Across the table, Brody nodded.
“We’re not giving it away,” she said, her voice firm. “Not to them.”
Not to Liam.
“No one said we were.” Brody leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. “And Katie, if you want me to talk to Eric and ask that Liam be removed from the deal, I will.”
“I’m a big girl.” She stood, handing off her mostly full beer to Chad. “I can negotiate with my ex-lover.”
Chad closed his eyes. “Shit, Katie. If you bring that up, I might talk to Eric myself.”
“Let’s leave the past out of this.” But as she headed for the first floor study, she wondered if that was possible.
Taking a seat behind the desk, she went to work, pulling together the information Liam requested. This would give them a place to start negotiations. And buy her some time to secure the Black Hills contract.
Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket and Katie pulled it out, glancing at the out-of-state number on the screen.
“Hello?” she said.
“Katie Summers?”
“Yes.” Holding the cell with one hand, she hit print on the financial documents.
“Carol Lewis from Montana’s Safe Haven for Horses,” the woman said. “I apologize for calling you on a Sunday, but I’ve reviewed your résumé and I have an opening if you?
??re still looking.”
“Yes,” Katie said quickly.
“Great,” the woman on the other end of the line said. “The position is for interim director.”
“Director?” Katie squeaked. “That’s not possible. I mean, I’m hardly qualified.”
With no experience apart from caring for her own horses and only a college degree in business that she’d never used, Katie had expected to start in an entry-level position.
“Yes,” the woman said. “I’ve known the sheriff in your town for years. He heard I was looking for someone to run my facility for six months, maybe a year, and recommended you. He said you’d care for my horses as if they were your own. And that you’re more than capable of running a business. While I need someone to step into the director’s chair now, I would like to keep that person on after I return.”
“I would take excellent care of your horses,” she said, picturing the barns filled with animals needing a little extra love and care. “And I can handle the business side, ma’am.”
“Please call me Carol. Why don’t you take a couple of days to think it over and learn more about what we do here. One summer intern designed a Web site that offers an overview. I can answer any questions once you’ve had some time to think about whether this is what you’re looking for.”
“Yes.” Katie squeezed her eyes shut, excitement bubbling up inside her. This was what she’d been waiting for. “I’ll check out your Web site, but this job—it is exactly what I’ve been hoping for. More than that, really. It sounds like a dream come true.”
If only the timing was better.
Chapter 4
LIAM STEPPED OVER the toy train track running through the front room of his best friend’s sprawling timber frame home. “Eric? Georgia? Anybody home?”
“In here,” his sister called.
He navigated around a drawbridge, heading for the archway to the kitchen. He stepped inside and found Georgia standing by the stove in her “Hug a Logger” T-shirt and jean shorts. Eric sat beside his nephew at the kitchen table, piecing together what looked like a toy dinosaur.
“Hey stranger.” Georgia gave him a quick hug before returning to the stove. “Staying for dinner? Nate already ate, but after he goes to bed, Eric and I were planning to sit down for a grown-up meal.”
Liam glanced over at his friend, who was no longer looking at the plastic T-rex pieces. Eric was staring at Georgia, his gaze lingering over her backside. Liam’s jaw tightened. Not long ago, he’d caught Eric with his hands all over his sister. It had been a helluva way to find out his best friend and boss was sleeping with his little sister, who’d only recently returned from Afghanistan, and brought some serious baggage back with her. Liam had accepted their relationship, but he had zero interest in playing third wheel over dinner. And judging from the way Eric was watching Georgia, dinner might be delayed.
“No thanks,” Liam said. “I just stopped by on my way home to fill Eric in on my meeting with the Summers brothers.”