He comes out and holds his hand out to me, stopping short to point. “Haven’t we met before? You were looking at land for your office,” he says, and I mentally kick myself. Of course, this town is so small that he’d remember my face so easily, but it isn’t like I did anything wrong when I told him that lie.
I was distrustful of the system back then, especially after my last meeting with the county commissioner, who may as well have blown me off.
It felt like the entire county was against Hollis Ranch and wouldn’t take anything seriously due to the corporate greed that’s quickly infecting this peaceful place.
I never got that feeling from him, though. He seemed open to speaking with me, but hesitant to provide much about the land.
“Yes, I can explain everything while I get to the root of why I’m here,” I reason with him, and despite his caution, he seems interested in hearing what I have to say.
He guides me down the hall and into his office, shutting the door behind him. He takes a seat at his desk and allows me the floor. This is it. After this, the ranch can move toward a prosperous future once again. Hopefully, now there will be no more skeletons, and Gage can finally move on with the ranch.
Without me.
That was always the plan, wasn’t it? To leave once my time was up and sell my piece off to Gage… then we’d go our separate ways and never cross paths again.
Back on that first day, it seemed like the only possible option, but now I’m sitting in the land assessor’s office, here for this ranch, not just for my father and a man I never met, but for Gage, who, despite all his flaws, I know deep down is a good man.
It’s just a shame that getting beaten down so much makes searching for that nearly impossible.
I hand him all my evidence, including the map. “I was named part owner of Hollis Ranch after the passing of its predecessor, Samuel Hollis. While staying on the ranch, I began to notice some discrepancies and decided to investigate.
The reasoning for my discretion with you when we met initially was due to my less-than-helpful meeting with the county commissioner,” I explain honestly, and he grimaces at the mention of the commissioner.
Something tells me there is a pattern here. For someone who gets voted in, he sure isn’t favorable.
“I completely understand, and it’s no hard feelings,” he replies with a warm smile, much like the warmth I get from everyone else around Bell River. “How can I help?”
I scoot closer, pointing to the map and the water main.
“There is a water main behind the main house here, but there is also a water main in this forest patch,” I say. “Based on the aging of the one in the forest, it appears to be the initial hub.”
“Gage Hollis mentioned that the line behind the house was added and serviced within the last couple of years, which made me wonder why the equipment wasn’t updated along the original pathway instead,” I continue, detailing my findings, my theories, and how I tested them.
“I also noted how Gage followed the pipe all the way to the construction site.”
By the time I’m done, he’s flipping through everything quietly, methodically reviewing the documentation. It is a lot of information, so I don’t blame him for taking his time.
The silence does leave me a bit nervous, though. Did I do enough? Did I miss anything?
He nods quietly, then meets my gaze. “Sounds to me like you got a lawsuit on your hands, Miss Carter,” he says, and I finally let out the breath I’ve been holding.
He reaches around his filing cabinet and pulls out the initial paperwork. “We can get started on filing the report, and I’ll have it sent over to Sheriff Riggins,” he says, and I happily provide all the information he needs, even allowinghim to take the documentation knowing I have copies back at the ranch.
When I leave the office, I feel lighter and relieved that things are finally going in the right direction. Hopefully, Sheriff Riggins doesn’t take too long to review the complaint.
I stopped the developer from taking any more water from the ranch’s line under emergency mitigation, which also cut off their supply. No one is living in the condos yet, so no innocent families were affected.
When I step down from the final step, I collide with a body. It's harder than mine, and the hands that reach out to my arms to steady me are firm. “I am so sorry,” the man says, dropping his hands at his side.
He’s dressed in a well-tailored suit, and the blood drains from my body. It isn’t that I’m afraid, but the consequences of my placing the liened land on the market rest on my shoulders.
I did it as a backup plan, spurred by my emotions—but now that things have begun to settle, I feel almost regretful for my decision.
“Oh, you’re fine. Have a nice day,” I reply, moving around him toward my car, but he calls out, rushing over to me.
“I couldn’t help but notice your license plate reads Hill County. I’m looking for Sloane Carter—would that happen to be you?”
The conversation I’d been dreading a moment ago is officially underway. I don’t answer, and he doesn’t need me to.
