Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

SLATE

J ess hadn't been lying last night. The rooster literally crowed at five a.m. on the dot, and when it did, I shot upright on the mattress, groggy and disoriented, scrambling with the bedding that tangled around my legs.

I glanced at the glowing dials on my watch, noting the time and falling out of bed when my foot got stuck in the sheets. I landed hard on my hip, the sound practically reverberating through the house. I winced, knowing that everyone had probably heard it.

As I pushed myself up slowly, still blinking hard and trying to get my bearings, a cackle came from the other side of my door and a floorboard creaked when someone walked past.

"Told ya!" Jess called, sounding much too alert and happy for the ridiculous hour.

I grumbled, reaching down to free myself from my blankets before I tripped over them again. "I hate farms."

Down in the kitchen after a quick shower, I was greeted by a giant breakfast courtesy of Jeanie. Jess and Doug were already at the kitchen table, both of them bright eyed and grinning as I walked in—not nearly as bright eyed myself.

On the rigs, I'd been used to working long and odd hours, but it'd been a few months, and apparently, I'd gotten lazy.

"Good morning, sunshine," Jeanie said happily, motioning to the spread of scrambled eggs, bacon, multigrain toast, fresh fruit, and hashbrowns on the table. "Grab a seat. How did you sleep?"

"Uh, great. Thank you." I looked at my plate as Jeanie filled it and shoved me into a chair with another huge grin on her face.

"You're going to need all the energy you can get for the day. Dig in." She set the full plate down in front of me. "Are you sure you were warm enough? Do you need another blanket? Or another fan? I suppose the last thing anyone needs in this heat is another blanket."

While she spoke, I just stared at my plate. I hadn't eaten this kind of food in a while. Back in New York, it'd been protein bowls or smoothies. Oats. That sort of thing.

"This looks unreal," I muttered out loud even if I'd meant it only for myself.

Jeanie clapped her hands together, preening as she finally took a seat herself and picked up a knife and fork. "It's so nice to have a boy in the house again. You guys just appreciate food more than girls and old men."

She winked at Doug and Jess, both of whom were eating enthusiastically, but Jess giggled before her next bite and Doug rolled his eyes at his wife. I saw the smile he was trying to hide, though. "You just like having a fuller table again, honey. Jess and I appreciate your food well enough."

She grinned at him, and while I marveled over how they were all so energetic and so awake so early, I finally dug in. At my first taste, I became gluttonous, enjoying every last bite as I listened to them banter back and forth.

Jeanie noticed though, thrilled as she gave Doug a pointed look. "You might think you appreciate my food well enough, but look at Slate. That's appreciation, my love."

I almost blushed but instead I just smiled and reached for the glass of orange juice she'd poured me. "I have a feeling my pants aren't going to fit by the end of this trip."

"That's the aim, honey," Jeanie joked. "What do you guys feel like for dinner? My famous lasagna? Or no. Actually, it's too hot for that. Tuna casserole?"

Doug shot that one down with a grimace and a shake of his head. "Darlin', if you make it, I'll eat it, but our good Lord did not intend for tuna to be eaten warm."

I laughed and Jess nodded her agreement with her father, giving her mother a playful smile when she turned to face her. "It's true, Mom. No one likes tuna casserole."

"That's definitely not true," Jeanie argued good-naturedly. "It's a classic, but since we have a guest, I'll save that one for after he leaves. Meatloaf?"

"Winner winner," Doug cheered, spearing another bite of his eggs and shoveling it into his mouth.

Breaking through the pain barrier, I managed to finish everything Jeanie had dished up for me and all the juice. I nearly groaned out loud by the time I was done, wondering if it would be acceptable to take a nap already.

"Thank you for breakfast, Jeanie," I said, standing up to collect my plate.

It was the least I could do after she'd gotten up at God only knew what hour to start cooking. Besides, I had a feeling napping was frowned upon around here, and if I didn't move, I was liable to fall asleep right there at the table.

Before my fingers had even brushed against the plate though, Jeanie smacked my hand.

"Ow." I winced, shaking out the sting.

Damn, the woman is quick.

"Don't be silly, Slate," she said as she took the plate for me. "You're our guest. We're not letting you do the cleaning."

It was funny that she thought letting me do the dishes would be more of a crime than smacking me. Country folk. They really are a whole different breed.

Jess stood up when she was done as well, back in her overalls and another faded T-shirt underneath them. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail and she wore heavy work boots on her feet. The getup shouldn't have been sexy.

Truly, at first glance, there was nothing that should've been appealing about the picture she made, but those curves of hers filled out even the overalls. Plus, there was definitely something about the wholesome, hardworking look that made it clear she didn't mind getting down and dirty.

