The Santa Project: A Cozy Mystery

Book 20: A Tess and Tilly Cozy Mystery

by Kathi Daley

Genres: Mystery; Animal Cozy Mysteries; Amateur Sleuth; Cozy Mystery; Female Sleuths

Synopsis

Was it a tragic accident or was it murder?

It’s three weeks until Christmas, and Tess has more than enough on her plate. Between playing mom to an adorable rescue kitten, helping organize White Eagle’s annual Christmas Festival, helping out at Tommi’s preschool, and volunteering at the newly opened Santa Central, a place where families down on their luck can find food, clothing, and toys for their children, there’s barely a moment to spare.

Then a local man dies in a horrific fire.

Most everyone assumes it was a tragic accident, but when Tess overhears a few comments that don’t quite add up, she begins to wonder if the fire was deliberately set. What starts as a nagging suspicion soon has Tess digging for answers, and the closer she gets to the truth, the more she wonders if someone might be hiding a very dark secret.

Join Tess, Tony, Tommi, Tilly, and the rest of the gang for a small-town Christmas filled with festive celebrations, family, goodwill, adorable animals, and a mystery that needs solving before someone gets away with murder.

Release date: November 3, 2026

Publisher: Kathi Daley Books

Sample

Chapter 1

“I want this one, Daddy,” my almost four-year-old daughter, Tommi Marconi, announced to
my husband and her father, Tony Marconi.
Tony stopped walking and then tilted his head toward the sky. “This is a lovely tree, princess,
but I think that it’s too tall.”
“But, Daddy,” she whined. “I want it.”
Tony handed me the ax he’d been carrying, walked over to Tommi, and looked up at the tree.
Tommi had a stubborn streak, which I imagined she’d inherited from me; however, Tony had a
way of getting her to do what he wanted with very little argument.
“I thought you wanted to be the one to put the star on the top,” Tony reminded her.
“I do want to put the star on the top. You said I could.”
“I did say you could.” Tony bent over, placed his large hands around Tommi’s waist, and
lifted her onto his shoulders. I pulled out my cell phone, opened the camera app, and snapped a
quick photograph of Tommi and Tony in their matching red sweaters. “Put out your hand and
then lift it up as high as you can reach.”
Tommi did as her daddy instructed.
Tony continued. “If you want to be the one to put the star on the tree after we decorate it,
you’ll need to find a tree that’s no taller than your hand. If the tree is taller than your hand, you
won’t be able to reach the top and put the star on the tree.”
Tommi looked at the hand she held as high as she could. I watched as she screwed up her
face as she tried to work it all out. Eventually, her gaze moved away from her hand and she
began to look around. “That one.” She pointed to a lovely little tree that looked to be exactly the
right height.
Tony walked over to the tree Tommi had pointed to. When Tommi reached up and touched
the tree top, father and daughter both announced that it was the perfect height and would become
the Marconi family Christmas tree this season.
“Do you like it, Mommy?” Tommi asked me.
“I love it. In fact, I think it’s the perfect tree in every way.”

Tony lifted Tommi off his shoulders, and then motioned for me to bring him the ax. Tony told
Tommi and me to take our dogs, Tilly and Titan, far enough away from where he was working so
no one would be injured, even if the tree fell in an unintended direction.
“Your phone is making that noise,” Tommi told me as Tony cut the low branches from the
tree before he cut the trunk.
I looked at the Caller ID, then answered despite my inclination to let it go to voicemail since
I didn’t recognize the number. “Hello.”
“My name is Rita Shore. I’m a reporter for Montana Magazine. I’m doing a story about
Christmas in small-town Montana and wanted to ask about White Eagle’s Santa Project. When I
called the town offices on Friday, I was told that you were the best person to talk to about it.”
Since it was Sunday, and Sunday was reserved for family fun time, I was tempted to decline
the interview request, but it would be nice to have some free publicity for our project. “I’m
actually cutting down a Christmas tree with my family right now. If you can give me an hour, I’ll
call you back.”
“That would be fine. And thank you.”
I confirmed that I should call Rita back at the same number she used to call me before I hung
up.
“Sorry about that,” I said to Tommi, who’d been watching me the whole time I was on the
phone with Rita.
“You’re missing it.”
I glanced at Tony, who had finished his work on the branches and was starting in on the
trunk. “I know. But I’m here to watch with you now.”
Tommi glared at me as my cell phone beeped for the second time. “Your phone is making
that noise again.”
This time, it was Brady Baker, my good friend, the local veterinarian, and animal shelter
owner. I knew Brady, a member of the local search-and-rescue team, had gone out on a rescue
today, so I decided to answer.
“Hey, Tess,” Brady greeted me as soon as I picked up. “How’s the Christmas tree cutting
going?”
“It’s going well. How’d the rescue go?”
“It went fine. The ten-year-old boys we’d been dispatched to locate had just become turned
around. Neither were injured.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Listen, the reason I called is because Tracker’s limp is back.” Tracker was Brady’s search-
and-rescue partner. “Since I already had Kody with me after our training session, I decided to
take him with me today so Tracker could rest his leg. Kody did an excellent job.” Brady had
been working with my search-and-rescue partner, Kody, regularly since I’d scaled back after
Tommi’s birth. “I wondered if I could just keep Kody with me while Tracker’s leg heals. The
poor guy is getting on in years, and his arthritis has been acting up. I really should keep him off
it.”

