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Piers locked eyes with Maggie. He silently urged her to stay quiet about a matter that was nobody’s business.
“Maggie.” Hugh’s presence alone commanded cooperation. Piers guessed that the man got what he wanted, when he wanted it, and any infraction would result in punishment around here.
Maggie folded her lips before hurrying forward. She leaned in to whisper to Hugh, her longer hair swinging forward to conceal most of her expression. When she straightened, she made a beeline for the door.
Hugh pointed at Ash. “Tell the accountant that we’ll be speaking with her next.”
A collective noise rippled around the table as everybody shifted in their seats or issued sighs.
Damn, this was going to be worse than a few lowball horse sales or low numbers of visitors coming to the ranch during the peak of winter when travel was the most difficult.
This was about one of their own.
Nobody wanted to get Avril in trouble. She was a great employee and as devoted as they came. So what if there were rumors flying about her? It wasn’t their business.
Slowly, Ash pushed away from the table and walked out of the room. The slump of his shoulders showed just how much he hated this task.
Seconds later, he returned with the brunette responsible for keeping the books on the ranch. Her steps lagged and she didn’t look up from her red cowgirl boots—if she could even see her feet around the pregnant bulge of her stomach.
When she finally looked up at the bosses, she threw her shoulders back. “You want to talk to me?”
Riggs traded a look with Hugh. “Maybe it’s better to speak in private after the meeting here.”
Avril flounced over to an empty seat and plunked into it. “I don’t have anything to hide.”
Hugh shifted his broad shoulders as if her declaration made him uncomfortable.
Avril looked him boldly in the eyes. “I’m guessing that you want to know who fathered my child. Well, the truth is…that I don’t know.”
* * * * *
“Damn. That woman’s got some brass cajones.” Ash shook his head.
“You gotta admire her grit.” Piers strode toward the building where indoor activities took place in inclement weather. The space also served meals round the clock, which came in handy since the Boot Knockers kept their clients awake long into the night and they needed sustenance.
When they entered, the scent of Ash’s favorite baked ziti flooded his senses. He was always starving, but after that meeting, he’d lost a bit of his appetite.
By unspoken agreement, he and Piers strolled to the buffet and each grabbed a platter.
Without much enthusiasm, he scooped ziti on his dish. The hall was pretty dead right now, but in two days’ time, it would be lively thanks to the next group of women.
Piers selected the ziti too. He grabbed two thick slices of garlic bread and set them on the plate as well.
Ash offered him salad, but Piers shook his head.
“Have you seen your next client’s file yet?” Ash didn’t feel like discussing their next clients, but he really didn’t want to recount what happened in that meeting with Avril.
Piers grunted. “No. You?”
“Nope. I’ll be honest, it doesn’t seem coincidental that we haven’t seen the files and the bigwigs came from Texas. They said they aren’t shutting us down, just looking into operations, but it seems sketchy to me.”
Ash sauntered to the cooler and grabbed a bottle of spring water. “They seem like good guys, but I don’t like them wielding power over us up here in Alaska. We’ve been running things just fine.”
Piers pushed a sigh out through his nostrils. “I hope Avril is allowed to stay on.” He pitched his voice lower. “She can’t afford to lose her job now.”
They traded a look. Whenever he was upset, being in Ash’s presence was a comfort. He always knew what Ash was thinking or feeling without a word being spoken. They’d been friends longer than lovers, and the physical intimacy only brought more to their relationship. When they signed on with The Boot Knockers, they told them that they came as a package. Luckily, on the ranch, that behavior was encouraged.
With plates in hand, they crossed the room to their usual table that overlooked a stunning view of the mountains. Though it was spring, they were still capped with snow while the rest of the land was growing lush and green. Spring brought another thought to mind—soon they’d have to move the herd of cows to their summer pasture.
