A rookie cop’s mistletoe mission

A Coltons of Red Ridge romance

Layla Colton would do anything for her family’s company—even marry a man she doesn’t love. But when she’s framed for a crime she didn’t commit, Layla has more to worry about than wedding bells. Officer Hunter Black and his K-9 companion are on the case. Can they rescue Layla from the deadly shadows threatening to engulf Red Ridge?

KAREN WHIDDON started weaving fanciful tales for her younger brothers at the age of eleven. Amid the gorgeous Catskill Mountains, then the majestic Rocky Mountains, she fueled her imagination with the natural beauty surrounding her. Karen now lives in north Texas, writes full-time and volunteers for a boxer dog rescue. She shares her life with her hero of a husband and four to five dogs, depending on if she is fostering. You can email Karen at kwhiddon1@aol.com. Fans can also check out her website, karenwhiddon.com.

Also by Karen Whiddon

The CEO’s Secret Baby

The Cop’s Missing Child

The Millionaire Cowboy’s Secret

Texas Secrets, Lovers’ Lies

The Rancher’s Return

The Texan’s Return

Wyoming Undercover

The Texas Soldier’s Son

Runaway Colton

The Temptation of Dr. Colton

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Colton’s Christmas Cop

Karen Whiddon

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07950-1

COLTON’S CHRISTMAS COP

© 2018 Harlequin Books S.A.

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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To all the dedicated dog rescuers everywhere.

It’s hard to see what mankind is capable of,

but so rewarding to have a small part in

helping an animal heal and find love again.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter 1

Layla Colton ran the numbers one final time. No doubt about it—this sale would send Colton Energy’s stock through the roof, which would definitely help their sagging bottom line.

It was well after midnight, and the November dark outside carried the chill of winter. Everyone else in the building had gone home hours ago, but Layla considered her office her sanctuary, while the lavish condo where she actually lived felt more like an impersonal hotel room than anything else. She only went there to sleep, shower and eat, preferring to spend as much time as possible here, in her corner office on the executive floor of her father’s company.

Stifling a yawn, she rubbed the back of her aching neck. She needed to straighten up her desk and head home to catch a few hours’ sleep before coming back in the morning.

As she tidied up, her private line rang, the single, long buzz that indicated an internal call. She pressed the button for Speaker, curiosity warring with impatience. “Yes?”

“Security here, ma’am. I have a couple officers from Red Ridge Police Department asking to see you.”

To see her? At nearly one o’clock in the morning? Had something happened to one of her cousins, many of whom worked at the RRPD as K9 officers? Layla’s stomach twisted, and she took a deep gulp of air to help her stay calm.

“Send them up,” she ordered, careful that her cool tone betrayed none of her trepidation. She’d learned the hard way what a mistake it could be to display the tiniest bit of weakness. There would always be someone watching and waiting for the chance to take her down.

Two uniformed officers appeared in her doorway a few minutes later. A third stood a few feet behind them. “Come in,” she said, her gaze searching first one face and then the others.

“Layla Colton?” the taller of the two asked.

Words failed her, so she simply nodded.

“You’re under arrest for stalking, threatening and harassing Mark Hatton.”

“What?” Flabbergasted, she briefly lost her tenuous grip on her refusal to be ruffled. “Have you lost your mind?” Mark Hatton worked for her, first as a junior analyst and then as a salesman. She’d regretted hiring him due to his sloppy work and questionable ethics and had begun keeping detailed documentation as a prelude to letting him go.

“I’m afraid not, ma’am.” The second officer stepped forward with handcuffs. “We have evidence. Emails in your name, texts from your phone number making sexual advances and threatening him when he turned you down.” The disgust in his voice would have made a lesser woman cringe.

“That’s impossible,” she began.

“Is it?” he cut her off. “Tell it to the judge. It’s not only women who are victims, you know. You rich people always think you can get away with anything. Well, not this time.”

A silent scream formed in the back of her throat. No. This couldn’t be happening. Not to her, not now. She’d never threatened anyone a day in her life. And as for making sexual advances to a man like Mark, even the thought made bile rise in her throat. Lies. They were all lies. “I need to call my lawyer,” she said.

“You’ll be afforded the opportunity to do that later.”

She barely listened as they read her rights and stood wooden while they cuffed her like a criminal, the metal cold and hard around her wrists. Still numb, she kept her chin up and her shoulders back as she allowed them to hustle her from her office, down the marble hall, through the lobby and out into the frigid night air to the waiting patrol car. The security officer stood at his desk and watched it all, wide-eyed and clearly stunned.

This would all be on video. There were cameras mounted both inside the building and out. Her father would see. Anyone could see, including Hamlin, her fiancé. He might even decide to make the temporary hiatus they’d placed on their business deal of an engagement a permanent thing. She wouldn’t mind personally, but her father would. They needed Hamlin Harrington’s money to shore up Colton Energy.

What a mess. Her blood felt as icy as the northern wind. She wasn’t a fool—one couldn’t be a female executive in a mostly male industry without making a few enemies. But this? Trumped-up charges that would sound ridiculous to anyone who knew her?

She could only hope word of this wasn’t leaked to the press. She’d be crucified before she even had a chance to defend herself. Tears stung the backs of her eyes, and she furiously blinked them away. Once again, she felt like that little girl who, no matter what she did, couldn’t manage to make her father proud. Even at age thirty-one, she never could seem to make herself stop trying. She’d even agreed to marry a man she didn’t love, just because her father wanted her to.

She’d worked so hard to stay above reproach, and now this insanity. While she had no doubt she’d get this straightened out, it would take time. During which her reputation would be trashed and the multiple deals she had in the works as executive vice president of Colton Energy could fail. She needed those deals—they needed them and their stock to rise. Why would Mark Hatton make false accusations that could jeopardize the company he worked for? If Colton Energy went under, he’d lose his job along with all the others. As would she.

To Layla, working for the family business was more than just employment. Her job, the company, was her entire life. Without it, she had no idea what she’d do.

The drive to the Red Ridge police station seemed to take forever. She ran over a hundred different scenarios in her mind, discarding each one. She had to get this straightened out before her father learned of it.

Finally, they pulled up to the back of the building. The place where she suspected they brought people in to book them. Embarrassment flooded her, even though she’d done nothing to be ashamed about.

“Come with me,” the tall officer said, helping her from the back of the car. He took her arm and led her, still handcuffed, inside.

Due to the lateness of the hour, the squad room seemed deserted. Only a skeleton crew worked these hours, apparently. Lucky for her, as that meant fewer people to stare. She wasn’t particularly close with any of her cousins on the force, even the chief of the K9 unit.

“I’d like my phone call now,” she announced, trying to keep her tone cheery and optimistic.

The officer barely even glanced at her. “Not yet. I’ll let you know when.”

“Layla? Layla Colton?”

She froze. She knew that voice. Hunter Black. He’d been a VP at Colton Energy—and one of her father’s favorites—when he’d abruptly quit to attend the police academy so he could work in law enforcement. Though at least eighteen months had passed since Hunter’s departure, her father still occasionally mentioned him, mocking his decision as unwise. Police officers only made a third of the salary Hunter had pulled in as an executive.

“Hunter.” Slowly she turned, keeping her face expressionless. As before, a buzz of awareness skittered across her skin at the sight of him. He still wore his reddish-brown hair the same way, kind of spiky. And his bright blue eyes still crinkled at the corners.

Of course his gaze immediately went to her bound wrists. “Why are you in cuffs? Are you under arrest?” He glared at the officer still holding her arm. “What the hell is going on?”

