“You send them to Lawson Industries, right?”
“How’d you know that?” She wasn’t just some liberal, tree hugger. She’d done some research.
“Did you know that Lawson Industries doesn’t make sure that the cattle are unconscious after they drive that pole into their heads and send them along the production line?”
“It’s not a pole, it’s called a bolt gun and it instantaneously kills the brain. There isn’t a more humane way to die. No pain. Nothing, but sudden death, got it? Hell, I couldn’t ask for a quicker, easier way to die.”
“Then why don’t you go and take their place?”
He swallowed back another growl then wanted to pop his brother on the back of the head for chuckling. “Look, lady, I’ve seen their facility firsthand. They keep the cattle safe and calm up until that moment when they use the gun. Keeping the cattle calm and without injury leads to better, more tender meat. Why would Lawson do it any other way? Better meat means better sales.” Why was he bothering to argue with her? He knew the truth.
“Oh, sure. They’re really calm when they herd them into the pens and cram them together.”
“Lady—”
“My name is Mallory.”
He didn’t want to say her name. Calling her
lady
wasn’t as dangerous. Calling her Mallory made him think of the way she looked and the lyrical sound of her voice. Still, he wouldn’t mind trying her name on the tip of his tongue. He had a feeling that it would feel just right.
“Let me educate you a little. A good packing plant has lots of pens. When the cattle come in, they don’t cram the animals together like you’re saying. They break them into smaller groups with room to move before they drive them into a chute and into the plant. The chute’s high enough that the animals can’t see what’s going on and don’t get afraid.”
Why was he bothering explaining it? And yet, he knew why. She was special. Maybe more special than anyone he’d ever met.
“That’s what I said. They get herded inside to be killed in a brutal, cruel way.”
He almost lost it. His fangs erupted through his gums, and if Gunner hadn’t taken him by the shoulders and hauled him backward, he would’ve shifted in front of her.
“Mallory.” Gunner’s tone was softer. Then again, he was usually able to maintain his cool better than Rick could. “Where are you getting your information?”
“If you must know, from a neighbor of yours. He told me who you’re selling your cattle to. Lawson Industries is the worst of the worst.”
“Aw, fuck.” Rick heeded Gunner’s stern look to stay back. “I’ll bet anything it’s that damn were—” He stopped, all too aware of his near-slip. “That damn Burton Shenton.”
He doubted she would’ve admitted that he’d guessed correctly, but the subtle change in her expression and her quick blink told him that he’d guessed right.
“Not just from the neighbor, but from insider videos, too.”
Gunner laughed, throwing her a curve. “Let me guess. Videos off the Internet, right?”
Her expression gave her away again.
“Because everything you see and read on the Internet is factual and true, right?”
She swallowed, then crossed her arms. A challenge if Rick had ever seen one. “I’ve seen the videos. They aren’t faked.”
“Maybe not, but they are edited to get a certain shock value.”
“I disagree. From what I’ve seen—”
Rick couldn’t stand it any longer. The whatever-it-was he’d felt earlier had grown steadily stronger, adding to his attraction. He felt compelled to touch her, to feel her skin under his hands. She’d taken control of his mind as well as his body, urging him to forget that he’d just met her. Urging him to throw her over his back and take her home with him. Instead, he opted for a more civilized option.
He moved fast and took hold of her arms. The moment he did, he lost any chance of denying the compulsion.
An even more intense jolt of the electric current hammered at every nerve in his body. It wrapped around him, tightening, until he knew he couldn’t break free. Hell, he didn’t want to break free. From her stunned expression, she’d felt it, too.
Her friend moved to step between them, but she held him off. “It’s okay, Kid. I’m okay.”
The big guy eased away from her, but not too far. Rick figured that if the man wanted, he could take hold of Rick and send him flying.
Rick’s hands shook. What the hell was happening between them? Why did he want, hell, need to touch her so much that it ate at his gut?
“Mallory, we could run you off our land and have this done, but I don’t like the idea of you thinking that we treat our animals badly.” Gunner was de-stressing the situation.
Rick heard the strain in his voice. He had to be feeling it, too.
