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He wasn’t sure if he was ready to make a home here in this small town, not beyond the next few months of his interim job anyway. He wasn’t the down-home type of guy.
Ever since he’d been a little boy, he wanted to be a cop like his dad. He’d idolized Neal Brannigan, the highly decorated, by-the-book cop.
And it had been Cullen’s goal to follow after him.
Since the day he’d entered the police academy, he’d been dedicated to his job, a job that he had learned would cost him relationships and friends.
He’d worked his way up the ranks from patrol officer and earned detective, then went into a special department for white-collar crimes. He found he liked it, and best of all, he was good at going after cybercriminals. Then he messed with the wrong people, and he got too close to breaking up an illegal credit card ring.
The next thing he knew he’d been arrested for taking bribes. They found large deposits in his bank account, all the evidence he’d compiled on the ring had disappeared and Internal Affairs came in to investigate. He’d been humiliated, but the worst part, he didn’t get any support from his own father. Captain Neal Brannigan said he had to stay neutral. Cullen knew his father had always been a hard-ass, but he never thought the man would desert his own son.
It had taken nearly a year, and a chunk of his savings, before he was cleared of all the charges, and reinstated in the department. The question was, did he want to go back? How could he trust his fellow officers, if they didn’t have his back? Maybe that was the reason he didn’t trust many people.
Cullen took a last bite of food, then carried his plate to the sink, his thoughts still on his new neighbor. Even though he found nothing about Shelby Townsend, he also searched the national database for information on her sister, Georgia Hughes. Only a month ago Mrs. Hughes was murdered in her home.
He glanced at the cottage again. It seemed that Miss Townsend had withheld a lot of information the other night. Not that she’d been involved in any criminal activities, but the cop in him sure was curious.
There was a soft knock on the back door and he wondered if it could be Trent. He walked through the kitchen and flipped on the light in the mudroom to find Shelby and Ryan standing on the stoop.
He opened the door, but before he could speak, Shelby spoke, “Good evening, Sheriff.”
“Hello, Shelby. Ryan.”
“I don’t want to bother you. I only wanted to drop these off to say thank you for all your help.”
“Not a problem.” He took the covered plate. “What is this?”
“Cookies,” Ryan announced.
Cullen couldn’t help but smile. “Please come inside for a moment.”
Shelby shook her head. “We really can’t. I should get Ryan to bed.”
He found he didn’t want her to leave. “At least come in and tell me how work went today.” He was hoping to get more information about her sister. And he had four long hours of solitude before he left for his shift on patrol. “Or are you afraid I won’t like your cookies?”
She straightened. “Please, Sheriff. If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s my baking skills.”
So he hit a sore spot. “Just for some coffee, and some milk for Ryan and share a cookie.”
“Okay, but not too long. I have the early shift tomorrow.”
“And I have the late shift tonight.” He allowed them in ahead of him. He inhaled her soft womanly scent. Whoa, she was intoxicating.
In the kitchen, he watched as Shelby looked around.
“The place is pretty big, isn’t it?” he said.
“Yes, it is. I didn’t get a chance to see everything when we arrived. I love all the character.” She ran her hand over the tiled counters. The cabinets had been painted white, and the floors were the same hardwood that ran throughout the house. She went to the older stove.
“Lucky you. This is an O’Keefe & Merritt stove.” She ran her hand reverently over the chrome handles and white porcelain top. “I know the newer models are more efficient, but I love this. Reminds me of the one at my grandmother Ivy’s house.”
Good opening for some info. “Does she still live there...in Kentucky?”
She shook her head. “There isn’t anyone else left, just Ryan and me.”
He caught the sadness in her eyes. “I’m sorry. Please, have a seat,” he said, but Ryan had wandered through the dining room to the living area. He stood staring at the big screen over the fireplace. The only thing Cullen had gotten done since yesterday had been to mount his television.
“Hey, Ryan, would you like to watch a movie?”
The boy looked at his aunt and said, “Thomas the Tank Engine, please.”
“You just said the magic words. We don’t have a television right now.” She looked at her nephew. “Maybe next time, sweetie. We can’t stay long tonight, remember?” The child didn’t argue. He just climbed up on the chair at the table.
