Colton Christmas Protector (The Coltons of Texas #12)(59)

“What in the hell do you plan to do with that?” he said with a meaningful glance to the kitten clutched to her chest.

“I’m taking it back to the house with us.”

He opened his mouth as if to argue, but he could apparently see in her expression her mind would not be changed, and he said nothing. Releasing a small sigh, he helped her buckle her seat belt, since her hands were full with the wiggling cat.

“Pull my scarf off me,” she said when he’d returned to the driver’s seat.

He did, then helped her wind the wrap around the kitten, effectively trapping his scrabbling paws wielding needlelike claws. Once she had a secure hold on the kitten, he pulled away from the curb with a disgusted look on his face.

“You’re wearing the same sour expression my father used to wear when my mother and I rescued animals.”

Her statement clearly rattled him, and he shot her a stunned glance. “I don’t like that comparison in the least.”

“I know you’re mad at me, but—”

“Not mad...exactly. Just...” He blew out a lip-buzzing breath of exasperation. “I know you have a soft spot for animals. And I know your soft spot includes underdogs of all sorts. It’s one of the reasons I love—” He cut himself off and blinked rapidly, his expression growing briefly stunned...or panicked?

Love. Had he been about to say he loved her? The notion made her heart swoop and her pulse twitter.

“One of the things I admire most about you,” he said in a measured, careful cadence and tone.

“Reid,” she murmured while stroking the kitten’s nose with her thumb, hoping to soothe the frightened feline. And maybe seeking a little calming comfort herself. Why did Reid’s almost-confession have her so jumpy, so...prickling with expectant energy? Maybe it was just a post-adrenaline reaction to her chase after the cat, but suddenly she was hyperaware of everything about Reid. The sounds of his exaggerated breathing, his wide hands gripping the steering wheel, his subtle musk scent. His brooding countenance as he navigated the streets of downtown Dallas, and the tension in his square jaw.

“You know that I don’t have any food or litter or anything for a cat at my house.”

She nodded. “So would you make a quick stop so I can buy all those things?”

He rolled his eyes and twisted his mouth into an I-should-have-seen-that-coming frown. “You also realize that your cat rescue expedition means we lost track of Aaron.”

She sent him a remorseful moue. “I’m sorry about that. What do you suppose Moira was doing here?”

“I haven’t the foggiest idea, but I guaran-damn-tee you I’m going to find out.”

She rubbed the bedraggled kitten’s ears, and said quietly, “Your butler and his wife aren’t entitled to a private life? They have to approve every move with you or your siblings?”

“I’m not saying that. It’s the way they’ve handled these night trips away from the house that have my spider-senses tingling. They’re being evasive and secretive, and in my experience that spells trouble.”

She thought about the Colton butler and his wife, trying to come up with a logical explanation to counter Reid’s suspicions. “You know, I can’t help thinking of how much my father depends on his butler and vice versa. You have to wonder how Eldridge’s disappearance has affected the Manfreds. They’re probably grieving for him in their own way. Maybe...I don’t know...maybe they’re seeing a counselor and are embarrassed to tell you?”

He sent her a wry, skeptical glance. “I think that’s kinda reaching. They—” He stopped abruptly, his expression washing with dismay, then intensity. He slowed to a stop in the middle of the block and squeezed the steering wheel. “I’ll be damned.”

“What?”

“Pen, you’re a genius.”

She chuckled. “I am?”

He shifted into Park and turned to face her. “The Manfreds are loyal to Eldridge. And they’ve been surprisingly stoic throughout this whole ordeal. What if they know something we don’t?”

She sat taller, and her heart thrashed the way the kitten had when she’d captured it. “You think they killed him?”

He shook his head, and thumped the steering wheel with his fist. “No. They aren’t killers.”

“Then...” And then she caught his meaning. “You think they have your father stashed in that building.” She turned in the seat to look back down the city street in the direction they’d just come.

His face lit. “Worth checking out.”

Reid made a U-turn and drove back down the street to the building where he’d seen Moira climb into Aaron’s car. “Stay here and keep the doors locked.”

Pen held her breath as he approached the door to the building and tested it. The door didn’t open. Reid paced around the entrance, walked to the back and stared up at the windows to the upper floors before returning to the Range Rover.

“I’d bet my inheritance he’s here. But I don’t see a way in.” He cranked the engine again and gave the facade of the building one last look before pulling away from the curb.

“So...do you confront them? Or...what?”

He gave her a mysterious grin. “I think I’m going with ‘or what.’”