“How about this? Come and stay with us.” Gunner nodded at Kid. “Both of you. See how we run our ranch.”
“I don’t think—”
“Hang on before you say no. Don’t we deserve a fair hearing? If at the end of your stay, you still think we’re cruel, heartless bastards, then I’ll help you send out your video. Hell, I’ll even send one to Lawson.”
“I never called you heartless or bastards.”
He gave her the smile that so many women had found irresistible. “No, I guess you didn’t. So? What do you say? Will you give us a chance to prove you wrong?”
It was obvious that she was still unconvinced. Rick added his own incentive. The turmoil of lust she’d started inside him wouldn’t allow him not to. “I’ll have a friend of mine check into Lawson’s. Not that I think he’ll find anything wrong.”
“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.”
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?”
“Down, boy. Remember—”
“Yeah, I know. Remember why we’re here.”
Rick and Gunner sauntered over, then without pausing, waved them on to follow them into the house. Kid and she took one glance at each other, then hurried after them.
She hadn’t given any thought to what she’d expected the interior of their home to look like. Maybe with a grand staircase and large paintings of their ancestors? Instead, she saw rustic furnishings that spoke of easy comfort. She paused inside the foyer and did a circle to take in the rest of the place. The staircase wasn’t grand, as it led straight up to the second story. Although the furnishings seemed overly large, there weren’t a lot of pieces. The living room spread out in front of them while two open double doors led into a dining room and a sunlit kitchen. The dining room boasted a long wooden table and an assortment of chairs, while the kitchen was in need of updating from the seventies.
The strange current of energy that had caught her by surprise simmered over her again. Gunner was beside her, and although he was speaking to Kid, he had his attention fixed solidly on her.
“You guys can take the first two rooms at the top of the stairs and to the right. Rick’s room and mine are down the other way toward the end of the hallway. Feel free to freshen up. Rick and I need to get back out and take care of the horses.”
She wasn’t about to let the chance get past her. “How about if I come along? You know. For research.”
“So you think we’re abusing our horses, too?”
She liked the lift of the corners of Gunner’s mouth. He was teasing her, and yet, she didn’t mind. She had a feeling that she’d like anything he did. Both to and with her. “That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”
“Is it?”
What did that mean? When she looked into his eyes, those amazing brown depths threatened to consume her, and she knew exactly what he meant. She dropped her gaze, almost afraid that he could control her without saying another word.
“Follow us, Mallory.”
“Mal.”
He stopped as he headed toward the door, followed by Rick. “What?”
“People call me Mal. Short for Mallory.”
Rick shook his head. “Naw. That won’t work.”
“I’m sorry?” Was he trying to tell her that her name wasn’t any good? “Um, yeah. That’s my name.”
“Mal’s not good enough. Or pretty enough.” He sized her up, taking her in from the top of her head down to her toes. “I’m going to call you Mallory. That fits you better.”
All at once, she wished that she was dressed in something better than an old faded T-shirt and worn jeans. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she tried to smooth the wrinkles out of her shirt, then heard Kid’s chuckle.
“Whatever. I won’t be here long enough for it to matter.”
“If you say so…Mallory.” Rick smiled that shit-eating grin that both irritated her and thrilled her.
Gunner’s laugh was almost as loud as Kid’s as the men headed down the front porch and out to the barn.
The aroma of horses, hay, and a myriad of other smells hit her as soon as she entered the barn. Another set of double doors was open at the opposite side allowing air to circulate from one end to the other. After seeing a few other barns, she had to admit that theirs was well-maintained and clean. Large stalls with plenty of room for the horses to move around dominated two walls with a wide strip of land between them. Two rooms were on either side of the back doors that she assumed led into smaller rooms where more gear as well as medications and other supplies were stored. Saddles and bridles hung from hooks or were neatly arranged on shelves. Food was clearly labeled and protected in metal containers from insects and marauding vermin.
“Does it meet with your approval, Oh, Mistress of Animal Treatment?”
She’d quickly found out that Gunner was the jokester and Rick was the more serious of the two. The fact that Kid found Gunner’s jokes entertaining didn’t help. But she had to admit they were funny. Sometimes. “I don’t know yet. Let me give it a good looksee first.”