Kody spent almost as much time with Brady and the search-and-rescue team as he spent with
me, so I knew he wouldn’t mind. I assured Brady it would be fine if he kept Kody with him over
the holidays, or really for as long as was needed. It was unlikely I’d be dispatched to help unless
there was a major emergency, and Kody liked to work, so I knew he’d prefer working with Brady
to sitting around with our family dogs, Tilly and Titan.
Brady thanked me and hung up just as the tree Tony was working on came crashing down.
Tommi clapped and cheered when the tree hit the ground. She started running toward Tony,
but Tilly, who was about the best babysitter anyone could ask for, took off after Tommi to herd
her away from danger and back to me. Tommi loved Tilly, so she didn’t fuss when Tilly placed
her body between Tommi and Tony to prevent my almost four-year-old daughter from wandering
into the drop zone.
“Can we put lights on it?” Tommi asked.
“We can,” Tony answered.
“Today?”
“Maybe,” Tony answered. “Let’s see what time it is by the time we get the tree home, trim
and shape it, and put it in the stand.”
“Let’s take a photograph of the three of us plus Tilly and Titan with the tree,” I suggested. I’d
taken several photographs of Tony and Tommi, and a couple of photographs of Tommi with the
dogs, but so far, I hadn’t managed to get a photograph of all of us together.
Since Tony agreed to my request, I settled the dogs, Tony, and Tommi next to me, then did
my best to take a selfie that would include all of us. Once I’d taken a photograph I was
reasonably satisfied with, Tony and I carried the tree down the snow-covered path from the fir
patch back toward our mountain home, while Tommi and the dogs trotted along beside us. It was
the perfect day to cut down a Christmas tree. It was overcast, with snow flurries floating gently
toward the ground. It wasn’t windy, and it wasn’t all that cold despite the flurries, which Mother
Nature seemed to have provided more for atmosphere than anything else.
“A reporter from Montana Magazine called while you were cutting down the tree,” I told
Tony as we trudged through the snow in our knee-high boots, which were designed to keep our
feet dry. “She wants to do a story on the Santa Project.”
“Free publicity. That’s wonderful.”
“That’s what I thought, but she needs me to call her back today. I told her I’d call when we
got home, which I felt bad about since it’s family fun day.”
“It sounds like a good opportunity to give the project some attention, and I’m sure the
interview won’t take long. You can call the reporter back while I get the tree trimmed and shaped
and in the stand. I know Tommi has her heart set on decorating the tree today, and I think we’ll
have time since we got an early start this morning.”
“And the pizzas?” Tony and I had started the tradition of making homemade pizzas and
baking them in our pizza oven on Christmas tree cutting and decorating day after he’d randomly
suggested pizza for dinner a few years before Tommi was born.
“I have the dough rolled out and ready, and the toppings are all prepped.”

Somehow I knew Tony would be on top of things. He was always on top of things. Me. Not
so much.
Once we arrived at the house, I tried to lure Tommi inside with me, but she was dead set on
watching Daddy trim and shape the tree, then settle it in the stand. After a bit of negotiation, she
promised to sit exactly where Daddy put her and not move until he gave her permission, so I
agreed to let her watch him while I headed inside and called Rita.
“Rita Shore,” the woman said as she answered her cell phone.
“It’s Tess Marconi calling you back.”
“Thank you so much for agreeing to speak to me. I feel bad about calling on a Sunday. I
know how important family time is and would never want to intrude on that, but I need to file my
story by the end of the day, and I feel that your project deserves some recognition.”
“It does, and I appreciate the fact that you want to include it in your article.”
“I understand the Santa Project is a new idea.”
“I’d say it’s more of a new twist to an old idea.” I settled onto one of the stools that lined the
breakfast bar in our kitchen. “The town of White Eagle has always done a toy drive at Christmas,
but with the closure of the local ski resort due to the fire that destroyed the lifts and infrastructure
this past fall, and the corresponding loss of seasonal jobs, we have a lot of folks in need this
season. After a bit of discussion, the toy drive committee decided to expand to include the
collection of food and household items, as well as warm clothing, such as hats, coats, and
mittens, in addition to the toys.”
“Can you estimate how many residents were affected by the fire at the ski resort?”
“I don’t have the exact number offhand, but I’d venture a guess that several hundred White
Eagle residents who depend on income from the ski resort during the winter months are having
to do without that income this year. In a town our size, the impact on our economy from the ski
resort closure has been significant.”
The woman asked me several more questions about the Santa Project before smoothly
segueing to questions about the fire. “I understand that the fire that destroyed the ski resort is still
under investigation.”
“It is,” I confirmed. Since I didn’t actually know anything more about the fire or the
investigation, I remained quiet. I had, however, heard rumors about new evidence that might
indicate the fire may have been deliberately set, rather than resulting from an unattended
campfire as initially reported by the media.
“And I also understand that your brother, Officer Mike Thomas, has been working with the
fire investigator to follow up on new leads as they come to light.”
“Yes, Mike has been working with the fire investigator assigned to the incident, but I
honestly don’t know any more than that.”
“I understand, but surely you have a gut feeling about things. You’ve lived in the area a long
time, and you seem to know a lot of people. What do you think caused the fire?”
Personally, I suspected Mike’s theory that the fire was intentionally set was likely valid, but
since the fire inspector didn’t seem to agree, I didn’t want to say as much on record. All I said

