Who left a baby on the cowboy’s doorstep?

The Coltons of Red Ridge continues!

A note says the infant left on ranch foreman Anders Colton’s porch is a Colton. His baby? The beautiful rookie officer who investigates is set on proving herself as a cop, but when their lives are threatened, Elle Gage moves in to protect the baby. Suddenly the lone wolf is thinking family and must uncover little Bonnie’s parentage before it’s too late.

CARLA CASSIDY is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author who has written more than one-hundred-and-twenty novels for Mills & Boon. In 1995, she won Best Silhouette Romance from RT Book Reviews for Anything for Danny. In 1998, she won a Career Achievement Award for Best Innovative Series from RT Book Reviews. Carla believes the only thing better than curling up with a good book to read is sitting down at the computer with a good story to write.

Also by Carla Cassidy

The Colton Cowboy

A Real Cowboy

Cowboy of Interest

Cowboy Under Fire

Cowboy at Arms

Operation Cowboy

Daddy Killer Cowboy

Sheltered by the Cowboy

Guardian Cowboy

Colton’s Secret Son

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

The Colton Cowboy

Carla Cassidy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07900-6

THE COLTON COWBOY

© 2018 Harlequin Books S.A.

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter 1

Anders Colton jerked awake, his heart racing and every muscle in his body tensed with fight-or-flight adrenaline. From the nearby open window a cool night breeze drifted in, and crickets and other insects clicked and whirred with their usual night songs. They were familiar sounds and wouldn’t have awakened him. So what had?

He remained perfectly still, and then he heard it...a faint shuffle of feet against wood. In one quick movement he slid out of bed and grabbed the nearby rifle that rested against the bedroom wall. He stalked out of his bedroom clad only in a pair of navy boxers.

Tonight he was going to catch the culprit who had been stealing from him for the past couple of weeks. He’d dubbed the person the “Needy Thief” because of the strange things that had come up missing.

Last night it had been fruit from the bowl on the kitchen counter and a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread from the pantry. A week before that it was a mattress from the bunk barn and an old baby cradle from the barn.

Anders didn’t mind the loss of the food, and he’d already replaced the mattress, but one of his grandmother’s quilts had also been taken and he definitely wanted that back. His heart now beat with the sweet anticipation of finally catching the culprit.

Was the person a runaway in trouble? A criminal hiding out on the property? Was it possible it was his cousin Demi, who had been on the run from the law and had a newborn baby?

Tonight he hoped to nab the thief red-handed and find out exactly who he or she was and what in the hell was going on.

The kitchen was in complete darkness except for the shaft of moonlight that danced in through the window above the sink. It was just enough illumination to see that nobody was there.

The cabin was fairly small and it took him only seconds to check in the guest bedroom and bath and realize the thief wasn’t anywhere inside. Then he heard it...retreating footsteps outside. The porch!

He threw open the front door, expecting to see a person running away. Instead he nearly stumbled over a pale yellow tote bag and the stolen wicker baby cradle. He stared at the cradle in stunned surprise. Had the thief suffered a twinge of guilt and returned it? A faint noise sounded, and he leaned over the basket and then straightened up with a new shock. Nestled in a pink blanket was a sleeping baby. What the hell?

The moonlight overhead was bright. He gazed around the area and then looked a quarter of a mile in the distance toward the main house where his parents and his kid sister, Valeria, lived. He could barely see the huge place through a thick stand of trees. There didn’t appear to be any lights shining from the mansion and there was nobody lurking around his cabin. It was just him and a baby.

Why on earth would anyone leave a baby with him? He picked up the tote bag and the cradle and carried them into the living room. He placed the cradle on his sofa and then turned on the lamp on the end table.

A tuft of strawberry blonde hair topped rosy, chubby cheeks. The baby was very small and he would guess she wasn’t more than a couple weeks old. He couldn’t tell the baby’s eye color because she was sound asleep. Then he noticed a note pinned to the pink blanket. He carefully plucked it off and opened it.

She’s a Colton.

His heart stutter-stepped. If she was a Colton, then who did she belong to? Was it possible she was his? He sank down on the sofa next to the sleeping baby.

Yes, he supposed it was possible she was his child. There had been a few women in his recent past, but nothing deep or meaningful. He didn’t do deep and meaningful since he’d been betrayed two years ago. What he had now were occasional hookups. Had one of those hookups created this baby?

He stared at her little rosebud lips and tiny features and then looked away. He couldn’t do this again. He couldn’t get emotionally involved with a baby. The last one he’d loved so desperately had been cruelly snatched away from him and his heart had never quite healed.

Still, if she really was a Colton, he also wasn’t overly eager to hand her over to social services until he knew who she was. So, what should he do with her? Should he call somebody now? In the middle of the night? Where would she be placed if he did call social services? He didn’t even know if there were any foster parents in town.

Somebody had left her here with him for a reason. But he was torn. He didn’t really know anything about taking care of a baby and she’d be better off with somebody who had more experience than he did.

He opened the tote bag to find formula, bottles, diapers, toys, clothing and several other items. There was everything he needed to take care of her. He could smell the sweetness of her, that baby-powder-fresh scent that was so achingly familiar.

Who would have left her here and why? Was it possible the Needy Thief was her mother? Now the theft of the food items and the cradle and quilt all made sense. But why hadn’t the mother just come to him and asked for his help? Damn, he wished he would have caught whomever it had been.

Why leave the baby here? He was a bachelor, a workaholic who spent hours out working on the ranch and chose to live in a small cabin rather than in the family mansion. He’d made the old foreman’s cabin his home. He’d made the decision first of all because he was the ranch foreman, and secondly because his parents drove him crazy.

Of all the places and with all the people in the entire town of Red Ridge, South Dakota, the baby could have been left with, why him?

He found it hard to believe that it had anything to do with somebody who worked for him. All his ranch hands lived in the bunk barn in small apartments. He supplied the men who lived there not only everything they needed but also some extras to keep them happy. Besides, the note said she was a Colton.

He needed to call the Red Ridge Police Department and get somebody out here. He didn’t know why the baby had been left on his doorstep, but she couldn’t stay indefinitely and in any case he needed to make some kind of a report.

Was it possible her mother would return later tonight? Maybe sometime tomorrow? He couldn’t take the chance of waiting around for her to come back to retrieve the baby. Eventually the baby would wake up and need something and he wouldn’t know what to do.

He made the call and when he finished, the baby opened her slate blue eyes and gazed at him. Her rosebud lips curled upward and she released a soft coo. He closed his eyes and steeled his heart. No matter how cute she was, he absolutely refused to care about her.

* * *

Rookie K9 Officer Elle Gage hunkered down behind the back of a pickup truck in the warehouse parking lot. Next to her was her partner, her bulldog named Merlin, who was trained in protection.

Merlin had entered her life eight months before, after going through an intense ten weeks of training at the Red Ridge K9 Training Center. He was not only her partner, but also her best friend and companion. As far as she was concerned he was the best dog in the whole entire world.

The pavement smelled of grease and oil baked under the June sun that day. Her heart beat quickly in anticipation and her blood sizzled through her veins as she stared at the warehouse in the distance.

Tonight she was hoping to finally prove herself, not only to her chief, but also to her brother and fellow officer, Carson. She also wanted to prove herself to her brother Lucas, who was a bounty hunter.

