Free Gold Fire by Starr Ambrose

gave him a warning stare, then climbed up beside him. For a couple of minutes they both concentrated on the thick buns stuffed with meat and cheese, and oozing with sauce.
    Brandon finally swallowed and smiled with utter contentment. “Heaven.”
    “Amen,” Jase agreed. He took another bite, relishing the perfection of his world—the best scenery, the best food, and his best friend.
    “It’s been a long time since you looked at a woman like that.”
    “Oh, for Christ’s sake.” Jase lowered his sandwich. “You’re not going to leave it alone, are you?” At Brandon’s bland look, he ripped off a bite and spoke around it. “Fine, get it out of your system. What’s the problem with Zoe Larkin?”
    “Nothing. I don’t even know her. Might be a wonderful person.”
    “So?”
    “So she and her older sister, Maggie, had a hell of a reputation in this town when they were teenagers. They grew up at some hippie commune in the mountains anddidn’t exactly make a smooth adjustment to town life. Wild parties. Easy sex, if you believe the stories.”
    “I’ve heard the rumors. What’s the point?”
    “ That’s the point. By the time you quit skiing and started noticing the rest of the world, they’d both done a total one-eighty. But you heard about them. You’d still hear about them if you asked around. That kind of reputation takes a long time to die.”
    “Sucks for them. But it doesn’t affect me.”
    “It might if you start something with Zoe.”
    Jase gave him a hard look. “I guess you didn’t hear me the first three times.”
    “Didn’t have to hear you. I saw you looking at her all night long.”
    Jase shifted uncomfortably and knew he couldn’t deny it. No matter how hard he tried, he hadn’t been able to get Zoe Larkin out of his mind.
    He stared at the swirling water for several seconds. A similar churning sensation ran through the depths of his mind. “The Alpine Sky wants to buy the saloon,” he finally said. “Zoe’s the negotiator.”
    Brandon lowered his sandwich. “Holy shit!”
    “My reaction exactly.”
    “Are you thinking of selling?”
    “Hell, no.”
    “Good.” Reassured, Brandon took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. “Why do they want the saloon—tired of the competition?”
    “Hardly. We don’t have the same customers. They want to tear it down and put a golf course on my fifty acres.”
    “Damn! I like that land.” He frowned thoughtfully. “Like golf, too. And I can see how it makes goodbusiness sense for the resort.” The creases deepened on his forehead. “B-Pass probably wouldn’t mind the extra taxes and tourist money, either. Bet they’d rezone quick enough. But—” He shook his head. “Hell, we’ve got enough development on the slopes. Too much. I like your land the way it is.”
    “So do I.” He liked his life the way it was, too, without worries or responsibilities. The thought of losing that made him even more uncomfortable than losing out to a golf course.
    They ate in silence for a while. Finally, Brandon said, “So if you told them no deal, why is Zoe still coming around?”
    “Did you see the guy with Zoe? That’s the owner’s son. He says, and I quote, ‘ People sometimes change their minds .’”
    Brandon looked at him, his expression gradually turning cold as he followed the implications. “Is that what happened to your truck?”
    “I’d put money on it.”
    Bandon narrowed his eyes. “Is Zoe Larkin in on it?”
    The three-million-dollar question. “I wish I knew.”
    They pondered it for a minute before Brandon asked, “What else can they do to pressure you?”
    Jase shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’ll bet you a day’s pay I’m going to find out soon.”
    “A day’s pay ain’t shit, lately, especially with our little company. Orders are down. We could use something new to grab the customers’ attention.”
    He knew it, and had been resisting Brandon’s hints to come up with a product for the winter sports equipment