Page 14 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
Her brows rose. “Are you thinking that the original owner wanted him back?”
Parker shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just throwing around ideas.”
“I don’t know the dog’s history. He came from Ohio as a stray.”
Suddenly, he realized what was going on with the dog. “Is he one of the strays that Candi brought to town?”
Belle nodded. “Yes. But it was Merry Kringle that matched me with Odie. At the time, I didn’t even want a pet until I met him. We instantly bonded. And now…” Her voice cracked with emotion. “I just don’t understand why anyone would take him.”
He made a note to speak to Candi Goodman and Merry Kringle. Maybe they could tell him more about Odie.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” He didn’t usually make promises when he had absolutely no idea how he would resolve the issue, but there was something about Belle that had his mouth offering a promise he didn’t know if he could deliver.
It took a while longer for the deputies to print the upstairs. In the meantime, Belle went through the downstairs to see if she could uncover anything that was missing. Aside from Odie, everything appeared to be there. Maybe it was something small, and it would take her a bit of time to notice it was missing.
Chapter Six
Hewasgone.
A roar of emotions churned within her.
The most dominant emotion was fear—fear for Odie’s safety.
Belle couldn’t believe someone had taken her puppy. It just didn’t make any sense for anyone to break into her house and take her dog. Did someone hate her that much?
Now that the police had finished collecting clues, and everyone had left, Belle set about straightening up the house. She needed something to do. She couldn’t sit still. And so, she tried to erase any sign of this awful evening, but try as she might, every time her gaze strayed across one of Odie’s toys or his blanket, it all came rushing back to her.
She needed to be doing something to help find him. But where did she start? She didn’t have a clue why he was taken. Maybe she could start calling people. Yes. That was a good idea. If news of Odie’s kidnapping got out, the townspeople could help keep an eye out for him.
She grabbed her phone and was about to call Merry Kringle when she heard a knock at the door. Who would that be? She wasn’t expecting anyone.
Then her body tensed. What if it was the dognapper? As soon as the thought passed through her mind, she realized how ridiculous it would be for a criminal to come knocking on her door. Still, she was hesitant to answer the door.
Knock-knock.
“Belle, it’s Parker!”
She expelled a pent-up breath. She moved to the door and unlocked it. She peered out at him. “I thought you left.”
“I did momentarily. Can I come in?”
“Oh. Sure.” She opened the door wider. Once he was inside, she closed it against the frigid night air. Then she turned to him. “Did you forget something?”
“No. I’m staying.” In his hand was a dark duffel bag.
“Staying?” It took her jumbled mind a minute to figure out what he’d meant. “You mean here?”
“I do.”
She struggled not to gasp. They were, well…she wouldn’t exactly call them enemies, but they certainly weren’t friends. “But why? I mean, I’m fine.”
His gaze searched hers. “Someone broke into your house this evening. This isn’t something that happens in Kringle Falls.” He frowned. “It doesn’t help that you have a broken latch on a back window that they could come through again if they wanted. I’m not saying this to scare you. I just want you to realize that my concerns are legitimate.”
She opened her mouth to argue with him, but before the words crossed her lips, she realized whether she liked it or not, he was right. She wordlessly closed her mouth. She couldn’t believe the man who’d been writing her tickets regularly wanted to stay in her home.
“Maybe one of your deputies could keep an eye on things.” Still not comfortable with the idea, she said, “Maybe one of your deputies could do increased patrols.”
A small smile played at the corner of his mouth as he dropped his bag to the floor. He slipped off his coat, and then he took off his boots. He moved into the living room. He paused next to the Christmas tree, which wasn’t much taller than he was. Parker looked right at home as he stood there in her living room in a navy-blue sweatshirt, jeans, and his stockinged feet.