Though she kept her shoulders back as the two officers filled Hunter in, she braced herself for Hunter’s reaction. He’d made no secret of his distaste for everyone and everything to do with Colton Energy before he’d left. The other executives had joked about how he certainly knew how to burn his bridges.

To her shock, after hearing her charges, Hunter looked pissed. Not at her. He glared at his coworkers. “Why was I kept in the dark about this?” he demanded. “Is it because I used to work with her?”

One of the men shrugged. The other nodded. “We couldn’t take a chance on you trying to influence our investigation.”

Judging from the rigid set of Hunter’s jaw, he didn’t appreciate that statement at all.

“Now if you don’t mind, we need to book her.”

“Knock yourself out,” Hunter replied. To Layla’s disappointment, he turned and started to walk away. But he’d barely taken a few steps when he spun back around. “Let me see your evidence.”

The first officer jerked his chin toward the other. “Show him.”

Handing Hunter a manila folder, the second guy grinned. “I’ll need that back when you’re finished with it.”

Grim faced, Hunter walked away, folder in hand.

After she’d been fingerprinted and booked, Layla was finally allowed to call her lawyer. Luckily, since she dealt with legal matters constantly as part of her job, she had his number memorized.

Once he’d answered—sounding groggy since she’d no doubt woken him—she filled him in as succinctly as possible. He promised to head to the police station right away, and she ended the call.

“Now what?” she asked the officer standing guard.

“Now you go to the holding cell with all the other women we’ve brought in tonight,” he said.

“And then what?”

“You wait.”

Hunter hadn’t been prepared for his reaction at seeing Layla Colton again. In the time since he’d left Colton Energy, he’d gone out of his way to avoid her, and not only because she’d reminded him of all the things one could do to sell their soul for personal gain.

She was beautiful, in a remote, detached sort of way. He’d constantly fought the urge to see if he could make her smile, mainly because the few times she had, she went from beautiful to stunning. But she’d smiled less and less, probably because her father had never let up on his constant badgering of her.

Hunter didn’t understand it. Layla worked harder than anyone else in the company, including the old man himself. Yet as far as Fenwick Colton was concerned, she was borderline incompetent, incapable of doing anything right, probably because she was his daughter rather than his son. Anyone else would have left a long time ago. But not Layla. Like the proverbial hamster on the never-ending wheel, she kept at it, determined to succeed at an impossible task.

By the time Hunter had quit, he actually felt sorry for her. Didn’t like her, but pitied her.

Thumbing through the pages, Hunter rapidly reached the conclusion that this case was 99 percent bogus. Mark Hatton, the former analyst and now junior salesman, claimed Layla Colton had sexually harassed and threatened him. There was no way. No way in hell.

He read the text messages purported to be from Layla to Mark in disbelief. Supposedly, she’d gone from flirty to threatening. There were several suggestive photos Mark claimed she’d texted him at midnight. Layla posed in lingerie, looking sexy as hell. Privately, Hunter thought no red-blooded male could fail to react to these. But he found the idea ludicrous that Layla, who not only was known around the office as the ice princess, but also was engaged to one of the richest men in the state, would have sent these to a junior staffer.

No matter was else she might be, Layla Colton wasn’t stupid. Far from it. And any woman who looked like her knew there were a hundred other ways to find a man willing to be your bed partner.

Though Hunter hadn’t been a police officer for long, he’d learned years ago to trust his gut instinct. And right now, everything within him said Layla was being set up. Why, he didn’t know.

Yet.

He watched as they marched her off to the holding cell, wondering how she’d do in there with the drunks and the prostitutes. Judging from what he’d seen in the time he’d worked with her, she’d survive.

Still, for whatever reason, he didn’t like the idea of her being arrested.

Instead of trying to figure out why Layla’s arrest affected him so strongly, he read the report again. Objectively, it seemed like a strong case. Rather than he said / she said, Mark Hatton had backed it up with compelling evidence. He had not only the text messages, but numerous emails sent from her company computer. He even had security camera footage from his home, showing Layla standing on his doorstep, ringing the bell. When he hadn’t answered, Layla left a large envelope on the porch, tucked behind a potted plant, and walked away.

If Hunter didn’t know Layla the way one does from working with her for three years, he would have closed the file and walked away. After all, she had money and connections and would most likely settle out of court, her reputation untarnished.

Then the station phones started ringing. Someone had leaked the story.

By the time Layla’s attorney arrived, two news vans were parked in front of the police station. Both had come from Sioux Falls. Whoever had tipped them off had wasted no time. Hunter had a hunch it had been Mark Hatton.

Checking his watch, Hunter swore. Time to go home and let his dog out, plus catch a few hours of shut-eye. But he didn’t want to leave until he saw what happened with Layla. While he thought she was the epitome of everything wrong with the corporate world, she’d always been kind to him. She didn’t deserve this, especially since he felt positive she’d done nothing wrong.

“What’s going on?” he asked Tim Lakely, one of the officers who’d brought her in. Though Lakely wasn’t on the K9 team, Hunter knew him well.

“She’s still in with her attorney,” Lakely replied, his expression disgusted. “And they must have called in Judge Kugen, because he just showed up. And he doesn’t look happy. Of course she gets special treatment since she’s a rich Colton.”

Hunter followed the direction of the other man’s gaze. Judge Roy Kugen sat in one of the uncomfortable metal chairs that dotted the room. Suspect chairs, though occasionally they were used by citizens wishing to file a report. The judge had clearly been roused from bed, at least if his disheveled gray hair was any indication. He also appeared to be wearing plaid pajama pants under his heavy coat, though he’d had enough foresight to put on a pair of boots.

The lawyer appeared, some hotshot corporate attorney from Sioux Falls, and asked the judge if he’d mind coming with him. Roy pushed to his feet and they vanished inside the conference room.

Lakely shook his head. “One more example of how rich people get away with everything. If Layla Colton was just a regular person, she’d be spending the night here and be arraigned in the morning. But no, she got Judge Kugen to come to her so she could go home tonight.”

“I can’t say I blame her,” Hunter said, in the interest of fairness. “You know if you were in the same position, you’d do the same thing.”

Rolling his eyes, Lakely muttered under his breath and stomped away.

A few minutes later, Judge Kugen appeared again. He glanced around the virtually empty squad room until his gaze landed on Hunter. “Here,” the judge said, thrusting a sheaf of papers at him. “I’ve waived bail and we’re letting Ms. Colton go on her own recognizance. These will be filed with the court in the morning. Those are your copies.”

Accepting the papers, Hunter nodded. “I’ll make sure the officers working this case get these.”

“You do that.” Judge Kugen narrowed his eyes. “I sure as hell hope you’ve got an airtight case. People like the Colton family don’t take kindly to being arrested under false accusations.”

Since he privately agreed, Hunter simply nodded.

Once the judge had left, the attorney stuck his head out the door. “Are you Hunter Black?”

“I am.”

“Ms. Colton would like a word with you,” the guy said.

Summoned. Just like she thought he still worked for her. Hunter briefly debated declining, but in the end, he headed for the conference room. Call it curiosity or call it compassion, but he truly wanted to hear what Layla Colton had to say.

When he entered the room, she raised her gaze to his, her long-lashed blue eyes troubled. Her platinum blond hair swung, settling back into place.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” the attorney said, grabbing his briefcase from the table. “Ms. Colton, do you need anything else from me?”

“No, I don’t think so,” she said, her normally cool voice sounding a bit shaky. “Thank you, Anthony.”

With a brusque nod, the lawyer left, closing the door behind him.

She tucked a strand of her silky hair behind her ear, clearly waiting for Hunter to speak first. Instead, he studied her. Her tailored suit and silk blouse meant she’d most likely been arrested at work. At this hour of the morning? He’d heard she was a workaholic, but still.

