Free The Kid Who Stole Christmas by Linda Stevens

and decided to be equally direct. “You don’t have a corner on the pain market, okay? Maybe I think I can help you. Maybe I think you can help me. I don’t know!” she exclaimed. “Maybe it’s just good old-fashioned Christmas spirit. I followed you all the way down here in the cold, didn’t I? That should tell you something.”
    “It tells me you’re serious,” Rick observed. “But about what remains to be seen. Didn’t you say you wanted to talk about Leo?”
    “I do,” Shannon agreed. “Pop seems to think Leo is just fine. He’s probably right. And I agree with him that this affair isn’t worth going to the police and risking another war with the Bayers, either now or once Leo is home.” She crossed her arms on her chest in a defiant gesture. “But I’m not going to just sit around. I want to find Leo and get him back. If possible, without handing over the Arnie shipment.”
    Rick was smiling slightly. “Why tell me this?”
    “You know the Bayers and how they operate.” His surprised expression pleased her. “Pop made a few calls after you left. He has contacts everywhere. But since I’m kind of going behind his back on this, I thought maybe you could give me some idea about where to start looking.”
    “I see,” Rick said. He was gazing at her, obviously deep in thought. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision. “I can tell by the determination in those pretty green eyes of yours that you mean business, so I guess I’ll have to level with you.”
    “Level with me?” she asked, confused.
    “I don’t intend to sit around and wait, either. I had already planned to go looking for Leo, as well as make sure that shipment ends up at Lyon’s. But make no mistake,” he told her in a quiet voice. “I am at war with the Bayers.”
    Shannon frowned. “Why do I get this feeling there’s more to your involvement in this than meets the eye?”
    She was astute, all right. Rick knew he would have to tread very carefully from now on, lest she ruin everything. But the path he was on now was very well traveled, and came easily to him.
    “You probably get that feeling because it’s true,” Rick admitted. “And you’re also right about it having something to do with why I’m working at Lyon’s.”
    “I thought it might.”
    “Being a Santa is the perfect cover. I can be with the kids, and in the meantime keep track of the shipment.”
    “I see,” Shannon said. But she didn’t.
    “Don’t get me wrong, though,” Rick added quickly. “I do need the money. The advertising blitz didn’t come cheap and Arnie the Arachnid is being run on a very tight budget at the moment. I’m barely getting a salary.”
    Shannon’s frown deepened. “I don’t understand. Are you telling me you’re an employee of the Arnie campaign?”
    “Yes. I’m in Denver to watch over your shipment of Arnies,” Rick explained. “There was word the Bayers were covertly trying to figure out where and when it would arrive. Since, as you noted, I am well acquainted with their ways, I came to interfere with any plans they might have had to sabotage the shipment. I had no idea they’d stoop to kidnapping, though.”
    Although this was far too much for Shannon to take in on such short notice, there was one thing she couldn’t help grasping. In fact, she even reached out and grasped Rick’s arm.
    “Are they here?” she whispered, her eyes wide as she looked around to indicate the warehouse.
    He laughed at her reaction. “Not yet.”
    “When?”
    “I’m not at liberty to divulge that information.”
    Shannon let go of his arm and leaned back with a sigh of astonishment. “Whew! At the risk of perpetuating an age-old stereotype, I could do with a wee nip. Care to pop over to the local and join me?” Then she glanced at him and asked hesitantly, “Or am I putting temptation where I shouldn’t?”
    Rick laughed. “As I said, my situation isn’t nearly as dire as you seem to think. You’re on.” He stood up and