Chapter 48

CHAPTER 48

SLATE

I blinked hard, staring up at Jess's beautiful face and wondering if she was making a really bad joke. "Are you serious? Do you honestly think your mother sabotaged the equipment?"

The torment in her eyes made my jaw unhinge itself. My eyebrows rammed together and I scoffed back a laugh. "No. You've got to be kidding me. You cannot possibly think that your mother, Jeanie Merrick, might've actually had something to do with this."

She rolled her lips into her mouth. Her hands dropped out of my hair as she sighed and hid her face behind her palms. "I know. I know it's terrible, but the thought occurred to me last night and there's no one else I can talk to about it. Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me anything except that you agree that it might be possible."

"You're wrong." I gently circled my fingers around her arms and tugged until I could see her face again. "Forgive me for saying this, Jess, but you're being paranoid. There's no way your mom could've done a thing like that."

"I don't want to believe it either, but she started acting strange after the crew arrived. Maybe it was because she really didn't want them here and maybe, just maybe, she decided to try and put a stop to this whole business herself."

"No." I shook my head, looking straight into her eyes. "That's ridiculous, Jess. This wasn't your mom, okay? Whatever is going on with her, it's not that. She didn't do this, but she does probably need to get to a doctor."

"What if she panicked?" Jess asked, her features twisted in the agony it was causing her to even be playing devil's advocate right now. "Panic and fear can push people into things they would never normally have done. What if it was too late to take it back, and she feels trapped and like she can't tell the truth now?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but that's crazy, Jess." I took her face in my hands, cupped it gently, and shook my head at her again. "I know things have been chaotic around here and I realize the stress it's putting on everyone, but don't go there. Yeah? Just forget about this and remember who you're talking about."

"I do remember who I'm talking about, but is it really that crazy? You said it yourself. My mom has known one way of life for her entire life and this oil? It changes everything. What if she got so scared of what might happen that she decided to put an end to the possibility of change?"

"Do you even hear yourself right now?" I asked gently. "I think you were much closer with your first guess. Oden is behind it. We just need some evidence if we want to take it further, but let's not start pointing the finger at your mom. Your mom is stressed, and tired, and yes, her entire life could be changing, but that doesn't mean she'd have sabotaged her own family."

"Has your investigator turned up anything?" she asked, genuine sorrow in her eyes as she looked back at me. "If not, then we need to consider the possibility that it wasn't Oden. That no one came onto our property that night because she was already here."

"He hasn't been able to find any leads," I explained. "He's only been at it for a couple of days, but so far, he's come up dry and that, in itself, indicates a far more sophisticated suspect than your mom. Oden, sure, he's capable, but Jeanie?" I shook my head. "There's just no way. Unless you're also suggesting that your mom has a hidden criminal past that would've given the necessary skills to cover her tracks completely."

Jess scoffed and smacked my shoulder playfully, but that torment was still on her gorgeous face, tightening her features and making her mouth twist like she was in physical pain. "We're not dealing with Thelma and Louise here. All I'm saying is that it would've been easier for her to cover her tracks because she knows this property like the back of her hand."

"Okay, sure. Let's assume she went for a midnight stroll. How much does she know about machinery, Jessie? How did she manage to damage it so badly in the pitch dark without us hearing or seeing anything?"

"I don't know," she said, the corners of her lips turning down. "Maybe she looked it up on the internet."

"I assume you've checked your search history on the computer at the house?"

She grimaced but finally dipped her chin in a curt nod. "There was nothing suspicious on it."

"God, I can't even believe you went that far, but that means she didn't look it up on the internet."

"She could've deleted the search," she suggested. "Or looked it up on private mode on her phone."

"Jesus." I snorted, shaking my head at her as I held her even closer. Our chests were fused together now and I could feel her heart slamming against her ribs. "Seriously, are you even listening to yourself right now? Do you know if your mom knows how to delete searches?"

"It's not that hard."

I gave her an exasperated look. "It is to people who were born before computers, baby."

"She could've asked Austin for help. He would never suspect anything."

"For a damn good reason," I said. "She's your mom and you're grasping at straws here. Why?"

As I asked the question, I realized my initial thought had been correct. This whole thing was making Jess paranoid and I needed to snap her out of it before she did something she could never take back.

Releasing her hips, I took both her hands in both of mine, held them to my chest, and implored her to see past the haze of paranoia. "I know that all of this has been scary. I also know that it's been traumatic."

"So?" She frowned. "That just makes it more likely that?—"

"No, the only thing that becomes more likely is that you are paranoid," I said firmly. "You can't be looking sideways at your family members, baby. Now suddenly, it's not just your mom that's involved but Austin as well?"

"He could've just showed her how to delete her history."