Cullen walked to the coffeemaker, took down two mugs from above and poured them both a cup. “Cream or sugar?” he asked. “Whoa, I’m not sure if I have any sugar. I do have milk, though.”
“Black is fine,” she said.
“How did your first day at the café go?”
She smiled. “Good. Bill and Bess are sweethearts to work for. Bess even let Ryan stay at the restaurant. She made a place in a corner of the kitchen away from the work areas. A little table where he could color and play on his tablet.” She shrugged. “It’s temporary. I’m looking into some day care, but this week he can stay with me.”
“That’s great.” Cullen brought the full mugs to the table as she removed the foil from the plate of cookies. Oatmeal. He got a glass and filled it half-full with milk for Ryan and set it down in front of him. He took the chair across from the pair.
Shelby felt nervous being here with Cullen. She was attracted to this man, and that wasn’t something she needed to be thinking about, or giving him any ideas about being available. There was no time, or room, in her life for a man. Too bad.
She took a sip of the rich brew with a touch of almond favor. “This is good. The only problem might be I’m up all night.”
Cullen nodded. “And I need it to stay awake for my shift.”
“Why is the sheriff working the night shift? Aren’t you the boss?”
“The interim sheriff, and I’m the new guy here. I’m trying to get to know the area.” He took a drink of his coffee. “I should be used to pulling an all-nighter, but my body tells me differently.”
She couldn’t help but watch the man. Just his good looks drew her, but it was more. He had a way of making her aware of herself as a woman, maybe too aware. Working in a male-dominated field, she had to become one of the guys to survive in her profession.
His gaze met hers. The hazel color was almost green...his mouth was tempting. He didn’t make her feel like one of the guys.
She glanced down at the plate. “You haven’t tried my cookies.” She handed one to Ryan.
Never taking his eyes off her, Cullen reached for one and took a bite. She watched him chew, waiting for his praise. It didn’t take long.
An approving rumble erupted from deep in his chest, then he smiled. “You weren’t lying, Miss Townsend. This is great. What’s your secret?”
She shook her head. “I can’t divulge that. Maybe one day I’ll want to open my own shop and become a millionaire.”
“The million-dollar cookie. Has a nice ring to it.” He quickly finished one, then reached for another. “Are you going to take over the baking for Bess?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I made a sampler plate of things to take into work tomorrow.”
“A sampler plate? Why did I only get to test oatmeal?”
She hid a smile. “Because that was the one kind you talked about.”
“So if I put in my order now, will you bring me, say, chocolate chip, maybe sugar, or peanut butter?”
Was he flirting with her? Darn, it had been so long she couldn’t even tell. “We’ll see.”
He leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I’m glad you brought these by tonight. I wanted to stop at the cottage to see if you’re doing okay, but didn’t want you to feel I was checking up on you and Ryan.”
Tempting as this man was, she had to ignore the little flutters of excitement. “Thank you for allowing us the privacy.”
“I want you to know that you’re safe here.”
She nodded, feeling her breath locked in her lungs as she recalled the terror of the past few weeks. Would she ever feel safe again? “Why wouldn’t I be safe out here?”
“You were all alone on a ranch, but I’m here now.”
That still didn’t help with her trust issues. Cullen Brannigan made her nervous, not in a fearful way, but in a way that could be just as dangerous.
* * *
ABOUT ELEVEN THIRTY, Cullen was dressed for work. He took his sidearm out of the lockbox he’d decided to keep on the high shelf in the hall closet. He slipped the Glock into his holster, snapped the leather strap over it and adjusted his utility belt. He wore a pair of dark blue trousers, and his light blue uniform shirt with his sheriff’s badge pinned over the pocket. As a detective, he carried only cuffs and his sidearm. He wasn’t used to all this bulk. Since he’d be inside the station tonight, he didn’t put on his Kevlar vest.
He grabbed his travel mug filled with coffee for his twenty-minute drive into town. He reached for his gray cowboy hat off the hook, then he turned the lock before closing the back door. He started for his patrol car when he heard the child’s scream.
