Page 54 of The Cowboy's Unlikely Love

Chapter Fourteen

Colt woke the nextmorning reveling in the feeling of Taylor’s body snuggled against his. The curve of her cheek begged for a kiss, but he didn’t want to wake her. From the light coming in through the crack of the curtains, he could tell that it was far past dawn.

He closed his eyes and relaxed again, letting his mind wander over the memory of their lovemaking. Never had sex felt so intense, so powerful, and so loving. He’d wanted desperately to tell Taylor that he loved her. It had taken all his self-restraint to keep silent. Someday soon, he could let go that control, open his heart, and tell her that he loved her with every fiber of his being. That he couldn’t live without her. He only hoped that she felt the same.

She sighed and then yawned as her eyes fluttered open. Meeting his gaze, the corner of her mouth lifted. “Good morning. What time is it?”

“I’m not sure.” He hated to move, but he got up on his elbow and reached for his phone. “Lord, it’s after nine. We really slept in.”

“We must have needed it,” she said as she slid her hand lightly across his chest.

He shivered, instantly aroused.

“I’m starving. How about you?” she asked as she ran her fingers through her long dark curls.

Food was the last thing on his mind, but he said, “I could definitely go for some breakfast.” He kissed her forehead and rose from the bed. He’d thought long into the night of things that they might do to aid in the search for JJ.

At breakfast, he asked her about something that he’d been wondering about. It had popped into his mind this morning as he lay in bed. “I noticed that you have a doll on your bed at home. Does it have a special meaning for you?”

She looked up, a blush creeping up her neck. “My dad gave her to me. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, even though I was way too old for a doll. He never gave me presents, and he brought it out of the blue when he came home from work one time. It made me feel cherished, something I’d never felt before, and I’ll never forget how happy I was.”

Colt thought that story was the saddest thing he’d ever heard.

“It still means the world to me because my father died on his next work trip out on the rigs. I was barely seventeen and too young to be on my own according to the State. I filed to become an emancipated adult, and with my dad’s life insurance and the fact that our little house was paid off, I did okay.”

“Oh, Taylor, honey, I’m so sorry. That had to have been terribly hard on you to be all alone at seventeen,” he said, his heart breaking for the young woman she had been.

“Aunt Shannon wanted me to come live with her, but I wasn’t ready for yet another big change. I guess I just put my head down and endured.”

She took a bite and chewed, then said, “I put most of the insurance in investments and don’t touch it. I know I’ll never see that kind of money again. I act like I don’t have it, and I plan on it staying that way.”

He nodded, impressed that a person so young had managed so well. Taylor was an amazing woman.

By noon, they had eaten and driven through the main thoroughfares of Cumberland with no sighting of the two vehicles. He said, “Let’s stop by the lumberyard that I found on Google. The agents can’t be everywhere at once, and the Police Department only has eight officers, including the chief. They have a job to do without also dealing with the kidnapping, so I’m guessing that there’s a lot going undone that we could help with.”

“I like the sound of that, Colt. I’ve got to do something to help, or I’ll go crazy.”

At the lumber store, they went immediately to the checkout register and spoke to a young woman. Colt showed her the pictures of the three men. “I’m a deputy sheriff from Texas, and I’m looking into the kidnapping of an infant. Have you seen any of these men here in the store recently?”

The young woman looked carefully at the photos for a long moment, and then pointed to Gantry. “This man was in here last night. He bought some plywood and two-by-fours and some things from inside the store. Screws and nails and stuff like that.”

Colt’s pulse began to race. “Is the same dock loader on this morning who worked last evening?”

“Greyson? Yes, he’s here today.”

“May we speak with him?” Colt’s mind was racing. At last, they had a break, confirmation that the kidnappers were in the Cumberland area.

“Sure, go on back. It’s right through those double doors.” She pointed to the rear of the store.

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