Page 17 of Into the Lion's Den (Secrets of the Northland Shifters)

I shrugged while simultaneously worrying that my reprimand had come off harsher than I’d intended. I’d simply meant to—very kindly—remind Reese of our professional boundaries.

“Well, good for you,” Angel said. “Reese is under a lot of pressure, so he’ll push back on everything you do. But that doesn’t mean you should let him walk all over you.”

I glanced at Toby, who seemed to agree. “Give him grief. If you know he doesn’t like something, all the more reason for you to do it.”

I looked at him askance. “Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to get me fired?”

“Hardly,” Toby said with a laugh. “In fact, you being here could make our lives a lot easier.”

“I don’t see how.” I rose up on tiptoes to stroke the broad space between Jo-Jo’s eyes.

Melanie returned from the other room with a thick pad and a saddle. “It would make our lives easier,” she said, “because the more trouble you cause him, the less he’ll pay attention to us.”

“Mel,” Angel said, warningly.

Melanie shrugged, then threw the blanket and saddle up onto Jo-Jo’s back.

Angel reached under to grab the long belt-like thing that wrapped around the horse’s middle, and he secured it on the other side of the saddle.

Jo-Jo stomped his foot.

“So,” Angel said. “Ready to see what it feels like to straddle a horse?”

“I think so.” I looked up at the saddle. Horses seemed a lot bigger in person than they did on TV.

“I’ll just take you on a small lead-around in the driveway so you can get used to the feel,” Angel said. “By the end of summer, you’ll be going on trail rides like it’s no big deal.”

It was hard to imagine, but I did like the peaceful image it conjured. I could use a little peace.

“Come on,” Angel coaxed. “Our horses are completely tame.”

“Tamer than any other animal you’ll find up here,” Melanie murmured.

I swallowed hard, remembering the deep scratch marks on the side of the stables. Toby had said it wasn’t a bear, while failing to mention what animal was actually to blame.

“You won’t let go of the leash?” I asked.

“Lead line,” Angel said. “And no. I won’t.”

I nodded, plucking up my courage. I had the strangest sense that whatever happened next, Reese would be watching.

8

REESE

Iwatched from my office window as Toby led Sarah on her tour, where they first stopped at the equipment barn. For a second, I wondered what they were talking about, but I didn’t let my curiosity linger there for long. Uncle Joe’s visit had reminded me that I needed to get a better handle on the books. Our father had left a mess, and I was worried.

It had taken me two weeks just to put the office into some semblance of order. I’d found a cardboard box full of receipts and mail—some opened, some not—that I still needed to go through, as well as the handwritten ledger where Dad recorded all of the business transactions.

This old-school system wasn’t the way I would have handled the finances, but it had worked for our father for fifteen years. At this point, it was best to figure out how he’d done it rather than starting from scratch.

I looked up and saw that Mel and Angel had met up with Toby and Sarah outside the stables. I had to wrench my attention back to the books.

I opened the calculator app on my phone, assuming I’d have the numbers worked out by lunchtime. But after running the first two columns of revenue and expenses, something wasn’t adding up.

Had Dad combined certain bills under this odd “Miscellaneous” category?

And what was this strangeH-m-Hnotation? It kept coming up. On at least three pages, if not more.

---