Too Hot to Handle (Jackson Hole 2)

“Yes, ma’am. The detective called and I emailed them right to him.” Much to Merry’s relief he’d sounded bored out of his mind and hadn’t even replied to her email.

“Whoever has done this, the police now have a file and I’m sure they will diligently pursue all leads.”

“Great,” she said.

Kristen leaned forward. “I’m almost sure I heard a noise last night. Someone sneaking around the barn.”

Oh, no. Merry had given this poor woman a complex. She was about to reassure her and was reaching out to pat her hand when Levi snorted.

“Good Lord, woman, there were thirty-mile-per-hour winds when that storm blew through at midnight. Not to mention you’ve got ten horses in that barn and a groom living in an apartment above the stables. What exactly did you hear that sounded like sneaking around?”

“I know the sounds of my own house, Levi!” she snapped.

Jeanine scowled the way she always did when reminded it was no longer her house.

“So!” Merry interrupted, just as Jeanine was drawing that distinctive deep breath that indicated she was about to get self-righteous. “That’s great news about the police. I’m glad they’re taking this seriously. But moving on to something more uplifting, I’ve put together a press kit. If you’d all open up your folders…” She passed folders around the table. They weren’t customized with images of Providence, but the clean white gloss looked nice.

“Press kits,” exclaimed Harry. “That sounds serious.”

“Oh, I am dead serious,” Merry said. “The first thing you’ll notice is the brochure. Now please keep in mind that the font and layout of ‘Providence Ghost Town’ is just an idea. I think it’s perfect, but the graphic designer is more than willing to make changes.”

“Graphic designer?” gasped Kristen. “I’m sure we didn’t authorize that expense.”

“The initial cost was only seventy-five dollars. If we want a logo, it’ll be about $150 more. It’s really not a big expense.”

Kristen stared her down.

“I…” Merry sat straighter. “I understand that the board hasn’t approved a budget for me, and this isn’t a cost of normal operation. I’m willing to cover the seventy-five dollars myself.”

Levi waved her off.

Merry nodded. “The brochure is just a mock-up, but I had a short run printed so you could get a better idea of—”

“Another unapproved expense?”

Merry met Kristen’s eyes and nodded. “Yes. But if we’re going to have a press kit, we need something to show. And if we’re going to move forward with this project, we need a press kit.”

“The brochure is damn pretty,” Harry said, cutting a little of the tension in the room.

“Thank you. I think it gives you a good idea of my plans for Providence. I envision weather-resistant placards in front of each building printed with information about the place. What it was used for or who lived there. We can include earlier photos of the building, if we have them, or photos of the building before it was restored, if that’s applicable. And pictures of the families and founders, of course. In the main building—”

“Ms. Kade,” Jeanine snapped. “This meeting was called to address the threats we’ve received. Not to come up with a plan for steps we haven’t even decided to take.”

Crap. She’d noticed that, had she?

“Okay. That’s fair enough. But we do all agree we should move forward with a story in the local paper?”

Jeanine and Kristen didn’t look pleased, exactly, but who could object to a favorable news story? Levi and Harry were still looking eagerly through the brochure. Marvin might have been sleeping, but Merry would take that as agreement.

“There’s also a nice bio sheet in the folder about Gideon Bishop and his statements about why he wanted to open Providence to the public.” Both women immediately tore the sheet from their folders and began to scan it. “That’s open to correction, of course.”

“Yes,” Jeanine said tightly. “There are a few mistakes here.”

Kristen tossed her a glare and went back to reading.

“So,” Merry said, folding her hands on top of the table. “Does anyone have a good contact at the paper?”

Harry looked up. “My niece works at the paper. She’s a darn good writer, too.”