Free Taming the Moguls by Christy Hayes

man. How old was she? Was she hot?”
    Tommy tossed a log into the wheelbarrow after
shooting Patrick a withering stare. “That’s the best you can come
up with?”
    “You’re single. I’m divorced. I’ve slept with
women for lesser reasons.”
    Tommy tightened his grip on a piece of wood
and didn’t even feel the sting of the splinter that pierced his
finger. “Don’t go there.”
    “Women divulge things to their lovers.”
    Tommy unclenched his jaw and clapped dirt
from his hands after tossing the log into the wheelbarrow. “We do
this above board.” Although the thought of siccing Patrick on
Gretchen did have a twisted kind of appeal. “We’ve come this far
doing everything right. It’s not worth selling our souls.”
    Patrick let out a howling laugh. “She must be
dog ugly if you equate sleeping with her to selling your soul.
Maybe I’ll ask Dodge. Heard you let him sit in on the meeting.”
    Tommy should have expected Patrick’s
jealousy. “I wanted another man’s take on the meeting. Waste of
both our time.”
    “I’m sick and tired of waiting on that damn
study. What is taking the forest service so long?”
    “Maybe no news is good news.” Tommy wanted
Patrick gone. He was tired, freezing, and his mood was getting
worse by the minute. Tommy couldn’t take an afternoon off without
somebody coming around.
    “Or maybe no news gives us time to do some
digging.”
    “What kind of digging?”
    Patrick shrugged. “I don’t know. Everybody’s
got a weakness. Holcomb’s proved too high up on the food chain to
touch, but his lady friend might have some low hanging fruit.”
    Tommy stood up straight under the guise of
stretching his back. He needed to see Patrick’s expression. “What
do you mean?”
    “Everyone has a price. Maybe we can afford
hers.”
    “Drop it, Patrick.”
    “Why? You had no problem with it when I had
Daddy’s detective look for dirt on Holcomb.”
    “Holcomb’s different. He’s in charge. She was
just sent here on assignment. Her life doesn’t change whether the
development goes through or not.”
    “You think she’s not going to profit when
this thing gets approved? She’s probably getting a cut of the
action.”
    “Doesn’t matter. We don’t operate like that.”
Patrick mumbled something under his breath as he followed Tommy to
the shed. “What’s that?” Tommy asked.
    “Nothing.” They stacked wood in silence until
the wheelbarrow was empty. “I gotta hit the road.” Patrick dug his
keys from his pocket. “I’ll see you around.”
    Tommy watched Patrick’s truck disappear down
the drive and shook his head. Stupid hothead thought he knew
everything.
     

 
    Chapter 17
    Lyle gritted his teeth as he helped Kevin
carry his suitcases inside the cabin. Just because he’d agreed to
let his brother stay with him didn’t mean he was happy about it.
His brother had been a pig growing up, and Lyle expected the
cabin—and his office—to remain in a state of disarray. Lyle was
forced to move his desk into a corner of his already cramped
bedroom to allow for the queen-sized blow-up mattress their mom had
let Kevin borrow.
    “If this is temporary, why do you have so
much stuff?” Lyle asked.
    “I’m not going home, remember?”
    “Have you heard anything on the house in
Denver?”
    “Nothing, but I wasn’t expecting to. It’s
only been a week.”
    It felt like a year. “You talked to Shiloh
yet?”
    “I’m going today. Figure I’ve given her
enough time to get over being mad.”
    “So why are we bothering moving you in and
setting up this bed? If she’s over being mad, won’t you make other
arrangements?”
    “Like what?” Kevin plugged the mattress into
the wall, and it began to inflate. “Stay with her parents? No
way.”
    Lyle dropped his hands on his hips. “Here?
Both of you here?”
    “I don’t know.” Kevin let out a breath and
looked up at Lyle. Lyle had never seen such a vulnerable expression
on his brother’s face. “Go ahead