Page 8 of Colorado Christmas Carol
FBI. Nice background, Essa thought, but she didn’t say it. Heaven forbid that it should get back to the blond barracuda that she found anything interesting about him.
“Oh, look, there he is,” Mellie said, nodding toward a slight man coming in the door.
“Well, my goodness.” Essa laughed. “And I was just talking to him last night!”
“Do you know him?” the child asked.
“Sort of.”
He’d spotted both of them meanwhile and came right to the table, smiling easily. “And here are my new friends,” he said in a soft, almost shy tone. “Essa, isn’t it?” he asked the older of the two. He smiled down at the child. “And you’re Mellie.”
“And you’re Dean Sutter,” Essa replied, watching the surprise and delight on his face when she remembered his name.
“You make me feel valuable,” Dean replied slowly. “I’m not used to people remembering me. I sort of fade into the background wherever I go.”
“Me, too,” Essa confessed. “I don’t mix well.”
“Same here,” he said heavily.
“He knows where ancient artifacts are!” Mellie said excitedly.
Essa’s eyes lit up. “So I heard!” She shook her head. “You must be one of those really brainy people if you know anthropology. I did two classes in archaeology and barely was able to pull a C. It’s hard!”
“Not if you love it, and I do,” he said. “My specialty is forensic anthropology. It’s a relatively new field, or it was when I took it up. Now it’s gaining popularity.”
“Wow,” Essa said, impressed.
Dean looked conflicted, but he smiled from ear to ear. “They were leveling ground for apartments over near Ralston when they found remains and called in anthropologists.”
“It’s freezing outside, and there’s snow . . .” Essa began.
He laughed. “Yes, but construction never ends, apparently. Anyway, I noted the digging and stopped to ask questions. They found human remains. That’s my specialty, so I helped with identification.”
“That was nice of you,” she said, smiling.
He flushed with pleasure. “Anyway, after the workshop tomorrow, if you might like to go with me, the ruins are probably Woodland period, nothing older than two thousand years . . .”
“I’d love to!” Essa said at once.
“Oh, I want to go, too,” Mellie wailed. “But Daddy would never let me!”
The blond barracuda had come up behind them unexpectedly, so that when he spoke, the woman and the girl both jumped.
“Go where? And for what?” he asked abruptly.
CHAPTER2
“This nice man knows where there are some ancient ruins outside town,” Essa said when the other two remained silent. “I took two classes in archaeology.”
“They’re probably just Woodland ruins,” Dean told him easily. “But they are interesting.”
“You know about archaeology?” Duke asked abruptly.
“Yes. Dean Sutter,” he held out a hand and the men shook. “I do forensic anthropology for a private foundation that deals with law enforcement.”
Duke’s eyebrows arched. “Heavy stuff.”
“Yes, it is,” Dean replied. “It’s sort of a cop-out profession,” he added self-consciously. “I don’t like blood and guts. Mostly what I deal with are skeletons. I sleep better.” He chuckled.
