Page 1 of Load Bearing
1
HUNTER
Hunter frowned up at the sleet gray sky outside of Grizzly Protection Services. Orson had raved about the weather and the sights and the sheer beauty of Alaska, but Hunter hadn’t seen anything to impress him so far, and he wasn’t expecting to find anything better inside.
The door tinkled like a retail shop when he opened it.
That would have to go.
A Grizzly office should inspire respect, not greet a customer like they were coming into a candy store.
Hunter gave the door a good slam behind him and was startled to find his youngest brother sitting behind a counter like he was a common secretary. “Orson?”
“Hunter! Holy hell! I mean, welcome to Grizzly Protection Services!” Orson’s voice went silky. “How can I help you?”
Hunter grunted in disbelief. Orson had been sent to Alaska to take over an established company, Snafu River Security. Had he run off every employee in just a few weeks?
“I’m delighted to see that you’re as chatty as ever,” Orson said, steepling his hands and then leaning his chin on them. “Did Theo send you to make sure I hadn’t run the company into the ground already?”
Since that was exactly why Hunter was there, he gave a half-shrug in answer.
“I can assure you that everything is going completely smoothly,” Orson said cheerfully. “Business is booming! All the paperwork is in order! Happy customers everywhere!”
“Then why are you playing BigMart greeter?” Hunter demanded.
“The previous secretary tried to kill us, and Alex said that this was a job I could handle until we found someone to replace her.”
“You were supposed to replaceAlex, not the secretary,” Hunter reminded him, though he had to admit he was curious about the story behindtried to kill us.
To his surprise, Orsondidn’tfold like a wet paper bag and apologize for his failure. “No way. Alex is the reason this company is thriving. I came in and found a lot of ways I could screw things up, and she very skillfully kept me from doing any of them.” The phone rang. “Hang on, I have to take this. Grizzly Protection Services, how can I help you?” The cub was actually grinning, like he had no problem sitting at the secretary’s desk taking phone calls and making coffee.
Hunter didn’t like surprises. He liked it when life played out according to plan, and worked hard to make sure that it did. He hadplannedto come to Alaska, fix whatever mess Orson had made, whip the business back into shape, and waltz back to Colorado in time for the skiing season.
Orson pointed at a chair by the door as he chatted sympathetically with someone who seemed to be missing acat. “Yeah,” he said cheerfully. “Try the litterbox trick before you offer a reward. You’d be surprised how well it works.”
When he hung up (“Good luck finding Sassy Whiskers!”), he pressed another button on his phone. “Hey Alex, the big boss is here to see you.”
The speaker crackled in reply. “I told you the speakerphone wasn’t a toy, Orson. And stop calling yourself the big boss. It confuses the clients.”
Orson snorted. “No, I meant therealbig boss. My brother Hunter is here to do an inspection or something. I told him you have it all in hand, but he’s doing that glaring thing he’s so good at.”
Hunter hadn’t realized he was glaring, but it didn’t surprise him.
There was a slight pause, and then the voice said flatly, “I’ll be right out.”
“She’s as good at glaring as you are,” Orson said worshipfully. “Wait til you meet her.”
Alex Vex was not what Hunter had expected. She wore sensible boots and looked like she’d be more comfortable on a wrestling mat than a board room. True to Orson’s warning, she was glaring. “Mr. Davison,” she said in a frosty tone, striding to shake Hunter’s hand. He stood to greet her, and her handshake was firm and brief. “I suppose you’re here toshake things up.”
“Ooo,” Orson said. “You’re introuble,” he hissed at Hunter.
Hunter hesitated. He hadn’t expected this kind of dynamic. “I assumed that there would be some…speedbumps over the change in ownership and came to make sure that things went smoothly.”
“He doesn’t trust me,” Orson said in a stage whisperto Alex.
“That’s understandable,” Alex replied dryly. To Hunter, she added, “I can assure you that everything is in order. If you’d called ahead, I could have all the accounting ready for you to look over. I could even have sent the files by email and spared you the long trip.” Her voice was crisp and challenging.
Hunter tried to assess their relationship. Orson was looking at her adoringly and she was taking it as her due. She was a handsome woman, Hunter thought objectively, if a little on the tough and inflexible side. He preferred his women prettier and less prickly. She didn’t look like the type who would seduce his kid brother for a promotion, but appearances could be deceiving, and Orson was a wet-nosed knucklehead who would probably fall in the thrall of anyone who gave him a smile and swayed her hips.
