The Kidnapped Christmas Bride (Taming of the Sheenans Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

higher. “With guns and dogs.”
    “I knew it!”
    “It’s good to see you, too, Karen.”
    “Ha!”
    Lawrence shifted his weight, arms folding across his chest. “Karen’s right. What do you want?”
    Trey’s smile faded. “Nothing from you.”
    “Then perhaps you’d be kind enough to go? As you might have noticed, we’re getting married today, and it’s a day we’ve looked forward to for a very long time.”
    “I respect that, sir, I do,” Trey answered. “And it looks like a lovely wedding. The candlelit church is a very nice touch. But I’ve waited two years to see my boy, and I’d like just a few minutes with his mother to sort out our son’s future.”
    “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but nobody’s going to be able to sort out TJ’s future today.” Lawrence managed an apologetic shrug. “And certainly not now, in this courtyard, when we have guests waiting inside.”
    “I hate to inconvenience your guests,” Trey retorted. “But if I could just speak to McKenna without the aunts and brothers and onlookers, we could be done in just a few minutes.”
    Lawrence turned red. “And what’s so important that it has to interrupt my wedding? This is my wedding, sir . I think you forget yourself.”
    Trey didn’t move, but McKenna felt him tense, energy shifting, muscles coiling. “This isn’t about me, Larry, this is about my son, and I’m sorry you’ve got to cool your heels, wait five minutes for my girl to become your wife, but I need to know he’s going to be okay—”
    “Okay? TJ has it made. He’s going to have the best of everything with me—”
    “But he won’t have me,” Trey shot back.
    Lawrence looked smug. “Exactly.”
    “No more,” McKenna choked, stepping between them, arms extended, a referee in the ring. “I can’t do this. I won’t do this. Not today.” She looked at Lawrence, tears in her eyes. “Don’t provoke him,” she whispered. “Please don’t make this worse than it is.” Then she looked to Trey. “And you, stop throwing your weight around. You’ve been gone four years. You don’t get to waltz in and demand your parental rights. If those rights were so important to you, you wouldn’t have thrown us away in the first place!”
    Both men stared at her, expressions grim.
    “You are not dogs,” she added, “and TJ is not a bone. Respect me, if you can’t respect each other!”
    Lawrence stepped close to mutter, “It’s only difficult because you’re letting him be difficult, McKenna.”
    She lifted a brow. “He’s TJ’s dad.”
    “Only in name. You and I both know he’s never tried to act like a father—”
    “I’m not going to argue about this now. And I refuse to embarrass TJ, or Trey. This isn’t the time.”
    “But you’ll embarrass me?”
    “No!” She winced at the gust of frigid air, goose bumps peppering her arms. “I thought you of all people would understand how important this moment is for TJ, and how important it is that we protect his feelings—”
    “He should know the truth about his dad. He should know Sheenan is no good, and has a criminal record a mile long—”
    “That’s not true. The only time he’s ever been in trouble was for fighting,” she protested through chattering teeth. She was cold all the way through. “Now, I’m freezing, and I’m sure you’re freezing and we both would love to be inside and getting married. So let me send Trey on his way, and you go tell our guests that I’m coming, and we’ll still have our wedding day, okay?”
    Seconds ticked by. Lawrence ground his teeth together, then shook his head. “I don’t like this.”
    “I know. I don’t either. But he’ll be gone soon and everything will be fine. I promise.”
    Lawrence stalked off, and ushered the gawkers in the doorway back inside.
    McKenna waited for the tall wooden doors to close before turning to Trey, who’d wrapped TJ in his suit jacket.
    “Your timing sucks,” she said bluntly.
    His broad shoulders