In her mind she always thought of her brothers as South Dakota’s Most Overly Protective Brothers. She was more than ready for them to trust that she could take care of herself and stop watching over her so carefully.

She stared at the warehouse that belonged to the Larson twins, suspected mobsters who were involved in everything from money laundering to drugs and gunrunning. This was where the smooth, handsome men held their meetings and it was suspected that tonight the place was packed with illegal guns and drugs.

The parking lot was filled with vehicles belonging to the twins’ known associates. She’d love to be part of the team who took them down, although she hated the fact that whenever she was assigned to any job, her brother Carson made sure he was assigned to the same job. She was twenty-six years old. Jeez, couldn’t a girl get a break?

She wanted to be the one to cuff one of the twins, not just because they were a menace to society, but because they stole a prized German shepherd named Nico from the RRK9 Training Center and got away with it, and they were also suspected of having one of their thugs steal a puppy from the center. Evan and Noel had clearly had an immoral veterinarian remove Nico’s microchip and replace it with one declaring them the dog’s owner. Nico had been a day or two from being paired with a K9 handler; that’s how highly trained he was. Now he was in the wrong hands. And the puppy had cost the center a small fortune. Elle knew the Larson twins were slimeball criminals, but stealing a dog? For that crime alone, the two should be jailed for the rest of their lives.

Crouching, she moved a couple of steps closer, still hugging the body of the pickup that was her cover. All she was waiting for was the official word to go in.

Tonight she would prove to everyone that she was a good cop and could hold her own under any circumstances. Tonight she would prove to her brother that she didn’t need them babysitting her anymore.

Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, unsurprised to see her brother Carson’s number. She punched the button to answer, but before she could say anything, Merlin released a deep, loud grunt, his trained alert for danger.

Elle whirled around in time to see a big man barreling down on her. She dropped her phone and raised her hands in a defensive posture, her heart nearly beating out of her chest.

He was about to make full-body contact with her. She had no time to think but could only react. She quickly sidestepped and when he brushed by her body, she used her elbow to chop him on the back. Obviously surprised by her quick action, he went down hard on his hands and knees.

She gave him no time to recover. She kicked his midsection as hard as she could once, twice, and a third time. He groaned and attempted to regain his footing, but before he could get to his feet, she had drawn her gun.

“Raise up slowly and turn around,” she commanded. “Ignore my instructions and I’ll shoot you,” she warned. He turned and she quickly snapped cuffs on his wrists. It was only then that she leaned over, breathing hard, but not as hard as her prisoner who, even though he was winded, managed to gasp out some ugly language directed at her.

“Shut up,” she said as she picked up her phone from the pavement. “All I have to do is say one word and my partner here will tear out your throat.”

He’d obviously thought she’d be an easy takedown because she was a woman. The joke was on him for underestimating her skill and clear focus. She’d had the same training as the men and she was as good as any one of them...including her brother.

Footsteps slapped pavement, coming toward her. She held her gun tight, unsure if it was more danger approaching. She relaxed as she saw her brother and his partner running toward her.

“Elle, are you okay?” Carson asked, his eyes blazing with concern. He stopped abruptly at the sight of her prisoner.

“Elle, why didn’t you yell for help? I was on the phone with you,” he said angrily. “All you had to do was say that you were in trouble.”

“Cool your jets, Carson. I didn’t need any help from you. He attacked me and I handled the situation.” A sense of pride swept through her as she watched his panic turn to grudging respect.

“Good job,” he replied. “I heard the commotion on the phone and knew you were in trouble.”

“Like I said, I handled it. This is one bad guy—a thug associate of the Larson twins—who will be off the streets for a while,” she replied. At that moment her phone vibrated again. Carson took control of the prisoner while she answered her phone.

It was Chief Finn Colton. “I want you to get over to the foreman’s cabin on the Double C Ranch. A baby has been abandoned there with Anders Colton. Your brother can handle the surveillance without you.”

An abandoned baby. It was a nonthreatening job and if she didn’t know better she’d swear that her brother had talked to the chief and told him to pull her off this more dangerous case.

She hated to leave the surveillance at the warehouse. She really wanted to catch one of the Larson twins red-handed and put at least one—if not both—away.

At least her sense of pride stayed with her as she and Merlin got into her car and headed for the Double C Ranch. She’d taken care of the thug all by herself, without the help of one of her Overly Protective Brothers. She hadn’t even had to set Merlin into motion.

She wasn’t particularly happy to be going to interact with any Colton other than the police chief and her fellow officers. The feud between the Coltons and the Gages was legendary. It began a century ago when the Gage family lost a good plot of land to the Coltons in a poker game. There had been cheating accusations, and the bad blood between the two families remained today.

Most recently she had a wealth of rage directed toward one particular Colton...Demetria “Demi” Colton, the woman she believed had murdered her brother, Bo.

On the night before his wedding he’d been found shot through the heart and with a black cummerbund stuffed in his mouth. It was supposed to be a bachelor party at the Pour House, a dive bar in a sketchy area of Red Ridge, but there had been no party, only the murder of her brother.

Bo. Bo. His name blew through her on a wind of pain and terrible regret. The last time she’d seen him they’d had a terrible fight...and then he was dead. How she wished she could take back some of the things she’d said to him. How she wished he were still alive instead of the first victim of someone the police and press were now calling the Groom Killer.

She cast all of these things out of her mind as she pulled into the entrance of the Double C Ranch. She drove slowly past the huge mansion where Judson and Joanelle lived. The lights in the house were all dark, so apparently Anders hadn’t disturbed anyone there.

Anders Colton. The only thing she really knew about him was that he was a wealthy cowboy and definitely a piece of eye candy. He was a tall, muscular man with dark hair and bright blue eyes.

Elle was immune to all men right now. At twenty-six years old, her entire focus was on her work and the need to prove herself to everyone in her family and on the police force.

In any case Anders Colton would be the last man she’d have any interest in. First of all, he was a Colton and that was enough to make her keep her distance. But, secondly and more important, it was possible he was aiding and abetting his cousin Demi, who was still on the run from authorities. Had Demi killed Bo? Was she the Groom Killer? Evidence said she was. Witnesses said so, too. And the fact that she’d fled town before she could be arrested and had been on the run ever since made a lot of people, her own relatives on the force included, think she was guilty. But the FBI had caught sightings of her far from Red Ridge on the night of subsequent murders with the same MO. Some said Demi had been framed. Others said she was smart and setting it all up herself.

All Elle wanted was for the murders to stop. And justice for her brother.

Although she didn’t know specifically where the foreman’s cabin was on the property, she followed the dirt road that took her past a huge barn and a wooded area.

Then she spied the cozy cabin with the porch light on. Seated on the porch was Anders Colton, rocking the baby in his arms. He didn’t move as she parked her car and then got out with Merlin at her heels.

As she got closer, her heart flipped just a bit at the sight of a hot, handsome cowboy holding a bundle of pink. It didn’t help that he was clad in a pair of worn jeans and a blue shirt that was unbuttoned, putting on display his firmly muscled chest.

“Looks like you’ve got yourself a baby,” she said in greeting.

He smiled. “Looks like you’ve got yourself an ugly, fat baby of your own.” He looked pointedly at Merlin.

