Santa in a Stetson by Rebecca Winters

We heard from a team of rescuers. They came across a little girl’s unclothed remains up Millcreek Canyon.”
    A moan broke from Kathryn. It could be Whitney, but no one would know until the forensic expert got busy. Whatever the answer, someone’s dear little child had been murdered.
    â€œI’m going to my condo and calling home. My parents need to know what we’ve learned.” They would want to be there for Whitney’s family and wait for the news with them. “I’ll be back.”
    â€œBut I thought this was your day off.”
    â€œI don’t always take one.” Kathryn would rather be here. She was too restless. Work kept her from thinking. “See you in a while.”
    She walked out to the lobby and headed for the bank of elevators servicing the plaza tower. She took the private lift used exclusively for the penthouse. Only Kathryn and her family knew the code.
    As soon as she walked into the living room, she removed her parka and sat down on the couch to phone her parents. As she knew they would, once she’d given them the update, they called off their plans to attend the game. No one could enjoy it right now.
    After she hung up, she set the HD/DVR to record it. She’d left the condo without eating breakfast and knew she needed nourishment, but the news about a little girl’s remains having been discovered hit her like a body slam. Her appetite was nonexistent.
    Those poor parents.
    Every time there was a watch-and-wait period, she thought about her own parents’ agony of thirty years ago and got sick inside. Kathryn had assumed that after running the foundation since her graduation, she wouldn’t react like this, but if anything her response to each new tragedy seemed to be affecting her more adversely than ever.
    Her parents were so strong! Kathryn wasn’t anything like them and would never be able to measure up. That distressed her so terribly she couldn’t stand her own company. She freshened up, eager to get back to work. Working kept the demons at bay.
    On her way through the living room for her purse, her cell rang, causing her stomach to clench. Kathryn didn’t think it possible the child’s body could be identified this quickly, but a comparison of dental records might have already been done.
    She pulled out her phone and glanced at the caller ID. “Hi, Melanie. Has there been official word yet?”
    â€œNo.” In a hushed voice she said, “I’m calling because this gorgeous—and I mean gorgeous as in the extreme —guy came over to the desk asking for you. I told him to stroll around and look at the exhibits while I tried to reach you.”
    Only one male on Earth fit that description, but he didn’t venture outside his mountain kingdom unless it was a dire emergency.
    Since Melanie was a twenty-year-old college student working for them part-time and a natural flirt, Kathryn could forgive her for the over-the-top exaggeration. “What’s his name?”
    â€œHe said to tell you he was from the Circle B, but if you weren’t available, he’d be back later.”
    Kathryn clutched the phone against her chest, hardly able to breathe. When she could find the words she said, “Tell him to wait for me. I’ll be right down.” She clicked off before Melanie could ask questions Kathryn had no intention of answering.
    Right now her curiosity was on the verge of exploding, but she didn’t have time to ponder his reason for being here. The fact that he knew where to come looking for her meant he’d talked in-depth with his daughter. All Kathryn could do was fly to the bedroom and change out of the work clothes she’d worn to Renaissance House.
    Colt had only seen her in pants, so she donned a three-piece Pendleton wool suit in rich plum and slipped on her black dolly-pointed kidskin pumps. She put gold studs in her ears, then ran a brush through her hair. It had a natural