was to reiterate that I didn’t have any more information than anyone else who wasn’t directly
involved in the investigation.
The woman persisted. “With the arson theory floating around out there, I’m sure the police
have begun to consider suspects.”
“I suppose they may have, but, as I said, I really don’t know anything more about the
investigation than anyone else.”
“Maybe you know of an individual who stood to profit from the loss of the ski resort.”
“Profit? Who would profit from the destruction of the lodge, maintenance buildings,
restaurant, employee housing, and several of the lifts?”
“Perhaps the owner.”
“The owner?” The woman really must be desperate for a story to grasp at straws the way she
was.
“There have been rumors circulating that indicate that the ski resort has struggled for the past
few years due to the drought and warmer-than-normal temperatures and was, in fact, suffering a
serious financial shortage going into this year.”
“Are you saying that you think that Skip Rogers burned down his own ski resort to collect
the insurance money?”
“The idea has been floated, and I have to admit that the concept is an interesting one. Not
only has the ski resort lost money each of the past three years due to the drought, but I have a
contact on the inside who told me that, due to a lack of funds, regularly scheduled maintenance
had been deferred to the point where there were some serious safety concerns.”
I hadn’t heard that and really had no idea whether any of it was true or not; however, I did
know that it was true that the three-year drought had severely impacted local businesses that
depended on snow, including snow removal services, snowmobile touring companies, and, of
course, the local ski resort.
“I can’t argue the fact that the drought has negatively affected our local economy, but Skip is
a good guy,” I finally responded. “He wouldn’t burn down his own business just to generate
some income.” Now that I really stopped to think about it, however, I had to admit the fire had
actually helped Skip. The insurance money Skip would receive to rebuild the ski resort would
pay for the deferred maintenance he would have otherwise struggled to catch up on. “Besides,” I
continued in Skip’s defense, “the fire investigator seems confident that it was an unattended
campfire that started the fire. Now, if you have everything you need for your article on the Santa
Project. I really need to go.” With that, I hung up.
After I hung up, I returned a call from my best friend and sister-in-law, Bree Thomas, who
had left me a message while Tony and I were carrying the Christmas tree back to the house. Bree
and I volunteered weekday mornings at Santa Central, the distribution center for the food,
household items, warm clothing, and toy donations. At this point, our job was to sort and catalog
the donations that would be made available to the public beginning on December seventeenth.
“Hey, Bree,” I greeted once my call went through. “Since Tony and I were carrying our
Christmas tree back to the house when you called, I wasn’t able to answer your call.”

“You’re just now getting your Christmas tree? I thought you had plans to get it last
weekend.”
I glanced out the window at the gently falling snow. “We did plan to get our Christmas tree
last weekend, but things got hectic. Between working mornings at Santa Central, helping
organize Christmas activities in White Eagle, Tommi’s birthday this week, Tony’s new video
game, and pitching in at Tommi’s preschool, Tony and I have been swamped. Today was our first
opportunity to go out and look for a Christmas tree. Do you have yours?”
“We do. We cut and decorated it last weekend as planned. Anyway, I didn’t call to discuss
your Christmas tree. I hoped you could pick Ella and Michael up in the morning on your way to
drop Tommi at school and then drop them off as well.”
Ella was Bree and Mike’s almost seven-year-old daughter, and Michael was their four-year-
old son. Michael and Tommi attended the same preschool.
“We’re happy to pick them up and then drop them off. Are you still planning to show up at
Santa Central for your volunteer shift?”
“I am, but I have an early doctor’s appointment, and I’m afraid I’ll be late if I take the time to
drop the kids off at school.”
“I get it. I’ll have Tony stop by around seven-thirty. It’s Tommi’s turn to bring snacks, so
Tony made cookies to go with the apple and orange slices. Tony will be doing the drop-offs, but
I’ll have him drop Ella off first and then double back to drop off Tommi, Michael, and the
snacks.”
“That would be perfect. Thanks, Tess.”
“Is everything okay?” While Bree might simply be going in for a routine checkup, she had
seemed overly tired lately.
“Everything’s fine. My doctor wants me to have some bloodwork done. I’ll see Tony in the
morning at seven-thirty sharp.”
After I hung up with Bree, I made myself a cup of peppermint tea, turned on some holiday
tunes, lit the fire Tony had built in the river rock fireplace earlier in the day, and then headed to
the corner of the living room where Tony had left the boxes of decorations he’d brought down
from the attic last night. My cats, Tang and Tinder, were napping on the sofa, and I knew they’d
be right there to help me with the lights the minute I took the lid off the first box. I was tempted
to put them in the bedroom, but Tilly and Titan had been invited to the cutting portion of the tree-
decorating event, so I figured that I’d let Tang and Tinder help with the decorating portion even
though I wasn’t sure they’d actually be that helpful.
Once the first box was opened, I removed the tangle of lights that, for some unexplainable
reason, seemed to knot up each year no matter how carefully we packed them. While I must
admit untangling the lights wasn’t my favorite holiday activity, I enjoyed the quiet, and the cozy
feeling of the room with the fire and snow falling was just about perfect.
By the time I’d untangled the strings of lights, Tony and Tommi wandered in with the tree.
Tony had efficiently shaped the branches and secured the tree in the stand in record time, so we
started decorating it before we took a break to make pizzas for dinner. The tradition of making
homemade pizzas and baking them in the pizza oven on our Christmas tree cutting and

decorating day began before Tommi was born. As traditions will do, this one really caught on
and became one of my very favorites of the season.
“My first ornament.” Tommi picked the Baby’s First Christmas ornament from the box
marked Tommi. “Can I put it on?” It had become tradition to put this extremely special ornament
on the tree first once the lights were strung and tested.
“I think we’re ready,” Tony said.
Tommi proudly hung the ornament front and center. We’d been collecting ornaments for
Tommi since her first Christmas and kept them together in a box clearly labeled with her name.
Our plan was for Tommi to take the box with her when she moved out on her own so she would
have ornaments special to her for her own tree when the time came.
Once Tommi hung that first ornament, Tony and I joined in to hang the rest, leaving only the
star on top of the tree, which, for the first time, had been reserved for Tommi this year as well.
I thought about the discussion Tony and I had engaged in about having a second child.
Honestly, we were both on the fence about adding to our already perfect family. Sometimes I
imagined that having a brother or sister for Tommi to grow up with would be the right choice for
our family; however, moments like these made me wonder how another baby would affect the
dynamic we already seemed to enjoy.
Once Tommi placed the star on top of the tree, we turned off the overhead lights and then
Tony turned on the tree lights. We all oohed and aahed. We really had outdone ourselves this
year. Tony had an artificial Christmas tree for the kitchen, which he’d already set up in the corner
next to the dining table. Once we finished in the living room, we all wandered into the kitchen to
place a few select ornaments on the tall, thin tree that really seemed to light up the room, and
then assemble and bake the pizzas.
As he did each year, Tony shaped the pizza dough he’d pre-made and layered the crusts with
sauce. Once that was done, we each added our own cheese and toppings, which Tony had
prepared and set out in individual bowls. Tommi was in a cheese-only phase of her pizza-eating
life, but Tony and I liked to get creative with a variety of cheeses and toppings, and then we
shared our creations with each other.
“Do I have to go to bed?” Tommi asked after we’d decorated the kitchen tree, finished eating,
and watched a Christmas cartoon.
“You do,” I answered. “You have school tomorrow, and we can’t be late since we’re picking
Ella and Michael up and giving them a ride.”
“How come Aunt Bree isn’t going to take them?”
“Aunt Bree has an appointment.”
“Can Daddy read me a story?”
I glanced at Tony. He nodded. “After your bath.” Tommi took the hand I held out before
heading upstairs with me.
Baths sometimes felt like an endless chore, but Tommi hadn’t had a nap today and was tired,
so once I had the bath ready, she stepped in, washed up quickly, then slipped into her new candy
cane pajamas and happily climbed into bed.

