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“Yeah. I get it. But I meant what I said earlier. Let’s finish looking around, then I want to know everything about the property from the mineral rights, to any other protected species that might interfere with my plans.”
Dev nodded. “At least there’s one thing you can be sure of.”
“What’s that?”
“There won’t be any deed restrictions prohibiting building a movie studio.”
And that was exactly why he’d chosen to look in the vicinity of Houston and not closer to his home in Austin. Not only did he spend way more time at the ranch than he did at his townhouse, but government red tape was never fun. When it came to Austin, the city had mastered the art of permit complications. On the other hand, this not so little property held great potential, wouldn’t have a homeowners’ association, nor neighbors to grumble to the city about the inconvenience of rows of parked cars or bright lights turning nights into days. Too bad it didn’t come with a town in the backyard and the pretty redhead with a fiery temper.
“Do I want to know why you’re slamming those poor pots about as if they were a weapon of mass destruction and you were out to annihilate the world?”
Kate bit down on her back teeth and turned to her roommate. “They threw me out.”
“Who did?” Eyes narrowed, Joan took a step forward and lifted her fisted hands onto her hips. “Do I need to call Tiny to go beat someone up?”
Kate didn’t know if she should laugh, roll her eyes, or apologize to the now boiling pot of water. “We haven’t seen Tiny in years.”
“That’s only because he had to do time for that little misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?” This time Kate almost laughed at her friend’s Pollyanna approach to the transgressions of others. To this day Kate had no idea what Tiny’s real name was or how the six foot four hefty young man with a shaved head, earring, tattoos, and leather accessories ever got such an inappropriate nickname. “He went away for grand theft auto.”
“His brother told me Tiny had no idea the car was stolen. Besides, he should be out by now, and you know he always had a soft spot for you.”
Soft spot was an understatement. At first, the sight of their next-door neighbor scared the bejesus out of her, but it hadn’t taken long to learn that under the rough and tough façade, Tiny was a very tenderhearted and thoughtful guy. Quite the gentleman. If he saw her pull into the driveway, he’d be over in a shot to help with groceries, miscellaneous packages, or simply pull her door open for her. The first time he’d done that, she’d been reaching for her purse in the passenger seat when her door flew open and she almost landed on Tiny’s military grade boots.
“So,” Joan smiled, “who are we siccing Tiny on?”
“We’re not siccing him on anyone. I went back to the barn this afternoon, prepared to camp out all night if necessary, waiting for the bird to leave the nest so I can get some photos. See if she’s tagged and if there are eggs in the nest.”
“And if there are? What exactly do you think you can do about it?”
“I don’t need to do anything about it.” Technically, the bird was in the wild in a relatively untouched area and she could just stay away and hope for the best. After all, most owls didn’t have a lot of natural predators. But it was the soon to be baby owls that had her more concerned. They were prime pickings for coyotes and other feral animals roaming about those parts.
“Then maybe you should stop taking it out on that poor pan.” Joan’s sideways grin made her laugh.
Taking in a deep breath, she lowered the flame under the pot of water and more quietly set the frying pan on the stove. “Now I just need to figure out how to get back to the barn and check out the nest.”
“I know saving the environment is your job, but in this case, I think the babies will probably be fine without your intervention.”
“I know.” She scraped the raw hamburger meat into the pan and began dicing onions. “But you know I can’t help it. Someone has to stand up for the animals.”
“And you do it so beautifully.” Joan grinned and sniffed at the browning meat and seasonings. “Though I will admit, it’s kind of nice when you’re ticked off and start cooking. I love your spaghetti.”
“I hope you love my lasagna too because that’s what I’m making.”
“Yum. Even better.” Joan grabbed a handful of almonds from a nearby bowl. “Now that it’s safe to stand near you with a knife in your hand, what are you going to do next?”
“I’m not sure. I might reach out to Craig.”
“Craig?”
Kate nodded. “The man who told me to leave is Craig Baron’s cousin.”
Almost choking on the almond she foolishly swallowed almost whole, Joan’s eyes bugged out as she stared up at Kate. “Tall, dark, and rolling in dough Craig Baron?”
Kate nodded again.
“The one with all those cute brothers?”