Suffering his perusal in silence, she finally sighed. “Won’t you please sit down?”

Instead, he jammed his hands in his pockets. “What’s going on, Layla? It’s late and I really need to get home.”

At his words, her icy composure crumbled. She covered her face with her hands so he wouldn’t see her weep.

Damn. He seriously went to pieces when a woman cried.

“Hey, now,” he said, awkwardly patting her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Is it?” When she raised her face, her perfectly applied mascara had run, sending black streaks down her face. She angrily tried to wipe them away and only succeeded in smearing sooty color all over her face. She looked, he thought, like a bedraggled raccoon. He actually liked this Layla better than the icy tycoon.

Resigned now, he pulled out a chair. “Tell me exactly what’s going on.”

She did, replaying what she’d been told—basically what Lakely had told him earlier. “I just don’t understand how anyone could honestly believe I’d sexually harass someone like Mark Hatton.” She shuddered. “Or anyone, for that matter. You know me. You worked with me. I took care to keep my conduct businesslike, above reproach.”

“Yes, you did.” He leaned forward. “But what about the text messages? The photos?”

Though she blushed, she didn’t look away. “I never sent them. Those two cops who arrested me confiscated my phone or I’d show you. I’m being set up, though I have no idea why.”

“Someone with a grudge against Colton Energy?” he gently pointed out. After all, it wasn’t like the company didn’t have enemies.

Again, her expression went from glum to miserable. “I... I don’t know.”

He wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth or not. But then, he wasn’t surprised. The entire time he’d worked there, everyone had known Colton Energy was Layla’s life. Whether she turned a blind eye or just didn’t know about her father’s shady business deals, he had no idea. Certainly, few in town even suspected the true nature of Fenwick Colton. After all, they’d elected the man their mayor.

The uncomfortable thought hit him. If she’d lie about this, then who knew what else she’d do? “Layla,” he asked gently. “Did you proposition and then threaten Mark Hatton? I know it can get lonely at the top.”

She recoiled, her expression aghast. “No. I most certainly did not. I swear to you on the lives of my family that I didn’t send those texts, emails or photos. I’m being set up.”

Unimpressed, he continued to study her. “Swear to me on your job, on Colton Energy.” In other words, what truly was the most important thing to her.

Hurt flashed across her face, but she lifted her chin and swore again, exactly how he’d asked.

He nodded, satisfied. “Now I know you’re telling the truth.”

“Why did you quit, Hunter?” she asked, surprising him. “You were well regarded and performed your job duties well. And we paid you an excellent salary. Yet you gave notice without even the prospect of another job offer. When we heard you’d signed up for the police academy, we were surprised, to say the least.”

How to tell someone that the life they’d chosen for herself was one he found abhorrent? Corporate greed and lies, constantly wondering if the things he was asked to do skirted the border of legality...

“Working in law enforcement had been a longtime dream of mine,” he said. Then, deciding the time had come to change the subject and wrap things up, he checked his watch. “Do you want to call someone, maybe your fiancé, to come and get you?”

“No. My engagement is currently on hold, like everyone else’s in this town,” she replied. She had a point. With some crazed serial killer going around murdering grooms right before their wedding day, just about every scheduled wedding had been postponed.

“And to tell you the truth,” she continued, “I’m afraid if Hamlin finds out about these charges, he’ll end the engagement for good.”

She looked so miserable at the prospect, his heart went out to her.

“Come on, then,” he said, making an instant decision. “Let me run you home. It’s on my way, so it won’t be any trouble.”

“What about the news vans?” She pointed toward the front of the police station. “Is there any way we can avoid them?”

Eyeing her, in her tailored suit and heels, he considered. “We’ll go out the back and take my squad car, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t have someone watching that exit, too. It’d be better if you had a disguise.”

“I don’t.”

“I might be able to come up with something,” he replied.

“Please tell me you’re not planning on raiding the police lost and found.” She shuddered. “No one knows where those things have been.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “I wasn’t, but that’s an idea. No, I keep a clean change of clothes here in case I have to spend the night. These uniforms aren’t the most comfortable to sleep in.”

To his astonishment, she blushed. “Oh. But I don’t think your clothes will fit me. At all.”

“We’ll figure out a way to make do. Come on, follow me.” He led the way down the hall, toward an area marked Employees Only. They went through the double doors and into a large room filled with lockers. From his locker, he retrieved a flannel shirt, a pair of sweatpants and socks. He’d even stuffed back a pair of old snow boots. “Here.” He handed everything to her. “The bathroom is right there. Put these on.”

Eyeing the folded bundle dubiously, nevertheless, she did as he asked. When she emerged a few moments later, he felt like he’d just been punched in the stomach. His plaid flannel shirt hung down to her knees. She’d gotten creative and rolled his sweatpants up so they didn’t drag on the floor. She’d gathered the excess waistband to one side and held it in her small hand. And she struggled to walk in snow boots that were clearly several sizes too large for her.

She looked like misfortune had guided her clothing choice, as if she were a homeless vagabond wearing whatever she could find in order to stay warm.

And she looked, he thought, while struggling to catch his breath, sexy as hell.

Dizzy with a sudden rush of desire, he tried to regain his equilibrium.

This Layla Colton spelled trouble. Not just for him, he figured, not wanting to make of it any more than he had to. Hell, the intriguing contrast between super-sleek, buttoned-up Layla the executive and this one would catch the attention of any man with a lick of sense. He couldn’t gather his scattered thoughts enough to speak a single coherent word. It took every ounce of his willpower to keep from focusing on her lush lips and how badly he wanted to kiss them.

Luckily, he wasn’t likely to ever see her looking like this ever again.

“Here.” He handed her a baseball cap and his down parka. “Put these on and we’ll head out. I don’t think anyone would recognize you now.”

He was right. If there were reporters stationed at the back of the building, he couldn’t tell. Which meant he could get her out of there without any undue attention. She got in his patrol car and they drove away unnoticed.

Chapter 2

Sinking down in the passenger seat, Layla started laughing as soon as they exited the police station parking lot. She couldn’t help it, even though she realized her inexplicable mirth bordered on hysteria.

She laughed until tears ran down her cheeks, until exhaustion made her catch her breath. As she wound down, Hunter handed her a box of tissues. “Here,” he said. “I keep them in the car just in case. You never know when you’ll need them.”

Grateful, she accepted. After wiping her eyes and what little mascara remained, she blew her nose and took a deep breath. “Sorry about that,” she told him, meaning it. “I really don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s okay.” He glanced sideways at her. “People do strange things when under stress.”

Grateful for his easy acceptance, she settled more comfortably in her seat as she rattled off her address. “Though I guess I should have you take me back to Colton Energy to get my car.”

“I think you’re too upset to drive,” he said.

After a moment, she agreed. “It’s been pretty crazy lately, even before this,” she admitted. “I mean, who would have thought our town would have a serial killer? And what a strange one, singling out men about to get married.”

“Yeah. It is bizarre. And in addition to the grim reality of murder, there’s damage to the local economy. With all the weddings that have been placed on hold, lots of our local small businesses are suffering. Your sister’s bridal salon is in danger of going out of business. I’ve heard that returns and outright cancellations have destroyed Bea’s cash flow. And of course the wedding planners and caterers, like Good Eats, are struggling to pay their bills.”

They reached the downtown area. Due to the hour, the streets were deserted. A light snow had fallen earlier, just enough to dust everything with white, so the sidewalks appeared pristine and untouched. When she’d been younger, Layla had loved to leave the first set of footprints in fresh snow. She knew even now, when they reached her town house, she’d take a private delight in walking from the parking lot to her front door.

