Bear Essentials by Mary Wine Page B

opinion of him.
    Well, she wasn’t going to let him pay his way to the top of
her list. She’d take penny-pinching over lying down like his doormat. Her pride
was costing her a lot today, but everything in the plant had been bought with
her sweat. No fancy tailored suit was going to spit on her accomplishments. She
knew the shortcomings of the place, but manufacturing equipment came before
reception area furnishings.
    “Sorry, no deal. You’ll have to wait your turn.”
    He growled. Roslyn had to think about the sound that came
through his clenched teeth for a moment before she truly concluded it was in
fact a male growl. She almost giggled. Didn’t a man have to have a helmet on in
order to growl? Football, combat or maybe a motorcycle one, but it just seemed
like headgear went with the primitive sound, not a personally tailored business
suit. A little shiver crossed her skin as she looked at him again. The wool coat
just might be the most effective camouflage she’d ever seen. If he’d shown up
in worn jeans and a leather jacket, she just might have taken more care.
    Her lips twitched. No , she wouldn’t have. He’d
insulted her plant and no one looked down their nose on her creation.
    He could keep his money. She was going to earn hers, her
way.
     
    “With business sense like that, you’ll never survive very
long, honey.”
    She tossed her strawberry pigtails and turned on a heel
before moving back across her workshop. Employees were continuing their work as
they watched their boss through amused eyes. It looked as if explosions of
temper from Ms. Roslyn Gregory weren’t uncommon. Granger frowned at her
departing back. Too damn bad. He didn’t even know how to spell the word defeat.
He strode after her without a care for the edge of the carpet he crossed over.
She turned around as her employees’ shocked expressions gave away the fact that
he wasn’t taking her dismissal.
    “Apparently, you need your hearing checked, Mr. Webb. We
have a waiting list for the Wish Bear. You are welcome to add your name to the
order file or to choose one of our other bears in stock.”
    “I need the stupid toy, not a number in line.”
    The workshop went silent. Every pair of hands dropped their
work as the employees turned disapproving looks at him. Roslyn Gregory froze
too. Her face appeared chiseled from ice as even her blue eyes appeared to
freeze over.
    “Wish Bear is the symbol of happiness for thousands of
suffering children. I suggest you take some time to research this company
before you do any labeling of our product. Bringing joy to people is not
stupid, ever. Good day!”
    Approval radiated from her employees. Granger couldn’t help
but admire the crossed arms and stiff nods of heads from the women who sat up
to their noses in fake teddy bear fur. Huge rolls of the stuff were being
pulled across a cutting table as teams worked to produce the one-of-a-kind Wish
Bear.
    Every sewing machine was silent as the seamstresses glared
at him and even the row of women stuffing wads of white fluff into little furry
limbs were frowning over their workstations at him.
    Granger suddenly smiled. They all really cared. What an
amazing, who-might-have-guessed attitude. He never would have believed it if
his own eyes weren’t seeing it. An entire plant of workers who appeared to give
a damn about the product they labored to produce.
    Absolutely amazing.
    Catching her blue eyes with his, Granger lifted one hand to
his head and sent her a salute. “I’ll do that research and I will be back.”
     
    Oh Lord help her!
    Roslyn felt her knees turn to liquid as the door shut behind
him. He would be back? No, she didn’t need that. Nope, not today, not ever.
    A round of giggles made her snap her attention back to her
factory. Wish Bear was her baby. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined
her little creation might gain the national popularity it was currently
enjoying. Their waiting list was six weeks long. Two major toy