“Sure has. He’s found his best self here with us.” Bart reached out a hand to stroke Dobby’s head, but the dog ducked away from him and tucked his head into Katrina’s neck. The little guy always did have good taste.
“When I walked in here, you told me you knew nothing about my sister.” Katrina kept her gaze on Leigh. “Now you’re saying she left her dog behind and he’s become your mascot? Call me skeptical, but I find it hard to believe you wouldn’t have remembered that detail as soon as I mentioned her name.”
Leigh looked down at her computer screen without replying. Bart and Randall also remained silent.
“I’m leaving now. Here’s my business card, in case anyone remembers anything more about my sister.” Anger stiffened Katrina’s spine as she started to walk away. “And I’m taking your mascot with me.”
Chapter 2
By the time Spencer made his way to the lobby, thoughts had moved on from lunch and he was already planning dinner in detail. His stomach, however, needed something fast and filling right now. Boris, ever hopeful of supplementing his carefully regulated diet with a few treats, trotted eagerly at his side.
Although Spencer and his K-9 partner were trained in search-and-rescue techniques and worked as a team, the other MVPD officers could use Boris if they needed him. The dog went home with Spencer at the end of each day and, when off duty, he was a pet rather than a working animal.
Spencer was crossing the lobby and heading for the canteen when a woman burst through the doors, barging straight into him. The impact had the effect of sending them both stumbling backward. She took the worst hit, however, and, for a moment, it looked like she was about to crash to the floor. But four years in the army had honed Spencer’s reflexes, and he grabbed her by the upper arms, steadying her against his body. As he did, his mind registered a few details.
First of all, she was carrying some sort of exotic-looking rodent. Second, she was clearly distressed. And, finally, she was gorgeous.
Tall, with a slender, toned figure,
she had dark blond hair that waved to her shoulders with the shimmer of silk. But it wasn’t her flawless bone structure, her high cheekbones, or even her full lips that mesmerized him. It was her eyes. Huge and set under delicately arched eyebrows, they were a shade that was somewhere between green, gold and brown, but the color seemed to shift constantly as it reflected the light around her. Spencer figured it was what his mom used to call “hazel” and realized he’d never really seen it up close until now.
“Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “No, I—”
The creature she was holding that had been trapped between them when Spencer caught hold of her looked down at Boris and gave a friendly woof.
“Is that a dog?”
“Of course Dobby is a dog.” Indignation seemingly startled her out of her distress, and she pulled away from him. “What did you think he was?”
“I was puzzled,” he confessed. “I figured it could be a mutant rat. Or maybe a groundhog that had fallen on hard times?”
For a moment, he thought she was going to smile. He waited hopefully, but her expression clouded over. “I’m not here to talk about Dobby. I need to report a missing person.”
Spencer thought about the mountain of paperwork on his desk. He didn’t have enough time in the day to get through his existing workload. Missing persons were below his pay grade...
“I’m Sergeant Spencer Colton. If you wait here while I get us both a coffee, we’ll go to my office and you can give me the details.”
His willingness to take on her case had nothing to do with the fact that she was possibly the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. That was what he told himself as he dashed into the canteen. It had even less to do with the runt that was now skipping delightedly around Boris. No, this was about the troubled look in those amazing eyes.
Just keep telling yourself that, Colton, and everything will be fine.
Carrying the coffee and the last, sorrowful-looking sandwich, he led the way back along the corridor to his office. Boris, clearly startled by the antics of the overfriendly Dobby, but too well trained to show it, clung a little closer to his master’s heels than usual.
After removing a stack of files from a chair, Spencer pulled it close to the desk and set one of the coffees in front of it. He reached into a drawer and took out a handful of creamers and sugar sachets. “Use plenty of them. Trust me, it’s the only way to drink it.”
His visitor sat down, and Dobby immediately jumped onto her lap. As she wrapped a protective arm around him, Spencer caught a glimpse of the logo on her T-shirt. He couldn’t make out the words, but the picture was a silhouette of a woman and a dog high-fiving each other.
“Colton?” she asked. As Spencer took his own seat and pulled a pad and pen toward him, he was acutely aware of those full-beam eyes watching him. “As in the Coltons?”
“Yes and no. My dad and Payne Colton were distant cousins.” He laughed. “I’m not part of the dynasty.”
“I’m sorry. You must get tired of explaining that.”
He shrugged. “If you live in Mustang Valley and your name is Colton, you get used to it. But we aren’t here to talk about me. Let’s start with some basics.” He wrote the date at the top of a blank page. “Name?”
“Katrina Perry.” She gave him her contact details and date of birth.