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“Whatever you call it, I’m here and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you both safe.” He turned and walked out, leaving her wanting to run after him and take what he was offering her.
“Thank you, Cullen,” she whispered into the darkness. If only she could trust him enough to share her secrets. But the stakes were too high.
Chapter Four (#ubd453e21-e416-5cd6-956f-9f14bc757639)
The next morning the sun was shining bright when Cullen walked out of his office at the station. He greeted the day shift, deputies Tory Michaels, Brad Rogers and Sheila Brown.
“If you need me, call. For anything,” he told his second in command, Lieutenant Rogers, then he walked by the dispatcher, Connie Lara, at her workstation.
The midfifties woman truly ran the place, and he appreciated her efficiency. He was sure Ted Carson was resting easy knowing his sister was keeping an eye open.
“Have a good day, Sheriff,” she called.
“You, too, Connie. I’m going home to sleep.” He walked through the glass doors and got into his truck, but instead of heading to the ranch, he drove across Main Street and parked in front of the B&B Café.
“So shoot me, I’m hungry,” he murmured as he got out and went inside the cozy diner. He glanced around the place crowded with customers. It was after eight o’clock. He guessed these people didn’t have to work for a living. There was a lone vacant spot at the counter, and he grabbed it. Bill Cummings walked by with an empty mug, set it on the counter and filled it.
“Thanks, Bill. Are you running a special this morning?” he asked.
The café owner nodded. “You bet. It’s Shelby’s French toast, her eggs Benedict, and her biscuits and gravy.” He reached for a basket. “Here, try one of her apple spice muffins. You don’t even need butter.”
Cullen grabbed one. It was still warm. He took a bite, and his taste buds went crazy.
The sixty-something café owner leaned against the counter. “Bess and I haven’t even started tapping into her other talents.”
“Well, it looks like she’s caused a boom in your business.”
Bill grinned. “Yeah, and I might have to hire another waitress.”
“I’ll have the French toast and a side of bacon with scrambled eggs.”
“Got it, Sheriff.”
Over the next ten minutes he drank his one cup of coffee, then switched to orange juice so he could sleep when he got home. Finally his platter of food arrived just as Shelby walked out of the kitchen with little Ryan in tow.
She was dressed in a white cook’s smock and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, making her blue eyes look even bigger. Her face was clean of makeup with just a little lip gloss on her mouth. Even with his lack of sleep, he felt the jolt of awareness.
She walked around to his side of the counter. The café was clearing out. “Morning, Sheriff.”
“Morning to you, too. Hi, Ryan.”
The boy smiled.
“Join me?” He reached down and lifted Ryan to the vacant stool beside him. The child was carrying his prize picture book.
“Hi, Sheriff Cullen.”
That made Cullen grin. “So, no more monsters?”
The blond-haired boy shook his head. “All gone.”
“Good. I’ll chase them away any time you want. Okay?”
The boy nodded. “Okay.”
Shelby sat beside her nephew. “So how was your breakfast?”
“You know how it was. Delicious. Another secret recipe?”
She nodded. “My grandmother’s. She taught me more than any culinary school.”
He watched the sadness play over her pretty features. He wanted to reach out and comfort her.
“I bet she’d be proud that you learned your craft so well.”
Shelby looked at him. “I hope so. She was the best part of my childhood. She took me in when no one...” Shelby stopped and glanced at the busy kitchen. “I need to get back to work.”
She started to help Ryan down, but the boy resisted. “Want to stay with the sheriff.”
Shelby opened her mouth, but Cullen stepped in. “He can sit here awhile until I finish.”
She didn’t look too certain. “Trust me, Shelby.”
She nodded then walked back to the kitchen, leaving him wondering what in her life caused her to be so distrusting. He took a sip of coffee. That was something he hoped he could change.
* * *
LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Cullen finally got up from bed, showered and dressed to go downstairs. He looked at the living room. Sheets still covered the furniture, except for the sofa, where he could sit and watch television. Maybe it was time he got his things from storage. He combed his fingers through his short hair, thinking he needed coffee before he made any decisions about his future. He turned and walked through the dining room to the kitchen.
Once the coffee had been made and he took his first sip, he began to slowly feel human again. That was when he heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. He looked out the window to see Trent’s truck pulling a trailer and parking beside the barn.
“What the hell?”
He put down his mug and headed outside just as his stepbrother climbed out of the cab. “Good afternoon, Sheriff.”
Cullen nodded. “That depends on what’s inside the trailer.”
Trent put on a big smile. “Just a couple of old guys who need a place to retire. Well, one is a lady.” He walked to the back of the trailer, unpinned the gate and lowered it. Inside there were two horses.
“Whoa. Are they staying here?”
Trent paused and slipped his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, if you don’t have a problem. I don’t have any extra stalls at my place, and since this barn is empty, I thought I could board them here.”
Before Cullen could even figure out what was going on, Trent was slowly backing a golden-brown bay gelding down the ramp. At one time the horse must have been a beauty, and the good bloodlines showed in the equine.
Trent held on to the lead rope. “This is Dakota Dancer.” He gave the reins to Cullen and went to get the other horse, a little black mare, with white stocks and a star blaze on her forehead. “This is Sassy Girl.”
“So how long are they going to be staying here?”
“Not sure.” They walked toward the corral, opened the gate and released the horses.
“I know. I know. They’re older horses, but they’re still perfectly healthy. I mean, I wouldn’t suggest you take them on a hard ride, but I can’t allow them to be put down.”
Cullen didn’t like that idea, either. “So you’re opening a horse rescue here?”
Trent’s eyes lit up. “Hey, not a bad idea.”