“Can I have a Christmas tree in my room?” Tommi asked once she’d snuggled down under
the covers. I’d put a red-and-white striped candy cane quilt on her bed, and Tony had strung
lights around her window, but a small tree in the corner would add a nice festive touch.
“I think a small artificial tree that won’t shed needles and won’t need to be watered might be
nice. I’ll talk to Daddy about it.”
“Don’t forget my story.”
“I won’t forget.” After I leaned over and kissed her goodnight, I promised to send Daddy up
in a few minutes.
When Tony returned a couple of minutes after he’d headed upstairs, I suspected Tommi had
probably fallen asleep before he even got through the first page of the rather long Christmas
story he’d been reading to Tommi since Thanksgiving.
“She’s out like a light,” he confirmed. Then he placed another log on the fire and settled onto
the sofa next to me.
“I suspected as much. It was a long day for an almost four-year-old.”
“Speaking of our almost four-year-old, did you talk to your mother about Tommi’s birthday
dinner?”
Tommi would turn four next Thursday, and my mom had wanted to make a big dinner at her
house, but Tommi really wanted to go to Pizza Time, the new pizza joint and arcade in town.
“I did. Actually, I thought she might be upset about not having Tommi’s birthday dinner at
her house as planned, but when I explained that Tommi really wanted to play arcade games with
her cousins, Mom said she was fine with it. I called and made a reservation for five o’clock. I
figured everyone should be able to get there by then, and it wouldn’t be too late for the kids.”
Tony turned and kissed my cheek. “It sounds like you have everything handled.”
“Did Tommi ask you about a tree for her room?”
“She did. I have a small artificial Christmas tree in the storage room. I’ll dig it out tomorrow
after I drop the kids off at school. By the way, did you remind Tommi’s teacher that I’ll be
stopping by with cupcakes for her class on Thursday?”
“I did. She wanted me to remind you to avoid nuts and any other ingredients on the list she
sent home at the beginning of the year. I assured her that you knew what could and couldn’t be
included and would make sure the cupcakes could be enjoyed by everyone.”
Since Tony regularly offered to help with snacks, he was familiar with the food exclusion list.
Once we discussed the details for Tommi’s birthday, I asked Tony about his progress
promoting the upcoming Christmas in White Eagle festival, and he asked me how things were
going at Santa Central. With so many community projects going on at the same time, Tony and I
had decided to divide and conquer. He took on planning and promoting the festival, and I took on
the food, household items, warm clothing, and toy drive at the donation center. We took turns
volunteering at Tommi’s school, and somewhere in the middle of all that, we committed to
giving Tommi the best Christmas ever.
“Were you able to answer the questions the reporter asked?” Tony asked.

“I was able and willing to answer the questions related to the Santa Project and Santa
Central, but then she started asking questions about the fire that created the need for the Santa
Project in the first place. She somehow knew that my brother was part of the investigation, and it
seemed she assumed that I’d have the inside scoop.”
“Did you tell her anything?”
“I didn’t tell her anything that hasn’t already been reported in the news. The reporter had
heard the theory that the fire was intentionally set and seemed most interested in what I might
know about that, but I played dumb and told her I didn’t know anything more than anyone else
does. I know Mike suspects arson, but the fire inspector doesn’t seem to agree with him, so Mike
isn’t going public with his suspicion since he doesn’t have any real proof that the fire was
intentionally set.”
“I think you answered just right. The truth of the matter is that we don’t actually know much
more than anyone else at this point.”
“I guess that’s true. The woman from the magazine said she heard Skip was in financial
trouble after the last few years of late snow and drought, and that the rumor floating around was
that he might have started the fire to collect on his insurance policy. You don’t think he’d really
do that, do you?”
Tony paused and then answered. “No, I don’t think that Skip would burn down the ski resort
to collect the insurance money, but the drought has likely affected his financial solvency. The ski
resort had to open late and close early three years in a row because of the lack of snow. I suspect
the profit margin on the ski resort is pretty slim, so I wouldn’t be surprised to find that there
wasn’t a lot of room in the budget for three bad years in a row.”
“But you don’t think he’d actually do it, do you? Burn the place down.”
Tony shook his head and confirmed his earlier statement that he didn’t think Skip would burn
down his own business, but when I looked in his eyes, I could see he was less certain than he let
on.
“Mike has his suspicions that an arsonist may have caused the fire, which he has shared with
us, but at this point, the fire inspector is going with the unattended campfire story, so officially, I
guess that is all that we actually know and all we should comment on,” Tony added.
He’d basically rephrased what I’d said, but I was happy to have confirmation that we were on
the same page.
I glanced at our beautiful tree. “I agree, but enough about that. How about we open a bottle
of wine, turn off all the lights except the tree, window, and mantel lights, cozy up in front of the
fire, and enjoy a few moments of us time.”
“I’ll get the wine,” Tony offered.
“And I’ll get the lights.”

