Cowboy with a Badge by Margaret Watson

Author:Margaret Watson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-06-08T00:00:00+00:00

Devlin eased into Carly’s room and looked down at her, sleeping in the moonlight. Faint bruises were beginning to show on the left side of her face. and the bandage over the cut on her scalp was a stark white in the darkness. He pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down.

Melba walked up the stairs and stopped at the door. Sticking her head into the room, she whispered, “How is she?”

Devlin stepped out into the hall. “Still sleeping. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

The older woman studied him, then finally gave a small smile. “You do that, Sheriff. I’m an old woman. I need my sleep.”

He nodded gravely. “She’s part of an accident investigation. I need to make sure she’s all right.”

Melba’s sharp eyes softened for a moment, then she nodded once. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She turned and rounded the corner. A moment later he heard the sound of her door clicking firmly shut.

He settled back into the chair, content to watch Carly’s slow, even breathing. As the night quieted and the old house creaked its way into slumber, Devlin shifted on the hard chair. Carly hadn’t moved. Finally, his eyes burning with fatigue and his muscles cramping, he stood up and opened the closet door. Pulling out a blanket and pillow from the shelf, he stretched out on the floor, next to the bed. His last thought before drifting off to sleep was that he’d better wake up before Carly did in the morning.

The sound of blankets shifting next to him dragged Devlin out of the depths of sleep. He sat up quickly, relieved to find that Carly wasn’t awake yet. But she was stirring. Hastily folding the blanket, he replaced it and the pillow in the closet, then moved to stand next to her bed. The sunrise outside her window painted the sky over the mountains with spectacular pinks and reds, and the rosy light that seeped into the room kissed her face with color.

Curls of her dark red hair hid her bruises, and he brushed the hair away from her face and stared down at the ugly marks. They were a little darker this morning, but no additional bruises had appeared. He watched her sleep for a while longer, then slipped out of the room.

Melba was moving around in the kitchen, and he poked his head in the door. “I’ll be back in a while,” he told her. “Carly is still sleeping, and I have some things to take care of. Call the office if she wakes up and have Marge radio me.”

Melba turned around to face him. “I’ll do that, Sheriff.” She watched him carefully. “I hope that what happened to her isn’t connected to that message someone left in her room.”

“I hope so, too. That’s one of the things I’m going to check on.”

Melba turned back to the stove. “If she wakes up, I’ll tell her you’ll be back.”

With one last glance up the stairs, he strode out of the house and climbed into his truck, already thinking about what he needed to do.

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