After Layla’s father roared off in his expensive car, Hunter closed the door and locked the dead bolt. When he turned, he took one look at Layla’s ashen face and went to her, gathering her close and simply holding her. Smoothing her hair, he breathed in the intoxicating scent of her. “It’s going to be all right. I promise.”
“I’m so sorry,” she murmured, mouth against his chest. “I have no idea what it will take to get him to understand that I’m serious.”
Hunter knew better than to say anything. He waited another moment or two and then released her. “I have an idea. How about we get cleaned up and then you can come with me to pick out a Christmas tree?”
“A Christmas tree?” She pulled back, gazing up at him, her expression perplexed. “What exactly do you mean?”
“A day or two after Thanksgiving, I always go to the big Christmas tree lot on Third and get one. Usually a Douglas fir, though I’ve had a few Scotch pines. I wouldn’t mind some help with making my choice.”
“Help?” she asked, her eyes huge. “I’m afraid I wouldn’t be much good there. Not only do I have no idea what a Douglas fir or Scotch pine is, but I’ve never in my life picked out a Christmas tree.”
Again that squeeze to his heart. Careful to keep his expression neutral, he shrugged. “All the more reason for you to go with me. You’ve got to learn sooner or later.”
“Really? I thought most people went with artificial these days.”
He made a show of clutching at his heart and staggering backward. “That would just be wrong. There’s nothing like a live tree at Christmastime.”
Her answering grin made his spirit sing. “From what I understand, that’s a highly debated topic. Of course, I’m not in a position to take either side, since I’ve never actually had my own tree. My father always has a designer come in and set up an artificial one at Colton Energy.”
“What about when you were a child? I’m assuming your family had something when you were growing up, right?”
The fact that she actually had to think about his question was telling. “We probably did,” she finally replied. “But honestly, as long as I can remember, my father took trips during the holidays. Las Vegas or New Orleans at Christmas and New Year’s, the Caribbean at Thanksgiving. He never was big on family get-togethers.”
“What about your mother?” he asked, careful not to display his shock. “Surely all you kids got together and celebrated, right?”
“Maybe they did, but I was the only child of my father’s first marriage. Bea and Patience were from his second, and Blake and Gemma his third. My mom belonged to a religion that didn’t believe in observing any holidays, including birthdays, so we didn’t, or so I was told. I don’t remember much. She left when I was four.”
Again, he had to struggle to keep from showing shock or, even worse, pity.
“Then I guess you’ve got a lot of celebrating to catch up on, don’t you?” He kept his tone light. “Starting with helping me pick out a tree.”
Forty-five minutes later, they were on their way to his favorite lot. He’d watched them getting set up, enjoying the sense of anticipation. Now he’d be among those who wanted first crack at finding the best tree.
As he’d known it would be, the parking area was full. He circled twice before someone backed out, tree tied to their roof. This particular task always made him feel like a little kid, but having someone special to share it with made it that much more enjoyable.
After parking, he jumped out of the SUV and hurried over to open Layla’s door. Already halfway out herself, she eyed him with surprise.
“Come on,” he said, taking her hand. Together, they slipped into the festive crowd of people moving among the trees. Christmas music played over loudspeakers, and a stand near the big tents sold hot cocoa and apple cider.
Layla gazed around, her expression full of wonder. “Wow.”
Squeezing her fingers, he smiled. “It’s impossible not to get in the holiday spirit once you’ve been here. Now come on, let me show you the different kind of trees and then you can help me pick one.”
The next half hour was spent debating the merits of several trees. Finally, they narrowed their choice down to two. One Scotch pine, the other Douglas fir.
Of course, Hunter liked the fir while Layla preferred the pine. Since he enjoyed watching her passionate defense of her choice, he let her argue a bit before finally agreeing with her.
When he did, she actually jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting an excited kiss on his mouth.
After he signaled the attendant and paid, their tree was wrapped and tied to the top of his SUV. Once he’d started the engine and backed from his space, Layla fiddled with the radio until she found a station already playing Christmas music.
“That was so much fun,” she enthused, bouncing in her seat even with the seat belt on. “I had no idea. Thank you so much for inviting me to join you.”
“It wouldn’t have been the same without you,” he told her, his quiet answer nothing but the truth. “And the fact that you and I chose this tree together makes it that much more special.”
Silent for a moment, she finally nodded. “You’re right. It really does.”
Back in his driveway, he carefully untied the tree and lowered it to the ground. He leaned it against the side of the garage while he went to get his saw.
After one quick round of cuts to the base, he carried it inside. Before they’d left, he’d already set up the stand in the usual place near the big front window. He got the tree settled, twisting the screws until Layla told him it was straight. A little water and he was done.
“It’s beautiful,” Layla mused.