Oh no, he didn’t, she thought with irritation. “My baby can protect me from getting killed. What can yours do?” she asked coolly.

“Touché,” he replied, and stood. His arms still rocked the baby with a gentle motion. “I’m not quite sure what to do with her. She’s awakened twice and started to cry, but if I rock her she goes back to sleep. Come on inside.”

She followed him into a homey living room with a beautiful natural stone fireplace and casual brown leather furniture. He placed the baby into a wicker cradle. He straightened and then motioned for her to have a seat in a recliner. “Even though my sister and your brother are together and I’ve seen you around, we haven’t ever officially introduced ourselves. I’m Anders Colton.”

She sat on the edge of the chair and tried to avoid looking at his broad chest. “I’m Officer Elle Gage and this is my partner, Merlin. Now, tell me about what’s going on.”

She listened as he told her about the thefts that had been occurring and then stepping outside to find the baby on his porch. While he spoke he buttoned up the blue shirt that mirrored the beautiful blue of his eyes. Thank goodness, she thought. She didn’t need to be distracted by the sight of his bare chest.

“These thefts...were they break-ins? Do you know how the person is getting inside the cabin?” she asked.

“I never lock my doors. I’m pretty far off the beaten path and I’ve never had a reason to lock up,” he replied.

“Even after the first theft you didn’t start locking your doors?” she asked in surprise.

He shook his head. “It was obvious the thief wasn’t after anything valuable. I figured if somebody was stealing food then they must need it. He or she only came in at night so I intentionally left the doors unlocked hoping I’d catch them. I just want to know who it is and if they’re in some kind of trouble.”

“And you have no idea who left the baby here?”

“Not a clue, but she had a note pinned to the blanket.” He pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket and then walked over and handed it to her.

She’s a Colton.

Elle’s heart nearly stopped as her brain worked overtime. Demi Colton had been pregnant when she’d gone on the run to avoid being charged in Bo’s murder.

Was it possible? She stared at the sleeping baby. Suddenly the baby’s eyes opened and she began to fuss. Elle jumped to her feet and picked her up.

She held the baby close to her heart and breathed in the sweet baby scent. If this little girl was a Colton, then it was possible she was Bo’s baby. Bo and Demi had been engaged to be married for a week, and then he had dumped her for Hayley Patton, a K9 trainer.

Bo’s baby. For a moment she believed she felt his spirit swirling in the room, surrounding her with warmth and love. She stared down at the baby who couldn’t be older than a couple of weeks. A part of Bo...a gift from heaven. She looked up at Anders, wondering if he’d put it all together in his head.

“She may be a Colton but that means she’s also probably a Gage,” she said. “And if I find out that you’re helping Demi stay hidden on this property, I promise I’ll have you arrested so fast your head will spin.”

Chapter 2

Anders didn’t know whether to be amused or irritated. Elle Gage was definitely a hot number in the neatly pressed uniform that hugged curves that were all in the right places.

Her honey-colored blond hair was caught in a low ponytail that shone with a richness in the artificial light. But her pretty brown eyes stared at him with more than a hint of distrust and dislike.

Still, her pronouncement about the baby possibly being a Gage had surprised him. He hadn’t considered that the baby might be Demi’s and that Bo was the father. But it was definitely a possibility.

He was so damned tired of people thinking he was hiding out Demi here, although he did believe in his cousin’s innocence. “I don’t know anything about Demi being here on the property. All I know is that I had a thief and now I have a baby.”

“But if this is Demi’s baby, then Demi has to be on the property someplace,” Elle replied. She studied him as if he were an insect under a microscope. If she was looking for signs of deception from him she wouldn’t find any. He hadn’t seen Demi anywhere around his ranch.

“It’s possible she was on the property about an hour ago, but who knows where she might be now,” he finally conceded.

“I know she was in touch with her brother, Brayden, declaring her innocence. She texted him on a burner phone that the baby was fine and that she’s working to find the real killer. If she’s so innocent, then why is she on the run? Why do so many clues point to her?”

She placed the baby back in the cradle and then faced Anders once again. “Demi isn’t exactly a shrinking violet. She’s a bounty hunter and is known to have one heck of a temper. She thought Bo was going to be with her, but then he dropped her to marry Hayley.”

Anders considered what he’d heard and read about the murder. There was no way his cousin was capable of such violence against another human being. “Despite some of the evidence to the contrary, I still believe she’s innocent, but I’ll leave the investigation to the authorities,” he replied.

“Right now this authority is going to take her partner and do a sweep of the area. We’ll be back when we’re finished.” She headed for the door with the sturdy brown-and-white bulldog at her heels.

Anders released a deep sigh as they went out the front door. Was it really possible the baby was Demi’s?

The answer was easy. Absolutely it was possible. Everyone knew that Demi was pregnant—and very likely with Bo Gage’s baby—when she went on the run six months ago, and the timing was right for her baby to have been born within the last couple of weeks. And even though Anders and Demi had never been close, she definitely would have trusted him to take care of the infant. Demi had been close with Anders’s sister Serena, and though Serena had sworn multiple times she hadn’t heard from Demi, who knew if she had or not? Serena was romantically involved with Detective Carson Gage, so it wasn’t as though Demi could ask Serena to hide her or for help with the baby. But if Anders’s name had come up in their conversations, Serena would have told Demi that if she needed someone to count on, Anders was the guy.

Unfortunately Elle was right about clues pointing to his cousin’s culpability in Bo’s murder.

The rumor mill was rife with stories that Demi had snapped in a fit of rage over being dumped by Bo. Anders didn’t listen to gossip, but he’d heard that Bo had written Demi’s name in his own blood at the crime scene. He shivered at the thought. Plus, a gold heart necklace with Demi’s engraved initials had been found near the crime scene and a witness had put her there, as well. When a warrant had been issued for her arrest, she’d run.

It was much easier to be on the run from the law without a newborn baby in tow. A surge of unexpected protectiveness welled up inside him as he looked at her. She was so tiny, so achingly vulnerable.

And it was also a possibility that the baby could be his. He’d always tried to make sure he had protected sex; however, he also had occasionally trusted when a woman told him she was on the pill and didn’t want him to wear a condom.

He would make a good target for a woman to trick. Although his uncle Fenwick Colton and his branch of the family were filthy rich, Anders’s father had done all right, too, and Anders certainly didn’t have to worry about money.

Yes, he’d make a good target for an unscrupulous woman to intentionally get pregnant in anticipation of some sort of a big payoff. He looked back at the baby.

He had to figure out something to call her besides “the baby.” Even though he intended to give her a name and despite the protectiveness that had welled up inside him, he refused to be drawn into caring or loving the baby in any way.

For just a moment his thoughts threw him back to a place when he’d been so happy. It had been a time when he had loved with all his heart, when baby giggles had been the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.

Damn, he couldn’t even think about that time without grief pooling inside him.

He sank down on the sofa, his thoughts turning to Elle Gage. He’d occasionally seen her around town but had never really noticed how attractive she was.

It had been acutely obvious that she didn’t particularly like him and she definitely didn’t trust him. Of course, he was a Colton and she was a Gage. Forbidden fruit, so to speak. Not that he was interested in a romantic relationship with anyone at the moment. He’d loved once and had been devastated. He certainly wasn’t eager to go there again. He had a ranch to run and plenty of work to keep him occupied.

