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“Clayton is none of their business.”
“Won’t get any argument from me, but they’re threatening a legal battle.”
She arched a brow. “Can they do that?”
“My attorney isn’t worried. He says they can harass and slow things down but they can’t win. Taking care of the environment is something Emmanuel Corporation is proud of. I intend to keep it that way.”
“I saw the handbills you’ve sent out all over town.”
“PR in a new location helps. If locals know our corporation wants to put into the community as much as we take out, they’re more likely to be on board with the changes.”
“You’re a smart businessman. If Clayton is to survive, we need an industry here. The town should be thanking you, not getting in the way.” She drained her cup and sat it on the table with a soft click. “I should go.”
“Yeah.” He pushed his own mug aside and stood. “The earlier I start in the morning, the earlier I can quit. I have a church meeting tomorrow afternoon.”
“At Clayton Christian?” When he nodded, she went on. “That’s my church. Or it used to be when I lived here. My cousin Arabella mentioned the new Care Committee meeting. She wants me to get involved.”
“You should. Tell you what—why don’t I knock off at the mine and pick you and A.J. up at one? We’ll grab lunch and head over to the meeting.” A warning in the back of his head told him to hush, but the energy pulsing through his veins increased with every word. She was a Christian. Same church. Same interests in the Care Committee. No reason not to share a ride. And a lunch.
Brooke didn’t answer immediately and he thought she might turn him down. She carried both mugs to the sink.
“Leave them,” he said.
“I’ll clean them up in the morning. Okay?”
“I don’t expect housekeeping.”
She smiled. “I like to stay busy.”
“No argument from me then. You can take A.J. over to your place, too, if you have things to do there.”
“Okay.” She headed toward the back door.
Gabe flipped on the porch light. He shouldn’t insist. He should let the subject drop, but he wasn’t asking her for a date. Not exactly. She was just the babysitter. “So, about tomorrow—”
She flipped her hair off her shoulder, bottom lip caught between her teeth. As though the answer cost her something, she said, “We’ll be ready.”
His chest filled with pleasure, a pleasure way out of proportion to something as simple as a ride to church. At his age, he should know better than to push the envelope.
She stepped out onto the patio. Golden light shot through her blond hair and turned it to a halo around a sweet face. “Good night, Gabe.”
“Thanks, again, Brooke. I don’t know what I’d have done without you tonight.”
She shrugged. “You’ve managed.”
True, but she’d made his life so much easier. “I’ll walk you over.”
She glanced toward the dark space between their houses. “No need.”
“Did you find your key?”
“No, but I found out who took it.” Her hands slid into the pouch of her sweatshirt. “Chilly out here.”
She was right, but he wasn’t letting her change the subject. He’d been convinced she’d lost that key. “Who?”
“The same people who called me this afternoon and told me to get out of town.”
Gabe stepped out on the porch with her. If she was in danger…
He glanced around the quiet, sparsely populated neighborhood. They were the only two houses on this section. The light and the subsequent shadows disappeared quickly beyond the porch, eaten up by the darkness, leaving only moonlight to illuminate the fifty yards between their back doors. “Was that what scared you this afternoon?”
She nodded. “I wasn’t expecting it. She spooked me.”
“She who?”
“I’m not sure exactly, only in general. Someone from my great-uncle Samuel’s side of the family.” At his raised eyebrows, she enumerated. “Vincent, his sister, Marsha, and her beer-guzzling husband, Billy Dean, my cousin Les. Anyone or all of my great-uncle Samuel’s side of the family could be responsible. If they can frighten me enough to leave town, they inherit my grandfather’s estate.”
