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Annabelle looked back at the still image on the screen. “I don’t know if I can keep this secret.”

“You have to,” Rowdy told her, voice stern. “It could be devastating to your boss if we misidentify the dog and get her hopes up.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Annabelle murmured. “This is going to be worse than waiting on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought you.”

Rowdy chuckled and Annabelle had to swallow hard. The man was delicious, and as much as she wanted Cookie back, she didn’t want Rowdy to leave. Maybe they could… have a date later, or something.

Did she want to ask him? Or should she wait and hope he saw her interest? He was an investigator. Surely, he would pick up on that.

Right?

She didn’t want him to leave without her knowing.

“Any chance I can tag along?”

Rowdy blinked. “On the stakeout? I’m going to be sitting in the cold and dark freezing my nuts off and hoping I see a tiny little dog. It’s boring.”

She shrugged, smiling slightly. “I’ll sit next to you so we can share body heat.”

His eyes dilated and he blinked, then looked away. She watched him force a smile and try to play off her words, and it gratified her that he was struggling. Or maybe he was just trying to figure out a way to extricate himself from her unwanted attention. Who was she to think that this impressive guy would want to be with her?

Color surge under her cheeks and she cursed her mouth. “No worries,” she said, spinning her chair toward her computer. “I’ll just wait for the update.”

She could feel Rowdy staring at her profile, and she forced her fingers to move, pulling up Mrs. Dodd’s email.

“I’ll bring the coffee,” he said, voice reluctant. “Be ready at eight.”

The relief she felt was more than she could articulate, so she nodded her head without looking at him. Then he left the office, closing the door softly behind. Annabelle let out a heavy breath, her shoulders slumping. She felt like she’d just run a marathon.

* * *

Rowdy left the house without talking to Mrs. Dodd. Yes, she’d told him to update her, but he wasn’t sure he could lie to her and tell her he hadn’t found anything. He guided his truck toward the east side of the city, and Lost and Found.

Shannon grinned at him as he exited the elevator into reception. “Are you okay? You look a little off.”

Rowdy stopped, surprised, because he usually had a pretty good poker face. He glanced at the clock on the wall. He’d left this same spot six hours ago, but it felt like a lifetime. A lot had happened today. And dealing with Annabelle… well, he wasn’t sure exactly what he was doing. Was Shannon the right one to ask about it? He didn’t know her well, but he knew she had a kind heart and a level head. Plus, she dealt with extreme craziness every day. John Palmer was her other half- the crazy bastard- and she had three kids she was juggling. He was surprised she was still here. Normally, she’d left by now and Marigold had taken her spot.

Maybe she was here for a reason.

“I…” he hesitated. “I met a woman today I think I really like. She’s easy to get along with and seems fun. She wants to go on a stakeout with me tonight.” Shannon’s eyes widened and a smile spread across her mouth. “Oh, and I think I found Cookie,” he added as an afterthought.

Shannon jumped up from her seat. “No way,” she breathed. “That was fast. I’m sure the guys will be overjoyed. But more importantly, what is this woman’s name?”

“Annabelle,” Rowdy said, walking toward her desk. “I don’t know how I feel about her wanting to join me on the stakeout.”

Shannon tilted her head, giving him a chiding look. “I have a feeling she wants to be close to you and if she’s willing to sit through the monotony of a stakeout, she must want it pretty bad.”

Rowdy frowned. He hadn’t thought about it like that. Would she really do that? Warmth built in his chest at the possibility. If he had indeed found Cookie, though, he wouldn’t see her any more after tonight.

Yes, he would, he told himself. Because he was interested in her enough to make it happen.

“Thanks, Shannon. I’ll let you know tomorrow what I find out. I need to grab some night vision goggles from the armory.”

“I’ll have John meet you there. Supposed to snow tonight,” she said with a grin. “Better figure out how to keep her warm.”

Rowdy grimaced, but a small, excited pang went through him. “Got it,” he said, giving her a wink. Then he headed down the hallway to the ‘armory’. It was just an office with locked cabinets full of useful tools. Investigators could sign-out what they needed, then they returned the items to John Palmer for check-in. Since he’d been there only a few months, he still had to have approval for equipment removal.

Palmer met him with his standard scowl, but Rowdy didn’t let it dampen his mood. He explained what he needed the goggles for.