Mallory's Bears(7)
“If I do, will you agree that I can report what I find? Without interference? Without editing on your part?”
“Yeah. If you can show me that we’re doing a bad job of treating our animals, then I’ll give you the green light myself. So do we have a deal or not?”
She glanced at her friend, then stuck out her hand. “Deal.”
Chapter Two
Dirt billowed into the air behind the van as Kid followed the directions that would take them to the home of the Northman brothers. Mallory hadn’t meant to take them up on their offer to stay with them. Why should she? She already had a witness to their brutality as well as photographic proof. She had no doubt that the packing plant the ranch used employed highly objectionable and even illegal means to kill the animals. But once she’d touched Rick’s hand, she hadn’t been able to turn down his offer. If she’d let all her inhibitions run wild, she would’ve jumped on top of him and slammed her mouth to his.
Talk about a shocker, both figuratively and literally.
And Gunner? She hadn’t touched him, but she’d experienced the same reaction of heightened awareness to his presence. It was like she was the lightning rod and they were the lightning.
She stared out the side window, absorbed by her thoughts and the strange, inexplicable sensations wreaking havoc to her nervous system. What was that weird vibration that had ripped into her? Was it sexual attraction? That was part of it. And who could blame her? The Northman brothers were drop-dead, take-me-now sexy.
But when had a handsome face and terrific body, even two of them, ever thrown her for a loop? She’d always been drawn more to geeks and men whose intelligence far outweighed their sexy appearance.
“Okay, I’ll say it. This is crazy. There’s no reason to stay with these men.”
She was about to agree when Kid kept on going.
“Except for the fact that they’re hotter than hell.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
As she’d known he would, Kid broke into one of his trademark booming laughs. “Riiight. I thought you were about to drool when Rick took hold of you.”
“Rick is it? You’re already calling him by his first name?”
Kid glanced down at the directions the men had scribbled on the back of a fast-food receipt Kid had pulled out of his pocket, then made a left turn onto another dirt road.
“What am I supposed to call him? Mr. Northman? I don’t think so. That’s not conducive to romance.”
She twisted around to gawk at him. “Romance? What are you talking about? Kid, are you interested in one of them? Because if you are, I can tell you that you’re not their type.”
“Why not? Because I’m big and beautiful?” He chuckled, the sound being almost as loud as his laugh. “Yeah, I know. They’re as straight as they come, all right. That, my girl, is a damn shame.”
“Will you try and remember why we’re here?” It was a reason she needed to remember as well. Why had she agreed to stay with them?
“I will if you will.”
“Don’t even go there, Kid. I am not attracted to these guys in the least.”
“Uh-huh. And I don’t love me a big old juicy steak.”
That was their one bone of contention. After learning how the animals were treated at the processing plant, she’d given up eating anything that had a face. But Kid still loved his burgers and steaks.
He caught the way she glared at him. “Yeah, yeah. I know what you’re thinking. I believe in everything you do, but I still recognize that I’m a meat eater and I’m not giving that up. All living things have a purpose in life, to provide food, shelter, or whatever.”
“And our purpose is to keep them safe.” They’d had the same argument a hundred times before, but she’d never give up trying to make him see the light. She had a feeling she’d be the same way with the Northman men.
“Now that’s what I call a house.”
She followed Kid’s gaze to the huge two-story, columns-in-the-front, Gone-with-the-Wind-style home that was up ahead. The sunlight made the white exterior of the home even brighter against the manicured bushes lining the house and the long driveway that led up to the wide steps ascending into the home.
“Good, God, Scarlett, did we just arrive at Tara?”
She couldn’t answer. She was too busy admiring the house. But her admiration shifted when she saw Rick and Gunner striding out of the huge red barn that was several hundred feet away from the house. The barn, although nothing as spectacular as the house, was well-kept.
Kid pulled the van up to the front of the home and waited for the Northman men to reach them. “Is it just me, or do they remind you of that old billboard ad? You know. The one where the rugged cowboy’s lighting up a cigarette?”