Her Colorado Sheriff. Patricia Thayer

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ out. She was who she said she was. Not even a parking ticket.

      Now he was here, cleaning. And if Shelby and Ryan moved in here, they were going to be neighbors.

      “So Miss Townsend intrigues you,” Trent said as he paused from cleaning the upper cabinet.

      “She doesn’t have anywhere to go,” he said. “It was Hank Donaldson who brought her here for a job. A job that doesn’t exist anymore.” He continued to toss out all the packaged food and spices in the cupboard that had been left behind. “We’ve never had a problem about knowing where we’d live.” He couldn’t imagine having to do it with a child.

      “No. Uncle Sam took care of me for over a dozen years. And then Dad left me the Lucky Bar L.” Trent gave him a big smile. “And I finally found my home.”

      Cullen had to admit he was a little envious of his stepbrother. “And that pretty wife of yours.”

      “I think I heard my name.” A smiling Brooke walked into the kitchen, followed by Shelby and Ryan. He felt a sudden awareness as the woman glanced in his direction.

      Trent was the first to speak. “Hey, there, Ryan.”

      The boy’s eyes widened, but he stayed glued to his aunt’s side.

      Cullen’s attention stayed on the pretty aunt. Today she was dressed in a pair of dark slacks and a pretty pink blouse with a long tan coat sweater.

      “Hello, Shelby,” he finally greeted her.

      “Hello, Sheriff,” she returned.

      “I’m off duty, so call me Cullen.”

      Trent chuckled. “Heck, he’s only been sheriff what, ten days? Call him Cullen all the time.”

      That got a smile from her, and he wished he’d been the reason for it. “How about Sheriff Cullen?” she joked, and even Ryan laughed.

      Cullen looked at the boy. “So you like that, huh, buddy?”

      He was rewarded with a bigger grin and a nod. Why did that make his day?

      He looked at Shelby. “Did you go to the café?”

      She nodded. “Thank you for recommending me for the job.”

      Trent shot him a look, but he ignored it. “I only told Bess that you might be in today.”

      “Well, she hired me part-time for the restaurant now, then more hours for the catering side. They have several weddings booked starting next month.”

      Cullen nodded. “That’s good.”

      She didn’t look as happy. “I’m worried about Ryan. We’re in a new area and I need someone reliable to watch him. When we planned to work the roundups, he would stay with us.”

      Brooke spoke up. “I have a few names we use for our son, Chris. There’s also St. Francis’s preschool. My niece went there last year. I’ll get my phone and give you all the info. So does that help you make the decision about staying?”

      Shelby nodded, but she was pretty sure she couldn’t afford to live here. “I guess that depends on the rent for the cottage.”

      Trent looked at Cullen, then his brother said, “Why don’t we go a hundred a week until you see if everything works out with the job?”

      Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, no. I can’t accept that. That’s...too generous.”

      Trent raised a hand. “This was our mother’s ranch.” His voice grew husky. “I have no doubt she’d offer you the same arrangement. Sometimes we all need some help to get started.”

      Brooke stepped in, and slipped her arm around her husband’s waist, then said, “How about we give you a trial period, then increase the rent then?” She looked at Cullen. “Do you both agree to that? A trial period then if Shelby wants to stay you’ll raise the rent.”

      Cullen looked at the pretty brunette, suddenly hoping she’d take the agreement and stay around.

      * * *

      THAT AFTERNOON, SHELBY had their meager belongings moved over to the cottage. With the brothers giving her a cut in rent, she agreed to take the place only if she’d be the one to finish cleaning it.

      She looked around and saw the beauty of the place. Okay, it was small, but the brick fireplace and the hardwood floors, scarred or not, gave it character. She’d mostly lived in apartments, with roommates, but after finishing culinary school, she’d hoped to finally put down some roots. Could Hidden Springs be that place?

      She could see the brothers both wanted to help her, but she didn’t want to be beholden to anyone. Most of her life, she and her older sister had been in the foster care system. A lot of those years she’d lost touch with Georgia. They’d found each other only about a year ago when she’d learned about the hell her sister had been going through with Gil Bryant. Shelby had seen firsthand what Georgia’s ex-boyfriend could do when angered. She’d shown up one day and found Georgia beaten and bruised, but her sister refused to go to the ER.

      Since Gil was a cop in the small Southern town, his fellow officers protected their brother. Even after Georgia broke up with him, he still got away with coming into her apartment and terrorizing her. He swore that she could never leave him.

      Not having the option to call for any protection, Georgia had no choice but to take her son and disappear, and Shelby was going with them. They’d planned to leave Kentucky and come to Colorado to work on a ranch.

      Then came the day they were to leave town. At five o’clock, Shelby had her car packed with all their possessions. She picked Ryan up at preschool, then drove to the designated meeting spot at the strip mall. When nightfall came and Georgia hadn’t shown up, Shelby got worried, and knew in her gut something had gone wrong.

      After dropping Ryan off at the babysitter, she drove to the house, but a block away she saw the police car and flashing lights, then the coroner’s vans. Panic took over and she jumped out of the car and ran to the house, but it was too late. Gil had gotten to Georgia. He’d killed her. There wasn’t any proof that he’d been the one who shot her. Of course he had an alibi. Several of his fellow officers backed him up.

      She’d never trust a cop again.

      She swiped at a tear. That was when she heard her name. She swung around to find Cullen Brannigan. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a henley shirt. She couldn’t help but look over the expansive chest, then realizing what she was doing, she looked at his somber face.

      “Oh, Cullen.” She went to the opened door. “Is something wrong?”

      He shook his head, but held out the two big bags in his hand. “Brooke sent me over with some cleaning supplies. She was at the store and realized there weren’t any left here.”

      She started to take the bags, but he shook his head. So she motioned him inside and led him into the kitchen. He followed her into the room lined with older white cabinets and butcher-block counters. The floor was worn but went with the rest of the house. She had boxes of pots and pans and her seasoning and spices on the table. And her extravagance had been her specialty СКАЧАТЬ