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Liam was mulling Hadley’s attitude as he strode into the Texas Cattleman’s Club later that day. Originally built as a men’s club around 1910, the club opened its doors to women members as well a few years ago. Liam and his grandfather had been all for the change and had even supported the addition of a child care center. For the most part, though, the decor of the original building had been left intact. The wood floors, paneled walls and hunting trophies created a decidedly masculine atmosphere.
As Liam entered the lounge and approached the bar, he overheard one table discussing the Samson Oil land purchases. This had been going on for months. Several ranchers had gone bankrupt on the heels of the destructive tornado that had swept through Royal and the surrounding ranches. Many of those who’d survived near financial ruin had then had to face the challenge of the drought that reduced lakes and creeks and made sustaining even limited herds difficult. Some without established systems of watering tanks and pumps had been forced to sell early on. Others were holding out for a miracle that wouldn’t come.
“I guess I know what’s on the agenda for the meeting today,” Liam mentioned as he slid into the space between his best friend, David “Mac” McCallum, and Case Baxter, current president of the Texas Cattleman’s Club. “Has anybody heard what’s up with all the purchases?”
Mac shook his head. “Maybe they think there are shale deposits.”
“Fracking?” The man on the other side of Mac growled. “As if this damned drought isn’t bad enough. What sort of poison is that process going to spill into our groundwater? I’ve got two thousand heads relying on well water.”
Liam had heard similar complaints every time he set foot in the clubhouse. The drought was wearing on everyone. Wade Ranch relied on both wells and a spring-fed lake to keep its livestock watered. He couldn’t imagine the stress of a situation where he only had one ever-dwindling source to count on.
“Mellie tells me the property lawyer who’s been buying up all the land for Samson Oil quit,” Case said. His fiancée’s family owned several properties the oil company had tried to buy. “She’s gotten friendly with one of her tenants, the woman who owns the antiques store in the Courtyard. Apparently she and Nolan Dane are involved.”
“Howard Dane’s son?”
“Yes, and Nolan’s going back to work with him doing family law.”
Liam missed who asked the question, but Case’s answer got him thinking about Kyle. That his brother was still out of touch reinforced Liam’s growing conviction that Maggie deserved a parent who was there for her 24/7. Obviously as long as he was on active duty, Kyle couldn’t be counted on. Perhaps Liam should reach out to an attorney familiar with family law and see what his options might be for taking over custody of his niece. He made a mental note to give the man a call the next morning and set up an appointment.
“Maybe we should invite him to join the club,” Liam suggested, thinking how their numbers had dwindled over the last year as more and more ranchers sold off their land.
“I think we could use some powerful allies against Samson Oil,” Case said. “Nolan might not be able to give us any information on his former client, but he still has a background in property law that could be useful.”
The men gathered in the bar began to move toward the boardroom where that night’s meeting was to be held.
“How are things going for you at home?” Mac asked. “Is fatherhood all it’s cracked up to be?”
“Maggie is not my daughter,” Liam replied, wearying of everyone assuming he’d been foolhardy. “But I’m enjoying having her around. She’s really quite sweet when she’s not crying.”
Mac laughed. “I never thought I’d see you settling down.”
“A year ago I decided I wanted one good relationship rather than a dozen mediocre ones.” Liam was rather impressed with how enlightened he sounded.
“And yet you’ve buried yourself at the ranch. How are you any closer to a good relationship when you don’t get out and meet women?”
“I’ve heard that when you’re ready, the right one comes along.” An image of Hadley flashed through his mind.
Mac’s hand settled forcefully on Liam’s shoulder. “You’re talking like an idiot. Is it sleep deprivation?”
“I have a newborn living with me. What do you think?”
But Liam knew that what was keeping him awake at night wasn’t Maggie, but her nanny and the persistent hope that Waldo might sneak into Liam’s bedroom and Hadley would be forced to rescue him a second time. Because if that happened, Liam had prepared a very different end to that encounter.