“It would be a shame if all those mom-and-pop stores went under,” he continued. “They’re hardworking people, good folks, and I hate to see that happen to them.”

Again, her stomach twisted. Though she tried to keep everything bottled up inside, her stress level had her feeling as if something might blow at any moment. “It’s crazy,” she agreed. “We’re so close to Thanksgiving, and we’ve got some murderer running around killing off grooms. Everyone is scared.”

“Are you?”

Without hesitation, she nodded. “I am. Colton Energy is in trouble, too.” What had caused her to blurt this truth out, she wasn’t sure. But she felt better having actually said it out loud. “That’s why I agreed to marry Hamlin Harrington. He’s promised my father a fresh influx of money.”

“An arranged marriage?” He sounded so shocked.

“He’s wanted me for years.” As if that justified it. While she knew how it appeared, she didn’t see where she had a choice.

“Layla, he’s twice your age.”

With a nervous laugh, she discounted that statement. “Not really. He is quite a bit older, though. But it’ll be fine. I’ll do anything to save the family business. Marrying Hamlin will do that, as long as the wedding goes off without a hitch by the end of the year.”

He signaled a right turn onto her street and shot her a curious glance. “Why the time constraint?”

Taking a deep breath before answering, she considered swearing him to secrecy. If she told him the truth, she’d be letting him in on something only very few people knew. “Will you keep this between us?” she asked.

“Of course.”

For whatever reason, she trusted him to keep his word.

“If Colton Energy doesn’t get that cash by the end of the year, there’s no help for us. We’ll have to file bankruptcy and most likely close our doors.” She bit her lip before continuing. “Not only will many people be out of work, but we won’t be able to continue to help fund my pet project, the police K9 unit and training center.” All of her father’s wives had been strong supporters of the K9 unit and training center, including Layla’s late mother. Trusts had been left by her and her half sisters’ mothers to keep the unit and center going, and when those trusts ran out, Fenwick had stepped up. Now, unless her marriage to Hamlin went on, the K9 unit and training center would be in as much jeopardy as Colton Energy.

Her words hung there in the air between them as Hunter pulled into her parking lot and up next to the curb in front of her town house. Turning in his seat to face her, he scratched his head. “Layla, the K9 training center is now completely self-sufficient, thanks to K9 chief Finn Colton, who came up with a plan. Once the center started training dogs for police departments all over the country, they quickly got out of the red. A fully trained police dog goes for over ten thousand dollars.”

Stunned, she wasn’t sure how to respond. With the truth, she supposed. “I didn’t know. That entire thing is under my father’s control. He never told me about that.” In fact, he’d led her to believe the opposite. He talked about the K9 training center as if it was a money pit, draining Colton Energy dry. This made her wonder what else he might have misdirected her on.

“You were the VP of finance and accounting,” she said. “I know it’s been a while since you left, but what—in your opinion—was the biggest drain on Colton Energy’s finances?”

He only stared at her. “You should already know that. You’re executive VP of everything.”

Of course, he had no way of knowing how empty her title truly was. “Not really, though that’s a general misconception. While I am in charge of several departments, my primary duties are more in sales and marketing,” she said. “I oversee our sales force and step in when necessary to help get corporate contracts for companies that want to break away from traditional energy and do something more earth friendly and renewable.” She managed her normal professional smile as she recited the spiel she knew by heart. “I also oversee the payroll department and human resources. My father still oversees the accounting department and has the final say on any big decisions.”

“But you have access to the books, right?”

Put that way... “No,” she admitted. “I haven’t seen the books. I’m thinking I should take a look.”

His sideways glance was telling. “Since you’re head of HR, were you the one who hired Mark Hatton?”

Right to the gut, that question. Her smile slipped. “I was. I regretted that decision within a month. Mark cuts corners and makes sloppy deals, and I have to wonder at his ethics. I’d begun keeping a detailed accounting of his mistakes so I’d have backup when I fired him.”

“You really were going to let him go?”

“Yes. And I promise you, it had nothing to do with him refusing to go out with me.” Her stomach churned. “I don’t understand why he’s saying that.”

For one breathtaking second, as her gaze locked with Hunter’s, she thought he might kiss her. Her heart raced and she felt dizzy, but in the end, he looked away first.

Suddenly, she realized they’d been sitting in front of her town house for several minutes. “Thanks for the ride,” she said, her voice too bright. “I’ll have someone pick me up and take me into the office tomorrow.” Opening her door, she practically jumped out, sliding a little in the fresh snow.

Watching Layla rush into her town house, Colton tried to analyze what had almost just happened.

He’d almost kissed her. Layla Colton, the woman who epitomized everything he’d despised about the corporate world.

Except she didn’t.

He’d never really talked to her, one on one, until tonight. Her devotion to her job, to her father’s company, had always been legendary, and she clearly didn’t appear to see the irony of working her fingers to the bone for a man who barely acknowledged her existence.

Not his business, he reminded himself. The only situation he needed to concern himself with was the case against her. His gut told him she’d been charged with a crime she hadn’t committed.

Shaking his head at his own foolishness, he put the car in Drive and headed home. Unlike Layla, who lived in trendy North Red Ridge, his small house sat in an older part of town. Which suited him fine.

He loved his small frame house. He had a large, fenced yard and lots of trees. Pulling into his driveway, he hit the remote garage door opener and then parked in the garage.

As he stepped into his kitchen, Hunter immediately crouched down. Goose, his basset hound, launched herself at him as she always did, wiggling and doing her best to lick every inch of his face.

This was his absolute favorite part of the day.

He let Goose outside, standing on the back porch to watch her, a habit he’d continued from when she’d been a tiny puppy and he’d worried an eagle would swoop down and carry her off. Since she hated the cold, she took care of her business quickly and then rushed at him to be let back inside.

He’d stopped by earlier during his dinner break to feed her, so he only gave her a dog biscuit as a reward. “Such a good girl,” he crooned. As she gazed up at him, he could swear she grinned.

No one could tell it by looking at her, but Goose was only one of four dogs in the entire county trained for electronic storage detection.

When Hunter had brought in the young dog, who looked more like a mixed breed than a pure-bred basset hound, everyone had assumed he was joking when he’d announced his intention to train her in the highly specialized field. Then, as he’d begun working with her, their amusement had turned to incredulity. No one had ever seen a dog who could detect electronics. None of the other trainers had even known such a thing was possible. Hunter hadn’t, either, until he’d happened on an article about one of the dogs on the East Coast. He’d made it his mission to learn everything about it, even making a trip out to the training facility so he could learn in person how it was done.

As with any other kind of detection work, electronic storage detection training was done through scent. It turned out that thumb drives, micro-SD cards and external hard drives all contained two different chemical compounds, both of which dogs could be trained to locate.

Goose had proved an apt pupil. Even though Labrador retrievers were considered the best breed for this type of work, Hunter had known his Goose was a natural. As she grew, she looked less and less like a typical basset hound. She had longer legs and a leaner body, and she was slightly taller and more agile. In other words, as far as Hunter was concerned, she was just perfect.

Soon, she’d proved herself to all the other K9 officers in the unit. Goose and her nose had provided the crucial evidence to take down a large child pornography ring out of Sioux Falls. She’d been able to locate hidden computer evidence that might not otherwise have been found.

And she belonged to Hunter, not to the K9 department. She’d been his from the beginning and he’d trained her on his own time, without costing them a cent.

He adored her, and she him.

“Come on, girl,” he told her, heading into the bedroom to change out of his uniform. Goose followed, her toenails clicking on the wood floor. He hummed as he changed, even though exhaustion made him want silence. He hummed because Goose liked it and she’d been alone with the quiet since he’d popped in earlier.