A little cry alerted him that the baby was awake once again. He froze and waited to see if she would go back to sleep, but her cries got louder.

He picked her up in his arms and began to rock her, hoping that the motion would calm her down as it had before. It didn’t. Her little face screwed up and grew more and more red as her wails filled the cabin.

He could handle a bucking bronco or an enraged bull, but the crying baby in his arms scared him half to death. Why was she crying so hard? What was wrong with her?

The door opened and Elle and her dog came back in. “I can’t make her stop crying,” he said with an edge of panic. “I’ve tried rocking her, but that isn’t doing the trick.”

“Has she been fed? Have you checked to see if she needs a diaper change?” Elle walked over to the sofa and opened the tote bag. She pulled out a diaper, a bottle and a can of powdered formula.

“Give her to me. I’ll change her diaper while you make her a bottle.” She took the wailing baby from him and handed him the formula and the bottle.

“But I don’t know how to do this,” he protested.

“Read the side of the can. It isn’t rocket science.” She turned around and placed the baby on the sofa. “And make sure you warm it.”

He hurried into the kitchen where he managed to make a bottle and warm it in the microwave. He carried it back into the living room where she was seated on the sofa and rocking the still-sobbing baby.

He handed Elle the bottle and noticed the exotic, floral scent of her, a scent he found wildly attractive. The baby latched onto the bottle’s nipple and drank greedily.

“Poor little thing must have been starving,” she murmured.

An edge of guilt filled him. He should have thought about the baby being hungry. “I’m assuming you and your faithful companion didn’t find anyone outside,” he said.

He moved to stand in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. It was easier to concentrate if he was far enough away from her that he couldn’t smell her evocative fragrance.

“No, but we both know somebody was here to leave the baby.”

“You know, it is possible she could be mine.”

Elle’s dark eyes studied him solemnly. “If that’s the case then you should know who her mother is.”

“Actually, it could be any one of several women.”

The look she gave him made him believe he should feel some sort of shame. He was thirty-three years old and he’d be damned if he’d let some hot canine cop make him feel guilty about his past relationships or any future ones he might enjoy.

“But she could also still be Demi and Bo’s baby,” she replied.

“We have to stop calling her ‘she.’ She needs a name, at least for tonight, because I intend to keep her here through the night,” he said.

She pulled a cloth diaper out of the bag and threw it over her shoulder and then raised the baby up and began to pat her back. She looked like a natural. Merlin sat at her feet like a sentry guarding both her and the baby.

“I’ll stay here for tonight to help.”

A rush of relief washed over him. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.”

“I’m not doing it for you,” she replied. “I’m doing it for the baby and because she might be a Gage.” The baby gurgled and once again she gave her the bottle.

All of her features softened as she gazed down at the baby. He’d always thought Elle was pretty, but she looked utterly gorgeous with all her features relaxed and a soft smile playing on her lips.

“Bonnie,” she said suddenly. She looked up at him. “Let’s call her Bonnie.”

“Sounds good to me,” he replied. “Does that name mean anything special to you?”

“No, it just sprang into my head when I was gazing into her beautiful blue eyes.”

He didn’t care what they called her. He was just grateful Elle was staying through the night to help him with the newly named Bonnie.

“I need to call the chief and let him know we’re keeping her here for the night but we’ll bring her into RRPD in the morning so we can decide what the next move will be where she’s concerned.”

The baby had fallen asleep once again, and Elle returned her to the cradle and then pulled out her cell phone and made the call to Finn. He agreed with the plan.

“It’s late,” Anders said when she finished with the phone call. “I’ll show you to the guest room.”

“Before you do that I’m going to take one final walk around outside with Merlin.” She stood and Merlin did the same, his gaze focused on Elle in what appeared to be utter devotion. “We’ll be right back.”

When she walked out of the door it was as if she stole some of the energy from the cabin. A weariness fell heavily on his shoulders. It had been a wild and crazy night. Thank goodness the small spare bedroom was clean and ready for a guest.

She was only gone a couple of minutes and then returned with a duffel bag in hand. “I always keep a change of clothes and some toiletries in my car. Now you can show us to the guest room.” She walked over and picked up the wicker cradle. “I’ll keep her with me for the night. She’ll want to be fed again before morning.”

“I really appreciate your help,” he replied. “I don’t know much about babies.”

“That’s fairly obvious,” she replied drily.

He didn’t respond, but instead led her into the room that held a double bed with another of his grandmother’s quilts covering it. There was also an easy chair in one corner and a dresser.

She carried the baby to the chair and set the cradle down. “She should be okay to sleep right here for the night.” She tucked the blanket around Bonnie and then straightened. “Before I go to sleep, I’d like to get another bottle ready.”

“I can take care of that,” he replied. He didn’t intend to just dump the baby in Elle’s lap and not do what he could to help her. He couldn’t forget that this was his problem and not hers.

He took the near-empty baby bottle from her and then went into the kitchen. He ran hot water in the plastic bottle to make sure it was all cleaned out and then measured out what was needed to refill it again. Once he was finished he placed it in the refrigerator and then went back to the guest room.

She had unpacked the tote bag and all the items were laid out on the bed. “Whoever packed this pretty much thought of everything,” she said. “As you can see, there are five sets of onesies and several little knit hats. There’s an extra bottle, another can of formula, diapers and toys that she won’t be old enough to play with for another month or two.”

She gazed at Anders, that straightforward, sober look he found more than a little bit sexy. “Whoever left her here obviously loves her. That means she must have thought you’d take good care of the baby and keep her safe.”

“I will...with your help.”

“I couldn’t help but notice the quilt on the bed. It’s beautiful.”

He smiled. “One of my grandmother’s. I had another one, but the thief managed to pluck it right off the bed in here and get away.” His smile faded. “Uh...do you have anyone you need to call, maybe a significant other or somebody like that?”

“No, nobody. Merlin is the only significant other I have in my life,” she replied.

His gaze swept down to the bulldog sitting on the floor. “Does your dog require anything special for the night?”

“Merlin. His name is Merlin and no, he doesn’t need anything special. I keep dog food in my car so I’ll be able to feed him in the morning.”

“I didn’t know bulldogs made good police dogs.” He stared at the thick-bodied brown-and-white dog whose tongue was hanging out. Thank God the floor was wooden, he thought as he spied a string of drool slowly making its way down the side of the dog’s mouth.

“Bulldogs make great protection dogs. They’re a lot more agile than they look. Merlin can jump almost six feet in the air. This breed bonds to people and I know he would give his life for me, although I hope that never has to happen.” Her affection for the dog was evident in her voice.

“Uh...does he sleep in the bed with you?” He winced at the idea of all that dog slobber on his grandmother’s quilt.

“Absolutely not,” she replied. “I’m the leader of Merlin’s pack. I’m the master and he knows it. I sleep in the bed and he sleeps on the floor.”

A small smile curved the corners of her mouth and shot a wild unexpected heat through him. “I can tell by the look on your face that you’re relieved my fifty-pound drooling dog partner won’t be sleeping in your bed.”

“Guilty as charged,” he replied. What he’d really love to see was a real, full-out smile from her.

