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But his threat haunted her for the rest of the night. Was it all talk? Or...exactly how vengeful would he be?
Ellen had a difficult time getting out of bed the following morning. She’d tossed and turned most of the night, remembering Hendrix’s kiss in her backyard and worrying about the ugly text exchange she’d had with Jordan Forbes. But she had to forget about that stuff and get to work. It didn’t matter how tired and sluggish she felt. Mondays were important. There was always so much to do at the start of the week.
Today, she was supposed to put in Jay Haslem’s well, and she was hoping to get that done while she still had Ben’s help. Knowing she had to bring her only employee’s expectations in line with reality sooner rather than later cast a dark cloud over the future of their relationship.
But she needed to put up with him a little longer, because she had to keep Jay happy. He was a friend of Hendrix’s. He’d mentioned that when she bid on the job—said he felt a bit guilty going with her instead of Hendrix, who was his neighbor—so she’d hate to give him anything to complain about. If she screwed up and something went wrong, she had no doubt Hendrix and her father would hear about it, and that was thelastthing she wanted.
As she drove to the Haslem property, she planned what she’d say to Ben when the time was right. She’d do it by making it clear that Hendrix was no longer interested in hiring him. Maybe then she’d be able to talk some sense into him, and they’d all be better off for it.
Jay was waiting for her when she arrived, standing in the knee-high weeds that covered most of his property, wearing a pair of coveralls and clutching a cup of coffee. Ben was supposed to be there, too. When she’d spoken to him before going to bed last night, she’d told him she wanted to get an early start and asked him to arrive at seven, and he’d indicated he was back in town, as promised, and would be on time.
But she didn’t see his truck.
“Looks like you’re as good as your word,” Jay said, approaching her as she climbed out of her rig.
“Of course.” She wished Ben was there, too. She needed him to take her back to her place to get the water truck. Only then could they truly get started. But she didn’t mention that to Jay. “I emailed you the estimate with the details—how deep I’ll be drilling, how much casing I’ll be using, the size of the hole, the type and size of pump I’ll be installing. That sort of thing.” She opened the clipboard she’d taken out of the rig with her and handed him two sheets of paper. “This is the contract, which says pretty much the same thing but requires your signature.”
After he looked over the paperwork, he signed it and pulled a check from his pocket to cover the deposit. “How long will it take?”
“To drill the well? Provided all goes well, a day or two.”
“Then let’s hope all goes well. My dad’s coming to help me build my new house, so he and Mom will be staying here in an RV for the summer. He’ll need power and water.”
Ellen knew the power was already in. The pump required electricity to work, so that was an important element. “When will he be here?”
“On Friday.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem.” Of all the wells she’d drilled, she hoped this one went the smoothest.
She fastened the check and the signed contract onto her clipboard and returned it to the rig. Then she walked the property with him to make sure she knew exactly where he wanted her to put the well.
“You need me to stay out here for anything?” he asked after she’d positioned the rig in the proper location.
Relieved that he wouldn’t be standing around watching the whole process, she said, “No. I’ve got it. I’ll call you if we run into any trouble.”
“Sounds good.” He checked his watch. “I’d better get over to the auto shop.”
After he left, she climbed into the cab of the rig, leaving the door open to let in some fresh air. She was hoping Ben would show up any second, but another fifteen minutes passed and there was still no sign of him.
With a sigh, she plucked her phone from the seat beside her and texted him.Where are you? I’m at the Haslem property, waiting. Can’t start without you. Did we get our wires crossed?
Sorry, but I don’t think I’m going to make it today.
She blinked several times as she read his response.What???
I just woke up, or I would’ve texted you sooner. We had engine trouble on the drive back.
Ellen could understand that a breakdown would be outside his control, but this didn’t make sense. When she’d talked to him, he’d indicated he was home. And he obviously wasn’t too worried about letting her down if he could casually say, “Whoops! I fell asleep, or I would’ve notified you.”
You said you were back in town.
Because I thought I would be back in town. We were supposed to get in early this morning.
You were going to come to work after driving all night?
They worked around heavy machinery. A sleepy driller could lose a limb or get even more badly hurt.
I planned to catch a few hours in the car while my girlfriend drove. But we only got halfway home before we ran into engine trouble.