Once he had on his comfortable sweatpants and a flannel shirt, he padded into the kitchen to make a quick snack. He turned on the TV, popped a beer and put together a bologna sandwich. The rest of the world might be sleeping, but this was the end of his workday and it would be several hours before he’d wind down enough to hit the sack.

To his chagrin, he couldn’t stop thinking about Layla Colton. He’d known her for years, distantly. Even so, he couldn’t understand how anyone could legitimately believe she’d done what Mark Hatton accused her of doing. True, as law enforcement officers, they were trained to look only at the evidence, but what evidence they had seemed sketchy. The video might have been doctored. No doubt a competent computer analyst could make that determination. He’d have thought there would have to be more in order for charges to be brought against her.

Clearly, she’d been stunned and shocked by it all. He’d been a cop long enough to know when someone was faking it. Layla’s bewilderment seemed all too real.

At this time of the night, he didn’t much care what he watched, though if he found himself still up at 5:00 a.m. he tried to catch the local morning news. Stifling a yawn, he realized it was doubtful he’d be awake then, so he let the DVR record it just in case they ran a story on Layla.

As often happened, he dozed off in his chair, Goose snuggled up next to him. When he opened his eyes again, the morning news program was in full swing. He started it over and wasn’t surprised to see news footage of the front of the Red Ridge police station. A perky reporter stood in front, bundled up in her parka, and laid out the charges that had been brought against one of the town’s wealthiest and most influential citizens, Layla Colton. Toward the end of the segment, she mentioned that they hoped to be able to interview others close to the case for later airing.

Shaking his head, Hunter clicked the TV off. He stretched, let Goose out once more and stood on the back patio until she came in. Though the cold air usually provided enough of a shock to his system to wake him, his weariness felt bone deep. Stifling another yawn, once Goose ran inside, he followed, extinguishing lights as he went.

When he climbed into his bed, Goose leaped up and curled at his feet. He covered her with her own soft blanket, scratched her behind her ears and then burrowed under his own covers.

The sound of his cell phone ringing woke him. Whether he’d slept hours or merely minutes, he wasn’t sure. He sat up, rubbed his bleary eyes and fumbled around on his nightstand, trying to locate his phone.

“Hello?” he rasped, wondering why he felt like he’d been run over by a truck.

“Sorry to wake you,” Chief Finn Colton said. “But I need to talk to you about Layla Colton’s case. Since news of her arrest was plastered all over the news, I’m going to play it safe and recuse myself from the investigation, since she’s not only family but the mayor’s daughter.”

“I understand.” Hunter struggled to clear his foggy head. Glancing at the nightstand clock, he saw it was nearly nine, which meant he’d been in his bed four hours. “Sorry, I got in late.”

“I understand, and I apologize for waking you. But we’ve got media up here wanting statements, the mayor demanding answers, of course, and Mark Hatton’s attorney threatening to sue if we release his client’s information. It’s a cluster.”

“Okay.” Though Hunter didn’t get what any of that had to do with him, he knew the chief would fill him in soon enough.

“I’m putting you on the case.”

“Me?” Flabbergasted, Hunter rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.

“Yes. All of the evidence in this is based on electronics—text messages, emails, etc. I think with Goose’s skill set, you might get to the bottom of this fairly quickly. While there apparently was enough evidence to bring charges, I took a look, and it’s on the light side. We need more. There must be hidden data storage drives or something.”

“I have my doubts,” Hunter confessed. “Remember, I worked at Colton Energy. While I can’t say that I know Layla Colton well, I can tell you she never acted in any way other than professional.”

“Good to hear,” Chief Colton said. “To be honest, I’m not buying Mark Hatton’s story, either. While I’m not sure of his motive, my gut tells me he’s lying.”

“I agree.”

“Pay him a visit and bring Goose. See what she can uncover.”

Of course after that, there was no way Hunter could go back to bed. After letting Goose out and feeding her, he took a hot shower. Once dressed, he grabbed a pod and made a cup of strong coffee to go with his instant oatmeal. Thus fortified, he checked the weather forecast on his phone and suited up in his uniform.

The instant he put that on, Goose started her happy, hopeful dance. She loved to work and didn’t understand why she didn’t get to every single day.

“That’s right, Goose girl,” he told her. “I need your help today.”

When she heard that, the little basset hound could barely contain her glee. She wiggled her entire body, swinging her head as she twirled and sending her long, floppy ears flying. She let out a low woo-woo-woo sound—her way of expressing her joy.

As he grabbed his car keys, she stuck so close to him that he almost tripped on her. She kept her liquid brown gaze fixed on him, not letting him out of her sight in case he managed to somehow leave without her.

Once he opened the door heading into the garage, he scooped her up and loaded her into his squad car. Even though her legs were significantly longer than a typical basset’s, she often had difficulty jumping into the back seat, even with a running start.

Turning into the police station parking lot, he grinned when Goose let out a low bark—she knew exactly where they were.

As soon as they entered the squad room, everyone rushed over to make a fuss over Goose. Panting and grinning, she accepted this as her due. While Red Ridge PD had a larger than usual K9 unit, Goose was the smallest dog on the force, and in Hunter’s opinion, the cutest. Of course, he knew he might be biased.

He glanced around, noting that none of the officers who’d been working graveyard last night were in yet. Hunter could sympathize. He was glad he rarely had to work nights.

Heading to his cubicle, he whistled for Goose. Immediately, she left her fan club and hurried after him, long ears flying as she ran. She caught up with him and they entered his work area together. Goose headed to the bed he kept for her in the corner, turning several circles before lying down with a contented huff.

Once he’d logged in to the computer, he accessed all the files they had on Layla Colton’s case. As he read through everything, he shook his head. The chief was right. This was an extremely sensitive case, and he hoped it wouldn’t stand up in court.

Next, Hunter decided to pay Mark Hatton a visit. He wanted to sound the guy out, see if he’d give anything away.

Stepping into the lobby at Colton Energy brought back conflicting emotions. Hunter remembered entering this very building the first day of his new job, how excited he’d been, how he’d felt positive that he’d take the world by storm. How he’d make a difference. He’d believed wholeheartedly in the work Colton Energy did. Sustainable, alternative energy. The first step in saving the earth.

It hadn’t taken long before he’d learned that his job had nothing to do with that. Lofty ideals and hopeful dreams had zero to do with corporate machinations and greed. Fenwick Colton was all about the profit, and he spent it as fast as it came in. Layla’s comment about the company being in trouble didn’t surprise Hunter. If anything, he wondered why it hadn’t happened sooner.

The receptionist greeted him with a sweet smile. She hadn’t been there during his employment, so she had no idea who he was other than a uniformed police officer with a cute, goofy dog. Very few people outside the K9 unit knew what Goose could do, and Hunter preferred it stay that way.

“I’d like to see Mark Hatton,” he said, keeping his tone pleasant.

Instantly, her smile vanished. “One moment, sir. Let me call and tell him you’re here.”

Since he knew how fast gossip raced through this place, he thought it safe to guess the receptionist was not on Hatton’s side. He wondered if anyone actually believed the junior salesman’s story. While he understood that sexual harassment could go both ways, in this case he doubted any of it had ever happened.

A moment later, the young woman hung up the phone and told him he could go right up. “Second floor. He’ll send someone to greet you.”

Thanking her, Hunter headed toward the elevator, Goose close on his heels. When they exited on the second floor, Mark Hatton himself waited.

“What can I help you with, Officer?” he asked, after shaking Hunter’s hand. “I hate to say, it’s strange seeing you in uniform rather than a suit and tie.”

