A steady, strong hand clamped over his paw.
Derek's face appeared above him. “Come on,” his brother gritted out. “Let's get you up. Shit, have you put on weight again, Hans?”
Derek grunted and spat out an oath as he hauled Hans up. Hans shifted back to human form and scrambled up.
Derek whooped and sprawled on his back in mock exhaustion. He puffed out his cheeks and stared unblinkingly at the sky.
“Where is...”
Before Hans could complete his question, Whitney came rushing out of Derek's car. She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.
“Hans! Oh, Hans!” She kissed him all over his face and grabbed him in a bear hug. “God, you scared me. Don't ever do that again!”
Derek whistled as he dusted himself off. “I saw you throw that black bear over the edge, Hans. Who's he?”
“He was the one who rammed Whitney's car off the mountain road,” Hans snarled.
Derek turned to stare at Whitney and Hans. Then he peered over the edge of the cliff and muttered, “Ho! This is poetic justice.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Whitney stood up and watched the directors file out of the meeting room. Her secretary waited at the door, but Whitney told her, “I'll go back to my office later. I'd like to stay here for a while.”
Her secretary nodded and left.
Whitney sat back down at the head of the long conference table and looked around the empty meeting room. It had been a very long meeting. Many of the directors were new to the board. Snow White Cosmetics was starting anew, with a new Chairman and a new board of directors.
When Whitney returned to the company, she had made a police report and started an investigation into all the directors of the company. Some of the directors had been working with Queenie Snow, and they had been supporting her secretly. They stole corporate information and secrets from Snow White Cosmetics and passed the information to Queenie. They copied confidential data of Snow White's customers and even embezzled funds from the company.
They had all been arrested and slapped with serious criminal charges. As the new Chairman, Whitney wanted a clean, healthy, solid company.
Whitney personally went through all the accounts and records. She took out the trash and promoted good, loyal staff. She made sure that the right people got the right jobs, and that the new directors were upright, honest and trustworthy people.
There was a lot of work to do. Things had not been done right when Queenie was in charge, but now Whitney would put things right.
Her mobile phone buzzed on the table. Whitney picked it up with a smile.
“Hey.”
“How did the meeting go?” Hans asked.
“Good. We got a lot of things ironed out. There's a lot of work to do.”
She could hear the smile in Hans's voice. “Come home early this evening. Rose, Nan and the baby are arriving in about an hour. Jack is driving them up for the weekend.”
“I can't wait,” Whitney squealed, bouncing up and down in her chair. She might be the Chairman of Snow White Cosmetics, but she was allowed to be all giggly and girly with Hans. She could be herself with her mate.
Hans laughed. “Nan is bringing her famous cottage pie for dinner.”
“Yay! I love Nan's pies!”
“Everyone does,” Hans said proudly.
“Okay, give me an hour to tie up some loose ends.”
“I'll fetch you in an hour then. Love you.”
Whitney grinned. “Love you more.”
She laughed when she heard Hans growl before hanging up. They used to take forever to hang up because the other person would keep insisting, “But I love you even more!”
Mated life was good. She and Hans were both busy people with their own careers, but they complemented each other very well. They both understood the cutthroat world of business, and they knew the pressure and stress of running a large corporation.
But no matter how busy they were, they always made time for family.
She had finally met Jack's lovely mate and daughter, as well as Rose's great-grandmother, Nan. Whitney talked to Rose and Nan almost every other day on the phone. The three of them got on like a house on fire. Rose was like the younger sister she never had. And Nan reminded her a lot of her own grandmother. Nan was wise, witty and sharp as a tack.
Whitney hurried out of the conference room and greeted some of her staff on the way to her office. She had to finish her work quickly today, so she would be home to welcome Rose, Nan and little Rosemary.
Oh, right. That reminded her. She had to remember to bring the baby set home for her beautiful little niece. Snow White Cosmetics had just started a line of baby products. The baby shampoo, lotion and talcum powder came in the cutest bottles and they smelled heavenly.
Her secretary knocked on her office door and poked her head in. “Would you like some coffee, Whitney?”
Whitney shook her head. “Thanks Carly, but I won't be working late today.”
Carly gave a knowing smile. “Ah. The baby bath set is on your desk.”
Whitney turned to look at the pretty gift set at the side of her desk. The little bottles had all been labeled with Rosemary's name.
“Oh Carly, this is lovely!” Whitney clapped her hands and beamed at Carly. “You're the best secretary ever!”
Carly chuckled. “That's what Mr Snow said too. Your father was a very good boss. So are you, Whitney.”
Carly had been her father's capable, long-serving secretary but Queenie had let her go when she took over. Whitney had promptly given Carly her job back once she returned to the company.
Whitney grinned. “All right then, let's finish up quickly so we can all get home early to our families!”
Her secretary grinned back. “Yes, Miss Snow!”
~ End ~
About the Author
Natalie Kristen is a writer who enjoys mixing the sweet with the spicy, the light with the dark, the possibilities with the unimaginable. She enjoys exploring paranormal and dystopian worlds, deep desires and inspiring romances. She is hopelessly addicted to coffee, chocolate, reading and writing. She loves to hear from readers so please feel free to follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or visit her blog for the latest news and updates.
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/NatalieKristenBooks
Blog:
nataliekristen.blogspot.com
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@NatKristenBooks
Snow and the Bear: Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance (Grimm Bears Book 2) Page 6
