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“We’ll do it again.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“I’m counting on it.” He took a chance and reached across the console to give her hand a quick squeeze and was rewarded with an even wider smile than a moment ago. “Will the report take long?”
“I hope not. It’s a pre-trial assessment. A neighborhood association is suing an old paint factory for failure to complete the agreed upon clean up in order to avoid federal prosecution. The corporation hired me to rubber stamp the report that said the site was cleaned up and safe for the neighborhood.”
“Uh oh.”
“Yep. Apparently, no one told them I don’t do rubber stamps. I do my job and I don’t think they’re going to like my opinion.”
“Ouch.”
“That’s one word for it.” She twisted in her seat to face him. “I don’t want to think about that till I have to. We got sidetracked earlier. Have you found a place for your studio?”
“Absolutely. The Martin place is going to be perfect.”
“What?”
Chapter Eight
The Martin place was not what Kate expected.
“That location is perfect.”
“But the owl?”
“Is a bird. This is business.”
Suddenly Mr. Nice Guy reverted to Mr. Rich Guy in a heartbeat. “You can’t undergo construction with a protected species nesting on the location. Your studio will wreak havoc on the owl’s new habitat.”
“Do we know he’s nesting or just hanging out in a convenient spot?”
She should have known this would happen. “Nesting or resting doesn’t really matter. The issue is habitat. We have got to protect nature’s habitats.”
“Agreed.”
“What?” Again, not what she’d expected. Was he trying to confuse her on purpose?
“We need to protect the environment. Heaven knows my family is at the front of the line for defending the underprivileged, disadvantaged, and for all I know soon to be extinct. But…”
Of course there was a but. Crossing her arms, she couldn’t wait to hear what self-satisfying spiel he was going to spew.
“For all we know the owl has already moved on to another barn and another abandoned nest.”
She had to admit, he might have a point, but she doubted it. “No matter what careful plans you might try to make to leave as little of a footprint on the land as possible, it is still going to be more of an impact on nature than a working ranch. It would be easier for you to simply keep looking for a spot that isn’t providing a natural habitat to wildlife, especially protected or endangered species.”
“Too late. We closed on the deal Thursday. It’s all mine. Lock, stock, and old barn.”
“And owl.” She couldn’t help the bitter tone that came out. “You should probably know the Fish and Game agent is meeting me there tomorrow.”
Craig’s one brow rose higher than the other as he cast a sideways glance in her direction. “I see. Don’t they need to notify landowners?”
“I’m sure the Martin family has been notified. Texas doesn’t exactly record property sales in a timely fashion.”
“Tell me about it,” he sighed. “Still, it’s private property and as Devlin mentioned, coming on the property without permission is trespassing.”
“Going to call the police on us?”