“Do you mind if we go to your office?” Hunter asked, resisting the urge to wipe his hand on his pants. The other man’s grip, while firm, had been damp.

“Of course not.” He eyed Goose. “Cute dog,” he said, though the tight set of his mouth indicated otherwise.

The office was small, only slightly larger than Hunter’s cubicle. With a pristine, uncluttered desk, a computer monitor on top and a printer/scanner/fax, nothing about the space gave a clue as to the occupant’s personality. Turning slowly, Hunter eyed the modern artwork on the walls. “Did you choose those?” he asked, even though he figured he already knew the answer.

“Nope.” Mark’s voice sounded completely uninterested. “They were left over from the guy who was here before me.”

The fact that there were no framed photos of family or friends, no knickknacks or mementos, not even a plant told Hunter that Mark spent as little time as possible in this space. The room completely lacked personality.

“Did you just move in here?” Hunter asked, genuinely curious. Maybe Hatton simply hadn’t had time to spruce the place up.

Mark eyed him over the rims of his oversize glasses. “No. I mean, I moved here after my last promotion, which would be after you quit. But it’s been a few months.”

“Okay.” Deciding he’d wasted enough time dwelling on Mark’s lack of office decorating skills, Hunter eyed the chair across from the desk. “Mind if I sit?”

“Is this going to take long?”

“Depends. I’ve been brought in on your case and the chief asked me to bring myself up to snuff. I’ve read the file, of course, but I wanted to come talk to you and get it straight from the horse’s mouth.”

Just like that, Mark’s uptight posture relaxed. “Oh. You should have said so. Go ahead and take a seat.”

Amused, Hunter did. He watched as Mark made a show of settling himself into the oversize leather executive chair behind his desk. No doubt if there’d been papers on the desk, he would have squared them up, too.

Mark then launched into a story about how Layla had started flirting with him long before he’d moved into this office. “When I turned her down the first time, she gave me a bad review,” he said. “She knew not only would that mess up me getting promoted but would affect my holiday bonus. I’m the top salesperson in the company,” he boasted. “Fenwick recognized me in front of the entire sales department. He gave me a cash bonus and took me to dinner personally.”

Hunter nodded, listening carefully.

“Layla seemed to find my success intoxicating,” Mark continued. “She’s four years older than me, but that didn’t seem to bother her. I think she liked the idea of me having a young guy’s stamina.”

It took every ounce of willpower for Hunter to keep from laughing. Instead, he nodded.

“She didn’t like the fact that her father gave me this promotion and she tried to stop it. When he overrode her, she made her first threat.” Mark pulled out his cell phone, scrolled to something and then handed it across the desk. “Take a look for yourself. Those texts came from her.”

Accepting the phone, Hunter scrolled through the entire conversation. The earlier texts were flirty and light, complimenting Mark on his looks, his education—hell, virtually everything about him. She’d invited him to her town house twice and he’d declined. Then the threats had started. If you don’t make love with me tonight, I’ll make sure you not only lose your bonus, but your office and your job, the last one said. In fact, if you don’t take care of my needs, you might even lose your life.

Chapter 3

Once upon a time, Layla Colton had believed in fairy tales. She’d thought if she worked hard enough she could make her father notice her, something he never seemed to do. Though it felt disloyal, she’d long suspected he was skimming money off the top of the company’s profits, but until Hunter Black had mentioned the accounting department, it hadn’t occurred to her to take a look at the books.

Now she had. In her office since the crack of dawn, she’d taken a good, hard look at the bookkeeping files. Saving the file to her Dropbox, she clicked out of it, feeling queasy. And disappointed. No wonder Colton Energy was in trouble. As she’d thought, the sales department was rocking and rolling, getting lots of new contracts and extending old ones. With numbers like the ones she’d seen, they should have been expanding. But instead, Fenwick Colton dipped into and spent the profits like there was no tomorrow.

Of course, this wasn’t illegal. He owned the company and could do whatever he wished with the profits, as long as he met all his corporate obligations. The vendors were still being paid, payroll still met and all the taxes were handled on time, so technically he was meeting them. But the advertising budget had been sliced in half, and lately whenever an employee quit, they were not replaced. Other employees were asked to tighten their belts and double down to help the company get through this crisis.

Crisis. The word sent a knife edge of worry through those who depended on their jobs to provide for their family. After all, Red Ridge wasn’t exactly a mecca of jobs. So, of course, everyone pitched in, worked longer hours and did what they had to do in order to help Colton Energy survive. She’d done the same thing herself, determined to do her part to keep the company afloat.

Except after reading these reports, she could clearly see there would be no problem if her father weren’t running through money like crazy. He’d always liked five-star restaurants, expensive cars and high-maintenance women. She’d assumed his salary was adequate to cover that lifestyle, since he made almost twice as much as she did, but apparently it wasn’t. Not by a long shot.

Damn.

How many people were aware of what her father was doing to the company, she wondered. Surely the VP of accounting knew, and probably Fenwick’s assistant, at the very least.

Her phone pinged. Another text. Her siblings had all made contact, via text or phone messages, offering their support.

As she stood up and stretched, another realization struck her. Not only had her father lied to his employees, but he’d lied to her. He’d actually convinced her of the necessity of her marrying Hamlin Harrington, a man she didn’t love—or even like, for that matter. He’d claimed this would be the only way to save Colton Energy, as Hamlin had promised a fresh influx of cash. Millions, to be specific.

But would the money even go to the company, or would it end up in Fenwick’s personal accounts? Would he then spend it all on lavish vacations, exotic cars and his model girlfriends?

Except...even a lifestyle as lavish as her father’s couldn’t burn through this much money so fast, could it? There had to be something else, something she’d missed.

No matter what the truth was, Layla had been played for a fool. Closing the file, she sat back in her chair and took a deep breath. While she prided herself on being a team player, on giving her job her all, the time had come to speak to her father. She needed answers, and most of all, she needed his assurances that he’d stop hurting his own company. Too many employees, herself included, would be destroyed if Colton Energy went under.

Pacing the confines of her corner office, she eyed the windy outdoors. Not in the mood to walk outside in the chilly air, she decided to go for a walk around the office to clear her head. Since her third-floor office was right next to her father’s executive suite, she elected to head down to the second floor, where the bulk of the sales force worked. Privately, she often thought the busy sales department was the hub of the company. Noisy and boisterous, with constantly ringing phones, salespeople pitching their product, she always felt upbeat whenever she visited. The positive energy simply hummed from every desk. Corny, but true.

In contrast, the executive floor—her floor—felt somber and too quiet. As if the weight of the company sat like a heavy quilt over everything.

Striding toward the elevators, she pressed the button for the lobby. The doors opened almost immediately and she stepped inside, please to see she had this elevator alone. Perfect, since she wasn’t in the mood for speaking with anyone after the startling revelations of a moment ago. She’d come in super early, as was her normal habit, though this time doing so also helped her avoid anyone staring, whispering or sharing gossip about her.

The elevator stopped on the second floor. As the doors opened, she was surprised to see Hunter Black heading toward her. She frowned, guessing he’d come from the Mark Hatton’s office. But then she caught sight of the adorable little dog padding alongside him, and all apprehension vanished.

“Oh my goodness,” she said, dropping to her knees on the elevator floor, heedless of her expensive suit. “What a cutie. Who is this? What’s her name?”

Hunter grinned, startling her with how devastatingly handsome he was. “This is Goose. She’s my little partner.”

“Goose?” she asked, startled. “I bet there’s an interesting story behind that name.”

Clearly pleased by the question, Hunter shrugged. “She was a silly puppy when she was young. A silly goose. So the name stuck.”