I shook my head. "The extent of the damage that was done wouldn't have been easy to inflict, but especially not without bright lights and making some sort of noise. Watching a YouTube video on diggers wouldn't have given anyone enough knowledge to get it done the way this was done. It would've taken someone with a real understanding of machinery. Someone strong, fast, and savvy enough to know exactly what to do, in the dark, without making a sound. Does that sound like something an amateur could've achieved to you?"

"No," she finally admitted, her head hanging. "I guess not."

"Exactly. This was someone who knew what they were doing beyond just an easily erasable Google search and watching a couple of YouTube videos in the kitchen between cooking and laundry. You need to put this idea out of your head, baby."

I went on, squeezing her hands. "Situations like this where there are lifechanging sums of money involved can ruin any relationships. No matter how pure they are. Don't let it do that to you."

She sighed. "Are you sure?"

"Don't let this make you see the world differently, Jess." I brought the back of her hands to my lips and peppered them with kisses. "You're a good person. Your family are good people. No amount of oil or money will change that unless you let it. It would break your mother's heart to hear that you suspected her. Even if just for a moment."

As she stared into my eyes, she seemed to realize I was right. Turning so pink that I could see the color of her face change even in the pale moonlight, she groaned. "Oh, God. I really have gone insane, haven't I? You must think I'm a total nut job, first smashing Oden's car to pieces and now thinking that my own mother sabotaged us."

I gave her a soft, hopefully understanding smile. "You're not a nut job. I don't think that at all, but you do need to keep sight of what's important, and that's your family and this farm, correct?"

"Correct," she whispered, letting her forehead drop against mine and shaking her head from side to side. "I'm a terrible daughter. You're right. They'd never forgive me if they found out. My mom's heart really would be broken and my father would die of disappointment and shame."

"Your secret is safe with me," I promised, finally releasing one of her hands to slide a finger under her chin. I applied gentle pressure until she looked at me again. Then I leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to her lips. "That wasn't you talking, Jess. It was stress. You've been telling me for weeks that you're feeling like all of this has become too big for you, but I don't think that's true. I just think you're carrying too much of the weight of it all and that's getting to be too much."

In fact, after this conversation, I had a feeling Jeanie Merrick wasn't the only member of their family I should be worrying about. For Jess to have suspected her own mother of sabotage, it meant I had to worry about her too, and about Doug for now having realized his wife was struggling under all the added stress.

I sighed softly as I realized it went even further than that. I had to worry about the family but also about the Merrick property and how this was all going to end. Ever since I'd arrived here, everyone had been talking about how much the oil could change their lives.

But I suspected I was only now truly realizing that their entire lives were, in fact, already changing. Everything they'd always known and loved was suddenly different. They were at risk of losing their home and their generational farm no matter which way this thing went, and that had to be traumatic as fuck.

If I thought back at my own life these past few months, I could relate to how Jess was feeling, but at least my changes had happened fast. Mira had offered to buy me out of the company, and a few weeks later, once they'd come back from their honeymoon, it'd been a done deal.

I'd known from the moment she'd made the offer that I could either take it or leave it. There had been no uncertainties about the situation itself. She'd seen that I'd been unhappy and she had the money she needed to purchase my share of our father's business.

That had been that. She'd made the offer, and after thinking about it for a few weeks, I'd decided to take it. Despite all that, it'd taken me months to get into a groove again. The rigs had been my home, the industry my entire life.

I'd rarely dated. I'd never pursued any hobbies. I'd had a few friends, but none that I'd seen or made time for very often. Hell, when Logan had come to the rig a year after he'd first bought it, it had been the first time in a long time that I'd seen him.

Without that company, the rigs, and my job, I'd been lost, but again, it had happened quickly and I'd only had myself to worry about. Jess had herself and her parents, and it was taking a lot longer for things to come to a head.

In that context, I honestly couldn't blame her for unraveling a little bit, so I wrapped my hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss. Then I smiled against her lips when I broke it.

"How about we take a look at some more pictures of baby Beau to take your mind off things?" I suggested quietly. "You had a moment, but it's over now. Let's just put it behind us and soak in some cuteness before we head back inside?"

She managed a weak smile and nodded. "Sure. I'd love that. You never told me earlier how Mira was doing? How's she holding up as a new CEO and a new mom?"

"Surprisingly well, but she's always been incredible that way," I said, lifting my ass to pull my phone out my pocket. "She misses you, though. She told me that she'd love to introduce Beau to you in person sometime soon?"

"Next time you go, if I have some breathing room on the farm, I'd like to go with you. Would that be okay?"

"It would be better than okay," I murmured against her ear, and she settled in beside me and accepted the phone to scroll through my camera roll once more. "I'd love to take you home with me, Jess. In fact, I can't really think of anything I'd love more."