The Harder They Fall Read Online Free Page B

dinner, we might as well eat somewhere that has excellent food
and wine.”
    He
had a point. If one of the Weathermen so much as went to the store for bread,
it made the tabloids. “Do they still have those wheat pasta shells, stuffed
with cheese and pine nuts?”
    He
held out his arm. “They sure do.”
    She
hesitated for a second, then took his arm. Touching him now had the same effect
that shaking his hand a few days ago had produced. A tiny tingle went straight
up her limb. Maybe she needed to see a doctor?
    Maybe you should relax and enjoy
yourself?
    “How
is work?” he asked. “Still backed up on permits?”
    “You’re
not very subtle.”
    He
laughed softly. “What else should we talk about to break the ice? It’s all we
have in common, at least as far as we know.”
    He
winked at her, but she averted her gaze before he had a chance to gauge her
reaction. It took all of her willpower not to smile at the gesture. There was
something so sexy and intimate about a man winking.
    “All
right. That’s true, I suppose. Work is crazy, and it will be for at least a
decade. We have to get survey teams up there, try to figure out where the
boundaries are, assemble the information pouring in from all over the country.
People wanting to know if their homes are still there—”
    “Oh
come on,” he said, cutting her off. “No one’s home is left.”
    “I
know that, but they don’t. Not everyone has been paying as close attention to
the storms as you and your friends.”
    “They
must not have been paying attention at all if they don’t realize the surface is
wiped clean.”
    She
decided to ignore that for now and return to the subject they were discussing.
    “We’re
dealing with special interest groups and companies like yours, who think
getting businesses up and running again is more important than people
rebuilding their homes. There are no roads, no utility cables that weren’t
buried, a few satellite linkups still, but no servers to connect what is
operational up there. No police force, no communication towers, no—”
    He
cut her off again. “And that’s exactly my point. That’s why—”
    “Blaine,
I do understand your point.” She stopped walking and faced him. “I never meant
to give you the impression I don’t. But do you see my dilemma here? You’re not
the only owner of a business who believes their service is more important than
anyone else’s. If we let one person circumvent the rules, the backlash would
bury us in paperwork for the rest of our lives.”
    “My
business is more important. Without
the means to communicate, all the others might as well exist on islands.”
    “So,
are you telling me that getting the cable and radio stations back online is
more vital to man’s existence on the surface than, say, getting roads in place
so a functioning hospital can be built? Or constructing a police station, and
getting the electricity up and running for both those institutions?”
    “You’re
twisting my words.”
    “That’s
not an answer.”
    “I
own that land.”
    This
man was adorable when he argued. “I don’t disagree. You do own the land, hands
down. That’s not the point.”
    “I
can’t run effective communications on that many acres with only one tower.”
    She
released his arm and placed her hands on either side of his face, which made
her want to kiss him in the worst way. “Blaine, apply for the permits and make
a case for your exception in the comments. There’s a place to do that. Have you
actually looked at the application process?”
    “No.”
    She
released his face and laughed, because if she didn’t do both, she was
definitely going to kiss him. “Do that first. Then we’ll talk about your
specific needs.” The man was infuriating, but she understood the dedication to
his company. She admired that about him. He hadn’t inherited his wealth or his
business, like a few of the Weathermen had done. He’d worked his ass off to
make Clear Channel Industries number