“Too cute.” Charmed, Layla held the doors open while Hunter and the dog settled into the back. With her brown, tan and white coloring, Goose looked like a cross between a beagle and a basset hound. A mutt, as one of her uncles used to like to say, even though Goose was purebred.

Goose, apparently knowing an adoring fan when she saw one, wiggled her entire long body and worked her way as close to Layla as she could get.

“Hey, there,” Layla crooned, leaning in and scratching behind the floppiest set of dog ears she’d ever seen. They felt like velvet and smelled like corn chips, oddly enough. While she’d never had a dog of her own, she’d always wanted one. Only the long hours her job required kept her from getting her own.

That might soon change.

Goose woofed, a low sound of pleasure as she closed her ridiculously cute brown eyes and leaned into Layla’s hand, clearly enjoying the petting.

“She likes you,” Hunter said, his husky voice radiating approval.

“I like her, too.” Layla grinned up at him. “I didn’t know you had a dog.” The instant she’d finished speaking, she blushed. “Sorry. I know I don’t know you all that well. I didn’t mean...”

“It’s all right,” he said, still grinning as he waved away any awkwardness. “Goose is my K9 partner.”

“Really?” Rocking back on her heels, Layla looked from him to the odd-looking Goose and back again. “I thought all police dogs were shepherds or labs.”

“Most are. Goose is a unique dog.”

“Yes, she is. If I had to guess her breed, I’d say a cross between—”

“She’s a purebred basset hound.”

“No.” The denial slipped out before she had time to think. While she might not own a dog, she’d spent countless hours learning about each breed so that when she was finally ready, she’d know which one was for her. “Goose looks like a cross between a basset hound and a—”

“Beagle,” he finished for her. “Yes, I know.”

Belatedly, she realized she might have just offended him. “I’m sorry.” She kissed the top of his dog’s head before climbing to her feet and dusting off her slacks. “Whatever she is, she’s adorable.”

He frowned, letting her know she had inadvertently said the wrong thing. “Again, she’s purebred. I bought her from a breeder. I have papers. I chose this particular breeder because they don’t breed to AKC standards.”

Nodding, she smiled at the cute little dog. “Is she good at her job?”

“Yes. She’s the best.” He pointed. “The elevator is on hold. We’re not moving.”

Blushing, she released the doors and again pressed the button for the lobby. “Sorry, sometimes it sticks.”

He nodded, but didn’t reply.

“Were you here to talk to Mark?” she asked, unable to help herself.

“Yes.” His cool blue gaze slid over her. “I’ve been assigned to the case.”

Relief flooded her, though she made sure to keep that from showing. “I’m glad,” she said softly.

“Why?” The elevator reached the ground floor and he exited, bending down to clip a leash on his dog. Even though she’d meant to go up, toward her own floor, she followed.

“Because you at least see me as a person,” she said softly. “Those other two officers didn’t. To them, I was just another rich person.”

“I’m going to be fair,” he told her, his gaze locking with hers. “And I’ll do my job and uphold the law. But...”

She tensed. These days, it seemed there always was a but.

“To be honest, I don’t believe you did it.”

Gratefulness flooded her, so strongly she almost reached out and grabbed his arm. But that would have seemed weird or pushy or something, so she didn’t. “Thank you,” she said, her voice quiet. “I appreciate that.”

They’d walked past the reception desk and were nearly at the front door. Instead of heading out, Hunter went to one of the ornate benches situated around the lobby and gestured, indicating she should sit.

Glad she didn’t have to follow him outside since she didn’t have her coat with her, she took a seat on the edge of the bench. The instant she did, Goose trotted over and rested her head on Layla’s knee.

Hunter watched his dog with an indulgent smile before turning his attention back to Layla. “Do you have any idea why Mark Hatton would make these claims against you? I can’t figure out his motive.”

She shrugged. “I hired him and his performance has been...subpar. I’ve been doing quite a bit of documentation. As a matter of fact, next week I’d planned to place him on warning.”

“Would that affect his bonus?”

“Yes.” She frowned. “Do you think that’s why he’s doing this?”

“Anything is possible.” Again he studied her. Though she couldn’t read his expression, she thought she saw compassion in his gaze.

“It just seems a bit...excessive. This is business, nothing more. It’s not personal, but he’s making it that way.” She swallowed hard. “To be honest, I don’t think he has the technical skills to pull off something like this. Fake texts, an old video that he would have had to hack and doctor... There’s no way.”

“Interesting. Maybe he had a partner. Who else would have reason to want to ruin your life besides him?”

At first, the turn of phrase stunned her. But then she realized Hunter was right. This did feel like an attempt to absolutely ruin her life. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted. “I’m pretty focused on my job. I don’t have much of a social life.”

“What about enemies inside the company? Surely someone in your position has to have made a few.”

She shrugged, refusing to allow herself to feel embarrassed. “If I have enemies, I don’t know about them. Again, I tend to concentrate on work. I deal with the employees in a professional, businesslike manner. No one should have any reason at all to be antagonistic toward me.”

“Unless they’re wanting warm and fuzzy,” he said with a wry smile.

Straightening her spine, she eyed him. “I’m their employer, not their mother or friend. I learned the hard way there are some lines that should never be crossed.”

“Intriguing.” Clearly, he was waiting to hear more.

But she’d already said more than enough.

When it became apparent she wasn’t going to elaborate, he sighed. “What about your upcoming wedding? Is there anyone who might want to stop you from marrying Hamlin Harrington?”

His question made her laugh, though quietly. “Well, I did once overhear Hamlin’s son Devlin arguing with his father about marrying me. He seemed to think I wanted to wrest control of Harrington Inc., and destroy his entire future.”

Hunter didn’t blink. “And would you?”

“Of course not. I have enough responsibilities with my own company. Why on earth anyone would think I’d want to take on another is beyond me.”

“I see.” Still, he watched her closely. “How did Hamlin respond to his son’s accusations?”

“He brushed them aside, exactly as I would have done.” She allowed herself a slight smile. “He said I was gold.”

“Gold,” Hunter repeated. “As in a commodity rather than a person.”

“Or,” she interjected, refusing to frown, “something precious. I prefer to think of it that way.”

One corner of his sensual mouth quirked. “All right. I’ll keep looking into this.”

“Thank you.” As he turned to go, she grabbed his arm. “I really appreciate your help. This came out of left field and I’m still a bit shell-shocked.”

He looked from her to her hand on his arm. “No promises, Layla Colton. I’m not on anyone’s side. All I care about is finding out the truth. Here.” He dug in his pocket and extracted a business card, which he handed her. “If you think of anything else that might help, give me a call.”

Accepting, she slipped the card into her purse and thanked him.

Once more, he flashed a quick smile. “You’re welcome.” With that, he whistled to his dog. Ears cocked, Goose immediately went to Hunter’s left side. Even though he held the leash loosely, the basset stayed smartly in the heeling position as they went through the door and out into the parking lot.

Once they’d disappeared from view, Layla turned to head back upstairs. Right now, she felt like she couldn’t trust anyone. She wasn’t even sure she trusted Hunter. When he’d quit Colton Energy, he’d made no secret of how he felt about the company and what he’d called their greedy ways. He’d claimed the demands they placed on their staff came with a high emotional cost.

Interesting that Hunter had asked her if she had any enemies. It wasn’t until he’d gone that she’d realized she might actually consider him one.

Driving back to the station after leaving Colton Energy, Hunter considered the new information Layla had given him. While her wedding to Hamlin Harrington might be on hold—along with everyone else’s in town—the fact that a large sum of cash was involved was definitely news. If Fenwick Colton needed the money as badly as Layla claimed, he must be extremely riled up that this Groom Killer had halted the wedding.