At that moment the baby began to fuss again. “She might have a little more gas.” She picked Bonnie up once again. “She didn’t really give me a good burp after drinking the bottle.” She began to pat Bonnie’s back once again. Merlin let out a low, long grunt, as if he were the one being burped.

Elle’s eyes widened and she thrust the baby toward him. “Here...take her,” she exclaimed. At the same time he heard a noise coming from the living room. He whirled around and ran out of the bedroom.

Across the living room a tall, slightly burly man in a ski mask stood several feet inside the front door. He appeared to be looking around the room.

Adrenaline shot through Anders. “Hey!” he yelled. “What in the hell are you doing in here? What do you want?”

All he could think about was Elle and the baby in the next room. The last thing he would allow was any harm to come to them.

For a long moment the two men faced each other. Anders tried to discern facial features under the mask, but all he could see were glittering dark eyes.

He rushed forward, ready to take the creep down, but he turned and ran for the front door, which was standing open.

Anders ran out the door after him, cursing as he tripped over the side of the recliner. When he finally made it outside to the porch, the man had disappeared into the night. What in the hell was that all about? He stared out into the darkness, fighting against a cold chill. Who was the man and what did he want?

* * *

Elle stood in the bedroom doorway and waited for Anders to return. She was positively livid. Her entire body trembled with her anger. Anders Colton was just like all the other men in her life. Leave the little lady holding the baby while the big, strong man took care of any impending danger.

“A baby on the doorstep and a masked man in the living room, could this night get any more strange?” he said as he came back into the house.

“What in the hell do you think you were doing?” she asked.

“What are you talking about?”

“Have you forgotten that I’m the cop here? That I’m the one with the training and a gun? You should have taken the baby from me when I told you to and let me handle the situation out here.”

“I acted on instinct, and as a man my instinct was to protect you and the baby. So shoot me,” he replied with a touch of humor.

“Don’t tempt me,” she retorted. She drew in several deep breaths and then continued, “Contrary to the beliefs of my Overly Protective Brothers and every other man in my life, I can take care of myself and others. I’m a cop, not a piece of fluff. Now, tell me what just what happened.”

“There was a man in a ski mask in the living room. When he saw me he turned and ran out the door. I couldn’t get to him in time. By the time I reached the porch, I didn’t even know which direction he’d run.” He sat down on the sofa.

She walked across the room to the front door. “Come on, Merlin,” she said, and then walked outside. The night was dark, with clouds chasing each other across the moon. She knew it was a futile search; the man was probably long gone by now.

Still, she and Merlin walked around the wooded area. There were a lot of places someone could hide, but he couldn’t hide from Merlin’s nose. When Merlin didn’t alert, she headed back into the house. At least her burst of aggravation with Anders was over.

When she went back inside he was still seated on the sofa. She sank down in the chair facing him and released a sigh of frustration. “Whoever it was, he’s gone now. Did you lock the door after I came in the last time?”

He shook his head. “It was unlocked. The man just walked in.”

“So do you have any idea who he was or what he was doing here?”

He shook his head. “Not a clue.”

“Do you think he was looking for the baby?” She couldn’t help but think it was odd that on the same night the baby had been left, a masked man had broken in.

“I don’t know what he was doing here or what he might be looking for,” he replied, the line of frustration across his forehead doing nothing to detract from his handsomeness.

“Is it possible this guy is the needy thief you told me about earlier?”

“I don’t think so.” His frown line deepened. “This guy didn’t look like he’d be interested in stealing a quilt and a cradle, and his mask definitely didn’t make him appear like somebody in need.”

“I’ll tell you one thing, I was ready for bed fifteen minutes ago, but now I’m not a bit tired.” The appearance of the intruder had shot her full of adrenaline and given her a second wind.

“How about I make a small pot of coffee?” he suggested. “I’m definitely not ready to call it a night, either.”

“Coffee sounds great.” Maybe over coffee she could figure out what was going on here because there was definitely something going on. “I’m going to bring Bonnie into the living room so we can hear her if she cries.” She also wanted the baby in her eyesight.

She left the room to get the baby and once the sleeping Bonnie was in her cradle on the sofa she returned to the kitchen. What was a masked man doing inside Anders’s cabin? What did he want? And it was definitely strange that he had broken in on the same night that a baby had been left on the doorstep. Did the baby have something to do with him?

If he was the baby’s father, then why wear a mask and break in? Why not just knock on the door and introduce himself? Maybe the father was a bad guy who didn’t have custody of the baby. But then where was the mother? Or maybe the mother was trouble and the father just wanted his baby back. These were the thoughts that shot through her head as she sat at the kitchen table and waited for the coffee to brew.

And then there were the totally inappropriate thoughts that had intruded among the more important ones. Did Anders always smell so good? Like sunshine and wind and a faint woodsy cologne?

His broad chest made her wonder what it might feel like to be held tightly against it...against him. And that sexy smile of his...he was just so hot.

Jeez, what was wrong with her in entertaining any of those kinds of thoughts? She wasn’t even sure she liked him and she definitely hadn’t appreciated his taking over the situation when she was the cop. She wasn’t into macho men who felt they had to protect the little lady of the house.

“Cream or sugar?” he asked.

“No thanks, black is fine,” she replied.

She was grateful when he placed a red mug of coffee before her and then sat at the table across from her with his own mug. At least when he was seated she couldn’t see the entire length of his sexy physique.

“So, tell me about these Overly Protective Brothers of yours,” he said.

She wrapped her fingers around the warm mug. “No matter what job I’m assigned to Carson is always there shadowing me. I think he’s told the chief that he wants to be on the same assignments as me and that makes me crazy. Then there is Lucas. Neither one of them trusts me to be capable to do my job or live my life and I keep telling them to back off.”

“I think I heard Demi once say that Lucas was her number one competition in the bounty-hunting business,” he said.

“He often told me the same thing about her. I just wish he would stop trying to talk me out of being a cop.”

“I understand them wanting to keep you safe. I feel the same way about my kid sister,” he replied.

“Valeria is a real sweetheart.”

He nodded and a smile curved his lips. “We haven’t been close in the past, but I’m working hard to build a close relationship with her now.”

“How come you live out here instead of in the big house with the rest of your family?” she asked curiously.

“My parents wanted me to live in one of the wings there, but I prefer to be out here. To be honest, my parents make me more than a little crazy.”

“How?”

He took a drink of the coffee and then leaned back in the chair. “I know my parents love me, but my mother has always been kind of cold and my father definitely tries to be overbearing. Growing up it always felt like they were more interested in what people thought about them and how many tacky objects they could buy for the house than parenting.” He grimaced. “I shouldn’t have said all that.”

“I’m not a gossiper, Anders,” she said in an effort to let him know his words were safe with her.

“So, tell me more about your family.”

Since he had shared so much about his, she decided to open up a little about how she felt. “With two older brothers and three younger siblings, I always felt like I wasn’t seen or heard much. I guess you could say I suffered from typical middle child syndrome. There were a lot more boisterous voices than mine in the family.” She looked down into her coffee, thinking about the one family member’s voice she would never, ever hear again.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Anders said softly.

She looked up at him sharply. “What are you, some kind of a mind reader?”

“No, no mind reader, you just looked incredibly sad and I took a guess that you were thinking about Bo.”