Chapter 2

By Thursday of the following week, Tommi had turned four, school had let out for winter
break, and Christmas in White Eagle was ready to kick off its three-and-a-half-day event this
evening with the tree lighting in the park, caroling, and sleigh rides.
“The Christmas in White Eagle festival fliers finally arrived,” Bree said as I looked at the list
of activities that were scheduled for the annual event.
The heading at the top of the page featured a photograph from last year’s snowmobile rodeo,
a White Eagle fan favorite. “The fliers look really good, but the printer took forever. There isn’t
even time to get these distributed.”
“Just bring them to the tree lighting tonight. Most of the town will be there.”
Bree was right. The annual tree lighting was a big deal in White Eagle, and I knew that most
residents planned to attend the event that officially kicked off the season.
“I like the way Tony has each day’s events categorized,” Bree said as we both studied the
fliers. “He has the major events, such as the snowman-building competition, ice fishing
competition, snowmobile rodeo, scavenger hunt, and trivia game night, highlighted, and the
lesser events, such as the cookie decorating, ornament painting, and wreath making, in a smaller
font beneath the daily competitions. The features that will take place over the entire weekend,
such as Santa’s Village, the food carts, and craft vendors, as well as ice skating on Miller’s Pond
and sledding on the high school hill, are listed in their own section at the bottom of the page,
making it really easy to understand.”
“Tony spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to simplify things while communicating
clearly,” I said.

Bree pinned one of the brightly colored fliers on the bulletin board. “The flier is excellent,
but with the events organized the way they are, it’s easy to see that it’s a lot. I’m not sure how I’ll
juggle everything. Your dad, as well as your mom and Sam, have volunteered to help with the
kids, which I greatly appreciate, but there’s still a lot to juggle.”
“It will be a busy weekend,” I agreed as Bree walked across the room and turned the
“CLOSED” sign on the storefront’s door, leased by the toy drive committee to house the
donations and host Santa Central activities, to “OPEN” for the first time.
“Are you planning to attend all the events?” Bree asked.
“No. There won’t be time, but I do have a few favorites.”
“Like trivia game night?”
“I’d like to participate in both trivia game night and the scavenger hunt if there’s time. Trivia
is in the evening, and Santa Central will be closed, so as long as Mom or Dad can sit with
Tommi, that should work out. But the scavenger hunt is an all-day activity. With everything else
that’s going on this year, I’m not sure it’s in the cards for me.”
“Mike will have to work, so I’m not sure how much the kids and I will try to do. I guess
we’ll wait and see how I feel.”
“Are those supplements the doctor gave you working?”
“Not yet,” Bree responded. “She said to give them time to kick in, so I’m giving them time.”
Even though poor Bree looked extremely exhausted, her doctor had assured her multiple
times that she wasn’t ill but just needed to take better care of herself.
“I need to head to Hattie’s shop to pick up the pastries I ordered for the volunteers,” I said
after glancing at the clock on the wall. With the final push to get Santa Central ready to meet the
community’s needs, all the volunteers had shown up nearly every day despite their busy
schedules. Wanting to show my appreciation to the volunteers who took time out of their busy
schedules to help get the distribution center ready, I ordered pastries from Grandma Hattie’s
Bakeshop. “Are you going to be okay by yourself for a little while?”
“I’ll be fine. It’s early yet, so I doubt we’ll have any customers until mid-morning at the
earliest, but if we do, we have volunteers in the back sorting and shelving. I can pull one of them
up front if needed.”
“Can I get you anything while I’m out? Maybe coffee to go with the pastries.”
“Maybe some of that peppermint tea Hattie has been featuring this month.”
“Peppermint tea, it is,” I promised.
Once I was satisfied that Bree would be fine without me, Tilly and I headed out into the
snowy morning. It wasn’t snowing hard, but flurries hinted that a more significant storm system
might be lurking on the other side of the mountain. I really enjoyed my trek through town. The
small trees along Main Street had already lost their leaves, but tiny white lights had been strung
on almost every branch and twinkled against the night sky as darkness set in. Not only were the
trees decked out in tiny lights, but every business on both sides of Main went all out with holiday
window displays, creating a magical wonderland for anyone who ventured out for a peek. While

I enjoyed all the store windows, I think my favorite this year was the tiny village with a
miniature Christmas train that Mom and Aunt Ruthie created in their large bay window.
Hap Hollister from the hardware and home supply store and Hattie Johnson from the
bakeshop had both gone above and beyond as well. Usually, I would have stopped to enjoy the
cozy scene in Hap’s window, but I was in a hurry today, so I didn’t even slow down. As Tilly and
I walked toward the bakeshop’s front door to pick up the order, I heard a cry.
“Did you hear that?” I asked Tilly as I stopped and looked around at the white landscape.
Tilly stuck her nose in the air, sniffed, and then headed toward a snowdrift. I almost hadn’t
seen the tiny puff of white buried in the white snow. If not for Tilly’s keen sense of smell, we
would have walked right past her.
“Who do we have here?” I asked after I knelt down to rescue the tiny white kitten from the
snowdrift.
The kitten, who looked far too young to be away from her mama, looked at me with hopeless
eyes.
“Is your mama around here somewhere?” I tucked the kitten into the front of my jacket to
warm her up as I looked around. I didn’t see her mama or any indication of more kittens, and had
no idea how this lone baby had ended up all by herself in a snowdrift.
“We need to check for brothers and sisters,” I said to Tilly.
Tilly sniffed around a bit but didn’t seem interested in further exploration. Someone could
have seen a cat or kittens nearby. Perhaps I’d ask around. Since the snowdrift I found the kitten
buried in was closer to Grandma Hattie’s Bakeshop than any other business on Main Street, I
decided to start there.
“Morning, Tess, Tilly,” Hattie greeted.
“Morning, Hattie,” I responded, breathing in the warm aroma of cinnamon and vanilla.
Hattie wiped her hands on her bright red apron and then picked up a large takeout box. “I
take it you’re here to pick up your order.”
“I am.” I watched Tilly wander over to say hi to Hattie’s dog, Bruiser. “But before I do that, I
wanted to ask if you’ve seen a mama cat hanging around.”
“I can’t say that I have.” She began ringing up my order. “Why do you ask?”
I unzipped my jacket just a bit to expose the kitten inside. “I found her in the snowdrift in
front of the bakeshop.”
“My, my. Just look at that little sweetheart.” Hattie came around the counter to get a better
look. “She really is a cutie with those blue eyes and long white fur.” She looked me in the eye. “I
guess you’ll take her with you.”
“I will, but I’m worried that this little princess may have siblings in need of rescue or a mama
who will come looking for her. I looked around outside and didn’t find evidence of either, and
since Tilly didn’t alert me to additional kittens, I guess I feel mostly confident there aren’t any,
but since you’re the closest business to the drift where the kitten was found, would you keep an
eye out?”