I simply found myself wishing she was about to get down and dirty with me again. As if she'd heard the thought, her eyes suddenly shot to mine. "I need to get started on my chores. Would you like to join me this morning? I could give you the not-so-grand tour if you'd like."

I wouldn't like. But I did still have to talk to her and this seemed to be as good an opportunity as I was likely to get. "Will there be any shoveling shi—" I cut myself off and tried again. "Any shoveling of any nature involved?"

Her dark eyebrows lifted slowly as she stared back at me like I'd missed the obvious. A slight smile spread on her lips and she dipped her chin in a nod. "Well, we are on a farm, so yes. Shoveling comes with the territory. Don't worry though, City Boy. If you can't handle it, you can always just keep your hands clean and watch me do it."

"Actually," Doug said, clearing his throat as he stood up as well. "I was hoping Slate might help me this morning. I need to look through those old files for the paperwork from the state and I'm not even really sure exactly what we're looking for. It would help to have someone with me that will recognize it when he sees it."

I should've said no. To both of them. I had no intention to spend my time here doing chores and Mira hadn't sent me down here to do the busy work.

I should've clarified with this family that once they had their shit together, I'd advise them on how to go forward, but that getting their shit together for them wasn't my job. I'd never offered to go through all their old files in search of the documentation proving they owned the mineral rights, but Doug was disgustingly likeable, and when I looked at him, I found myself nodding.

"Sure thing. Of course, I'll help you look."

God, when did I become such a pushover?

There were literally hundreds of folders laid out in the living room. Doug and Jeanie had carried them all out of the study at some point after we'd gotten back from the site yesterday. I'd seen them, not thinking for a second that I'd have to help sift through them.

But when relief softened Doug's eyes and he smiled as he inclined his head for me to follow him, I went willingly. Like a fucking puppy who was a lapdog in training.

Jess glanced at me when I was on my way out, a teasing smile on her lips when her vivid green eyes met mine. "You dodged the shovel today, but my dad isn't going to be able to get you out of it every day."

I knew she was just joking, but again, I found myself torn. Logically, I knew I had to set some boundaries. Make sure she understood that even if it was just a joke, I hadn't come here to learn how to shovel shit. But at the same time, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

The niceness of these people is going to kill me.

Instead of setting her straight, I felt my mouth forming a smirk without my permission. "You're on, Country Girl. Shoveling hasn't got anything on drilling and that's my specialty."

She arched an eyebrow at me, the devilish spark in her eye telling me that she had some kind of witty comeback, but then she seemed to remember that her parents were in the room with us. Backing off, she nodded and grabbed a bottle of sunscreen that seemed to live on top of the kitchen counter.

"We'll see about that," she said instead of letting me have it. "Have fun with the paperwork. I'm sure it'll be scintillating."

Internally, I groaned but nodded, following her dad out of the room and smiling a little when I heard Jeanie admonishing her for teasing a guest. If she only knew how much teasing I'd taken from her daughter that night.

Shaking my head at myself, I focused on the task ahead. Doug waved me into an armchair once we reached the living room, all traces of relaxation and humor now gone from his features. He'd done a good job of hiding it in front of his family, but his face turned into a mask of worry as his gaze drifted over all the folders and stacks of papers waiting for us.

"I suppose the only way to find it is to start," he said, trying to sound upbeat, but it was pretty easy to see that he was daunted and overwhelmed by the work we had ahead of us. "Maybe I should go to do the chores and ask Jess to help you dig through all this."

Even as he said it, he sighed and strode over to the first pile. "That wouldn't be fair on her, would it? No. Best she handles the chores."

He glanced at me as I accepted a stack of files and papers from him. "Thank you for doing this for us, Slate. I really appreciate the help. Think you can give me an idea of what we're looking for here?"

"Well, it'll have an official seal on it," I said thoughtfully. "Judging by what you've told me about how long this property has been in your family and if you've never seen the document before, it'll also be really old. At first issue, it would've come in an envelope, but we have no way of knowing whether it'll still be in one, so that doesn't really help."

"No, son," he said. "At this point, everything helps. Okay, let's get to it, shall we?"

Apparently, we shall, I thought as I settled down on an armchair and slowly started making my way through eighty years' worth of Merrick Meadows Farm admin. This was not how I'd envisioned spending my days here, but seeing how worried Doug really was, I felt good about helping.

Clearly, this family could really use the money, and moreover, they'd taken good care of their land over all these the generations it'd belonged to them. The oil was rightfully theirs, and hopefully, I'd be able to help them get paid for it.