Chapter 31

CHAPTER 31

JESS

A ustin was coming home today and I couldn't contain my excitement. Rushing through my chores, I went back to the house as early as I could, taking up residence at the kitchen table. I was chomping at the bit to see him come down the drive so we could surprise our parents.

Mom had given me a funny look when I'd sat down, but when I didn't get up to go and do something or even to make some coffee, she'd chuckled and come over to press a kiss to my forehead. "I'm glad you're taking a break, baby. I'll be upstairs if you need me."

I'd nodded, relieved she'd be someplace else when Austin's car finally appeared. I knew she'd be upstairs for a while, probably taking a break of her own while lunch was in the oven and the house was clean.

Dad and Slate were at the site, reviewing the progress that had been made this week with the foreman and the crew who were working this weekend. Apparently, the oil industry was like farming in that sense. The work didn't come to a complete halt just because it was Saturday.

Slate had warned me that the workers would be knocking off earlier this afternoon, though, which was fine. Lord knew, we could all use just a little bit of a break this weekend.

I smiled when I thought back to how sweet Slate had been when he'd told me, almost like he'd been afraid it would hurt my feelings that the teams wouldn't be working full speed ahead today. With honey-amber eyes gentle on mine, he'd come to find me in the barn early this morning.

Freshly showered and apparently liking the neat, short beard he had going on at the moment, he'd stroked my cheeks with his thumbs and kissed me before breaking the news. I was no delicate flower, but damn.

I was really enjoying the way he'd been with me since the other night. In front of my parents, the oil crew, and anyone else, it was business as usual.

He treated me like an equal, honest yet businesslike when it came to what he'd come here to do, but he was joking and playful while we were at home. In that sense, he'd become a good friend to me—and to my parents.

When it was just the two of us alone though, he was still playful and easy to be around, but he also treated me like a woman. One he cared about and wanted to take care of. It made me feel soft and feminine, like, well, a woman.

No one else had ever treated me that way, but I was finding that it made me giddy and giggly, and I liked it. I liked getting to be a girl for once in my damn life. It was fine doing work that was traditionally reserved for men. Fun to tune up cars over the weekends when I had time and a lot of fun to mess around with the guys and kick their asses, but this made me feel different.

Special.

It made butterflies flutter around in my stomach and I wasn't going to apologize for liking that feeling.

Something had changed between Slate and me in the last week. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was, but it suddenly felt like there was something more than just chemistry and lust driving us to each other's private parts again and again.

Another smile appeared on my lips and I sighed happily, easily imagining a life in which we were together. I knew that logistically, it would be difficult for us to have any kind of meaningful relationship once he left here, but that was the beauty of a daydream.

In mine, Slate simply would never leave. He'd decide to stay here in Firefly Grove with me. My family had gotten the money from the oil and he and I lived together in the barn we'd converted. The hayloft was our stunning bedroom and we spent all night, every night making love in our glorious bed.

I almost whimpered out loud at the thought of it, but then I noticed a cloud of dust right at the bottom of the drive. My daydream evaporated and I bit back a squeal.

He's here! Austin is here!

I leaped up, giddy, and grinned as I kept watching the window. Only, when the car that had kicked up the dust started coming closer, I realized it wasn't Austin's car. These days, he drove a fancy sedan, but the car that was pulling off the farm and heading to the house wasn't that.

It was expensive and also fancy, that was for sure, but it was flatter and smaller. It had a huge hood with vents in it and the paint appeared to be matte. A sports car. Definitely.

Even if Austin had bought a new car, he would never have chosen that. Not knowing he'd be coming out to the farm to visit us.

The fancy car parked in front of the house and a man who appeared to be in his forties stepped out. I didn't recognize him in the slightest, and I was convinced I'd never met him before.

With reddish hair going silver at the temples, he wore a plum suit, aviator sunglasses, and sharp-pointed, shiny black shoes. He looked elegantly douchey.

I sighed and grumbled under my breath. "You better not be here to cause any trouble, Red."

As he started climbing the porch steps, I decided to deal with him myself instead of calling my mother down. Opening the door before he'd even knocked, I planted my hands on my hips and cocked my head at him.

