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Industries, however, hadn’t sat well with Gunner. If it was true, then they’d want no part of them. “What if she won’t change her mind? How’s she ever going to fit in with a bunch of bears? We like meat and that’s not going to change.”
    “I guess we could always start eating like real bears do. They’re more omnivorous than we are. It must be the human side of us that craves meat.”
    “If you think I’m going to eat berries and flowers, you can think again.” He didn’t like fruit much and wasn’t a big fan of vegetables or fish, either.
    “Let’s worry about our diet later. Until then, we have to work on getting her to accept the fact that she’s our woman. After that, we can show her our bear sides. Getting her to accept that we raise cattle for people to eat isn’t big on my list. Let’s take this one problem at a time.”
    His mouth was dry from all the talking. The cooler full of beer was still inside the house where he’d left it.
    “Do you think she could be right about Lawson’s?”
    “Damn. I hate to even think that way.”
    He agreed, but he couldn’t shake the gnawing gut feeling. She’d been so damn sure. “Let’s get Tyler Hastings to put it on high priority. He lives close enough to Lawson’s facility that he can schedule an impromptu visit. If we were nearby, we could do it, but there’s no time to run up north and check them out ourselves. Not with our cattle getting killed.”
    “Lawson’s always had a clean record. Why doubt them now? Because of what she said?”
    “That and a gut feeling. Besides, she could have it right. We haven’t visited the place in over a year. If she’s right, I want to know.”
    Gunner pulled back the edge of a foil wrapper sitting in the corner of the grill. Instead of finding the usual diced potatoes inside, he found various vegetables including zucchini, potatoes, onions and both green and red peppers. He smiled, knowing his brother had prepared the roasted vegetables for her more than for themselves.
    “Just tell him not to make it obvious that we’re checking up on them. I wouldn’t want to ruin a solid business relationship because of rumors.”
    Rumors, whether based on fact or not, could kill a business. “I hope you cooked enough. That Kid guy looks like he could pack away a side of beef by himself.”
    “Yeah, I have another pound of thawed hamburger in the fridge, too.”
    “Good thinking.” Gunner slapped him on the back. “Then again, that’s what you’re good at. Thinking.”
    “At least one of us is.”
    “Bullshit.” Gunner lifted his hands like a surgeon waiting for the nurse to help get his surgical gloves on. “Still, I bet she’d rather have a man who’s good with his hands instead of his head.”
    “If you ask Mallory, I think she’d tell you that I’m good at that, too.”
    “Fuck you, bro.” Yet he was smiling as he headed back to the house.

Chapter Three
     
    Mallory stared down at the charred piece of dead animal on her plate. She bit back a curse then brought her gaze to Gunner. “This is a joke. It has to be.”
    Both he and Rick feigned ignorance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mallory.”
    The tingle warped into her again when he called her Mallory, just as Rick had done. “The hell you don’t. Do you really think I’m going to eat this?”
    Gunner shrugged, keeping up the pretense. “How should I know? Just because you’re investigating us for cruelty to animals, doesn’t mean you don’t eat steak. Would you rather have a hamburger?”
    “No. Thank you.” They were baiting her, trying to make her angry. And damn it all, if they weren’t succeeding. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of getting upset at them. Instead, she stabbed the offending steak, plopped it back onto the platter with the other meat, and scooped up a generous spoonful of vegetables.
    Kid sat beside, but even then tried to sneak a burger onto his plate without her noticing. When she gave