Broken Trails Read Free Page B

improved over the years. Talk is that she has a good shot at winning next year' all things being equal.”
    "A woman?”
    "Yeah.” Lainey felt her hackles rise at his tone. She forced herself to not respond to her defensiveness. In this case, Strauss had every right to be on his guard. She did not understand this bizarre instinct calling her back to a snow locked hinterland; she doubted he would either, even if she tried to explain it to him. In any case, this was still a potentially lucrative idea.
    "A good looker, no doubt.”
    “She's not bad on the eyes,” she said. Before he could go any further, she sat up, thrusting out her chin. "It's not about that.”
    Strauss feigned innocence. "About what, exactly?”
    Scoffing, she said, "It's not about a roll in the hay, Ben. I really think there's a story here.” Lainey attempted to appear earnest. That her idea involved her spending more time in the presence of Scotch Fuller only sweetened the pot.
    He frowned at her. "What about the cold? I know how it messes with your ribs. You're not going to do either of us any good if you're too racked with pain to get out in the field.”
    She dismissed his fears with a scornful expression. "Come on, it's been years since I've been anywhere that was below forty-five degrees. I admit I ached some on this trip, but it wasn't as bad as I expected,” she lied.
    His examination remained focused, as if he sensed her falsehood.
    "Oh, please,” Lainey said. "Besides, no piece of ass is worth that amount of aggravation. And she's straight.”
    She seemed to have pacified him, his suspicious expression fading. "All right. Say I go for it. What are you looking at for compensation?”
    Lainey grinned. If he was talking money, the gig was a sure bet. "Put me on the payroll from June through March of next year. I'll have to pay living expenses, and you know how much photojournalists make in a year. My savings account ain't going to cut it for that long.”
    Ever the journalist despite being the editor of a magazine these days, Strauss pulled a leather bound notepad from his breast pocket. As he scribbled a note, he asked, "What about copyright?”
    "It stays with me.”
    He looked at her from beneath his brows. "As much as I understand your end of the business, Lainey, my bosses aren't going to let that fly. I'm putting my neck on the line to hire you, as temporary as that will be, and with little immediate payoff. I need something to bargain with, or you peddle this story someplace else.”
    She narrowed her eyes in thought, staring at the street. The rain had stopped, though the sun remained muted by the clouds overhead. After a long pause, she said, "Okay. You retain copyright of what I send you. But I reserve the right to not send you everything. The salary pays for three full pictorial and written articles.”
    Strauss pursed his lips, and then nodded. ‘sounds fair. I know you won't stint on the articles at the magazine's expense.” He wrote the agreement down. "Let's get back to my office, and have the legal department draw up a contract. As of this afternoon, you'll be an official temporary employee of Cognizance.”
    Grinning, Lainey stood, and donned her jacket. She could not wait to get started. Her heart filled with enthusiasm, even though this was only the first step. There were still so many things she needed to get done, so many plans to make.
    She supposed now would be a good time to call Scotch Fuller and pitch the idea to her.
     
    CHAPTER THREE
    April
    SCOTCH DOLED THE last of breakfast into Idduna's bowl. The dog gazed at her with adoration, ignoring the food as she wriggled in pleasure. Dropping the feed pail, Scotch lavished her with a thorough scratching. Only then would Idduna attend her meal, a combination of moistened chow, rice and hot water.
    Around Scotch, the rest of the kennel greedily ate up their offerings. Her brother and sister had finished their sections, both threading through the canine population toward