Too Close To Call

In fact, he thought it would be a very funny show. Stereotypical Alaska stuff, of course, but exactly what residents of the lower forty-eight would expect in a comedy series from the north.

The grizzly bear sequence in episode two was preposterous. The bears were still in their dens at Easter, and no one could get that close without having their head taken off. But, if the audience was willing to suspend their disbelief, he could see the humor.

He straightened the stack of packages that were ready to be handed out to the Board members. Jeffrey’s efficient secretary, Bonnie Greenbough, had copied and stapled them together over the past hour.

She seemed delighted to have Jeffrey back. She’d probably be even more delighted when the real Jeffrey arrived and didn’t brush off her friendly overtures with excuses about being busy. She seemed like a perfectly nice woman, and Jordan felt guilty avoiding conversations with her.

But he had to keep his head down and his mouth shut, and try not to make any mistakes. There were more people on one floor of the Argonaut office building than in the entire town of Alpine—and they all seemed to know exactly what they were doing. Unlike Jordan, who could barely find the rest room.

He was tiptoeing through a minefield.

His office door opened, and he glanced up, hoping it was Bonnie.

It wasn’t.

A drop-dead gorgeous, nattily dressed, perfectly made-up woman strolled through the doorway and snapped the door shut behind her, pausing to lean against it. “Well, well, well,” she drawled. “The prodigal returns.”

Jordan pushed back in his chair and watched the woman saunter across the large office. “Ashley Baines. In the flesh.”

Jeffrey had mentioned her several times.

And Rob had mentioned her too, while pointing out her picture in the company’s annual report.

Evidently, the “iron maiden” was Jeffrey’s competition for this promotion. Both men had spoken of her with a mixture of awe and fear.

Jordan didn’t think she looked all that scary as she folded herself into one of the guest chairs. She arched a perfect brow over glowing blue eyes and gave him a quick, dispassionate once-over.

Scary, no.

Challenging, definitely.

Her crisp, burgundy jacket and the narrow, matching skirt told him she meant business. But her blond braid was like a flash of sunshine in the dark, ostentatious office, and her trim body was the stuff of Jordan’s favorite fantasies.

“When did you hit town?” She crossed one leg over the other, showing off tanned, toned calves that held Jordan’s attention a little too long.

Maybe that was what scared Jeffrey and Rob so bad. The woman was sexy enough to be lethal.

Good thing Jordan was brave. Good thing he’d taken self-defense training. In fact, he’d be prepared to wrestle her on the carpet if push came to shove.

He’d be prepared to wrestle her at length.

Naked, if necessary.

He dragged his gaze back to her face. “Got in last night,” he answered her question.

She zeroed in on the pile of presentations sitting on the wide desk in front of them. Her eyebrows twitched with interest.

He reached out and flipped the papers facedown.

“Scared?” she asked.

He cocked his head to one side. “Of you?”

She laughed at the tone of incredulity, and the sound trickled through him like clear stream water. That laugh sure didn’t mesh with the personality Jeffrey had described.

“Of my series,” she said.

“We’re ready to give you a run for your money.” He patted the pile of upside-down papers, considering the merits of locking them in one of the desk drawers until the meeting. Who knew how far she’d go if she happened to stroll into his office and find it empty?

“Can’t wait to see it,” she said. “But I came to tell you that if you have any tweaking to do, you’ve caught a break.”

“A break?” he asked.

“The meeting’s been put off until Friday.”

Jordan rocked forward in his chair. Friday? He didn’t have until Friday. He’d signed up for one day in L.A., not five days in L.A. “How the hell did that happen?”

“Stroke of a pen by the chairman of the board’s secretary.” She looked smug, and a little self-satisfied. She’d obviously been pivotal in postponing the meeting. But, why? What did she have to gain?

She couldn’t know his secret already. Could she?

He gazed into her clear blue eyes for signs that he was caught.

She stared back, poker-faced, not giving a thing away.

Jordan had never been any good at mind games. He much preferred the straight-ahead approach. Like a wrestling match on the floor of the office—winner got the promotion.

He wondered if she’d go for it.

“Friday at ten,” said Ashley.

“I have an appointment on Friday.” In Alpine, Alaska. Running his company. Wally had only convinced him to do this much because he was the closest thing Jordan had to family.

“So, cancel,” she said.

“It’s not that simple.”

The storm was forecast to last most of the week, so there was no hope of Jeffrey making it back to save the day.

Forget the possibility that Jordan would be caught before Friday, his employees back home were depending on him. The airline wasn’t going to run itself.

She smirked, and shrugged her slim shoulders. “Then don’t show. I don’t mind.”

Then she nodded at the stack of papers, leaning slightly forward in her chair. “I hear yours is set in Alaska.”

“Arctic Luck,” said Jordan, then immediately wondered if he’d made a mistake. Jeffrey had distinctly told him not to share any information with Ashley.

“What’s the title?” she asked.