Hunter joined her, putting his arm around her shoulders while he studied the pine. “Yes, it is.” Turning to gaze down at her, he contemplated kissing her. But then his cell rang. Red Ridge PD. He answered immediately.
“The warrant came through!” Tim Lakely sounded positively gleeful. “The chief told me to let you know. Harrington Inc. has a skeleton staff working today, and they’re still open if you want to do it now.”
“Finally.” Excitement surged through him. “I’ve just got to grab Goose, suit up and I can meet you there.”
“Leaving in five.”
Goose, who’d been eyeing the new Christmas tree with a mixture of disbelief and skepticism, ran to the door instantly when Hunter asked her if she wanted to go to work.
Layla, who’d perched on the edge of the couch watching while he talked on the phone, eyed him. “I thought you were off today,” she commented.
“I am. But I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.” He grabbed her and, after hauling her up against him, gave her an enthusiastic kiss. “We finally got a search warrant for Devlin Harrington’s office. Goose and I are going to go execute it.”
“Oh.” A smile trembled on the edge of her kissable mouth. “Well, then, have fun.”
“I will.” And then a thought occurred to him. If Layla had never picked out a Christmas tree, he’d bet she’d never decorated one, either. He went to his guest bedroom closet and dragged out four large plastic storage containers. “In case you feel like doing some tree decorating, lights and ornaments are in here. The lights go on first.”
She eyed him as if he’d spoken in another language, which made him laugh. “You don’t have to, Layla. Just if you get the urge. If not, we can do it together when I get back. I’ve got to change and get on the road.”
It took him all of five minutes to get into his uniform. Whistling for Goose, he snapped on her leash, grabbed his car key and headed out.
Even though he made good time, when he reached Harrington Inc., Tim had beaten him and stood outside his patrol car, waiting.
“Evening,” Hunter drawled. “Are you ready to rock and roll?”
Tim grinned, handing him a large envelope. “Here you go. The only way I’d enjoy this more would be if Devlin himself was here.”
“He’s not? I figured his fancy lawyer would have gotten him out by now.”
“He would have,” Tim replied. “But with the holiday, no one could get a judge to set bail. He’s stuck until Monday.”
With difficulty, Hunter kept his expression serious. “Actually, I think it will be a lot easier to conduct this search with him out of the way.” He glanced down at Goose, who gazed intently at the building. “Let’s get to work.”
Inside, instead of the receptionist, a uniformed security guard manned the front desk. He looked up, stone-faced, noted their uniforms and asked how he could help them. Hunter showed him the warrant, and the guard called someone to take them up to Devlin Harrington’s office.
A younger man, clearly a junior executive of some sort, arrived. He appeared frazzled but led the way. Hunter and Tim followed.
Once they’d stepped off the elevator, they found the door to Devlin’s office locked. This flustered their guide, but he rummaged in Devlin’s secretary’s desk and located a key.
“Do you need anything else?” he asked after unlocking the door.
“I think that’ll do it,” Hunter answered. Once the other man had gone, he closed the door and locked it. “Get to work,” he ordered Goose. His dog immediately and enthusiastically complied.
Though he and Tim would perform a methodical search in a bit, they both wanted to see what Goose found first. Both men put on their rubber gloves, just in case. No sense in risking possible contamination of evidence.
Her first signal revealed a cache of thumb drives, six of them, placed in a padded envelope and shoved into the panel underneath a desk drawer. In rapid succession, she pointed out several other stashes—CDs and even a small hard drive.
“I wonder what he’s got that makes him need this much storage,” Tim mused out loud.
“For starters, I’m guessing he’s been collecting quite a bit of illegally obtained sports memorabilia,” Hunter said. He watched as Goose performed another methodical search of the room, sniffing every nook and cranny a second and third time. Finally, she returned to Hunter’s feet and sat, her all-clear signal.
“Good girl.” Digging in his pocket, he located one of her favorite treats, which he tossed to her. She caught it, ate it and then he’d swear she grinned at him.
“Our turn,” Hunter said, giving Goose a final pat. “I’ll take left if you want right.”
Tim nodded and got to work. Once they were done here, they still needed to search Devlin’s home.
A thorough search revealed nothing else. Hunter bagged all the electronic data storage and snapped the leash back on Goose.
This time, Tim followed Hunter as they made the short drive to the gated community where Devlin lived. At first, the guard at the gate appeared reluctant to allow them access, but once he’d seen the search warrant, he buzzed them through.
Despite himself, Hunter couldn’t help hoping no one would be home. He felt like breaking the door down would be a form of poetic justice.
But when he rang the doorbell, an older woman answered. “Can I help you?”
