His Bear Hands (Bear Creek Grizzlies Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

"Breakfast is served. Don't expect this every morning, young lady. Just your first day at the lodge."
    "Thanks." Her stomach growled and Zoe mustered the energy to prop herself up and eat. Maybe sugar and coffee together would keep her awake. Since Simon apparently had a long list of chores for her to complete. "How do you weed a garden?"
    He smiled, light brown hair tousled across his forehead, and flipped a pancake in the skillet. "Maybe we'll tackle that later this afternoon. Not sure I want to turn you loose against the vegetables without you knowing what to look for."
    "Well," she said, pointing her fork at where Simon had disappeared. "Someone told me to weed the garden."
    Ethan leaned back against the counter next to the cooktop as he rolled up a pancake and dunked it in some syrup, studying her with an odd expression on his face. "So you're some kind of computer genius?"
    Zoe made a face and concentrated on the delicious pancakes. "I guess. I like computers more than people."
    "I like animals more than people." He smiled with half his mouth. "You'll fit right in. Can you fix the wifi here as well?"
    "Probably. But Simon told me not to touch anything." She wiped syrup from her chin. "Other than the dishes, I think."
    "I'll talk to him." Ethan loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and started scrubbing the pan. "But you should double-check your marching orders."
    Irritated, Zoe checked her phone — still no reception — and shoved away from the kitchen island to go find Simon. She never cooked, not when there were dozens of delivery and takeout places in her neighborhood. Then she didn't have to worry about cleaning up. Who wanted to spend time doing dishes when there were a lot more interesting things to see and do? The wood floor creaked under her feet as she wandered down the wide hall to where Simon disappeared; she still carried her coffee, hoping to leech some warmth and energy out of it.
    The door to his office stood open and she peeked inside. Simon sat behind an enormous wooden desk in the small room, a couple of bookshelves lining the walls, and frowned at a massive ledger book open in front of him. She hesitated in the doorway, uncertain of her welcome, and jumped as he said, "If you're coming in, come in."
    Zoe edged into the room and wandered around the perimeter, studying the titles on the books, and dared a glance at him. Simon made a note in the ledger before he leaned back in the chair, studying her with a neutral expression. Zoe flushed but didn't know why, and finally spoke. "What's that?"
    He glanced down at the ledger, then back at her. "It's how I do the bookkeeping."
    "On paper?" Zoe blinked, at a loss for words. "People still do that?"
    "We do." He carefully closed the ledger and folded his hands on top of it, waiting patiently for her next question.
    Zoe gulped some coffee to buy time, with no idea why he made her so nervous. He just sat there, so quiet and still, as if he feared startling her. "You should automate. Get a computer and one of the accounting programs. It'd be a lot faster. Easier to audit. I bet you'd find some places to save money, too."
    "Thank you, but I'm fine with this." He patted the ledger, dark eyes tracking her every move as Zoe paced.
    "I could set it up for you." She forced the words out in a rush. "It would be easy and I think it would help. I'm much better at that kind of stuff than weeding or cleaning or cooking. I swear. It would really —"
    "Thank you for the offer, I appreciate it, but I'll keep doing things this way."
    She gulped, a little hurt, but shrugged. "I just think —"
    "I'd prefer not to let a master criminal set up my accounting software," he said, and even the hint of a smile didn't take the sting out of his words.
    Zoe rocked back on her heels. She flushed, felt adrenaline rush through her and make her hands cold as she struggled to find something to say. She hadn't thought he would judge her like that. She gnawed on her lower lip and looked at the