke And Mirrors – The Wild Rose Press

Smoke And Embers – The Wild Rose Press

Bride Interrupted – Taylor Anne

Chapter One

Chloe? Jill turned her head from left to right, searching the crowded mall for her niece. People packed tightly around Santa’s workshop, most were mothers with children anxiously waiting their turn to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him their Christmas wishes. A few fathers were scattered throughout the mass of shoppers, their somber faces revealing they would rather be home in their own workshop or out with the boys throwing back a few beers instead of waiting with their children at the busy mall.

Red, green, and white lights lined the entrances to the stores, blinking their welcome. Wreaths and stars decorated the walls and glass windows. Live Christmas trees lined the aisles, their fresh pine scent filling the air. People hustled and bustled, carrying packages loaded in their arms. Christmas was Jill’s favorite time to visit the Houston mall.

Chloe. Jill called out a little louder this time, her voice shaky. She wouldn’t let fear overtake her. Chloe was nearby. She had to be. She searched the children around her for the familiar blond head, fighting a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Chloe couldn’t have gone far. Maybe she decided to push her way forward for a closer look at Santa and his elves. Even for a child, Chloe tended to lean towards the impatient side, much like her father had.

Jill stood on her toes to look over the man and woman in front of her. Excuse me. Did a little girl go around you and your children?

The woman snatched her youngest child’s hand and blocked Jill’s attempt to get around her. No one went past us and no one will. We all have to wait our turn.

I’m not trying to cut in line. My niece was standing right beside me and now she is gone. If you’ll let me by, I just want to look for her. Jill pleaded, but the younger woman stood firm, forming a barricade with her two kids.

Try another story. We’ve been here for over an hour. I’m not letting you through. She huffed and turned back to face forward. Turn around, kids.

Jill shook her head. Some people were so inconsiderate. All she wanted to do was find Chloe. She was afraid to leave her spot in case Chloe showed back up, but she felt the sudden urge to get out of the crowd and look for her. Her heart began beating faster and her breath became shallow. A frisson of fear trailed up her spine.

She turned to the woman behind her. Ma’am, did you see where my little girl went? She was holding my hand all morning. I stopped to throw something in the trash and when I turned around, she wasn’t here anymore. Did you see her?

I saw her with you but never noticed when she disappeared. She has long blonde hair, right?

Disappeared. Jill cringed. Her heart sank to her knees. She shook it off and tried to focus. Yes. It was in a ponytail.

The woman turned to the teenager with her. Toby, take care of your sister while I help... She arched her eyebrow at Jill.

Jill. And my nieces name is Chloe.

While I help Jill find her niece. She placed her own daughter’s hand in the older boys. Don’t let her go.

Yes ma’am. Toby shut his cell phone and slid it in his jeans pocket.

The two women pushed through the crowd until they ended up next to the elves at the beginning of the line. A little boy, probably about the same age as Chloe, marched up to Santa and jumped onto his lap. The other kids at the front of the line waited their turn, joy and happiness lighting their faces. Looking back to the place in line she had vacated, Jill figured it would’ve been about another twenty minutes before their turn would have come. Chloe must have made her way to the front already. Jill took a deep breath and scanned the crowd. As her gaze stopped on every child’s head, her heart sank lower and lower.

The woman helping her was talking to everyone in line. The adults’ expressions revealed concern, but they only shook their heads. What would they do if it were their child missing? Jill wondered.

She approached one of the elves and told her what happened. Did you see a girl come up here without a parent? She’s wearing white jeans with a red and white striped top.

The elf’s head shook, the bell hanging from her hat jingling with the motion. No ma’am. Everyone has been with an adult. And I didn’t see anyone fitting the girl’s description. You might go right over there and check with the security guard. Maybe he saw her. She pointed to the left where a uniformed man stood. He was propped against a pillar, hat pulled low over his face, his gaze constantly moving back and forth over the area.

Thanks. Jill muttered. She turned to walk over to the guard, but her feet wouldn’t move. She stood frozen in place. All the faces were starting to swim together in front of her. Children’s happy squeals pierced Jill’s ears. The impatient harrumphs of several adults countered