They explained why they were there and again showed the search warrant. Frowning, she stepped aside to allow them entrance. “Mr. Harrington is not here,” he said. “He will not like you in his home when he’s gone.”
Hunter and Tim exchanged glances. “We’re sorry, ma’am. But he doesn’t actually have a choice.”
Her sigh told them what she thought about that. “All right, then. But please, don’t leave too big of a mess. I’m the one who will have to clean it.”
“We’ll do our best.”
Working together, they began. Hunter took the top floor while Tim took the bottom. Hunter started with one of the guest bedrooms, planning to save the master for last, since he expected if there was anything to find, he’d locate it there.
His search turned up nothing unusual in the first three bedrooms and bathrooms. Goose even appeared bored, sniffing around but finding absolutely nothing. Hunter had one more to check, probably another elaborately decorated guest room, before moving on to the master suite. The closed door made him wonder, since all of the others had been open. And when he turned the doorknob, he found it locked.
Interesting. Since most people tended to be creatures of habit, he felt along the top of the door frame. As he’d expected, he found a spare key taped there.
Slowly, he opened the door and stepped into the room, Goose right beside him. And froze. Turning a slow circle, he stared. The entire space appeared to be some kind of shrine to Haley Patton, the K9 center dog trainer who’d been engaged to Bo Gage—the Groom Killer’s first victim.
After Hunter and Goose left, Layla eyed the storage tubs and the magnificent tree, inhaling the pine scent. While she’d certainly seen enough Christmas trees to figure out how to decorate one, the idea of actually doing so seemed unusually daunting.
But then she pictured Hunter returning home to a beautiful tree, and she figured she could certainly try. After all, if she didn’t like the end result, she could take everything down and put it back in the tubs and he’d be none the wiser.
Out in the garage, she located a stepladder and carried it inside. Starting with the lights, she wound them around from the top down, linking individual strands together. Once she had them all on, she plugged them in so she could double-check the placing.
Satisfied, she went for the next couple of tubs, curious to see what kind of ornaments a man like Hunter would fancy. Would he have a color scheme or a theme, like the office decorator did? How complicated would this be, anyway?
Aware she might be overthinking things, she dug down into the bubble wrap and pulled out her first ornament. A dog. Brown and white, with a red scarf and matching cap. There were several more of the same, which she set out on the coffee table.
A few minutes later, she realized Hunter did in fact have a theme. Dogs. There were dogs of every breed, police dogs, firefighter dogs and Santa dogs. He also had red and gold balls, most likely to balance out all the canines. His choice of ornaments made her grin. She should have guessed. Hunter’s personality shone through here.
Taking care not to place similar dogs too close together, she began trimming the tree. In the last tub, she found a glittery gold star for the top, with the Red Ridge Police Department shield in the middle.
Once she’d emptied the tubs and gotten everything on the tree, she stepped back. Pleased, she grabbed her phone and snapped several photos. Her very first tree. She wondered now why she’d never even thought of having one in her town house. Probably because she’d had no idea what fun setting it up would be. Plus, knowing she’d be sharing the holiday with someone made it that much more special.
Hunter. Since the day he’d reentered her life, she’d felt herself changing for the better. And not to please him, but because so many new possibilities had opened before her, bringing warm yellow sunshine to a life that had been muted tones of gray.
Eventually, she knew she’d have to return to her job at Colton Energy and hopefully mend fences with her father, but she would never go back to the woman she’d been. Resigning her position was still on the table, though a lot of that depended on Fenwick’s reactions. Judging from what she’d seen so far, she didn’t hold out much hope that they’d be good.
Now that she’d finished the tree, she stirred herself out of her musings and turned to the final tub, which she’d set aside. It was full of accessories to be placed around the living room, and she wondered if Hunter would mind if she put them out. Granted, she had no clue as to his usual placement, but she figured she might as well give it a shot. He could always move things around to suit him if he didn’t like her efforts.
Again, the dog theme prevailed. Dog Santa statuettes, a Christmas dog pulling a sleigh—each one made her grin with delight. She loved it.
Once she had everything spread out on the coffee table, she went to work decorating the mantel. Pleased with the results, she placed the remaining accessories, which included several snow globes with holiday dogs inside, around the room.
Finished.
She went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of hot tea. Sipping it, she returning to the living room and tried to view everything she’d done with a critical eye. Satisfied with the end results, she sat down with her drink and picked up the remote. She caught herself looking around for something, trying to figure out what was missing, and realized she wanted Goose. The little dog was the best at snuggling on the couch while watching TV. How Layla had managed to live her life this long without having her own dog, she’d never understand. She hadn’t even realized what she’d been missing until she’d actually experienced the joy of having a canine companion.
Or the man who came with the dog.
Goose and Hunter. Hunter and Goose. Hers. She belonged with them. No matter what happened with her career or her father, she knew the ties they’d forged wouldn’t be easily broken.