"Can I help you?"

He pulled his glasses down the bridge of his nose, peering at me over the top of them with a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. "Afternoon, miss. Is Mr. Merrick home?"

"He's not," I said firmly. "Whatever business you have with him, you can take it up with me. I'm Jess Merrick. His daughter."

"I'm afraid I need to take this up with Mr. Merrick himself, Jess. I'm here to buy the farm and the only person who can sell it is the legal owner. So if you don't mind, would you go ahead and give him a call for me?"

I blinked hard. "Excuse me?"

The man sighed. "I need to speak with your father, darling. According to the title of this here land, he's the owner, which means that I have to deal directly with him."

As he said it, he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a plain black square. When he handed it over, I realized it was a business card, with only a name and number printed in crisp white. Oden Sawyer.

Weird name , I thought before I looked up at him and shook my head. "Let me save you some time. The farm isn't for sale, Mr. Sawyer. I'm not sure why you came here assuming it was, but my father will tell you the same thing. I'm sorry you wasted a trip, but if you hit the road now, I'm sure you'll make it back to the city before dark."

He gave me a placating smile, finally pulling those mirrored sunglasses all the way off. "I didn't make any assumptions, Ms. Merrick. I know your property isn't on the market at present, but I just wrote an offer you'd be foolish not to take."

"We're not going to?—"

"Just ask your father to call me on that number. This is a discussion I really should be having with him." Turning around, he strode back to his car, calling over his shoulder once he'd pulled open the door. "I know I'm going to hear from Mr. Merrick soon. I'll be around when he gets back. It was nice to meet you, darling."

"Speak for yourself," I muttered as I watched him drive away.

A car that low shouldn't have been going that fast on the dirt, but that guy seemed like one of those who thought they were unbeatable. Indestructible. Like not even God himself could strike them down.

I shook my head. "You're shit out of luck here, dude."

Slamming the door, I clutched the business card and strode to our home office. We didn't use it much, outside of doing all the accounting for the farm. Dad also kept all our paperwork and documentation in here, and not all of it had been packed away after we'd carried it out to search for the mineral rights.

Piles of paperwork covered the desk, floor, and side table, and I sighed, resolving to come organize it all and file it away at some point when I had time. For now, I walked around the desk and fired up my parents' ancient desktop computer.

While I waited for it to start, I decided to use the time wisely and began sorting through the files in front of me. I'd organized at least a quarter of the desk by the time Google finally opened. I'd been working on my parents to get us a newer, faster computer for ages, but we just didn't have money to waste on something we really didn't use that often.

After typing in the name Oden Sawyer, I waited with nerves tying my stomach in knots to find out who he was. He came up as a representative for big oil, apparently having been in the industry for almost two decades.

Clicking into a few articles, I scanned through them, not really finding anything of interest until I came across a picture that made my heart slam to a stop. Right there on the old, pixelated screen, was an image of Oden and Slate.

The quality wasn't great, but I'd know that face anywhere. Slate was younger here, but it was definitely him, standing shoulder to shoulder with Oden, their hands clasped as they grinned for the camera and struck their deal.

My stomach turned to stone, but I dragged in a deep breath. This didn't necessarily mean anything.

I wouldn't jump to any conclusions other than that they knew each other, which in itself wasn't exactly damning. Slate and Mira had both been in the oil industry for a long time themselves. I was willing to bet they knew everyone worth knowing who worked in it, but it still made a frisson of unease work its way through me to see Slate grinning with that slick snake of a man.

Crumpling up the business card, I tossed it in the trash and closed out the window. It'd been a few weeks since I'd been suspicious of Slate, but right now, I needed answers from him. I wouldn't ask the questions in front of my dad because there was a sickening feel spreading through to my very soul that I wasn't going to like what I heard.

With my heart thumping and my body feeling like it'd aged at least a dozen years, I heaved myself out of the chair and returned to the kitchen table. My brother was going to be here any minute, and I really couldn't wait for him to arrive now.

Austin would help me. No matter who this guy was or what offer he had that we apparently couldn't refuse, at least my brother would be here to back me up—even if I didn't know if I could trust Slate to be in my corner too.