Wild Stallion by Delores Fossen

right away, despite the fact he obviously knew Bailey was anxious to hear what the sheriff had just told him.
    “Well?” she prompted. “The intruder got away?”
    Jackson shook his head. “Worse.”

Chapter Five
    Jackson listened to Sheriff Gentry’s latest account of his investigation, but it was hard to concentrate with Caden staring up at him with those big blue eyes.
    It was morning. Caden’s favorite time of the day, when he seemed to be full of energy and new discoveries. His son had just squealed with delight—though Jackson didn’t know why—and now Caden seemed to be waiting for him to respond to that baby outburst. Jackson did. He gave the boy an exaggerated grin that caused Caden to grin back.
    “You do know what this means?” the sheriff asked, his somber voice pouring through the speakerphone on Jackson’s desk.
    Jackson did know. The day before, he’d listened to every word of Sheriff Gentry’s account of what had happened when the ambulance arrived at the hospital with the intruder. The minute the medics had taken the man out to usher him into the ER, someone fired shots.
    Now Jackson was listening to the latest update: the shots had been fired from a long-range high-powered rifle. The intruder had been killed instantly. There were no signs of the killer or the weapon he used.
    “This means it was probably a professional hit,” the sheriff continued.
    Yeah. Jackson had come to the same conclusion. “And still no ID on the intruder?”
    “No, because the man had no fingerprints. I don’t mean none were on file. The man had no prints, period. They’d been burnt off with acid or something. It looked like a sloppy job, but an amateur isn’t likely to go that far to conceal his identity. Of course, we’ll still try to do a DNA match from our database.”
    They might get lucky. Might. But Jackson had to accept that the intruder was a dead end, literally. Besides, those missing prints were the sign of yet another pro. A hired gun in his own right.
    So why had he trespassed onto the estate?
    “You want me to send a deputy out to your place?” the sheriff asked.
    “No. I have enough security.” He hoped. And while he was hoping, Jackson added that he hoped he could get all of this cleared up fast. The situation with the latest threatening letter. With the intruder.
    And especially with Bailey.
    He wanted to enjoy every moment of Caden’s first Christmas; but here he was, worried to the bone that instead of a celebration, his son could be in danger.
    “What about your houseguest?” the sheriff asked, as if reading Jackson’s mind.
    Of course, it wasn’t anything as miraculous as mind-reading. In a small town like Copper Creek, secrets didn’t stay secrets very long, and the sheriff or his deputies had interviewed some of Jackson’s staff. Sheriff Gentry knew that Bailey had spent the night at the estate.
    “I’m not sure about Bailey Hodges yet,” Jackson settled for saying. “Have you made any connection between the intruder and her?”
    “Zero. The dead man had a prepaid cell in his pocket, with only one number called, and it wasn’t to Miss Hodges. It was to a woman, Shannon Wright.”
    Jackson froze for a moment. “Shannon Wright? The nurse who was at the San Antonio Maternity Hospital during the hostage situation?”
    “Yeah. How’d you know that?” the sheriff asked.
    “It wasn’t a lucky guess. Bailey thinks this Shannon Wright is a possible suspect in her baby’s disappearance.”
    “Interesting. I’ll look into it.” The sheriff paused. “Where exactly is Miss Hodges right now?”
    “In the guest quarters, away from the main house.” Jackson paused to reach for the stuffed toy horse that Caden was offering him. Of course, the moment he took it Caden wanted it back. This was a game that Jackson knew all too well, and it made him smile.
    “Good,” the sheriff concluded.
    That grabbed Jackson’s attention. “Good? Why?” Because he certainly didn’t