Despite the tea, she must have dozed off. The sound of the big garage door going up caught her by surprise. She sat up, listening as Hunter pulled his vehicle in. Stretching, she checked the time. Late. No wonder her stomach was growling. She’d missed dinner.
The inner door opened, and Goose came barreling inside, running full-out for Layla. The dog jumped up on the couch, entire body wiggling, tail wagging as she showered Layla with doggy kisses.
“I guess she’s glad to see you.” The sound of Hunter’s deep voice lit a spark inside her, as did the aroma of something delicious. She looked up, saw he carried a large pizza box from Pizza Heaven and grinned.
“How did you know exactly what I wanted?” she asked.
He set the box on the kitchen table and headed into the living room. She felt mildly self-conscious, certain her hair looked a mess, but if it was, he didn’t seem to notice. He stopped short, his gaze going past her to the fully decorated tree, lights twinkling.
“Wow.”
Continuing to love on Goose, Layla drank in the sight of Hunter while he studied her decorating efforts.
“That’s beautiful,” he said, his voice full of awe. “You really have a knack for this.”
She blushed. “Thanks, but you’re the one who chose the cool decorations. I had a lot of fun with them.”
Right then, Goose barked, which made Hunter laugh. “She’s telling me she’s hungry.”
“I am, too.” As Goose jumped down and trotted into the kitchen, Layla pushed herself up from the blanket cocoon she’d made. “I’m so glad you brought food.”
He caught her arm as she headed past him. “I really appreciate you doing all this work. And...” Blue eyes sparkling, he leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her mouth. “I have to say it’s awesome coming home and having you here. I can’t wait to tell you what we found at Devlin Harrington’s house.”
Collecting herself after that kiss, she smiled up at him. “Let’s eat first—and feed Goose—and then you can tell me all about it.”
He poured kibble into a bowl for Goose and then, while she scarfed down her food, he grabbed a couple of plates, some napkins and two bottles of water. “Canadian bacon and pineapple,” he said with a grin. “You’re the only other person I know who likes it as much as I do.”
At that point she would have eaten just about any kind of pizza. As she picked up her slice, it was all Layla could do not to lay into it like Goose had with her kibble. Instead, she forced herself to take slow, moderate-size bites, chewing normally and swallowing.
Meanwhile, Hunter had already demolished two slices and moved on to a third. He must have been as hungry as she was, because he concentrated on eating rather than talking, which enabled her to do the same. Even though she could tell he was bursting to share his news.
“Okay.” Pushing his plate away, Hunter took a deep drink of water. “Three guesses what we found at Devlin Harrington’s house.”
She shook her head. “I’m not going to guess. Just tell me.” And then she listened in disbelief as he described the shrine to Haley Patton.
“I’ve only met her once,” Layla mused. “While working at the K9 training center. She was really quiet.”
“She took it hard when her fiancé was murdered. She and Bo Gage were really tight.” He waited, as if aware she’d reach the same level of understanding he had.
“And since Bo was the first groom to die at the hands of the Groom Killer, it’s possible Devlin’s obsession with her is his motive.”
“Bingo.” He grinned at her, clearly pleased. “That, along with finding a murder weapon on his property and a witness who gave a statement that Devlin was the one who paid him to say he saw Demi Colton running from the Bo Gage crime scene and that he witnessed her killing Xavier Wesley, and we’ve got a pretty good case.”
“Pretty good? What else could you possibly need?”
“I’m not sure. As soon as our electronics team tells me what’s on all the data storage Goose sniffed out hidden in Devlin’s office, I’m hoping the chief will feel it’s enough to go to the grand jury for an indictment.”
“Wow.” She leaned back in her chair. “What about Demi? Everyone seems to think she’s the one who’s been doing all the killing.”
“Yeah. We all wish we had a way to get in touch with her, but she’s gone down a rabbit hole. I wish we could let her know we’re close to catching the real Groom Killer and soon it will be safe for her and her baby to come home.”
“Does that mean you’ve taken her off the prime suspect list?” Layla asked.
“Not yet.” His grim expression told her how little he liked saying that. “We’ll need an actual indictment on Devlin before we can do that.”
Nodding, she got up and carried the plates to the sink. “There’s one slice left,” she told him.
“I saw you eyeing it,” he said. “Go for it.”
She turned and shook her head. He’d pushed back his chair and watched her with that particularly intense look that turned her insides to mush. “I have a much better idea,” she replied as she moved toward him. She sat down on top of him, took a deep breath and then straddled him, thrilled at her own bravado. Already more than a little aroused, she wrapped her arms around him and leaned in to breathe against his lips. “I think a celebration is in order, don’t you?”