“I was.” She took a sip of her coffee and drew in a deep, painful breath. “The night before his murder we had a terrible fight.” Emotion pressed tight against her chest, but she swallowed hard in an effort to maintain control. The last thing she wanted was to break down and appear weak, especially in front of Anders Colton.

“We fought and then he was dead and there was no way for me to tell him I was sorry or take back the words I said to him that night.”

“What did you fight about?”

“It was stupid really. We got into an argument about ethics. I told him that there were times I thought he was ethically challenged, and he told me I was an uptight, boring straight arrow. That really made me mad. I got heated and he got heated and it got ugly. Of course I didn’t know that would be the last time I’d talk to him and I hate that I never got a chance to tell him I was sorry.”

“I’m sure he knew how much you loved him,” Anders said softly.

She nodded, suddenly exhausted. It had to be after two and the night had been filled with action, but it was the emotional drain of thinking about her brother that had her finally ready for bed.

“I think I’m going to call it a night,” she said. She drank the last of her coffee from her mug and then stood.

“I’m with you,” he replied, and also got up from the table. He took the mug from her and set them in the kitchen sink, and then they both walked back into the living room where Bonnie was still sleeping soundly.

“Thanks for the coffee,” she said.

“No problem.”

“Don’t be surprised if I’m up again with the baby. I don’t want you to hear me and think I’m another intruder,” she said as she picked up the cradle.

“Got it. The bathroom is in the hallway. Feel free to use towels or whatever you need from the linen closet.” He walked with her to the bedroom door and gestured to the bathroom across the hallway.

“Thank you,” she replied.

He held her gaze for a long moment and her breath hitched in her chest. There was something soft, something sensual in his gaze. Lordy, but the man was a handsome devil. “Elle, I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me, too,” she replied. She broke the gaze by looking down at Bonnie. “I would definitely hate to leave this precious girl with a man who didn’t even know to feed her when she cried. Good night, Anders.”

“Good night, Elle.”

She closed the bedroom door and then placed the cradle on the chair and stared down at the sleeping Bonnie. Right now she was a total mystery. Was she Anders’s baby or was she Bo’s? She desperately wanted her to be Bo’s.

She didn’t have the answer as to who the baby belonged to, but the appearance of the masked man in the cabin definitely made her wonder if little Bonnie might be in some kind of danger.

If she had to she would stay here with Anders for however long it took to make sure the baby remained safe. And she told herself her commitment to stay here had nothing to do with Anders’s impossibly blue eyes or his sexy smile.

Chapter 3

Anders took the fried bacon out of the skillet and placed it strip by strip on a plate covered with a paper towel. He knew Elle was up because he’d heard the shower in the bathroom running a few minutes ago.

Elle Gage. He’d thought about her way too much the night before. Sleep had been elusive and she’d filled his thoughts in decidedly inappropriate ways. He’d wondered what she’d look like with her hair loose instead of tied in the ponytail. And just how sexy would she look out of that uniform?

She intrigued him with her serious brown eyes that had softened so beautifully when she’d gazed at Bonnie and spoken of her brother, Bo. Anders had spent far too long before going to sleep wondering what it would be like to see that soft gaze directed at him.

Then he’d remained awake and wondered when, since he’d met Officer Elle Gage, had he lost his mind? It had been a very long time since a woman had made him curious about her, but he was definitely curious about Elle.

Then he’d thought of the baby, wondering why she had been left with him and if she was his. Or was she Demi’s? There had been so many rumors about Demi’s whereabouts, he didn’t know what to think.

When Elle walked into the kitchen a few minutes later clad in her uniform and with the cradle in tow, it was like déjà vu from two years ago when Rosalie had appeared on his doorstep with a dark-haired, blue-eyed baby she’d told him was his. The only difference was the bulldog who walked close at Elle’s feet and the fact that they had no idea who baby Bonnie’s parents were.

At that time he’d not only opened his home to Rosalie and little Brooke, but he’d also opened his heart. He wasn’t about to make that same mistake again with Elle and Bonnie.

“Good morning,” he said.

“It’s always a good morning when you wake up to the smell of bacon,” she replied.

“I hope you’re a breakfast eater.” He pointed to the coffee machine. “Help yourself to the coffee.”

“Thanks, and yes, I’m a breakfast eater as long as somebody else is cooking it,” she replied. She placed the cradle in one of the chairs at the table and then scooted it in so it was secure. “Bonnie had her breakfast about an hour ago at five thirty, and right now I’m going to take Merlin out and grab his dog food and bowl.”

“How do you like your eggs?” he asked.

“Any way you want to cook them is fine with me. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared from the room and a moment later he heard the front door open.

Despite the smell of bacon and toast, he thought he caught a whiff of her fresh perfume. He hadn’t had a woman in the cabin since Rosalie. He’d forgotten how nice it was to smell a feminine fragrance, to have somebody here to share morning coffee and pleasant talk.

The baby made a noise and he turned from the stove and walked over to make sure she was okay. Her blue eyes gazed at him and she released a soft coo as her little arms waved in the air. And then she smiled at him.

It shot an arrow of warmth straight through to his heart. Did she know he was the man who had rocked her in his arms last night when she’d fussed? No, he told himself. He backed away from the table and returned to his breakfast work.

No, there was no way in hell he was going to allow her any access to his heart. Bonnie could look all cute in her little pink outfit and she could coo and smile all she wanted. He was not going to fall in love with her in any way until he found out for sure that she was really his. He was not going to get his heart ripped out again.

He was grateful when Elle returned. She carried a big dog bowl full of food and set it just inside the back door. As Merlin began his meal, Anders cracked four eggs into a bowl, added a little milk and shredded cheese, and then transferred the mixture to the awaiting skillet.

“It’s a beautiful morning,” Elle said as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Normally I would have left here an hour or so ago. I’d be on horseback and out on the ranch checking in on my men,” he replied.

“It’s much nicer for you to be here fixing me breakfast,” she said as she sat down at the table.

“I’ll make breakfast, but I definitely will demand you pay me back and cook dinner tonight.” He then shook his head. “That was silly for me to say. There’s no reason for me to think that you’ll still be here at dinnertime.”

“We’ll see what Finn has to say when we take Bonnie into the police station this morning.”

He took up the eggs, divided them on two plates, added bacon and toast, and then carried the dishes to the table. “Hmm, looks good,” she said. “Oh look, Bonnie found her thumb.”

Sure enough, the little girl’s thumb was in her mouth and she looked delightfully happy. “Should we stop her from doing that?” he asked worriedly. Didn’t that cause buck teeth?

“No, although we might want to buy her a pacifier.”

“How do you know so much about babies?” he asked. And how could her hair look so pretty in the sunshine, so soft and touchable despite the severe style of the low ponytail at the nape of her neck?

“When I was a senior in high school one of my close friends got pregnant. Her parents encouraged her to have an abortion, but she decided to have the baby. When the baby was born I spent a lot of afternoons and weekends with them helping her out.”

“What about the father?” he asked.

“Just another deadbeat dad,” she said in disgust. “He swore he loved her and then dropped her like a hot potato when she told him she was pregnant.”

“Was her family supportive?” he asked.

“Financially, yes. They didn’t kick her out of the house or anything like that, but they weren’t real emotionally supportive. The good news is last I heard she’d married a great guy and was finally living happily-ever-after.”

