Page 1 of Hitched to my Boss

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JASON

You need to hire a PR person.

I stare at my laptop screen, reading the email from Marcus Hartwell for the third time. The rancher wants my help with a predator problem that's been decimating his livestock, but he's made it crystal clear that my hermit reputation is a liability. Apparently, word has spread through the ranching community that I'm impossible to work with, antisocial, and completely unreachable.

None of which is exactly false.

I lean back in my desk chair, the leather creaking as I survey my cabin office. Awards and certificates line the walls, proof of my expertise in wildlife management and predator control. References from satisfied clients, testimonials about my success rate, and photos of me with government officials who've hired my services. Everything you'd need to establish credibility in my field.

Everything except the one thing Marcus Hartwell apparently requires: a public face that isn't mine.

Professional representation is non-negotiable,his email continues.My ranch has been featured in Western Living, Cattle Today, and Ranch & Rural magazines. We can't afford to be associated with someone who has a reputation for being difficult to work with. Find a PR representative, clean up your image, and we'll talk.

I close the laptop with more force than necessary. Twenty-seven successful predator removal contracts in the past three years. A ninety-six percent success rate. Recommendations from the Department of Fish and Wildlife. And this jackass wants me to hire a publicist, as if I'm some kind of celebrity.

After spending most of my adult life avoiding people, I now need someone whose entire job is managing how people perceive me. Someone who can make me appear approachable, professional, and sociable.All the things I'm definitely not.

My phone buzzes with a text from my best friend and brother-in-law.

Jude: Heard through the grapevine that you're having client issues. Something about needing to work on your people skills.

I snort, typing back:Some rancher wants me to hire PR help before he'll work with me.

His response comes immediately:Maybe it's time to admit you need help with the people side of your business.

Me: I help plenty of people. I solve their predator problems.

Jude: Solving problems and actually communicating with humans are two different skills, man.

He's not wrong. I built my wildlife trapping and predator control business specifically so I could work alone. Most of my jobs involve weeks in remote wilderness areas, tracking problemanimals, setting traps, and dealing with situations that require patience and solitude rather than small talk and networking.

It's perfect for someone like me. Someone who spent two years in Afghanistan learning that people are unpredictable, dangerous, and generally not worth the risk of getting close to them. Someone who came back with enough issues that even my own family handles me with kid gloves.

My phone rings. Jude's name appears on the screen.

"Let me guess," I answer. "You have the perfect solution to my PR problem."

"Actually, I do." His voice carries that tone he gets when he's about to meddle in my life. "Zennika knows someone who specializes in image rehabilitation for difficult clients."

"Difficult clients?"

"Hey, those were your sister's exact words when she described your situation." I can hear the smile in his voice. "She's worked with everyone from tech executives with anger management issues to professional athletes recovering from scandals. Apparently, antisocial mountain men are right in her wheelhouse."

Despite myself, I'm curious. "What's her background?"

"Ten years in corporate PR, specializes in crisis management and reputation repair. She's freelance now, which means she can come to you instead of expecting you to travel to some city office."

The cabin suddenly feels smaller. The idea of someone invading my space, analyzing my life, and trying to turn me into something more palatable for public consumption makes my skin crawl.

"I don't know, Jude."

"Jason." His voice goes serious. "You're losing clients because of your reputation. You've built something incredible up there, but if you can't expand your client base, what's the point?"

He's right, and I hate that he's right. The wildlife management business is seasonal and unpredictable. One bad year, one change in regulations, one shift in local wildlife populations, and I could be starting over. I need the security that comes with a steady stream of high-paying clients.

Clients like Marcus Hartwell.

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