Page 25 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
“Of course you’re worried. I can’t believe anyone from Kringle Falls would do something so horrible.”
“I agree. But they have to live close by because there was a note on my front door this morning. They said they’re watching me.” A chill raced down her spine.
Merry’s eyes widened. “That’s concerning. You mean they were on your front porch while you were sleeping?”
She nodded.
“That’s scary. What’s the sheriff doing about it?”
“Everything he can.” Even though they didn’t always get along, he had been there for her since Odie had been dognapped, and she appreciated it. “He slept on my couch last night in case they came back.”
Merry’s eyes momentarily widened, and then a smile bloomed on her face.
Belle sighed. “It’s not like that, so don’t go there. He was just doing his job.”
“His job, huh? I can’t recall him sleeping on anyone else’s couch.”
“No other Kringle Falls resident had their dog kidnapped.”
Jingle-jingle.
They both turned toward the front of the store. In walked Mary Johnson and her husband, Josh. They had their dog, Scout, a black lab.
“Excuse me,” Merry said. “I’ll be back.”
Belle watched as Merry moved toward the couple and extended one of her sunny greetings. Belle wasn’t sure what to do now. Merry wasn’t any help, and she was really counting on Merry knowing something. Merry always had her ear to ground and knew what was going on with most everyone in town.
Then again, Merry had mentioned being out of town. That might have something to do with Merry’s lack of knowledge. Or maybe Merry was right, and whoever took Odie wasn’t from Kringle Falls. If that were the case, how were they ever supposed to find Odie?
Her thoughts returned to the note on the front door. Why did they want her to go to the party that evening? Were they going to be there? She doubted it. They would know that she intended to have them arrested. So, then what was the point?
Chapter Nine
Sometimesdutyrequiredsacrifice.
Parker had spent the afternoon installing surveillance cameras around Belle’s house. She had been resistant to the idea, but she agreed as long as he was willing to take them back down once Odie was found and the dognapper was arrested.
It was time to go to the Christmas party at the Kringles’ house. It was an annual event and one that Parker did his best to avoid at all costs. Usually, he opted to work the weekend of the party, but this year the scheduling hadn’t worked out for him. Although, with Belle in a spot, he supposed the scheduling worked out for the best.
And so, now it was his duty as the sheriff of Kringle Falls to protect the town’s citizens. And though he’d normally assign one of his deputies to handle this task, this was the woman who he’d had a crush on in high school. He didn’t want to examine too closely his motivations for providing round-the-clock protection.
For better or worse, he was escorting her to the party. He had a bad feeling that the suspect hadn’t found whatever it was that they had been searching for, and they were moving on to Plan B. And that had him on alert. For all he knew, it could be an ex of Belle’s. Although, his deputies had interviewed the men from Belle’s recent past, and they all had alibis.
He had been surprised that in the past couple of years, none of her romantic relationships had worked out. He had no doubts that Belle had been the one to end those relationships. Any man who was fortunate to date her, wouldn’t let her go.
The thought stopped him in his tracks. Did he really think Belle was such a catch? If he let himself look beyond her habit of breaking the law, he had to admit she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. She baked a tasty cookie. And she wasn’t so bad to talk to. In fact, he enjoyed talking to her. There were a lot of other great qualities about her, but he refused to go there. He was there on a job, nothing more. When it was over, they’d go back to ignoring each other.
He’d do well to keep his focus on the case. Everything they’d uncovered led him to believe the suspect hadn’t broken into her house for the dog. There was something more afoot, and until he figured that out, he was keeping a close eye on Belle.
That morning, after he’d bought the security cameras, he’d had Belle stop by his apartment. He’d picked up a few things, including some clothes for the party. He didn’t want to go to the party, but he didn’t trust anyone else to watch over Belle.
He didn’t know what to expect after she’d received that note. They hadn’t hinted if they’d be at the party, which he doubted. He hated that they were always one step ahead of him. He didn’t like any part of this dognapping.
Footsteps sounded on the staircase, drawing his attention. He glanced up from where he’d been sitting on the couch. The first thing he saw were silver heels and then long bare legs. He swallowed hard.
And then there was a red satin skirt that ended a couple of inches above her knees. The top portion of the dress was white with a fitted waist and cap sleeves. There was a red gemstone wreath pin on her chest.
She looked…Wow! She is stunning.If this was a real date, he would be tripping all over himself, trying to impress her. But this was work. It was absolutely nothing else.
