Love Inspired Suspense April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Laura Scott (free e reader .TXT) 📕

there might have been an underlying motive, like my own stomach gnawin’ on my backbone, but it’s so minuscule it can’t even be counted. Because really, it is about you.”

She raised an eyebrow at his poor attempt at innocence.

“I let the dogs out earlier, but I haven’t fed them. I found the food bin, but I wasn’t sure how much to give them.”

She left her coffee on the counter and fed the boys while Colt plated their breakfast and brought it to the table. She stole a peek at him as he laid out the napkins and forks. His clothes were rumpled, and his pecan-colored hair was a little disheveled. He could pass for a Hemsworth brother, looking way too good and scruffy for nine o’clock on a Saturday morning.

“After breakfast, I’d like to run up to the paper and get Dandy’s notes.” Colt scraped a heap of eggs on his toast and folded it over, then took a bite.

“Sure. Paper is closed on Saturday, so it should be a quick in and out. The dogs can have their walk a little later.” Georgia sipped orange juice and concentrated on not staring at Colt’s facial features and physique. Girls had dogged his heels since junior high, but he’d never thought much of it. Instead, he stayed more confused by all the female attention rather than flattered. Georgia had always found his lack of vanity appealing, and then when she discovered it was based on insecurity, it drew a deep sadness and a need to try to fix him. Colt might have always looked good, but his home never was. He favored his daddy a lot, but he’d never want to hear that he looked like his father.

After breakfast and mostly catch-up conversation, they loaded the dogs in the back seat of Colt’s truck. “How long is ole Charlie going to run that show?” Colt asked. “He was putting out the paper when I was a kid. Used to give us suckers when we rode our bikes to town.”

“He’s retiring at the end of the year, and yours truly is next in line to hand out sweets to cute little boys. That sounded better before it came out of my mouth.”

Colt chuckled and turned on his blinker. “Georgia Maxwell. Editor in chief. Sounds well deserved.”

“I have a whole binder of improvements. Making it more relevant to our culture but keeping that small-town feel.” She’d had her hopes up before, though. The past three years Charlie had told her he was retiring and passing the paper on to her, then every year about late December he changed his mind.

“Looks like we’re both moving up in the world. Actually made something of ourselves.”

She’d always thought Colt was something. His accomplishments hadn’t made him the person she’d fallen in love with. It was his kindness, his big heart and the way he liked all people regardless of who they were or where they came from. As for her, the only thing she’d made was a life that kept her safe, except now she’d been physically attacked. At least she still had her emotional cocoon in place.

Colt parked along the curb outside the office. Georgia loved downtown in the fall. Big pots of mums bookended wooden benches that dotted the sidewalks. Scents from boutiques, bakeries and shops filled the air with the seasonal flavors of pumpkin, apples and cinnamon.

The Magnolia Gazette sign squeaked in the breeze. She would love to have control of this place. The first thing to go would be the navy curtains that had been pulled across the lower half of the large windows. “I have a key,” she said as she retrieved her key ring from her purse. The dogs poked their nosy heads from the truck windows and barked. “Oh, hush, you two. You aren’t missing anything. In and out.”

She unlocked the door, pushed it open and gasped.

Colt leaned inside and whistled low.

The office had been ransacked, and papers littered the floor. Desk drawers had been emptied. Bookshelves no longer held a single book. Georgia started to rush inside.

“Whoa, slow down. We don’t know if someone is still here hiding. Let me clear it.” Colt drew his weapon and entered the building. After clearing it, he waved his hand for her to enter. “Looks like he got in through the back door. Lock’s been tampered with.”

She rushed to her desk and knelt at the bottom drawer. She’d locked Dandy’s notes inside, and based on the scratched metal, someone had tried to pick the lock or bash in the drawer, without success.

Georgia unlocked the drawer and held up the notebook. “They were looking for this. I’ve never been more grateful for this ancient metal box.” Newer models weren’t as sturdy. “But I have a feeling they aren’t going to give up so easily.”

Her workplace had been turned upside down.

Colt pursed his lips. “I’ll call Buck. Again.”

“Charlie’s gonna have a duck fit.”

Dandy must have hit the nail squarely on the head for someone to bring this kind of trouble. Illegal recruiting must be happening on some level, and it was possible Georgia had identified Jared’s killer. Between secrets that people wanted to keep under wraps and Jared’s murder, things were about to go from bad to worse. Worse being more attempts on Georgia’s life.

Colt hung up. “Sheriff’ll be out ASAP.”

Georgia called Charlie with the news, and after warning her to be careful but thorough in her investigation, he said he’d call in the staff to help with cleanup. An hour later, she and Colt arrived back at Georgia’s. She turned the boys loose. They’d been cooped up too long.

“How long have you had the dogs?” Colt asked.

“About a year. They bring me comfort, and they’re great watchdogs. They let me know when the delivery guy drives up, if a stray dog is in the area or if there’s, you know, a dangerous leaf blowing across the yard.” They’d tried to warn her last night.

The sun was bright in the clear sky, and