“That’s nice,” he replied.

“Anyway, I learned all kinds of things about babies when I was there with her, although she had a boy, not a girl.”

As they ate breakfast the conversation was light and easy. They didn’t talk about whether little Bonnie was a Colton or a Gage. They didn’t speak about the intruder from the night before; instead, they spoke about the weather.

She loved the spring and he liked the fall. They both liked winter if it involved a fire in a fireplace, cozy blankets and plenty of hot cocoa.

He told her a little about his normal day on the ranch and by that time the meal was over. They worked side by side to clean up the kitchen and then it was time for them to take the baby in to the Red River Police Department.

Immediately the first problem they encountered was they had no car seat for Bonnie. “There’s the discount store just before we get to the police station. If you’ll stop there I’ll run in and get a car seat,” Elle said. “In the meantime you’ll just have to drive very carefully.”

“I always drive carefully,” he replied. “In all my years of driving I’ve never had a single traffic ticket.”

“Then you’re either a good, law-abiding man behind the wheel or we just haven’t caught you yet,” she replied with a small grin.

Her humor surprised him. His initial assessment of her had been that she was a bit uptight and way too serious. But the impish grin proved him wrong.

Thirty minutes later Bonnie was secured in a new infant car seat and sleeping peacefully next to Merlin, who was probably slobbering up his back seat. Elle had also picked up a pacifier in the store and had tucked it into the tote bag for whenever Bonnie might need it.

The Red Ridge Police Department was a large one-story brick building. Anders had never been arrested nor had any run-ins with the law, although he’d been inside the building a couple of times in the past to bail out some of his men. The charges were usually the same—drunk and disorderly—and their pay was docked until they’d paid Anders back.

Of course he knew he’d been under a lot more police scrutiny in the past six months since Demi had disappeared. And now with the baby showing up, he’d probably be under even more. He didn’t care. He had nothing to hide. He had no idea where his cousin might be.

He parked in the lot and then went to the back seat and got Bonnie out. She rode on his arm in the carrier that pulled out of the car seat. Elle fell into step with him, carrying the tote bag and with Merlin by her side.

“Babies require a lot of equipment,” he said.

She released a small burst of musical laughter. “Trust me, this is just the beginning. There are bassinets and bouncy chairs and toys to aid in their development. Then a crib and another car seat and more clothes, diapers and toys.”

“Whoa,” he said with a laugh of his own. “Let’s take this one step at a time.”

They walked into the building where a receptionist sat behind the front desk. “Hey, Lorelei. How’s it going?” Elle greeted her.

The pretty brunette with chin-length hair and silver-framed glasses smiled at Elle. “It’s going. They’re all waiting for you.”

He followed Elle down a hallway and into a large room, suddenly worried that little Bonnie’s fate just might be out of his hands. And then worried why that bothered him.

* * *

The names of the victims of the Groom Killer were written on a large whiteboard in the front of the room. The first name was Bo Gage and Elle’s heart ached as she saw his name up there. Unfortunately, his name wasn’t the only one.

Michael Haydon, Joey McBurn, Jack Parkowski and Zane Godfried were all men who had been killed the night before their weddings by a gunshot wound to the heart. Cummerbunds had been shoved in their mouths, identifying them as victims of the serial killer now known as the Groom Killer.

As a result, the town of Red Ridge had become anti-wedding. Engaged couples didn’t go out in public, and Elle believed some of the public breakups between couples were staged and fake to hopefully make the man in the relationship less of a target.

Businesses relating to weddings were also taking a big hit. Nobody was rushing out to buy wedding dresses or ordering wedding cakes. Printers weren’t printing wedding invitations and the popular venues for a marriage ceremony remained empty. June was the month of brides, but there were no brides in the town of Red Ridge right now.

Finn Colton stood at the head of the room. Dark-haired and with piercing dark eyes, Elle knew him to be smart and serious and focused on his job.

Besides Finn there were six other officers in the room, including Elle’s brother Carson. Elle and Anders greeted everyone and then sat in the folding chairs lined up in front of the whiteboard. Merlin sank down at Elle’s feet.

“Give me a report, Elle,” Finn said.

She filled him in on everything that had occurred the night before and when she was finished, Finn frowned. “So, do you think the intruder was looking for the baby?”

“I have no idea what he was looking for,” Anders replied.

“And we don’t know who the baby belongs to,” Finn said.

“Demi,” Carson said. “She’s got to be Demi’s baby. From all we know, the timing is right. That means she was on your property last night.” His voice held more than a little suspicion.

“I’ve told you all before, I am not hiding her out anywhere on my ranch,” Anders said firmly. “I’m not helping her in any way stay hidden from the authorities. I have no idea if the baby is hers. I haven’t seen or talked to her since she took off, despite what some of you think. It’s also possible the baby could be mine.”

“Then what you need to do when you leave here is go to the lab where we can conduct a DNA test. I want to know if that baby is Demi’s,” Finn replied.

Of course a DNA test between Anders and Bonnie wouldn’t answer if the baby belonged to Demi, but if Anders was ruled out as the father, then the odds were good Bonnie belonged to the runaway bounty hunter who’d needed to leave her infant somewhere safe.

“In the meantime, we need to figure out what to do with the baby,” Finn continued.

“I’d like to take her back home with me,” Anders said. “She was left on my porch with a note saying she is a Colton. She was left with me for a reason and until I know that reason, I’d like her to stay.”

“It’s also possible if she belongs to Demi, then Demi might return for her. I’d like to stay on this, Chief. If I stay at Anders’s place, it’s possible I can make an arrest and bring her in,” Elle said.

“I could definitely use Elle’s help,” Anders added.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Carson protested. “Elle is still a rookie. Surely we have an officer with more experience who could stay at Anders’s.”

“I’m definitely up for this job,” Elle said with a heated glare at her brother. This Overly Protective Brother stuff was definitely getting on her last nerve. “Didn’t I prove to you last night that I can take care of myself during the stakeout when that thug came out of nowhere at the Larsons’ warehouse?”

“Speaking of last night, we got nada,” Finn said in obvious frustration. “When the team finally went in, they found no drugs and no guns. There was absolutely nothing illegal in the building.”

Elle shared Finn’s frustration. The Larson twins were definitely slick. “Then where are they keeping their stash?”

“Wouldn’t we all like to know that,” one of the other officers grumbled.

“Back to the Groom Killer case,” Finn continued. “We are still investigating Hayley Patton’s admirers. As you all know Noel Larson has come up with an alibi for all of the murders so far. We need to look hard at those alibis.”

“He knows a lot of thugs. Isn’t it possible he hired somebody to commit the murders in some twisted obsession because he wasn’t going to be the groom?” Elle asked.

Hayley Patton was the woman Bo had dumped Demi for. The day after his murder was supposed to be his wedding to Hayley. She was a pretty blonde who worked as a trainer at the RRK9 Training Center. Elle liked her okay, but hadn’t really gotten close to her.

“That’s what we need to find out,” Finn said.

“I’m still trying to find out who is sending Hayley flowers every week since Bo’s death,” Carson said. “It doesn’t help that the florist was murdered and his record books are missing.”

“I think the creep is feeling the heat of us getting closer to identifying him,” Officer Brayden Colton said.

