Colton Baby Rescue. Marie Ferrarella

“The more I thought about it, the more certain I was that I was right. I figured I needed to get back to you to find out just what that was.” He looked at her expectantly.

      Alma had just managed to make her way upstairs. The woman was struggling not to pant. “I’m sorry, Miss Serena. He refused to leave.”

      “Apparently he’s very stubborn,” Serena said, looking coldly at the invading detective. She drew herself up, moving away from the bedroom doorway. “Alma, if you don’t mind looking after Lora, I’ll see if I can’t put the detective’s mind at rest once and for all, so he can be on his way and we can all go on with our lives.”

      He waited until the housekeeper picked up the baby from her crib and left with Lora before saying anything to Serena.

      “Have I done something to offend you, Ms. Colton?” he asked, referring to her rather abrupt tone.

      He had gall, she’d give him that. “You want that alphabetically, chronologically or in order of magnitude?” she asked the detective.

      “Tell you what, I’ll let you pick,” Carson said magnanimously.

      He didn’t think she was going to say anything, did he, she thought. Well, he was in for a surprise.

      Serena launched into him. “You come storm trooping into my house at an ungodly hour—”

      “You were up,” Carson reminded her.

      “That’s beside the point,” Serena retorted. “I was feeding Lora. But that still didn’t give you the right to burst in here—”

      “The chief knocked,” Carson corrected her. He could see she was getting really frustrated. The fire in her eyes was really rather compelling to watch. “And he is your brother as well as the police chief.”