Her Colorado Sheriff

“Need help?” he asked.

Need help with what? He sure didn’t need any more help being sexy, or too handsome for his own good, or for being too nice to Ryan. He was guilty to all the above. She needed to keep her radar sharp, because this man made her forget all her instincts. Not good.

“I think everything’s just about ready.”

He stepped up to the small table. “Wow, this all looks pretty good for leftovers.” He looked down at the red-checkered tablecloth, and white plates set out with a wooden bowl filled with salad greens. Candles. Had she overdone it?

“I should have brought some wine.”

She shook her head. “Don’t you have to work tonight?”

“No, I’m off tonight. Of course, I’m on call. So you’re probably right, I shouldn’t drink. I don’t like to have any alcohol if I’m going to get behind the wheel.”

Not every law enforcement officer felt that way. She recalled seeing Gil drunk when he showed up at Georgia’s door. She shook away the bad memory.

“I’m glad. There are too many crazies out there already.”

He nodded in agreement. “Well, I’m hoping I don’t have to go any farther than from here to my bed next door.”

“Long week?”

“A long two weeks getting acquainted with the area and the way they do things here. These men love Sheriff Carson. I’m an interloper in their community.”

“You’re only doing your job.”

“Law enforcement is a special brotherhood. We take care of each other... Or most of them do.”

She knew all about the close connection. She slipped on pot holders and took the pan of lasagna from the oven, then set it on the hot plate on the table. She called for Ryan, then motioned for Cullen to sit down.

After a short blessing, Shelby picked up the plates and began dishing out helpings of the Italian dish. “Are the other deputies not cooperating with you?”

“No, but I’m the temporary new guy. They’re ready to tell me when I do something different from the sheriff.”

She enjoyed watching him eat so...enthusiastically. “How do you handle that?”

He tore off some bread. “I just let them tell me how things are normally done. Unless it sounds so off-the-wall I’ll go along with them, or I go ask Connie Lara, our dispatcher, and the sheriff’s sister.” He grinned and took a big bite and chewed. “This is great.”

“Thank you.”

“Another of Grandma’s recipes?”

She nodded. “What can I say? She was a good cook.”

Ryan picked up his fork, and said, “It’s my favorite.”

Cullen took another big bite, and groaned while he chewed his food, then said, “I’m thinking it’s mine, too.”

Ryan giggled.

Cullen winked at her nephew, and something melted around Shelby’s heart. She could get into trouble if she wasn’t careful. She had to stay alert and not fall into a false sense of security. Gil was out there. She didn’t doubt that he had the means to find her. Why? What did he want from her? Well, he wasn’t getting any more. He’d already stolen her sister.

Out of the blue, Ryan asked, “Can I ride your horse, Sheriff?”

Shelby started to answer, but Cullen was faster. “I’m not sure. The horses just moved in to their new home. They might be a little scared right now. So we better wait for a while so we can see how much they like little kids.” He looked at Shelby. “And your going riding is a decision your aunt has to make.”

They both looked at her. Great, now what should she do? Oh, Georgia, I wish you were here.

Chapter Five (#ubd453e21-e416-5cd6-956f-9f14bc757639)

After dinner, Shelby helped Ryan bathe and get ready for bed. Once he was tucked in, she kissed him and let him play on the tablet for his allotted twenty minutes. She closed the door, but stood in the hall, thinking about the good-looking man still in her kitchen. While doing dishes earlier he’d discovered a leaky faucet and offered to fix it.

She couldn’t just leave him alone in there. She walked back to find the man stretched out on his back under the sink, his Levi’s riding low on his narrow hips. He had removed his Western shirt so as not to get it dirty, and so he was working in his undershirt. When he reached up to turn something, the fabric rode up, revealing his flat stomach and a swirl of dark hair.

She closed her eyes, trying not to let this man affect her. It wasn’t working.

Suddenly there was a clang, then a chain of curse words. He lifted his head, then she heard the thud and more curse words.

She squatted down next to his prone body. “Cullen, are you okay?”

He slid out from under the sink, and sat up. His face was close to hers. Yet, she couldn’t seem to move away.

“Yeah, just bumped my head.” He rubbed the sore spot.

“Here, let me see it.” She leaned closer and began to look for blood on his crown. Dear Lord, the man smelled good, a mixture of soap and a hint of aftershave. Had he put on aftershave for her?

“So what’s the verdict? Did you find anything?”

“No, it looks okay, but I could get you some ice.” She was once again zoned in on his rich hazel eyes.

He finally broke the hold with a shake of his head. “I don’t need any ice, just another-size wrench. I’ll get it when I come by tomorrow to fix the pipe.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“As your landlord, I need to have everything in working order.”

She sat back on her heels. “Really, I’ve lived in a lot of places and a lot of things broke, but none of the landlords rushed to fix them.”

He didn’t hide his smile. Wow, another heart-stopper. She wasn’t going to survive this man living next door.

“I guess you’ve been living in the wrong places.”

“You can say that again.”

She stood up. She was entirely too close to this dangerous man. She saw that he was interested in her, too. No. Men were out of the question. She had Ryan to think about. So for now, Cullen Brannigan was off-limits.

“Look, what I mean is, just take your time to fix it. It’s not so bad that you have to spend your day off doing the repair.”

He stood and wiped his hands on a towel. “No, I’ll probably be spending it feeding and caring for my new boarders, Sassy and Dakota.”