“I absolutely will, and I’ll let my regulars know to keep an eye out as well.”
After I’d ordered Bree’s tea and my coffee, I paid for the pastries and beverages and took
everything to Santa Central. Bree had called one of the volunteers who had been working in the
back to the front, and the two seemed to be doing fine, so I decided to deal with the kitten before
it got busy. At this point, I guessed that I had two choices. I could take the kitten to the shelter
and leave her with Brady, or I could keep her with me and take her home at the end of the day,
where she would stay until we confirmed whether a mama cat was in the picture. The kitten
looked much too young to be weaned, which would likely mean bottle feeding, so I was tempted
to take her to Brady and let the shelter’s staff handle things, but in the approximately forty
minutes the baby had been riding around in my jacket, I found that I’d formed an attachment to
her.
After a bit, I decided to grab Tilly and head to the shelter. I figured I’d have Brady check her
out, and as long as she was okay, I’d grab a travel crate and some formula, then bring her back to
Santa Central with me. If her mama hadn’t been found by the end of the day, I’d take her home
and care for her until I could make a permanent decision.
“She seems to be perfectly healthy,” Brady said to me thirty minutes later. “I doubt she was
alone in the snowdrift for long, and I feel like you’re right to be concerned about the mama cat
and additional kittens.”
“Tilly and I will go back and take another look around.”
“Are you going to leave her here with us or take her with you?”
“I’ll take her. Do you think she needs to be bottle-fed?”
“I don’t think so, but she should have a formula supplement you’ll need to mix in with the
special food I’ll give you. As long as she eats it on her own, I think she’ll be fine. How about we
go ahead and give her some now and see how she does.”
I hadn’t planned to be away from Santa Central this long, but feeding the kitten and seeing
how she did definitely made sense, so I agreed to Brady’s plan. I called Bree to check in while
Brady prepared the food and formula mixture. Bree assured me she and the other volunteers were
doing fine, and that I should take the time I needed to make sure the kitten received the care she
needed.
“Seems to me we met for the first time when you brought me another bundle of fur tucked
into your jacket,” Brady commented as we waited to see if the kitten could eat the food and
formula mixture okay.
I smiled. “I remember that day very clearly. I came looking for Doc Baker, and found you
fresh out of the shower. It was quite the shock.”
Brady chuckled. “I guess it was. But things worked out okay.”
“Yes, they did.” Even though the night we were discussing had been almost eight years ago,
to the day, I still blushed at my initial impression of the new veterinarian in town. I averted my
gaze and looked at the kitten. “She seems to be doing fine with the food and formula mixture.”
“She’s doing great, and feeding her this mixture is going to be easier than the bottle. Let’s try
this for now, but we’ll keep a close eye on her. If she starts to lose weight, we can supplement
with a bottle.”

I agreed to Brady’s plan, so he gathered the supplies I’d need.
“Where’s Aspen today?” I asked.
Aspen Wood was Brady’s assistant and girlfriend. She specialized in wild animal rescue and
rehabilitation, and she had transformed our little local shelter into one of the most highly
regarded wild and domestic animal rescue and rehabilitation shelters in the area.
“She’s picking up a bear cub who was orphaned when his mama was hit by a car.”
I hated to hear stories about bears and other wildlife being hit by cars. While some collisions
couldn’t be avoided, most happened because drivers were going too fast when they encountered
wildlife.
Once I’d loaded Tilly and the kitten nestled in the cat carrier, along with kitten food and
formula, into my Jeep, I headed back to Santa Central. Brady wanted me to feed the kitten small
but frequent meals for the next few weeks, so it looked like the kitty and I would be attached at
the hip for the time being. I was sure Tony would help if needed, and I could always ask Tony’s
best friend, Shaggy, to stop by and feed the kitten. Shaggy seemed to have more free time than
most, and he was always willing to pitch in when someone needed help.
By the time Tilly, the kitten, and I made it back to Santa Central, the place was packed. The
kitten was sleeping peacefully after her meal, so I settled Tilly on her bed next to the kitten in the
cat carrier in the back area, where I’d left the kitten for her own safety, then headed to the front
to help Bree until it was time for the next feeding.
“So how’s your new baby?” Bree asked as we bagged the items our customers had chosen
and filled out the corresponding donation form to ensure accurate records of which recipients
received specific goods.
“Brady said she was perfectly healthy. Young to be on her own, but healthy. He gave me a
special food and asked to see her again in a week. I’m grateful that Tilly and I found her in time.
It’s chilly out there today. She wouldn’t have lasted long in that snowdrift.”
Bree paused and looked directly at me. “You do know that once you take that kitten home
and Tommi gets a look at her, she’s never leaving, don’t you?”
That thought had occurred to me, but Tommi had been asking for a kitten, and I felt she was
old enough and experienced enough to handle it. “I realize that Tommi will want to keep her, and
unless we find that she actually does have a family who’s missing her, I guess I’m of the mind to
keep her as well. We have an orange cat and a black cat. It seems fitting that we have a white cat
to add to the mix.”
“Does she have a name?”
“No. I was going to leave the naming of the kitten up to the family.”
Tony stopped by later that morning to drop off some donations that people had given him to
deliver to us. While he was there, I introduced him to the kitten. Tony loved animals and was
totally on board with adding a new member to our family. He also agreed that we should avoid
committing to Tommi until we’d had a chance to thoroughly search for the kitten’s family. Brady
had posted notices in all the usual places, so if someone was missing the kitten, we’d likely know
by the end of the day.

