bachelor party at the Pour House, a dive bar in a sketchy area of Red Ridge, but there had been no party, only the murder of her brother.
Bo. Bo. His name blew through her on a wind of pain and terrible regret. The last time she’d seen him they’d had a terrible fight...and then he was dead. How she wished she could take back some of the things she’d said to him. How she wished he were still alive instead of the first victim of someone the police and press were now calling the Groom Killer.
She cast all of these things out of her mind as she pulled into the entrance of the Double C Ranch. She drove slowly past the huge mansion where Judson and Joanelle lived. The lights in the house were all dark, so apparently Anders hadn’t disturbed anyone there.
Anders Colton. The only thing she really knew about him was that he was a wealthy cowboy and definitely a piece of eye candy. He was a tall, muscular man with dark hair and bright blue eyes.
Elle was immune to all men right now. At twenty-six years old, her entire focus was on her work and the need to prove herself to everyone in her family and on the police force.
In any case Anders Colton would be the last man she’d have any interest in. First of all, he was a Colton and that was enough to make her keep her distance. But, secondly and more important, it was possible he was aiding and abetting his cousin Demi, who was still on the run from authorities. Had Demi killed Bo? Was she the Groom Killer? Evidence said she was. Witnesses said so, too. And the fact that she’d fled town before she could be arrested and had been on the run ever since made a lot of people, her own relatives on the force included, think she was guilty. But the FBI had caught sightings of her far from Red Ridge on the night of subsequent murders with the same MO. Some said Demi had been framed. Others said she was smart and setting it all up herself.
All Elle wanted was for the murders to stop. And justice for her brother.
Although she didn’t know specifically where the foreman’s cabin was on the property, she followed the dirt road that took her past a huge barn and a wooded area.
Then she spied the cozy cabin with the porch light on. Seated on the porch was Anders Colton, rocking the baby in his arms. He didn’t move as she parked her car and then got out with Merlin at her heels.
As she got closer, her heart flipped just a bit at the sight of a hot, handsome cowboy holding a bundle of pink. It didn’t help that he was clad in a pair of worn jeans and a blue shirt that was unbuttoned, putting on display his firmly muscled chest.
“Looks like you’ve got yourself a baby,” she said in greeting.
He smiled. “Looks like you’ve got yourself an ugly, fat baby of your own.” He looked pointedly at Merlin.
Oh no, he didn’t, she thought with irritation. “My baby can protect me from getting killed. What can yours do?” she asked coolly.
“Touché,” he replied, and stood. His arms still rocked the baby with a gentle motion. “I’m not quite sure what to do with her. She’s awakened twice and started to cry, but if I rock her she goes back to sleep. Come on inside.”
She followed him into a homey living room with a beautiful natural stone fireplace and casual brown leather furniture. He placed the baby into a wicker cradle. He straightened and then motioned for her to have a seat in a recliner. “Even though my sister and your brother are together and I’ve seen you around, we haven’t ever officially introduced ourselves. I’m Anders Colton.”
She sat on the edge of the chair and tried to avoid looking at his broad chest. “I’m Officer Elle Gage and this is my partner, Merlin. Now, tell me about what’s going on.”
She listened as he told her about the thefts that had been occurring and then stepping outside to find the baby on his porch. While he spoke he buttoned up the blue shirt that mirrored the beautiful blue of his eyes. Thank goodness, she thought. She didn’t need to be distracted by the sight of his bare chest.
“These thefts...were they break-ins? Do you know how the person is getting inside the cabin?” she asked.
“I never lock my doors. I’m pretty far off the beaten path and I’ve never had a reason to lock up,” he replied.
“Even after the first theft you didn’t start locking your doors?” she asked in surprise.
He shook his head. “It was obvious the thief wasn’t after anything valuable. I figured if somebody was stealing food then they must need it. He or she only came in at night so I intentionally left the doors unlocked hoping I’d catch them. I just want to know who it is and if they’re in some kind of trouble.”
“And you have no idea who left the baby here?”
“Not a clue, but she had a note pinned to the blanket.” He pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket and then walked over and handed it to her.
She’s a Colton.
Elle’s heart nearly stopped as her brain worked overtime. Demi Colton had been pregnant when she’d gone on the run to avoid being charged in Bo’s murder.
Was it possible? She stared at the sleeping baby. Suddenly the baby’s eyes opened and she began to fuss. Elle jumped to her feet and picked her up.
She held the baby close to her heart and breathed in the sweet baby scent. If this little girl was a Colton, then it was possible she was Bo’s baby. Bo and Demi had been engaged to be married for a week, and then he had dumped her for Hayley Patton, a K9 trainer.
Bo’s baby. For a moment she believed she felt his spirit swirling in the room, surrounding her with warmth and love. She stared down at the baby who couldn’t be older than a couple of weeks. A part of Bo...a gift from heaven. She looked up at Anders, wondering if he’d put it all together in his head.
“She may be a Colton but that means she’s also probably a Gage,” she said. “And if I find out that you’re helping Demi stay hidden on this property, I promise I’ll have you arrested so fast your head will spin.”
Anders didn’t know whether to be amused or irritated. Elle Gage was definitely a hot number in the neatly pressed uniform that hugged curves that were all in the right places.
Her honey-colored blond hair was caught in a low ponytail that shone with a richness in the artificial light. But her pretty brown eyes stared at him with more than a hint of distrust and dislike.
Still, her pronouncement about the baby possibly being a Gage had surprised him. He hadn’t considered that the baby might be Demi’s and that Bo was the father. But it was definitely a possibility.
He was so damned tired of people thinking he was hiding out Demi here, although he did believe in his cousin’s innocence. “I don’t know anything about Demi being here on the property. All I know is that I had a thief and now I have a baby.”
“But if this is Demi’s baby, then Demi has to be on the property someplace,” Elle replied. She studied him as if he were an insect under a microscope. If she was looking for signs of deception from him she wouldn’t find any. He hadn’t seen Demi anywhere around his ranch.
“It’s possible
