Kasper stepped into an old warehouse in Fort Worth Texas. "Pew! It smells like they're storing dead bodies in here."

He turned to see Dani wrinkle her cute nose and step back. "I wonder what the parcel is worth. Your great grandfather must have bought it. I know for a fact Baxter didn't."

"Great-great-great-great, maybe. Jesus, I don't want to walk through, but there is one tenant."

"A slaughterhouse?"

Visions of horror films filled his mind. Doyle had loved them, but Kasper didn't. Being a great twin brother, he spent his tween years watching the predictable gore. The building didn't look predictable. "I feel like we're those stupid kids in the movies walking towards the psychopath holding a chainsaw."

"Not me. You. I'm not going in there. I'm walking around to find the business entrance."

Kasper stepped out. "I'm glad you came."

"I can't believe you don't have the business and owner tucked in your brain."

Kasper laughed. "I should, but the smell is clouding my retrieval." He took a deep breath of fresh air. "Regardless, this place is a liability. Thankfully, the Kane name isn't on it."

As they walked around the corner, he stopped walking. Dani looked up at him. She was above average height, but he had six inches on her. "What's wrong?"

"I remember. It's a tannery."

"Shouldn't it smell like leather?"

"The empty section sure as hell didn't. Maybe we can sell them the building for the land appraisal. Not sure why my father held on to this property."

Kasper opened the door to the business. The front room smelled of fresh leather, similar to his shoes when new.

A middle-aged woman at a desk looked up and took her time as she looked from Dani to Kasper. He looked for the spark of recognition, but she looked like the Pawn Shop and Ice Truckers type of viewer.

"Can I help, y'all?"

Dani stepped forward. "We're looking for the owner."

"Huck's out back. He's mighty busy and ain't got time to talk ter city folks."

"We would appreciate it if he could spare a moment. We're from Kane Properties."

"I've heard that name before."

Kasper nodded. "We own the building. I expect Mr. Huckabee would like to see us."

She stood and walked with a limp slowly through a door. "Hey, Slim, where's Huck at?" After a muffled response, she said, "Tell him I need him out front, pronto."

When she returned, she eyed Kasper's brown leather shoes. "Y'all like the movies; here to shut us down?"

She didn't watch reality TV. Kasper shook his head vehemently. "We don't..."

Dani cleared her throat. Kasper stopped, but felt confident they needed to unload the building. "What was the other half used for?"

"Tanning. Long time ago, the business was bigger. The old way was nastier. Ain't no fool going in there."

Dani smirked, and Kasper longed for a shower. A man older than the woman appeared.

"Mae, what'd you want?"

"These folks are the landlord."

Huck took his time checking them out. Dani cleared her throat. "Can we talk privately?"

"Mae, go get some coffee or somethang." He watched her disappear through the same door. When he turned back, he asked, "What's this about?"

Dani spoke first. "Kane Properties would like to sell this building." He sagged. "We would like you to make an offer."

"I don't have that kinda money."

Dani said, "Perhaps a bank loan."

Huck sagged further. Kasper stepped forward. "Maybe we could work out some financing." He could see the insurance rates on this building. They were high. Kane Properties would save money if they signed the timber box over.

Dani glared, but he didn't care. His biggest fault was not doing his homework. When he handed Huck his business card, the man stood up taller.

"It's not our business to put you out of business." He held out his hand, and the man shook it.

Neither spoke and walked toward the hired car. As they approached, Kasper groaned. "Gross. Do you have hand sanitizer in your bag?"

Dani laughed. "Serves you right for being a softie."

"I was being polite. I thought we agreed the building is a liability. We pay almost as much in insurance as we collect in rent."

"No way!"

Kasper shrugged. "Not enough to matter."

"Maybe Sinclair wants to get in the leather business."

"Jimmy would never do business with Huck."

"Then why are we? What are you doing?" Dani stopped walking.

They hadn't stepped into the car, so Kasper took out his phone and took a picture of the building and texted it to his brother. His phone rang as he slipped into the car.

"What is that place?"

"A hell hole. I say sell it to the tenant for cheap to get rid of it."

Baxter chuckled. "Or light a match."

"Not funny. It's people's livelihoods."

"He's gone soft again." Dani yelled.

Kasper held up his phone. "He's gone. I bet you can keep me from being soft."

Dani pushed him. "You need sexual harassment training."

"Sweetheart, we are more than coworkers. You erased the line when you kissed me."

"You kissed me!"

He smirked. "Not the first time."

"That was nothing." She sighed.

"It was something. It was our first kiss." He laughed as she scoffed. Disappointment crept through him when she didn't even smile. He sighed loudly. "As for the building, we're better off giving it away. If that thing caught fire and someone got hurt it would be a tragedy which we'd be liable for."

She didn't reply as he researched land sales in the area. It was on the outskirts of the city in a rundown area. Even if it didn't stink, Calhoun wouldn't want it.

As the car pulled up in front of their hotel, Kasper looked at Dani's profile. She had been tapping on her phone the entire ride. "Come on. I need a shower before our drink."

"What drink?" She gave him half a smile.

"The one before dinner. Meet me in the bar in thirty minutes. Smile sweetheart, it'll be better than the dentist."

She chuckled as they walked to the front desk to check in.

Baxter called as Kasper rubbed the towel over his wet hair. "Was it as bad as it looked?"

"Worse. Your assistant wants to cut off the livelihoods of the people who work in the hellhole."

"She's focused on business."

"That's all she focuses on. That and one upping me."

Baxter sighed. "Try to get along. She was working nights and weekends at my beck and call for years while you were running around the jungle half naked."

"I'm trying. Just promise me we'll find some compassion for these people. And don't say it." He hung up on his brother.

Kasper wore jeans and a sweater when he entered the bar with damp hair. The beard was a timesaver. Dani sat at a high top with her phone in her hand. He slid onto the stool next to her.

"I washed the filth off."

She looked up at him. "The city appraised the land for next to nothing."

He nodded, because he already knew. "It's probably more than what we paid for the building."

She looked at him. "Not adjusted for today's dollar?"

He smirked. "Even adjusted. Concede, it's a loser and we should dump it."

"Fine. Do you think Huckabee can afford it?"

"I don't know, but we can let legal work something out."

The server had a tone as she asked, "Are you ready now?"

Dani nodded, and the impatient female turned to Kasper. A smile replaced her scorn, as she threw out her chest. He winked at Dani before flashing his camera smile. "Sorry, I was late. Sweetheart, what do you want to drink?"

Dani shrugged. "Whatever you want, my Tarzan."

He almost choked on his own saliva. Coughing, he nodded. After they ordered, the flirting girl walked away looking green. "I wonder what she's telling her co-workers."

"We'll end up going viral."

Kasper winked. "Is that a bad thing?"

Dani left out a long breath. Huff. "What will Baxter think?"

"Maybe he'll think that we're a perfect couple."

"He thinks we don't like each other."

"Sweetheart, he put us together in his house for almost a week. He doesn't think that. We know the truth."

She chuckled like a patient before surgery. "What truth?"

"You lie when you say you don't like me, and I spend too much time thinking about kissing you." Her face turned a pink hue, as her tongue pressed on her cheek. He looked at the server. "Here are our drinks."

Dani had ordered a Cosmo and Kasper remembered happy Ivy in Vegas. How many drinks would it take Dani before she sat on his lap?

"This reminds me of when you chastised me in LA."

"I won't kiss you."

He took a sip of his wine to hide his smirk. A plan was formed, let her drink one or two to build trust. They had two more nights before they returned to Boston plenty of time for a kiss or possibly more.

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