What the hell? He froze in alert, then glanced at the cottage to see the place was dark, except for the porch light. He listened and then heard another frantic cry. That had to be Ryan.
He set his coffee on the hood of the car and hurried toward the cottage, but he passed the porch and went around the side to Ryan’s bedroom. He found the window untouched. No sign of any break-in.
Then he heard Shelby’s voice. “It’s okay, Ryan. I’m here, and no one will hurt you.”
Cullen glanced in the window and saw her seated on the bed, holding the child. He moved away, but listened, telling himself it was to make sure they were both okay.
“He hurt Mommy. He’s gonna get us,” the child cried. “I want my mommy.”
Shelby hugged Ryan as tight as she could, but even her secure hold didn’t stop the child’s trembling. She cursed Gil Bryant. He might never have put a hand on Ryan, but he had to watch as the bastard hit his mother.
“I know you do, sweetheart, but we talked about this. Your mother is in heaven. She’s safe with your dad.”
“I want to go, too.”
“Oh, Ryan.” She blinked back tears. “I would miss you so much.”
Suddenly a loud knock sounded on the front door. Ryan gasped.
“Shelby. It’s Cullen. Are you okay?”
She sighed in relief. “It’s Cullen.” She lifted the boy from the bed. “We better go answer the door.” She carried the child with her, knowing she couldn’t leave him alone in the bedroom.
She checked through the peephole to see the man dressed in uniform. “Oh, boy.” She opened the door to the sheriff. He removed his hat as he stepped inside.
“Is everything all right?”
With her nod, he turned his attention to Ryan. “I heard you scream, son. Did you have a bad dream?”
Shelby was surprised when Ryan nodded against her shoulder. “Sorry he disturbed you,” she said.
Cullen put on a smile. “He didn’t, I was headed into work. Since there’s no one around for miles, I wanted to make sure everyone here was all right.”
His empathy drew her. “Thank you, Sheriff.”
He nodded, then glanced back at the boy. “Hey, Ryan, did you know that part of my job is to check under beds and in closets? If you want, I can check yours.”
Ryan raised his head, looked at her, then nodded.
“Okay, I’ll go and make sure it’s all clear.” He winked at Shelby, then took off down the hall to the first bedroom. The light went on, then a few seconds later, she heard, “The closet is clear.” A few more seconds, “Under the bed is clear, too.”
Sheriff Brannigan walked out and toward them. “I checked everything, including shutting and locking the windows. It’s safe to go back to sleep.”
Shelby looked at Ryan. “I think it’s time you go back to bed, okay?”
The boy nodded and Shelby carried him down the hall and into the bedroom. She handed her nephew the iPad and let him look at a movie. She probably shouldn’t spoil him, but they both needed some sleep.
She kissed him on his head, then walked out but didn’t close the door. She came back into the living room and joined Cullen. “Thank you, Sheriff. What you did was very nice.”
He shook his head. “I’m glad I could help, and I thought you were going to call me Cullen.”
She glanced over him decked out in his uniform. “Dressed like that, it’s hard not to call you Sheriff.” Surprisingly, the uniform hadn’t scared Ryan.
“I’m still getting used to the title and the uniform.”
He studied her for a moment.
She was suddenly aware of her thin pajamas. She crossed her arms over her chest, but didn’t hide much. That was the least of her troubles. She had more important things to hide from this man.
“Does Ryan have a lot of nightmares?”
She shrugged. “It’s a new place. He has trouble with change. That’s an issue with kids on the...spectrum.” She wasn’t about to go into Ryan’s medical disorder at this time. “We’re dealing.”
“Since I’m your only neighbor, is there anything I should know about his...condition?”
“Since he’s usually with me, I don’t believe so. He’s just recently lost his mother, and he’s dealing with a lot for a little boy.”
“That’s got to be rough on him and on you.” He looked at her another moment, then checked his watch. “I need to get to work.” He took a card out of his pocket, along with a pen, then jotted something down. “Here is the number of the sheriff’s office, and also there’s my cell number.”
“I don’t need to call you. Ryan just had a bad dream.”
