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“I haven’t seen him make that kind of decision in a long time. She’s a hell of a gift.” He rubs a hand down the filly. “And one that we’ll treasure. Colt won’t understand it for a long time, but I sure do.”
“He knows that, Brax. He’s fighting for our legacy.” I pause, realizing Pop knew about the development threat next door long before Windrunner arrived and still planned two decades out—no, two generations out—for the ranch.
“What’s with the face?”
“Oh, nothing. Just picturing Colt on Windrunner in several years,” I lie. “If he’s anything like you, we need better insurance.”
I open the paddock, and Marron walks right in. Windrunner follows at her haunches.
Brax closes the gate and leans on top. “If he’s anything like you, we’ll need more than insurance.” He wraps an arm loosely over my shoulder. “These last couple of months have been a hell of an adventure,” he says over my head before letting me go, hitching a boot up onto the split rail.
“You can say that again.”
FOURTEEN
NEGOTIATING WITH A RABID HONEY BADGER
ELIAS
“Well, this is different,” I say, looking around the coffee shop west of town, and dropping onto the seat.
It smells like stale beer, pretzels, and sugary breakfast pastries… an odd combination, except for the constant foot traffic of welcome tourists. Coffee shop and breakfast restaurant by day, biergarten by night—the German towns of central Texas pull off what few others ever could.
“Yeah, well, who doesn’t love Fredericksburg?” Jon looks around the space and then back at me.
“I haven’t been here in years. It’s grown considerably since I came last. Why this place?” I follow Jon’s gaze before settling on my coffee and taking a sip.
“Because the money might be good on the land development side, but the constant expectation on the part of the developers that they can find one more nickel here or a single dime there means they’re waiting for someone to steal from them. Great for investors, if they had any… but bad for employees—or in my case, contractors—who they watch as if I want to take their plans for my own.”
“They assume a former DA would steal from them?” I scoff a bit.
“They assume everything anyone touches can be make-or-break… profit or loss.”
“So it’s a pleasant work environment then?” I deadpan.
“I have an office at my house. I avoid going in as much as I can but I don’t want to draw any attention meeting with you.” He stares, unseeingly, as if the picture in his mind’s eye is of something far different.
“Same. What can I do for you?”
“It’s really what I can do for you, Elias. The county Commissioners are all on board and ready to go with beginning the legal battle of overturning the conservancy, except for Precinct Two, Jose Reyes. He and Kimpton went to high school together. The project is in Precinct One, but the Judge won’t begin a legal battle without all four commissioners on the same page. As for Reyes, it’s not about the revenue not going into his precinct’s coffers. That revenue will be spread throughout the county, and growth breeds growth, so it’ll flow into his precinct soon enough. For his part, he doesn’t want the environmental impact and feels the easement has legal protection.”
“And?”
“And they’re looking to oust him in November when he’s up for reelection.”
“Which stacks Commissioner’s Court with a five to nothing vote?”
He nods. “And they’ll back a candidate who’s more progressive than Reyes when it comes to development.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, but the Judge is up for reelection this year, too, and the word is that race could put a wrench in things.”
“Because…”
“Because he’s willing to make the legal case for dissolving the easement.”
“So a new judge slows things down and keeping Reyes makes it more complicated. Got it. What else?”
