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Stone came dangerously close to his beer. I picked up the bottle so he didn’t knock it over.
“I’ll head that way tomorrow. I’ve got a few days left before I need to be back in New York.”
He clicked off and tossed the phone on a nearby deck chair. I offered him his beer, and he downed the rest in one long swallow.
“Do you need to leave now?” I touched the base of my throat.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “No. I won’t be able to take you back to New Zealand, though.”
Worry wound its way from my head to my feet. “What’s happened?”
He sank down on the end of a lounger and propped his arms on his knees. I took the one opposite and fidgeted with the edge of the cushion.
“Some bullshit power line project they want to run right through the ranch.” He winced. “Pardon my language.”
“Is that possible?”
“The people in power can do anything they want,” he said bitterly. “This goes way back, though.”
My brows pinched together. “This isn’t the first time they’ve attempted to do this?”
“Randall Hedley is the third in his family to try to get the ranch.” He tugged on the brim of his ball cap. “They’ve had some sort of vendetta against us that goes back to my great-great-grandfather.”
I understood long and bitter feuds better than I wanted to, and I prayed this one wouldn’t escalate to the point of the last one I’d borne witness to. “That’s quite some time to hold a grudge. Do you have any idea what it’s about?”
“Everybody who knew anything about it is long gone. Supposedly Mr. Hedley fronted my great-great-grandfather a hundred head of cattle. My granddaddy was trying to expand operations. Diversify from horses.” He folded his hands together. “At least that much is true. About getting into the cattle business, I mean.”
“How long ago was this?”
“Nearly a hundred years,” he said unimpressed. “The Hedleys claim the two of them had a gentleman’s agreement written on a napkin. If my grandfather couldn’t pay for all the cattle within a certain time frame, Hedley would get the ranch.”
I leaned forward in my seat. “Do you think that’s true?”
“Honestly, no.” He reached for my abandoned tropical drink, took a sip, and made a sour face. “I didn’t know my great-great-granddaddy, but his blood runs through my veins. He wouldn’t risk the ranch for something like that, and certainly not with a contract on a napkin. No Jacobs man would.”
“Unless he had no choice,” I said quietly.
Stone’s jaw worked. “I don’t think that was the case. It’s good grazing land, and the mineral rights are valuable. The only thing that makes sense is they wanted the property because it’s some of the best in the county. They knew we wouldn’t just sell.”
“I don’t understand how they would get the ranch if these power lines go up, though. The government would get it, right?”
He lifted his hands, at a loss. “Guess if they can’t have it, nobody can? Hell, if I know.” He pressed his lips together. “Granddaddy didn’t tell anybody the power company made an offer on the ranch. He rejected the first one outright. Then they had thirty days to make a final one. He turned that one down too.”
Unease at how far this situation had progressed filled me. I had no doubt Mr. Jacobs believed he was doing the right thing by attempting to defuse the situation on his own, but based on what Stone said, this was serious. “What happens now?”
“He got a letter that a petition in condemnation has been filed.” The strain in his voice set me on edge.
“What does that mean?”
“That it goes before a special commission.” He kicked at a plank on the deck. “Damn it. If he’d said something sooner, we could have fought it getting this far.”
“How much time before the commission meets?” I clutched the edge of the cushion.
“There’s a hearing in three weeks. I’ve got to find a good lawyer in Texas before then.” He stood. “You deserve a better lunch than this. Let’s at least get some sun.”
I didn’t move. “You should talk to Daniel.”
“It’s his wedding night.” Stone offered me a hand, but I refused, standing on my own.