Cullen didn’t like where this was heading. “And who’s going to be feeding these two and mucking out their stalls? From what I remember from childhood, when you feed animals, something comes out the other end that needs to be cleaned up.”
Trent laughed. “Well, I thought you could handle the feedings. Maybe I can hire a high school kid to keep the barn and stalls clean, or I can send one of my hands over.”
Cullen stood on the bottom railing and watched the two horses run around the corral. Although he couldn’t see any evidence, he had to ask, “Have these two been abused?”
Trent shook his head. “Not beaten, but likely neglected. Okay, they were abandoned and left on their own.” He sighed. “The animal rescue couldn’t take them, and because of their age, they’d probably be put down.”
The black mare came over and nudged at Trent’s hand, looking for attention. He couldn’t resist and petted her. She blew out a loud breath and bobbed her head. She was a sweetheart. Not to be left out, Dakota came over and wanted his turn.
“See what I mean?” Trent said. “We have room here, and the means for some feed.”
Cullen tried not to get attached, but these two made it difficult. “What happens when I leave here?”
Trent shrugged. “Let’s not worry about that now. We can set up a schedule for everyone to help out. I just need some stalls to protect them from the weather.” He turned to his brother. “So what do you think? Will you help out?”
“Hey, this was your mother’s place.”
Trent frowned. “She wanted you and Austin to have a part of this place, too.”
Leslie might have been his stepmother, but to Cullen she was a true mother. His biological mother had died when he and Austin were only ten. Leslie had worked tirelessly to make them a family again when she married their father and brought the brooding thirteen-year-old Trent into the household. It wasn’t instant love between the boys.
Cullen tried to hide his smile at the memories. “Okay, it’s not a bad idea. So could I ride Dancer?”
“You could, but if you want a good hard ride, I’ll bring over one of my saddle horses.”
He found he was excited about the idea. “We’ll see.”
A familiar compact pulled into the driveway. Shelby and Ryan were home. Cullen felt a little kick start around his heart. He was anxious to see how the boy would be around horses.
Once they were out of the car, he motioned for them to come over. Shelby took Ryan’s hand, and they started toward him. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her sexy walk in those formfitting jeans.
She reached them, and she looked first at Trent. “Hi, Trent.” Then she turned to him and smiled, and his gut tightened. “Hi, Sheriff.”
“Hello, you two.” He leaned down to the child. “Want to see who moved in today?”
The boy nodded and reached up so Cullen could lift him. He hoisted the boy up and put him on the railing of the wooden fence. He called to the horses, and soon they came to the railing. So they’d been trained well.
Cullen reached out his hand and stroked the horses. “This is Dakota and this is Sassy. They’d like you to pet them.”
The boy looked at Shelby to see her nod also. “Go ahead, Ryan.”
Cullen was a little surprised that Shelby wasn’t more protective. Then he got a bigger surprise when she came to the railing and greeted the horses herself.
“Here, like this, Ryan.” She rubbed her hand over Dancer’s face, and the gelding loved it. “He’s gentle,” she said. “Now, you rub Sassy.” She took the boy’s hand and ran it over the horse’s face.
Ryan giggled. “Tickles.”
“It’s a good tickle,” Shelby said.
With Ryan busy with the horses, she asked Cullen, “You’re boarding horses now?”
He nodded to his brother. “It’s more like Trent rescued them.” He shrugged, admitting he wasn’t the hero in this story. “And we have room here in the barn.”
She smiled, and Cullen felt the impact deep in his gut.
“Good job, Sheriff,” she said. “Come on, Ryan, I need to fix us some dinner.” She said goodbye to Trent, then started off toward the cottage, but stopped and looked back. “Sheriff, it’s only leftovers, but there’s plenty if you’d like to come by about six.”
Without waiting for an answer, she walked off.
“Whoa,” Trent said and slapped Cullen on the back. “Nice invitation, bro. You gonna go?”
“I shouldn’t.” Yet, he couldn’t take his eyes off her cute rear end. “I can’t get involved.” There were too many unanswered questions about Shelby Townsend.
Trent nodded. “I went through the same thing about two years ago with Brooke. Some of us just don’t trust easily. But hey, you’d be a fool not to take a second look at her.”
He thought back to the past year of his life. “It won’t be the first time I’ve been called that.”
* * *
AN HOUR LATER, Shelby was calling herself every kind of crazy. What had she been thinking? She had no business asking the sheriff to dinner. Her time here was temporary. She might need to move on just to keep Ryan safe. He was her first and only concern. She was the child’s only family, and Georgia trusted her to be his guardian.
The picture of her sweet new employers, Bess and Bill Cummings, came to mind. She knew she’d impressed them with her skills at the restaurant. She loved that the diner was filled up most of the day with customers wanting to eat her food. And she couldn’t wait to do her first wedding reception. A couple had a tasting in a few weeks, and Shelby wanted to come up with something special. If the truth be told, she didn’t want to leave here.
There was a knock on the door, and her heart skipped a beat. She didn’t have time to analyze the reaction, and went to answer the door. She stopped in the kitchen doorway to see that Ryan had let Cullen in.
The sheriff had crouched down to her nephew’s size. “Hey, buddy. It might be a good idea if you ask who is there before you open the door.”
The boy’s blue eyes widened with fear. “Because of monsters?”
“Just because there might be a stranger.”
The boy nodded. “Okay.”
“Good.” Cullen stood and looked across the room to Shelby. “Hi. I hope I’m not too early.”
“No, I’m just heating up the lasagna in the oven.”
He inhaled a long breath, causing his already-developed chest to expand more. “I thought I smelled something garlicky.”
“Probably the bread.” She motioned for him to follow her. “Come into the kitchen. I’m finishing up the salad.”
