whisper of sound, so fragile it might have been only a fragment left over from a dream. Another woman might have burrowed back under the blankets, refusing to open her eyes as she willed herself back to sleep. Not Ellie Parker. Not only had the infant recently entrusted to her care awakened every protective instinct she possessed, but her past had made her overly wary.
The noise came again, an echo of a ghost. Heart pounding, she held herself utterly still while waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Luckily, the full moon brought traces of silver to light the room.
There. Near Amelia’s antique crib that had been hastily brought down from the attic. A figure in black, wearing a hoody and a ski mask, reaching for the baby.
Leaping to her feet, Ellie screamed. Loud and shrill. The intruder froze, then ran for the window, yanking it open and racing away.
Baby Amelia began to wail, and Ellie rushed to her on shaky legs, trying to catch her breath.
“What is it? What’s going on?” Theo Colton’s deep voice, throaty from sleep and full of concern. He flicked on the light switch.
“A man,” Ellie gasped, pointing past where he stood, his broad-shouldered body filling the doorway. “Dressed in black, wearing a ski mask. He was trying to take Amelia.”
And then the trembling started. She couldn’t help it, despite the tiny infant she clutched close to her chest. Somehow Theo seemed to sense this, as he gently took her arm and steered her toward her bed.
“Sit,” he ordered, taking the baby from her.
Reluctantly releasing Amelia, Ellie covered her face with her hands. It had been a strange day, ever since the baby’s mother—a beautiful, elegant woman named Mimi Rand—had shown up that morning insisting Theo was the father and then collapsing. Mimi had been taken to the Dead River Clinic with a high fever and flu-like symptoms. Theo had Ellie looking after Amelia until everything could be sorted out.
But Theo had no way of knowing about Ellie’s past, or the danger that seemed to follow her like a malicious shadow. “I need to leave,” she said to him. “Right now, for Amelia’s sake.”
Theo stared at her, holding Amelia to his shoulder and bouncing her gently, so that her sobs died away to whimpers and then silence. The sight of the big cowboy and the tiny baby struck a kernel of warmth in Ellie’s frozen heart.
“Leave?” Theo asked. “You just started work here a week ago. If it’s because I asked you to take care of this baby until her mama recovers, I’ll double your pay.”
“It’s not about the money.” Though she could certainly use every penny she could earn. “I...I thought I was safe here. Clearly, that’s not the case.”
He frowned. “I can assure you...” Stopping, he handed her back the baby, holding her as gingerly as fragile china. Once Ellie had the now-sleeping Amelia, Theo began walking around her room. “How about I check everything out? Is anything missing?”
Helpless to answer, since he obviously didn’t understand, she managed a shaky shrug, gently patting Amelia’s back. “I don’t think he was here for possessions, which I have very few of anyway. He was definitely after Amelia.”
“He?” Theo swung around to face her, his stance emphasizing the force of his muscular body. “Are you sure the intruder was a man?”
“Yes.” Despite the baby’s heat, she couldn’t seem to get warm. “Who would try to kidnap a baby, especially with her mother gravely ill?”
“Maybe it just looked that way.” He continued checking the room. “Nothing appears disturbed. Any idea how he got in?”
“No. He ran out the doorway into the hall when I screamed.” For the first time she realized Theo was nearly naked, wearing only some sort of pajama bottoms low on his narrow hips. His bare chest gleamed. Trying not to stare and failing miserably, she felt her mouth going dry. For one brief second, she allowed the sight of him—so big, so masculine—to make her feel safe.
And then Theo went into her bathroom. He cursed, and she knew. Her stalker had somehow found her.
Pushing to her feet, she placed the sleeping baby carefully back in her crib and hurried over. Theo appeared tense, a muscle working in his jaw. “This seems to be directed to you,” he said, pointing. The only baby you’ll be taking care of is OURS had been written on the mirror with black marker.
Her knees again nearly gave out. She felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach. “That settles it. I have to go.”
“No.” He reached out and steadied her. “No, you don’t. You’re safe here, Ellie. I can help you, protect you. But you need to tell me what’s going on.”
Despite the fact that she knew sexy Theo Colton couldn’t be her knight in shining armor, she took a deep breath. “A couple of weeks ago, I left my home in Boulder, Colorado, because I had a stalker. He seemed to find me everywhere I went, leaving me black roses.”
“Black roses?”
She nodded. “I don’t know why. He also left notes that said things like No one will ever love you like I do and One day you’ll be mine forever.”
“Did you go to the police?”
“Yes, but they said they couldn’t do anything unless he threatened me. None of the notes said anything about him wanting to harm me. I couldn’t get a restraining order or anything.”
He gave her a long look, his green eyes unfathomable. “Yet you felt threatened.”
“Yes. Wouldn’t you?”
“Do you have any idea who he is?”
“No.” She blinked. “And believe me, I tried to find out. I had friends hide and watch me to see if I was followed. No one ever saw him. The note and the roses would appear. So finally I couldn’t take it anymore. I left everything in my apartment, packed a small bag and took off. I didn’t tell anyone anything, just got in my car and drove.”
“You must have been followed.”
“I don’t know how,” she cried. “Honestly, I was very, very careful. When I left Boulder, I drove to Fort Collins, then Laramie, before I headed to Cheyenne. I stayed in Cheyenne for a couple of days before I saw your ad for a live-in cook. My car barely made it here before it died.” And as soon as she had the money, she planned to get it fixed.
He nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this.” Picking up the phone on her nightstand, he punched in some numbers. “Hey, Flint,” he drawled. “Sorry to wake you so early on a Sunday morning, but I need you to come over.” Briefly he relayed what had happened before replacing the phone in its cradle.
“You’ve probably heard that my brother is the police chief in Dead River. He’s on his way.”
Heart in her throat, she nodded. Despite the fact that police apparently didn’t take this kind of thing seriously, maybe the fact that the police chief was a relative of Theo’s would help.
If he couldn’t, then she was out of here come sunrise, even if she had to take a bus. No way did she want to bring her personal dark cloud down
