82|The De Jagers—Part 1

The two-hour flight to Virginia passed by so quickly for Marybeth that she didn't even have time to panic over her fear of flying in a helicopter. One minute, Austin was strapping her into her seat, and the next, they were landing at a vast field. As he helped her off the helicopter, he explained it was a pasture for the De Jagers cattle. They weren't just taxidermists but also one of the country's largest beef suppliers.

"So what exactly do they do?" Marybeth asked when a ranch hand pulled up in a golf caddie to drive them up to the house. "I thought they were into weapons?"

Smiling, Austin gave her a sidelong glance. "Why would you think that?"

"From the few hunting photos I've seen of them, I assumed they were. They look deadly," Marybeth replied.

Austin burst into a hearty laugh. "You're not wrong there, žena. Believe me, when I tell you, they don't just look deadly; they are! It's one of the reasons I try so damn hard to maintain a cordial working relationship with them. They are