A Bargain with the Boss Read Online Free PDF Page A

It looks to me as though he’s traveling light.”
    Tuck had to agree with that. “What’s he up to, switching transportation in two different cities?”
    â€œHe’s up to not being found. And he’s doing a damn good job of it. Any chance he’s got a secret life?”
    â€œA secret life?”
    â€œDoing things that he can’t tell anyone about. He does travel a lot. And he runs in some pretty influential circles.”
    â€œAre you asking if my brother is a spy?”
    Jackson’s shrug said it was possible.
    â€œIf there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past week, it’s that Dixon couldn’t have had time for anything but Tucker Transportation. You wouldn’t believe the amount of work that crosses his desk.”
    â€œDon’t forget you’re doing your dad’s job, as well,” Jackson pointed out.
    â€œEven accounting for that. I’m starting to wonder...”
    Tuck wasn’t crazy about saying it out loud. But he had to wonder why they hadn’t asked for his help before now. Was he truly that inept?
    â€œYou’re a smart guy, too.” Jackson seemed to have guessed the direction of Tuck’s thoughts.
    â€œI don’t know about that.”
    â€œWell, I do. Your dad and Dixon, they probably got into a rhythm together early on. And you never seemed that interested in working at the company.”
    â€œI tried.” Tuck couldn’t keep the defensiveness from his voice. “In the beginning, I tried. But I always seemed to be in the way. Dad definitely didn’t want me around. Dixon was his golden boy. After a while you get tired of always barging your way in.”
    â€œSo you’re in it now.”
    â€œI am. And it’s scaring me half to death.”
    Jackson grinned. “I’ve been in the thick of it with you before. I can’t picture you being afraid of anything.”
    â€œThis isn’t the same as a physical threat.”
    â€œI’m not just talking about a barroom brawl. Remember, I’m running a company of my own.”
    â€œThat’s right.” Tuck perked up at the thought of getting some free advice. “You are. How big is it now?”
    â€œFour offices, here in Chicago, New York, Boston and Philly.”
    â€œHow many employees?”
    â€œAbout two hundred.”
    â€œSo you could give me a few tips?”
    â€œTucker Transportation is on a whole different scale than I am. You’re better off talking to your friend Shane Colborn.”
    â€œI’m better off finding Dixon.”
    â€œI’ll fly to Charlotte in the morning.”
    â€œYou need a jet?”
    Jackson cracked a grin. “I’m not going to say no to that offer. Sure, hook me up with a jet. In the meantime, check out his computer.”
    â€œI’ll get Amber to help.”
    â€œAmber?”
    â€œDixon’s trusty assistant.”
    An image of Amber’s pretty face came up in his mind. He wasn’t normally a fan of tailored clothes and no-nonsense hairstyles. But she seemed to look good in anything.
    And then there were those shoes. She wore a different pair every day, each one sexier than the last. Something was definitely going on beneath the surface there. And the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to figure out what really made her tick.
    * * *
    When Tuck strode into the office Monday morning, Amber’s hormones jumped to attention. He was dressed in a pair of faded jeans, a green cotton shirt and a navy blazer. His dark brown hair had a rakish swoop across the top, and his face had a sexy, cavalier day’s growth of beard.
    He definitely wasn’t Dixon. Dixon’s confidence was never cocky. And Dixon had never made her heart pump faster and heat rise up her neck.
    â€œI need your help,” he stated without preamble.
    Amber immediately came to her feet. “Is something wrong?”
    â€œCome with me.” His walk