Once the initial rush of residents looking for a toy, food, clothing, or household item cleared
out, Bree and I decided to take a break. I let Bree go first since she hadn’t had a break, and I’d
taken a long break while I dealt with the kitten. Once Bree headed into the back, I took the
opportunity to walk the floor and check if anything needed restocking.
“Can I help you?” I asked a young girl with long dark braids who I estimated was about ten.
She stood in front of the canned goods with a blond-haired boy I estimated was around six or
seven.
She shoved a dirty hand into the pocket of her equally dirty jacket. “This stuff is free, right?”
“It’s free,” I confirmed. “I just need your mom or dad to fill out a form.” I looked around the
room. “Are they here with you?”
“Our mama is sick,” the girl replied. “She can’t make the trip into town, so she sent Bobby
and me to pick up some food. Maybe I can fill out the form. I know how to read and write.”
“What about your dad? Is he available to fill out the form?”
“We don’t have a dad,” the boy uttered so softly that I barely heard him.
I hesitated. It seemed obvious the children really needed the food Santa Central could
provide, but I didn’t like the idea of giving them food without checking out their situation at
home. “How about we go in the back and fill out the form together.”
The girl stiffened, and it looked like she might run. The boy who was with her looked as
frightened as she did.
“I have donuts and hot cocoa in the back. The two of you can have a snack while I help you
with the form.”
The girl looked down at the boy, who, given the pleading in his gaze, very much wanted a
donut and hot cocoa. “Okay,” she said. “But we’ll need to hurry. Mama is waiting.”
I assured the girl that the form was short and wouldn’t take long to fill out, and then
motioned for them to follow me. When I arrived in the back room, I told Bree I had customers
who needed help with the form, and asked her to cover in the front for me. She sent me a
concerned look, but agreed.
I set a platter of donuts on the table and motioned for the children to wash their hands in the
sink. Once their hands were clean, I told them to select a donut and sit while I made the hot
cocoa. Both children gobbled down their donut like they hadn’t eaten in days. I suggested they
might want a second one to eat with their beverage. Once I set cups of cocoa in front of them and
each child had chosen a second donut, I grabbed a form from the file cabinet and sat down across
from them.
“Okay,” I said with a smile. “Let’s fill out this form. Name?”
The girl answered. “My name is Lily, and this here is my brother, Bobby.”
“And what is your last name?”
Lily’s eyes darted to Bobby. I could see the fear had returned.
“It’s just for the form,” I assured her.
“Lanford. My name is Lily Lanford. Bobby’s last name is Loggins. We have different dads.”

“And neither dad lives with you?” I asked.
Lily paused and then answered. “My father is dead. Bobby’s father left when he was just a
baby. It’s just us and Mama.”
I jotted down a few notes, but stopped myself from digging deeper. It seemed the subject of
fathers was not one Lily wanted to talk about. “You said that your mother is sick. Has she been
sick long?”
Lily shrugged. “It comes and goes. Sometimes she’s fine, and other times she needs to stay in
bed for a few days. Everything is okay though. Bobby and I know how to take care of Mama and
ourselves when Mama’s sick.”
I paused and set my pen down. I didn’t respond right away as I tried to figure out how to deal
with what sounded like a complicated situation without scaring the children away.
“Please,” Lily added. “We really need the food you’re giving away. Mama would come
herself, but she’s having a bad day. She knew that Santa Central opened today and planned to
come, but after she woke up, she told us she was having one of her bad days. She told Bobby and
me to come down here and get as much as we could carry. She didn’t mention a form.”
A tear slid down the girl’s face. I could see that she was terrified and probably just trying to
hold it together for her brother.
“How about we worry about the form later. Right now, we’re going to pick out some food for
you to take.” I narrowed my gaze. “A family of three is entitled to six bags of food. I don’t think
you can carry six bags. Do you have a wagon?”
The girl admitted that she didn’t.
“How about we pick out some food, bag it up, and then I’ll give you and the food a ride to
your house.”
The look of fear was back.
“Someone donated a whole flat of cereal this morning,” I added cheerfully. “There are a
bunch of different kinds. It won’t last long, but there’s a good selection if you want to pick some
out. And we have milk, of course. And bread. Oh, and ham, cheese, peanut butter, and jelly for
the bread. Really all sorts of things that don’t require cooking.”
The girl appeared conflicted, but eventually agreed that six bags of food would help a lot.
I grabbed a basket and suggested that both children help me fill it. They were nervous as we
looked at the produce aisle, they relaxed a bit as we walked through the dairy section, and were
downright giddy by the time we entered the cereal and canned goods section. I noticed neither
child wore a hat or gloves, so I suggested we grab a few things from the clothing aisle too. I
offered each child a toy, but both turned me down. Baby steps, I decided. It was obvious that the
children were used to going without.
Once we’d selected the food and clothing items I felt best met their needs, we loaded
everything into my Jeep and headed toward the eastern end of town. The house I was directed to
wasn’t actually a house, but rather a converted garage.

