Paper Horses (Paper Memories #2)

Chapter 1

Liv

The noise from the city bustle assaulted my ears.

Horns blared, and people complained as they talked on their phones, ignoring the world as they rushed by.

I stepped from the car, disregarding the driver as he told me to have a nice day, and walked the straight path to the building.

My heels clicked on the marble floor when I passed through the door.

Gold with silver accents because my father had enjoyed flaunting his money… in a tasteful, elegant way of course.

I nodded to Bruce, the morning guard, when he greeted me, making my way to the elevator and using my key card to access the executive offices.

I stared at my nails, holding my hand out and debating if I should have chosen another color.

Manic mauve. A color I’d picked on a whim but now seemed too dark.

The elevator pinged, letting me know I was on the top floor.

As I adjusted my purse and walked through the opening doors, our secretary, Paula, greeted me with her typical chipper manner, which, without my morning coffee, caused me to bristle even more than usual.

Gabe had bribed me to come in early with the offer to pick up my caffeinated necessity, which was the only reason I was in the office before ten.

I dropped my bag on my desk, noticing Tori’s office was empty and assuming I would find her in Gabe’s office, preferably fully clothed.

I’d made the mistake of walking in on their playtime once, and that had been enough to scar me for life.

Stretching my arms, I stifled my yawn and headed to Gabe’s office. The skirt on my black dress fell just above my knees, and the material made a crisp swishing sound with my steps. A sound that made me regret the purchase.

My knuckles rapped on the door. Three loud knocks that ensured they heard me. It was too early to handle seeing anything that might traumatize me.

Barging in, I said, “If you two are going at it, I’m going to gouge my eyes out.”

Both heads lifted, and Gabe glared at me but didn’t remove his hand from Tori’s thigh, which was conveniently at his disposal since she was sitting on his desk.

“Can’t you two do that in the morning before you get here?” I complained, smoothing my skirt under me as I sat.

“We do,” Gabe grumbled, giving Tori’s leg a squeeze. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want more.”

My eye roll was prominent enough to hurt. “Gross.”

“Good morning to you, too, Liv,” said Tori, hopping from the desk. She adjusted her skirt and gave my brother a kiss on the cheek. “I have a call I need to prep for, so I’ll let you two talk.”

“Lunch?” Gabe said before she could make it to the door.

“Geez, Gabe, you see her every day. You live with her.”

“And I eat lunch with her, grouch.”

“Lunch at one,” she said, looking between us and chuckling. “I seriously don’t know how you two have worked together for so long.”

“Because she never works, and she’s barely here.”

My glare turned lethal but didn’t deter his goofy grin.

“You have my permission to hit him, Liv.”

“I don’t need your permission,” I snapped, but the door had closed, leaving me alone with my brother.

I sat back, crossing my arms.

“I thought we were having a meeting. And where is my coffee?”

The door opened again, and Tori came running in with two coffees from the shop around the corner.

“I forgot I left these on my desk.”

“Nice save,” I said, taking mine.

She scooted back out, surprisingly well for how spiked her heels were today.

“Damn, I love those heels,” Gabe said, sipping his coffee as his eyes lingered on the door.

“Don’t make me throw my coffee at you. I need the caffeine, and that shirt looks tailored.”

“It is.” He threw me a steely look, setting the coffee down and adjusting his cuffs. “And we do have a meeting. You and I.”

With my brow raised, I studied him. The telltale signs were there. I knew my brother too well not to notice them.

“What are you up to?”

He pulled a file from his drawer and slapped it on the desk.

“I bought a farm. Well, we bought a farm since it’s under the company name, and I used company money.”

“A farm?” I gaped at him. “And Tori let you do that?”

“She loved the idea.”

“What the hell do we need with a farm?” I plunked my cup down on the desk, leaning forward. “We invest in real estate holdings and companies, not farms.”

“A farm is like a company.”

I snorted, my hand shooting up to cover the sound before he noticed and called me out on it.

“A farm is nothing like we have in our portfolio.” I squeezed the bridge of my nose, trying to fathom how he had talked Tori into this.

“It’s a fully functioning farm. We won’t run it. The former owner will stay on to oversee the daily operations.”

“And why is he selling?”

“He sold because he ran into some financial trouble, and he’s had difficulty recovering.”

“So, we bought a farm from a man who couldn’t run it, and now we expect him to manage what he couldn’t before?”

This was completely unlike my brother. Gabe was concise and careful with every acquisition. He took risks, and they always paid off, but they were calculated risks. Nothing about this sounded calculated.

“I want you to fly out to Montana—”

“Montana?” This was getting worse by the minute. “You bought a farm in Montana? What the hell has gotten into you?”

His eyes narrowed before he continued as if I hadn’t cut him off. “And assess the situation, determine what our options are for bringing it back up to par—staffing, animals, equipment, anything else you think we’ll need to get it up and running again.”

“You’re serious?”

He closed the folder he’d been flipping through and rested his elbows on the desk.

“Dead serious.”

With a shake of my head, I sighed and asked, “When do I leave?”

“I scheduled the plane for tomorrow morning.”

My hand hit the desk. “Tomorrow, as in Friday? I can’t just up and leave.”

“Why not? Do you have a date planned? Other than with your manicurist.”

“That was low, and no, I do not, but that doesn’t mean you can—”

“Yes, it does, and I am. Take half a day today and go home and pack. The car will pick you up at five.”

“Tonight?” Because there was no way he wanted me to be up that early.

“In the morning. The plane leaves at six.” He spun the folder and sent it toward me, ignoring my flabbergasted expression.

“Read up on the farm on your way there. I hear the weather in Montana is cold this time of year, so take a coat.” He stood and stretched, but I was still reeling from the flight time.

“Oh, and pack for the weekend. I told the former owner you’d need the weekend to sort things out. ”

That had me jumping up from my seat. “The weekend? As in three days?”

“Yes, it’s a large farm.” He walked across the office and opened the door, gesturing for me to leave. “I want to take that call with Tori.”

With a huff, I snatched the folder from the desk and stormed past him.

“You forgot your coffee.”

“Stuff it up your—”

“Liv,” he warned. “I’m still your boss.”

“And I’m still your older sister.”

He only laughed and shouted, “Have a good weekend,” as I slammed my office door on him.