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“You have no idea what Oakley will say to the lawyer,” CJ snapped. “She’s up to something. You can’t trust her.”
Charlotte sighed and sat down across from his wheelchair. She didn’t have time to deal with what felt like an old childhood rivalry. She had hoped Oakley and CJ would both outgrow it. They hadn’t. “She’ll do what I tell her.”
He laughed. The sound sharp as a serrated knife. “You really don’t know her, do you? She and her delinquent friends were the ones who vandalized the drilling equipment and set the project back more than six weeks last year.”
“You don’t know that for a fact.”
“She belongs to that group of troublemakers, Dirty Business. She is determined to stop the methane gas drilling in this basin.”
“I’m well aware that she is opposed to it, but my drilling on this ranch is none of her business,” Charlotte snapped. “She wouldn’t be fool enough to try to stop the next well.”
“I moved the drilling up,” he said. “They should be bringing in the equipment today.” He hurried on, no doubt worried she wouldn’t like him doing that. “We need the money and you’ve been busy, so I handled it. Brand and Ryder just got back from taking our cattle to market. The prices are down. We’re losing money by ranching this property.”
She’d heard this all before and while she couldn’t argue the point, she was concerned about the talk circling the basin and had been having second thoughts. Abandoned wells from when the original drilling started were said to be leaking into the river. Look what their well had done to the McKenna’s land. She hadn’t purposely put in her gas well close to Holden’s property in the hopes that something like that would happen. She’d left the location up to the gas company surveyors. But that well had destroyed the McKenna Ranch’s artesian water well.
Charlotte was sure that Holden believed she’d done it on purpose to get back at him. What would another well do not just to her neighboring rancher’s property but also to her own? “I’m not sure about this, CJ.”
“I can’t believe that you’re waffling on this,” CJ said angrily. “You should just let me handle all of it from now on.”
She looked up at her son, seeing how badly he wanted to be in charge. Maybe she should just let him take over more of the running of the ranch, especially now that he was tied to that chair. He must be feeling inadequate, the last thing she wanted for her firstborn. Had she ever denied him anything he wanted?
“All right,” she said, still uncomfortable with both the well going in so soon and letting go of the control over the ranch. “But I want to know in advance from here on out.”
“Sure,” he said, dismissing her.
She told herself that she would have to turn the ranch over to him someday anyway, wouldn’t she? She worried, though, how Oakley was going to take it. She just hoped her daughter spoke to the lawyer about CJ before she heard about the well. It made her question her son’s impulsiveness.
CJ started to roll toward his room, but then turned unexpectedly. “Thanks, Mother,” he said, smiling. He looked happy for the first time in a very long time. “I’ll take care of everything, especially if Oakley tries to stop the drilling again.”
“CJ...” she said, but he was already wheeling down the hallway toward his room again. He’d always loved making the decisions. As she watched him go, she hoped that she hadn’t created a monster.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
PICKETTDROVESTRAIGHTto the McKenna Ranch upon his return. He just wanted to get back to his job, to the life he loved, to his best friends, Duffy and Oakley. His greatest hope was that nothing would have changed by his leaving. Or was it that no one would notice the change in him?
“Pickett!”
As he exited his pickup, he turned to see Holden standing in the doorway of the main house. The rancher waved him over. “When did you get back?”
“Just now,” he said. “Thanks again for giving me the time off. I really appreciate it.”
“Not a problem. Your father?”
“I got to see him before he passed.” He nodded, surprised at the emotion he felt. “It was good to spend time with him.” He could tell that Holden was waiting for more. All these years, he hadn’t left the ranch, not once, had never mentioned family, had kept his life before the McKenna Ranch a secret. As far as he was concerned, he wanted to keep it that way.
“If there is anything you need...” The rancher was studying him, clearly waiting. For the truth?
“Thanks, but I’m good. Just anxious to get back to work.”
Holden nodded. “Well, glad you’re back. I’m always here if...if you ever want...anything.”
“I appreciate that more than you can know.” He tipped his hat and headed for the bunkhouse. The sooner he was back on a horse, the sooner he could get back to what he now considered normal.
But even as he thought it, he knew things had changed. He felt it in the way Holden had been studying him. He couldn’t help thinking of Sarah’s parting words.I know you don’t want my advice, but you need to come clean with those people you care so much about. Why keep hiding who you really are?
You have no idea who I really am. I hardly do myself.
His cell phone rang as he was entering his cabin next to the empty bunkhouse. Everyone was out working. He saw it was Oakley calling and felt that welcome nudge against his heart. He was smiling as he answered.
