Her Colorado Sheriff. Patricia Thayer

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СКАЧАТЬ 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 СКАЧАТЬ