“Okay, let’s get this stuff inside,” I said to the children who appeared to have relaxed a bit by
this point. I couldn’t help but notice Bobby eyeing the bag that held the cookies he’d tossed into
the basket with the items Lily had chosen.
Once we’d unloaded my Jeep, I paused to look around. Someone had added interior walls,
linoleum flooring, and a kitchen counter with a microwave. I didn’t see a stove, but there was a
small refrigerator, electric griddle, and hot plate. The windowless space was dreary, but it had
electricity and running water, and provided a roof over their heads, so I supposed it would do for
the time being. The living space was one room that included a small kitchen. It was tiny but
surprisingly clean. I wasn’t sure whether Lily or her mother kept things so clean, but it was
apparent someone took great pride in their surroundings even if they were meager.
“Since I’m here, I’d like to look in on your mother,” I said to Lily.
Again, the fear was back.
“Mama’s sleeping,” Lily informed me. “We really shouldn’t disturb her.”
“How long has she been ill?” I asked.
“Not long,” Lily assured me. “As I said, it comes and goes. She should be better in a day or
two.”
I could tell that she was lying by the way she looked at the floor as she spoke.
“If she’s ill, she may need medicine,” I pointed out. “I can get her medicine. Maybe I should
poke my head into her room to see if she needs anything.”
Lily’s eyes darted around the room. “Mama won’t like it if we disturb her.”
“If she’s sleeping, I won’t wake her,” I promised. “I just want to take a peek. Maybe I can
bring her an extra blanket.” I rubbed my arms. “It is pretty cold in here.”
“Mama would like a blanket,” Bobby said.
Lily sent him a stern look.
I reminded myself I was the adult in the room and, as such, I should decide what would or
wouldn’t happen next, so I started toward the door that appeared to separate the living area from
the bedroom. When I opened the door, I saw a bed with a woman sleeping in it. Next to the bed,
two sleeping bags were on the floor. I assumed that Lily and Bobby slept in the sleeping bags.
After I walked over to the bed, I looked down at the woman. She was as thin as a rail and had
likely gone without food so her children could eat. Lily had said she was ill, but she didn’t
appear to have a fever. I instinctively reached out and touched her forehead. She opened her
eyes.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Tess Marconi.” I smiled as I responded. “Lily and Bobby came to Santa Central
and picked out a bunch of food, but since it was too much for them to carry, I gave them a ride
home.”
She sat up in the bed. “They shouldn’t have bothered you.”
“It was no bother. Really. Lily mentioned that you’re feeling under the weather today, so I
wanted to stop by and check on you. See if you needed anything.”

“I’m fine.” She turned slightly, so her legs dangled over the side of the bed. “I just need to eat
something.”
“We got a bunch of noodle soup,” Lily said. “The kind you like. I can heat you some.”
The woman smiled at her daughter. “Thank you, baby. I’m sure a bowl of noodle soup will
help me feel much better.” She then turned and looked at me. “Thank you again, but I think we
can take it from here.”
“I just have this form I need to fill out.” I held up the form. “It will just take a minute.”
The woman frowned. “What do you need to know?”
“Your name, for starters.”
“Lilian. My name is Lilian Lanford.”
I wrote down the name. Lanford was Lily’s last name. Lily said her father died. Since Bobby
was younger than Lily, I assumed Lilian’s relationship with Bobby’s father came after her
husband passed. Based on the family’s last names, I suspected Lilian might not have been
married to Bobby’s father. Since that wasn’t important at this point, I didn’t ask. “So Lily must
be named after you.”
She nodded.
“Husband?”
“My husband died.”
“I understand Bobby has a different father than Lily.”
“Bobby’s father isn’t in the picture. He never really has been. Can we move this along?”
“We can,” I assured her. I asked the next question on the form. “Place of employment.”
Lilian answered. “I’m currently unemployed. I usually work at the ski resort during the
winter months, but since the ski resort won’t be opening this year, they won’t be hiring seasonal
help.”
“And this house?” I looked around. “How long have you lived here?”
“Not long. Evie, the woman who hires the seasonal staff for the ski resort, found this place
for me. She knows the family who owns the main house. Since the ski resort wouldn’t be open, I
guess the homeowners went to Aspen for the winter. They’re having some work done on the
house while they’re away, but they weren’t doing any construction in this space, so they agreed
to let the kids and me stay here for a few months until I found another job. It’s not much, but it
does provide shelter.”
It did provide shelter, but it didn’t seem to provide heat since it was almost as cold inside as
outside. I mentioned the lack of heat in the converted garage, and Lilian said she had an electric
heater, but she couldn’t afford the electricity to turn it on.
“I can help with that,” I informed the woman in the cheeriest voice I could muster.
“You can?”
I nodded. “We have utility vouchers at Santa Central. I’ll get you a few. Enough to run the
heater as well as the lights for at least a couple of months.”

She lowered her head, almost as if holding it up had become too much. “Thank you.” She
glanced at my form. “Now, if that’s all…”
“Lily mentioned that you’ve been feeling sick from time to time. You should probably see a
doctor. I’d be happy to give you a ride to the clinic.”
“No doctors. I’m fine. Really. Now, if we’re done here …” She still didn’t stand up, but she
did manage to sit up a bit taller.
It seemed obvious to me that the woman was afraid of something or someone; however, since
it was equally obvious that she wasn’t going to talk to me about whatever was going on in her
life, I assured her that I had everything I needed and promised to come back with the utility
vouchers when I had the chance. She thanked me and then turned and lay back down on the bed.
I headed back into the kitchen, where Lily was heating a can of soup for her mother.
“I think your mother went back to sleep. Does she sleep a lot?”
“Sometimes,” Lily answered. She looked at the hot plate and turned the heat off under the
soup. “I’ll just take this to her later. Did you get everything you need for your form?”
“I think so. I’m going back to Santa Central to grab a few utility vouchers so you can run the
heater. While I’m there, I’ll grab some extra blankets and then bring everything back here.”
“Thank you. Heat and blankets would be really nice.”
“Do you have a cell phone?”
Lily answered that they didn’t.
I suggested that the children unpack the supplies we’d gathered from Santa Central while I
went to fetch the vouchers, blankets, a prepaid cell phone, and a few other supplies that came to
mind. It seemed obvious the family needed more help than Santa Central could provide, but it
was a start. Santa Central gave me an excuse to stop by with items the family might need, while
letting me monitor the situation and decide how to support them effectively in the long term. I
wasn’t a doctor, but given the children’s description of their mother having good and bad days, it
seemed to me that Lilian was likely suffering from a chronic illness of some sort. Of course, she
might simply be suffering the effects of malnutrition given her frail state. With a steady supply of
food, maybe her bad days would clear up on their own. ...