Page 10 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
I’ll be in contact.
It was written sloppily on a napkin with a black maker. There was no name. No hints about who had invaded her home and dognapped Odie.
She had to get her furbaby back. She reached for her phone, which was in her coat pocket. She dialed nine-one-one.
“This is nine-one-one. What is your emergency?”
“My house… It’s been broken into. And they, uh…” Her heart ached to say the words out loud. “They kidnapped my dog.”
“Is anyone hurt?”
“No. I wasn’t home at the time.”
“What’s your address?” After Belle told her, the operator said, “I have units dispatched to your location. Don’t touch anything until they reach you. Do you feel safe?”
“I…” Did she? Not really. Someone had invaded her personal space. She felt naked and exposed. “I don’t know.”
“Do you have somewhere safe you can wait?”
Her mind raced. “My car?”
She retraced her steps and put the front door back the way she’d found it. Once in her car, she started the engine and cranked up the heat. Even with the heat blowing directly on her, it didn’t warm her.
She sat there, trying to think of who would take her dog and why. Poor Odie must be so scared and wondering where she was. The tears rushed back to her eyes, and this time no amount of blinking was going to stop them. They splashed onto her cheeks.
This had to be a horrible nightmare, and soon she’d wake up. But no matter how much she wished that were true, it wasn’t. She was stuck in her very own live and in color nightmare.
Flashing lights filled her rearview mirror. A car pulled up behind her. She wondered if it was Sheriff Bishop. She couldn’t decide if his presence would make her feel better or worse.
Belle swiped at her cheeks before getting out of the car, hoping they would be able to help her find Odie. The poor little guy.
Deputies Luke Williams and Paula Stark approached her. Deputy Stark was the first to speak. “Hey, Belle. Are you okay?”
Belle nodded. Physically, she was fine, but she’d been shaken to the core by this break-in. The fact that someone would barge into her house was bad enough, but for them to take her dog was unbearable. Who does such a thing?
“What happened?” Deputy Stark asked.
“Someone broke into the house. They took my dog.”
“Did they take anything else?”
“I…” Her mind drew a total blank. “I don’t know. As soon as I knew Odie was gone, I called you guys.”
The deputy nodded. “Are you sure whoever was in there is gone now?”
“No. I just assumed they were gone because Odie wasn’t there.” She supposed it was possible there was more than one burglar. The thought sent a chill down her spine.
“You stay here,” Deputy Williams said. “We’ll clear the house.”
Belle once more nodded her head. They didn’t have to tell her twice. Before she could climb back into her car and out of the frigid air, another car pulled up to her house.
Her first thought was that it might be the dognapper returning to the scene of the crime. In the next breath, she realized there was a police car sitting in her driveway. And even though the flashing lights were off, it was still obvious. No one would be dumb enough to come snooping around with the cops there.
She squinted into the dark, trying to make out who was in the car, but with a moonless sky, it was too dark to make anything out. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she stood there. Eventually, the person got out of the car. They were tall and had broad shoulders. Definitely a man.
The breath hitched in her lungs as she waited to learn if he was friend or foe. It wasn’t until they were about ten feet away that she was able to make out that it was Parker. The pent-up air whooshed from her lungs. She was never so happy to see him—and that was saying a lot.
“Belle, are you all right?” His tone held a genuine note of concern.
