Page 21 of Load Bearing
“We don’t needthorough,” Jay complained. “We need quick.”
“Speaking of quick, I was about to run into town and use the laundromat when you called. You need anything else?”
Jay grumbled (and Trixie thought it wasn’t half as manly a grumble as Hunter managed) and hung up. It was only after Trixie had put her phone away that she realized that she hadn’t told him that they’d gotten the backfill done early. It probably didn’t matter.
17
HUNTER
When Dylan invited him along to the Bear’s Den, Hunter immediately accepted. He’d rather have stayed behind and made love to Trixie a few times before bed, but he hadn’t actually solved her problems yet, so it felt like cheating.
Someone had tried to sabotage the project, and they still needed to be brought to justice. Hunter wasn’t going to throw away a chance to get more information out of Kyle and Keith just to get laid.
Interrogation was of his better investigation skills, but friendly socialization was not in his comfort zone.
Fortunately, Noah seemed perfectly happy to start the conversation. “So, Hunter. Where are you from?”
“Colorado.” Hunter ordered a whiskey on the rocks.
Keith and Kyle ordered beers, Noah a bourbon, and Sam, sitting at the far end of the bar glowering at the screen showing a football game, ordered an Old Fashioned. Dylan had begged off with some other business to attend to.
Was he supposed to ask where they were from in returnto carry the conversation? Hunter figured it was obvious they were all locals besides him.
The bartender proved to be a shifter, and he and Hunter exchanged a knowing nod when his drink was delivered. Hunter caught Keith watching him suspiciously from the corner of his eye. The brothers would know he was a shifter, just as he knew they were. But they didn’t know that he was investigating the sabotage; they had all accepted his cover story without question, as far as Hunter could tell.
“So, Trixie. She’s pretty hot, right?”
Hunter clenched his hand around his drink. Either he hadn’t been as circumspect as he’d hoped, or Noah was interested in Trixie for himself.
Ours, his bear said jealously.
“She’s a finelady,” Hunter growled.
Noah cackled. “Woo,is she! I wasn’t sure when she came waltzing into town, but I’d work for her again. Asks a lot, but works just as hard and looksgooddoing it.”
Hunter reminded himself that he was not there to stake his claim on Trixie or put anyone in traction, but to find out which of the Taylor brothers had something to gain from stopping the work. “Guess there’s some drama about the project?” he said mildly, taking a bracing sip from his glass. “Saw the signs.” He made a point of including Keith and Kyle.
Noah snorted. “Enviro-nazis from out of state.”
Kyle took a swallow of his beer while Keith agreed, “You get that a lot up here. People who think that keeping Alaska pristine means stopping every drop of development.”
“Just ‘cause they already screwed up their own land,” Noah scoffed.
“Nothing wrong with protecting the environment,”Kyle added. “No one’s saying we should let them come in and strip-mine the place, but, like PETA wants to ban dog-sledding.”
“You don’t think they should?” Hunter asked pointedly.
That got him shouts of laughter. Noah pounded him on the shoulder. “You ever seen a sled dog ready to go? There is no abuse in those races. Mushers love their dogs, and those dogs are not happy if they aren’t running.”
“I grew up with sled dogs,” Sam volunteered. “Everyone I know feeds their dogs better than them. Only cruelty isnotletting them run.”
“Cruelty is trying to make lapdogs out of hyper huskies,” Keith said. “They’re working dogs, and theyloveto work.”
“You got sled dogs?” Hunter asked Keith. If they were wolves, they probably didn’t.
“Dogs, but not sled dogs,” Kyle volunteered. “We’ve got a couple of sheep dogs. We’ve got barley fields off Mitner Road, right behind the property we’re building on right now. They let us know when there are animals after the chickens, or moose coming for the gardens.”
Hunter filed that information as useful. It was odd that wolves hadsheep dogs, and he was sure there was a joke there somewhere, but couldn’t find it.
