Colton's Christmas Cop. Karen Whiddon

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.