The Colton Cowboy. Carla Cassidy
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