Desert of the Damned by Kathy Kulig Read Free Book Online Page B

stick.
    “We just finished a meeting with a representative from the park service and I’d like you to come to my office to discuss a project.”
    “Project?”
    He grimaced. “I know. It’ll mean an increase in workload.”
    “Normally we would welcome the work but I hear our accounts have been ordering excessively high numbers of tests.”
    “A little unusual but we’re fine.” She crossed her arms over her lab coat, hoping to give a professional appearance. “We may need to do some overtime if it continues.”
    “I understand. Shall we?” He led the way toward his office on the second floor, a few doors down from Dante’s. She wondered if Dante would be in Phil’s office too.
    Then she began to panic. She was so going to get fired. Was this a ruse to get her in his office to talk to her about her and Dante’s indiscretion? She took a breath and tried to relax. Guilty conscience, that’s all.
    33
    Kathy Kulig
    When they entered Phil’s office, a man was seated in a guest chair in front of the desk. His hair was not as dark as Dante’s and much shorter. The man turned and stood as they entered the room, his wide-brimmed park service hat in his hand.
    “Amy, this is Jake Montag from Saguaro National Park. Jake, this is our lab supervisor, Ms. Weston.” Phil pointed to a seat for Amy and began to flip through a file on his desk.
    The first thing she noticed was Jake’s cowboy boots beneath his tan park service uniform. Cowboy boots were something she didn’t see often in Florida but she thought they looked very sexy on a guy.
    Amy shook Jake’s hand and welcomed him. Looking her over, he smiled and his eyes widened as if he recognized her. She didn’t think she had met him before, although her mind raced through memories while her eyes were locked with his, trying to remember. Clear blue eyes, nearly the color of Truly’s deepest turquoise, shone with subtle sensuality and ruggedness. Shit. As if she didn’t have enough trouble she was getting hot for a new client while Dante wasn’t quite out of the picture yet. What was wrong with her?
    Jake had that rugged strength that made her think of backpacking trips, scaling mountains and horseback riding. Then she realized she was still holding his hand. Idiot.
    She pulled her hand away and stuck both hands in her lab coat. The realization that she had no underwear beneath her skirt did not help to keep her cool.
    Jake’s mouth curved in a smile, his eyes shone with an appreciative, knowing glint.
    She felt heat rise to her face. They both sat and stared at Phil, who seemed to have forgotten they were there. She gave Jake an awkward smile, wishing Phil wouldn’t waste a client’s time like this.
    “Would you like me to explain what’s been happening at the park, Phil? While you finish with what you’re doing?” Jake asked in a calm, professional tone. “I don’t want to keep Ms. Weston from her work.”
    He was sharp. Phil’s eyebrows rose. He looked up from his file. “Of course, Amy, I don’t want to keep you.”
    She smiled at Jake and thought she caught a slight wink. She guessed he was in his early to mid thirties, about her age. He had dark close-cropped hair with a few highlights. He probably spent extended amounts of time under the desert sun.
    Unlike Dante, who was always edgy and moody, Jake had a calm demeanor and unmistakable sexual magnetism that probably smoldered beneath the surface until the right woman came along…
    Phil closed the file and sat straighter in his chair. “This won’t take long. I’ll get right to the point,” Phil said. “Normally, the park service has the state lab handle animal testing like rabies for park animals in cases when a visitor gets bitten. Rarely does the park service need to run tests for other reasons. But this is an unusual circumstance…”
    Jake turned to Amy. “We’re not sure what’s killing so many animals.”
    “What kind of animals?” she asked.
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    Desert of the Damned
    “So