“I wish we were close enough to make an arrest today,” Carson replied.

“Let’s get to your assignments for the day,” Finn said briskly. “Okay, Elle...you stay out at Anders’s place...at least for the next couple of days. I’m sure that you and Merlin can protect the baby since we don’t know for sure what’s going on or what the masked intruder wanted. You update me daily or as needed, and Anders, don’t forget to stop by the lab for the DNA testing,” Finn said.

They left the room as Finn continued to hand out the daily assignments to the other officers. It didn’t take long in the lab for swabs to be taken from Anders and Bonnie, and then they were back in his car and headed to the cabin.

“Are you okay?” she asked him.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“It’s not every day you get swabbed for a paternity test.” She was curious how he’d felt, what had been going on in his mind when he’d gotten tested. He’d definitely appeared tense in the lab.

“First time for me,” he replied.

“Have you thought about what you want the outcome to be?”

“No, and I don’t intend to think about it. I’m not into speculation. I’ll see how I feel when we get the results.”

“So, I guess this means I’m on dinner duty,” Elle said, and looked at Anders once again.

He flashed her a quick smile. “And don’t think I’m going to let you off the hook.”

Why did his smile make her heart do a little happy dance in her chest? He wasn’t the first handsome man to smile at her. So why did his smiles somehow feel different to her?

“You might be sorry. Cooking is definitely not in my repertoire of things I do well,” she replied.

“We’ll figure it out,” he replied. “How long do you think it will take to get back the DNA results?” he then asked.

“If we’re lucky then maybe within a couple of days, but I’m sure the lab is really backlogged with all the evidence from the groom killings, so who knows.”

“The sooner the better,” he replied. “Do you ever think about marriage?”

She looked at him, surprised by the question that seemed to come out of nowhere. “Not really. I mean, I’d like to be married at some point in my future, but right now I’m totally focused on my career. What about you?”

“I entertained the idea for about a minute and then decided I’m definitely a confirmed bachelor. Maybe that will change if I find out Bonnie is mine, but right now marriage definitely isn’t on my mind. What were you talking about when you told your brother that last night you proved you could take care of yourself?”

She blinked at the abrupt change of topic. She explained to him about the warehouse stakeout and the takedown of the man who had been about to attack her. “I handled the situation without anyone else’s help. I might just be a rookie, but I’m good at what I do,” she said with a little more confidence than she felt.

“I have no doubt of that,” he replied.

“I’ll need to leave for a little while this afternoon so I can go by my apartment and grab some additional clothes.”

“Why don’t I swing by there now so you don’t have to go back out?”

“Okay,” she said, unsure how she felt about Anders seeing her personal space. She gave him the address to her apartment and within minutes they were there. He carried the baby and Merlin followed behind as they climbed the steps to her second-floor apartment.

The door opened into a fairly large living area with an island separating the living space from the kitchen. Her furniture was simple, a black sofa with bright yellow and turquoise accent pillows. A large wooden rocking chair sat in one corner of the room. Her flat-screen television was small and in a large bookcase that also displayed a few other items, including lots of books, both fiction—mystery and crime drama—and nonfiction police procedurals.

“I’ll just be a few minutes,” she said as she left the living room to go into her bedroom.

“Take your time,” he replied.

She grabbed a duffel bag from her closet and opened it on her bed. She then returned to the closet and began to grab T-shirts and jeans along with several more clean and neatly pressed uniforms. She added underwear and two nighties. She wasn’t a girlie girl, but she did love sleeping in silk nighties that made her feel wonderfully feminine.

She grabbed some toiletries from the bathroom and then zipped up the suitcase and carried it back into the living room. Anders sat in the rocking chair with Bonnie in his arms. “She’s starting to fuss a little bit,” he said as he stood.

“She’s probably getting hungry again.” Elle set her suitcase down and then dug into the tote bag to find the pacifier she’d bought. Once she found it, she quickly took it out of the packaging and then took it to the kitchen sink and ran it under hot water. Bonnie’s fussing turned into full-fledged wails.

“She definitely has a good pair of lungs on her,” Anders said.

“Let’s see how this works.” Elle placed the pacifier in Bonnie’s mouth. She immediately latched onto it and sucked happily.

“That’s a magic cure,” he said in obvious pleased surprise.

“It’s a cure that will only last so long. We should get going back to the cabin. I’m sure she probably needs a diaper change, too.”

“Here, you carry her and I’ll get your duffel bag,” he offered. As she took the baby from him, his inviting scent filled her head.

It continued to be with her in the car as they traveled on to his cabin. “I hope I didn’t overstep by suggesting I continue to stay with you and the baby,” she said when they turned into the Double C Ranch entrance.

“Not at all,” he replied. “I’m grateful to have you with me, not just to help with the baby but also to help me figure out what that man last night wanted.”

“You know if I see Demi, I do intend to take her down.” She looked at his profile as she spoke.

“I know.” He released an audible sigh. “To be honest, I almost wish she was behind bars. At least I’d know she was safe there. I worry about her being out on the run and trying to prove her innocence. What happens if she does manage to find the murderer?”

“Demi’s tough and she’s obviously smart and lucky. She’s managed to evade arrest for the last six months,” Elle said.

“Yeah, but sooner or later her luck is going to run out.” Anders pulled up in front of the cabin. They had just gotten out of the car when Merlin alerted and stared at the cabin.

“Stay here,” she commanded. She pulled her gun, grateful that he’d grabbed the baby and she hadn’t yet gotten her duffel bag.

She approached the cabin cautiously, her heart leaping into her throat as she saw that the front door was ajar. In a defensive crouch with her gun leading the way, she swept into the living room.

Chaos greeted her. Sofa cushions were on the floor; the contents of Anders’s desk were dumped out. It was obvious a search had gone on, but was the intruder still in the house?

She checked her bedroom first. Merlin was on point next to her, his quickened breathing letting her know he was alert and looking for trouble.

Her bedroom was trashed as well, but there was nobody in there. The bathroom took no more than a glance to clear and then she headed for Anders’s bedroom.

Her heart beat frantically and even though Merlin gave no alert, she didn’t know if somebody was in there or not. His door was closed and as she curled her hand around the doorknob. her heartbeat accelerated even more.

She twisted the doorknob and mentally counted to three and then exploded inside the room. Her breath whooshed out of her in relief as she saw there was nobody there.

But somebody had definitely been there. She had no idea what Anders’s room had looked like before it had been tossed, but now the king-size mattress had been displaced and all his dresser and end table drawers had been dumped on the floor. Clothes had been pulled out of the closet in what she was fairly certain had been a search. But a search for what?

Was this the work of the man who had come in last night? Whoever had been here hadn’t been looking for Bonnie. He wouldn’t have found her in a desk drawer or a closet. So what had he been looking for? And was it possible Anders wasn’t telling her something?

She holstered her gun and headed back outside where Anders remained standing next to the car with the baby. “Prepare yourself,” she warned him. “The whole place has been ransacked.”

He frowned and she followed him back inside. He paused on the threshold and looked at the shambles. He shook his head and walked on through. He came to a halt at his bedroom door. He turned back to look at Elle. “What in the hell is going on here?” he asked, his eyes narrowed with anger and his jaw tightened.

At that moment Bonnie spit out her pacifier and wailed as if she wanted an answer, too.

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