Secret Agent Father. Laura Scott
alone, his mother helps me by watching over Brianna when I’m busy working. Well, here I am jabbering in your ear, when all you want to do is relax for a bit. Dinner will be ready about six. If you’re hungry before that, just come down to the kitchen. There’s always plenty to eat.”
“Thank you.” When Kayla left, Shelby closed the door behind her and glanced over at Cody. He didn’t usually take naps, but his eyelids drooped as a result of his interrupted night. She wasn’t feeling too perky herself and the white down comforter on the bed looked soft and inviting. “So, partner, how about we lie down for a few minutes?”
“I don’t wanna lie down.” A wide yawn belied his words but he pried his eyes open, fighting fatigue the way kids tended to do. “Are we gonna live here now? I like Clyde.”
Shelby shook her head, eyeing the puppy that had followed them upstairs, claiming Cody as his newfound friend. Clearly, every child should have a pet. She made a mental vow to get Cody a dog of his own once this mess was over. Would Alex mind? No, she wasn’t going there. If she wanted Cody to have a puppy, he’d have one.
“We can’t live here, Cody. In the spring and summer, these rooms are rented out to guests. We’re just lucky there isn’t anyone here now.” Inspiration struck. “Would you like to take a nap with Clyde?”
“Yeah!” Cody ran into his room, the puppy close on his heels. Her ruse worked, forestalling further questions about his father or their possible future together. She wouldn’t be able to dodge the little boy’s questions forever.
But first and foremost, Cody needed to be safe. Once they were out of danger, she intended to ask Alex to grant her sole custody. The apprehensive expression in his eyes, when he’d looked at Cody, convinced her that he wasn’t overly thrilled to be a father. Which was fine with her. She couldn’t have loved Cody any more if he really were her son.
Cody would feel better, once he knew what to expect in the future.
Shelby left open the adjoining door between their rooms, so that she’d hear Cody when he awoke. She slid between the sheets, sighing gratefully as the down mattress cushioned her tired and aching body. Sleep should have come easily.
Instead Alex’s face swam in her mind, interrupting her search for blessed oblivion. She couldn’t believe she’d cried on his shoulder. She hadn’t leaned on a man in a long time, and Alex wasn’t exactly the best candidate. He was too intimidating by far. And besides, maybe he wasn’t married, but he’d clearly been irresponsible all those years ago.
Instantly she felt ashamed. She couldn’t pass judgment on him for having an intimate relationship with Trina, since she wouldn’t have Cody in her life if he hadn’t.
But she didn’t get the sense he held the same Christian beliefs she did. She’d found God as her savior after an awful experience in college, where she’d narrowly escaped being sexually assaulted. She’d found solace in God and her church, and the people there had helped her again after she’d suffered a brutal attack at the shipyard a few years ago. She’d overcome her fear of men slowly but surely, with help from the Lord. Creating her Little Lamb’s Day Care Center had helped her find a greater purpose in life. She hadn’t planned to have children of her own—she wasn’t sure she’d ever trust a man enough to risk her heart—but she’d love to raise Cody as her son.
Shelby knew she was getting ahead of herself, since she didn’t really know what Alex’s plans were, so she tried not to dwell on him. Or his relationship with her sister. She trusted him only as far as his ability to keep them safe.
Nothing more.
Tossing and turning in the unusually soft bed, her unanswered questions swirled through her mind. What had Trina been involved with? What was the source of the danger? Who had Cody seen?
She couldn’t help a tiny flash of guilt. Maybe she should let Alex question him, get some answers. But she knew all too well what it felt like to be a victim. She didn’t want to cause Cody to have nightmares like she’d had. The poor kid needed time to assimilate what had happened.
And really, how much detail would a four-year-old be able to give in a description, anyway?
She wondered what was going on back in Green Bay. She didn’t talk often to her father, but surely he’d find out soon about what happened to Trina. She’d have to call him. And what about Stephan? Had Stephan discovered the truth about Cody’s biological father last night? Was that the reason Cody was in danger?
No. She couldn’t believe Stephan was the bad man that Cody had mentioned. Up until now, Cody had called Stephan dad even if they were never really close.
Too many questions and she grew irritated with Alex for not giving her nearly enough answers.
She must have fallen asleep because she abruptly woke up, blinking groggily in the darkness, instantly aware of her strange surroundings, wondering what had woken her so suddenly. In a rush she remembered the bed-and-breakfast, and Alex. Outside, dusk had fallen, telling her she had slept longer than she’d planned. Quickly pulling on her clothes, she poked her head through the connecting doorway, her gaze searching for Cody.
His bed was rumpled, but empty.
She paused to listen for sounds of him playing with the puppy downstairs, but everything was quiet—though not for long.
The sharp retort of a gunshot from somewhere outside ripped through the silence of the night.
“No!” Shelby ran downstairs, barely pausing to grab her coat from the chair before she threw open the door. Her mind raced with terrifying thoughts of what she might find as she barreled out into the frigid moonlit night desperate to find her nephew.
THREE
Shelby peered through the night, forcing her eyes to adjust to the darkness. The snowy ground showed a trail of footprints. She thrust her arms into her coat sleeves even as she slipped and stumbled on the icy trail of trampled snow leading back around the house. The darkness swallowed her. Concern for Cody overpowered her usual fear of the night.
“Cody!” Shelby began to shout as she dodged between trees. Her voice sounded distant through the roaring in her ears. She noted another building—a pole barn, hidden in the woods to the left of the house. A shaft of light shone through the small side door left ajar. “Cody?”
Another gunshot ripped through the air, louder this time. With a sob of horror, Shelby burst through the door. She glanced around wildly. Alex stood in the center of the room holding a gun, wearing a pair of earmuffs.
Alex pulled them off the moment he saw her.
“Shelby? What’s wrong?” In an instant, he crossed over to her, lightly grasping her arm.
Helplessly, she shook her head, choking back tears and gasping for breath. Her heart pounded frantically in her chest. “I—I woke up and Cody wasn’t in the room. And th-then I heard gunshots.”
Chagrined, he glanced over to the target he’d clearly been using. “I’m sorry. I should have realized you’d worry.”
“The last time I heard gunfire, my sister was shot.” She couldn’t help pinning him with an accusatory look. A burst of anger quickly replaced her gut-wrenching fear. She tore from his grip, curled her fingers into a fist and smacked him square in the chest. “What on earth possessed you to shoot off a gun?”
He frowned and glanced down at the weapon in his hand, as if noticing it for the first time. “I needed to work on my arm. It’s not what it should be. Considering you came here for protection, I thought I’d better practice. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about Trina.”
She stared at the long paper targets hanging over sheets of plywood propped in front of several bales of hay stacked in the back of the shed, forcing herself to think logically. Alex wasn’t the bad guy here. He was Trina’s contact which meant he must be a good guy. And he was Cody’s father. He was just trying to protect them.
Shelby