Everyone on the police force, as well as most of the citizens of Red Ridge, had their own opinions about who might be the Groom Killer. Hunter also had his personal number one suspect, though he’d yet to voice his suspicions out loud. Maybe the time had come to do exactly that. What Layla had revealed provided yet another possible motive for Devlin Harrington to want all weddings stopped. Even if Devlin didn’t fit the profile 100 percent, Hunter still felt certain he had a strong motive.

Unfortunately, Hunter knew he might be the only one who suspected Devlin. Most cops instinctively trusted the criminal profile they’d been given by the professionals.

As well they should. Last month, RRPD officer West Brand had finished working on the profile of the killer. A ex-FBI agent who’d been undercover on the force until recently, West, along with his former colleagues at the bureau, had developed the profile, which indicated that the Groom Killer was male, white and single. Probably middle to upper class. Stocky build, not particularly attractive and a loner.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of men in Red Ridge who fit that profile. Devlin Harrington wasn’t one of them. Sure, he was male, white and single, and definitely upper class. And yes, he still lived in one of his father’s mansions. But there the similarities ended. Tall, muscular and golden, Devlin surrounded himself with his admirers. Everyone wanted to be with him, probably due to his money and his good looks, as Hunter knew without a doubt it wasn’t his personality.

Pompous, arrogant and sneering, Devlin looked down his aristocratic nose at those he considered beneath him. Which seemed to be just about everyone who wasn’t in his inner circle. Hunter himself had had several run-ins with the guy and personally couldn’t stand him. Which was yet another reason he’d kept his suspicions about Devlin to himself.

After all, there already was an official suspect—Demi Colton’s name had been spelled out in blood next to the first victim. That man, Bo Gage, had been her fiancé before he’d broken up with her in order to propose to another woman. It hadn’t helped that Bo and the Gage family had long been feuding with the Coltons. But the investigation had had unexpected results: Gages and Coltons falling in love. Bo Gage’s brother Detective Carson Gage had fallen for Serena Colton, whom he’d suspected of harboring Demi early on in the case. Now, a few other Coltons and Gages were keeping their romances on the down low until it was safe to announce their engagements. But some on the force still believed Demi could be the guilty party. She’d fled town. There was circumstantial evidence. There were witnesses.

And Layla’s father, Mayor Fenwick Colton, wanted Demi Colton brought to swift and immediate justice, maybe more than anyone—so that Layla could marry Hamlin for his money.

Hunter had long doubted Demi’s guilt, and he didn’t blame her for going on the run. His gut told him she was being framed.

Much of the town remained convinced she was the murderer, but the majority of the police force didn’t believe it. Yes, she was a rough-around-the-edges bounty hunter with a temper. But the witness who claimed to have seen her running away from the crime scene at the time of Bo Gage’s murder was a drug dealer with a rap sheet. Demi wasn’t a killer. Even if she had up and disappeared.

Several of the other guys in the K9 unit had set up a betting pool. Pay twenty bucks, write down your best guess and put it into the pot. When the Groom Killer was finally apprehended—and no one doubted he or she would be—whoever had guessed correctly would get the cash. If no one even came close, the money would be donated to the Red Ridge animal shelter. So far as he could tell, Hunter was the only one in the unit who hadn’t participated.

Today he planned to pony up his Andrew Jackson and put his own guess in the pool. After he talked to the chief, that was.

Once he’d parked in the lot between the police station and training center, Hunter helped Goose down from the vehicle and they headed inside. Goose could scarcely contain her excitement. Her cute little tail twirled circles as she bounced up the sidewalk. This was her favorite place next to home. She’d trained here since she was three months old and knew all the other K9 officers and their dogs.

Before heading to the squad room, Hunter dropped Goose off with one of the assistant trainers, a young woman named Callie who lit up when she caught sight of the basset. Hunter left them to their mutual admiration lovefest and headed back to his desk.

Once there, he glanced toward Chief Finn Colton’s office. Now would be as good a time as any. The chief’s secretary, Lorelei Wong, was in charge of the betting pool. Hunter jotted Devlin Harrington’s name on a slip of paper, folded it in half and slipped it into an envelope, which he sealed. He dug a twenty from his wallet, put it with the envelope and passed both to Lorelei with a wink before proceeding around the corner.

Since Chief Colton kept an open-door policy, Hunter simply knocked on the door frame twice before poking his head in. “You got a minute?”

Finn glanced up from the report he’d been reading. “Of course,” he said, gesturing to one of the chairs across from his desk. “Have a seat.”

“Mind if I close the door?” Without waiting for an answer, Hunter did. “I wanted to talk to you about the Groom Killer case.”

Finn’s brows rose. “Do you have a new lead?”

“Not exactly. But I’d like to investigate Devlin Harrington’s tech—his phone, laptop, work computer, etc.” Hunter sat, leaning forward earnestly. “I got some information today that gives him a motive. Sort of,” he amended. He filled the chief in on what Layla Colton had told him.

“So you think Devlin has a problem with his father getting married? To the point that he’d go around killing grooms?”

Put that way, Hunter had to admit it did sound far-fetched. “It’s possible. Maybe he hates that Hamlin has found a younger, beautiful woman to marry him. Or maybe he’s against Dad putting a huge amount of money into Colton Energy and squandering his inheritance. We also know that Nash was suspicious of Devlin when he discovered Devlin asked out Hayley Patton and she rejected him.”

Last month, Nash, one of the K9 officers, had spotted Devlin ogling a photo of Hayley on his laptop. Hayley had been engaged to the first victim of the Groom Killer—Bo Gage—after Bo broke his engagement to Demi Colton.

Coincidence? Not likely.

“That’s still not enough evidence to justify a warrant,” Chief Colton said, his tone a bit chiding.

“Well, if you also consider that Layla Colton feels someone’s framing her with the sexual harassment charge against her, that would be two attempts to stop the marriage. And who would want to stop the marriage more than anyone? Devlin Harrington.”

“Again, only speculation. You know better than that, Hunter.”

Maybe he did, but Hunter was prepared to continue with speculation that might stick.

The chief shook his head before Hunter got a chance to speak. “Look, I want to exonerate Demi as much as anyone. While having another viable suspect would certainly go a long way toward doing that, you know as well as I do that’s nothing. Haley’s photo on Devlin’s laptop could simply mean he likes looking at her, as do a lot of guys.”

“But—”

The chief held up his hand. “Enough. Devlin’s being watched. If you truly believe he’s behind anything, you’ll have to find more evidence, legally.”

Hunter nodded, careful to mask his disappointment. “Then that’s what I’ll do,” he said. “Thank you for your time.”

Back at his desk, he took a seat and began making notes on a pad. Writing things out always helped him clear his head.

But all he could think of was Layla Colton and the hurt and pain he’d seen in her beautiful blue eyes. When he’d worked at Colton Energy, he’d actively avoided her since he’d figured she was tied—at the deepest levels—to the corporate greed and indifference perpetrated by her father.

He should have known it wasn’t so simple. There were always two sides to everything. And after talking with Layla, he had the distinct possibility that she might be less involved than he’d believed. And a hell of a lot more naive. He still struggled with the concept of her agreeing to allow her father to marry her off to a man she didn’t love, just for an infusion of money.

That situation wasn’t his problem, he reminded himself. He had two active cases—more than enough to consume his time. Arresting the Groom Killer remained his number one priority. Second would be finding out the truth about the charges Mark Hatton had filed against Layla. He’d do his job there, too, whether she turned out to be innocent or guilty.

And he’d do his damnedest to ensure her sky-blue eyes didn’t make frequent appearances in his dreams at night.

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