Page 53 of Into the Lion's Den (Secrets of the Northland Shifters)

“That’s bullshit.”

He frowned. “It was a sound business decision. Eighteen thousand is way cheaper than the cost of a trial.”

“I guess.”

“And the anniversary party you’re planning will make up for it. Then it’s just a matter of having a good rest of the year to get caught up on the debts my father stuck us with.”

“Right. About your father…”

A crease formed between his eyebrows.

“I’ve been doing some research on that patch you found with the partial logo.”

Reese swiped his hand through the air. “I’m sorry I said anything to you about it. Don’t waste your time.”

“You don’t want to find who’s responsible?”

“That’s not the job I hired you to do.”

His growly tone made me want to cower, but I held my ground. There had to be a way to get our professional relationship back on track.

“Clearly you’re upset,” I said. “Maybe we should talk about the other night. I—”

“There’s nothing to talk about. And in regard to that logo, I’ve got bigger problems right in front of me.” He looked down at the mess on his desk. “I need to deal withthesebefore anyone goes chasing what’s happened in the past.”

The way he said it, I got the idea that our kitchen encounter was one of his problems from the past.

I hesitated before saying something more, carefully choosing my words. “Reese…I know we don’t know each other well.”

“No,” he clipped, and his obvious annoyance with me graduated into a burst of full-blown irritation. “We don’t. We don’t know each other at all.”

I rocked back on my heels. This was not the guy from the first-aid cabinet. This was not the guy from the barn, or from the kitchen.

“Well,” I whispered, refusing to be intimidated. There must be something I could share about myself without revealing too much—something that would let him see me as more than the idiot who led him on in the kitchen, then ducked under his arm and bolted for her room. “Maybe we should change that.”

Reese rolled his eyes just as someone entered the room behind me.

“Maybe we should changewhat?” Angel asked.

I glanced over my shoulder at him while Reese answered his brother’s question.

“Sarah was suggesting we should get to know each other better. Maybe we could even have a sleepover and a pillow fight? Share all our secrets?”

I turned back toward Reese with full-blown annoyance. I didn’t appreciate his sarcasm. “Don’t be an ass. I didn’t say any of that last part, and I don’t have any secrets.”

Reese grunted with disdain.

“Well, that’s good,” Angel said, humor crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Reese doesn’t have any secrets either, and as for that sleepover, I’ve got a great idea.”

“What kind of great idea?” Reese asked.

“Sarah should come with us on the trail ride and camp out.”

I held up my hands, palms facing out in a gesture meant to stop this conversation in its tracks. “Uh…I don’t think horses and I mix.”

“That was a freak thing with Jo-Jo,” Angel said. “We’ll make sure there aren’t any burrs in your saddle pad this time.”

“I’m not ready to ride an actual animal.”

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