This Holiday Magic Read Online Free PDF Page A

like I’ve been on the road forever. I left Dar es Salaam over twenty-five hours ago.”
    â€œWhat? It doesn’t take that long to get here from Tanzania.”
    â€œI know, but I grabbed the first flight, and unfortunately, the last-minute plans made travel a nightmare.”
    â€œWell, you’re here now and that’s all that matters.”
    â€œDad, tell me what’s going on. Why, of all people, is Tyson Croft here in your office? He said he was working with you.”
    â€œIt’s nothing for you to be concerned about, sweetheart. He’s working a few things out for me.... Just some minor business matters.”
    â€œDad, you know Tyson can’t be trusted. You know what he does for a living. The man gobbles up businesses and breaks them apart and sells them to the highest bidder. There’s no way he’s here to help you.”
    â€œI am,” Tyson said, standing in the office doorway.
    Janelle turned and glared at him.
    â€œJanelle, you’re going to have to trust me on this. He is here to help. I know you and Tyson have a strained past and, from the sound of it when I walked into the office earlier, a questionable present, but I’m going to need for you to put all that aside, at least for the time being. I need Tyson, I need you and I need a truce,” Ben said.
    She looked away, refusing to answer.
    â€œSo—” he began, smiling again “—not that I’m not delighted to see you, but what are you doing here? You weren’t supposed to come back until next year. What happened?”
    â€œI’m fine. My relief arrived early, so I decided to surprise you and come home for the Christmas holidays. I guess the surprise was on me since I went to my house and found my neighbor Mrs. Ivers there with a little girl. She told me it was your idea for the child’s family to move in.”
    â€œYes, it was my idea. I needed them here quickly and they needed a place to stay. Your house was empty and it was perfect.”
    â€œI don’t understand. Admittedly, the little girl is absolutely adorable, but why was it so important for her family to live in my house? Who’s her family?”
    â€œI’m her family. Aneka is my daughter,” Tyson said.
    His pronouncement stunned her. Tyson had a daughter? She had had no idea. Her heart tumbled. The math wasn’t that difficult to figure out. The girl had to be at least four years old. That meant that Tyson had been a father the whole time they were together and he’d never said a word.
    Suddenly it all made sense. The months of romantic bliss they had spent together had just been a momentary interlude for him. The reason he’d left her was to go back to his real family. “Your daughter? You have a
child,
” she said incredulously.
    â€œBen,” he said, “I’m almost done here. We just have a few more things to tie up. I can move us to a hotel for a few days and...”
    â€œIt’s the holidays,” Ben protested. “I’m sure Janelle wouldn’t want you and your daughter out in the street this time of year. Janelle, what do you think about coming home and staying at the big house with your dear old dad for a few days? It’ll be good to have my daughter back under the roof again, at least for a little while. And I could certainly use the company. The house gets awfully quiet sometimes. What do you think?”
    Both Tyson and Ben looked at Janelle. But she couldn’t focus on her dad. She was still stuck on the fact that Tyson had been a father the whole time they’d been together. It took her a moment to catch up with what was going on around her. “Um, yeah, sure, that’s fine. Stay at the house with your daughter...your family,” she said awkwardly.
    â€œThank you,” Tyson said.
    â€œGood. That’s all settled,” Ben declared. “Tyson, why don’t we call it a night and pick this up tomorrow