Chapter 50

CHAPTER 50

SLATE

A fter getting a cryptic message earlier today, I left the farm while everyone was busy. There was an uneasy feeling in my gut as I drove into town. I had no idea who I was meeting, but the anonymous texter had asked me to meet at the local café, a quieter place off the main strip away from what counted as Firefly Grove's version of hustle and bustle.

I arrived a few minutes earlier than the appointed time and got an iced coffee from the counter before I found a spot to sit in a shady corner of the patio. From here, I had a good view of the street. And as soon as his car turned into it, I knew who I'd unwittingly agreed to meet with.

Oden Sawyer's car pulled up to the café, his front headlight covered in red tape. I grinned, amused that he was sticking around despite the damage to his car.

He climbed out wearing another of his plum suits, an orange pocket square proudly sticking out against his chest. I snorted back laughter, remembering that Jess had told me about Sophie's disdain for his choice.

As he approached me, I sighed and tried to gain control of my face. If he'd gone to such lengths to hide his identity from me when he'd set the meeting, he was clearly serious about whatever he wanted to discuss. I just wished I'd known it was him so I could've saved myself the time, but now that I was here, I might as well try to dig a little bit. He wouldn't tell me anything if I laughed in his face.

Ignoring the counter, he crossed the patio to my table without getting a drink and I stuck my straw between my lips, taking a long sip of the icy, creamy goodness as I watched him sit down across from me. "Thank you for coming, Slate."

"Get to the point, Oden. Why did you want to meet?"

"As you must know, I haven't had any luck getting through to those stubborn Merricks," he said, sneering as he said their family name. "My client is serious about that land, and since the family are a bunch of unreasonable hicks, I thought it was time to talk to someone who has more sense and who actually knows something about oil."

"Firstly, they're not unreasonable hicks, Sawyer," I said, fighting to keep my voice cool and calm. "Sabotage simply tends to make anyone a little hotheaded. Considering that you're responsible for?—"

"I'm not," he bit out, narrowing his eyes at me. "Do you honestly think I'm that stupid? I made them an offer that morning, for God's sake. They probably hadn't even counted all the zeroes on that damn check yet when the damage was done. Why would I have sunk my own ship, but especially so early in the game? I had them on the hook and we both know it."

I cocked my head as I looked back at him, careful not to give anything away. "If it wasn't you, why did you make that comment to Ms. Merrick about reconsidering after what had happened that night? It sure sounded like a threat, Oden. Not just that. It sounded like a threat coming from the person responsible, who might take things a step further if they didn't come back to the table."

"Okay, look." He exhaled a harsh breath and spread his hands on the table as he leaned forward. "That wasn't my finest moment, I admit. If I'd known she suspected me, I would have been more careful, but the thought didn't even cross my mind."

My eyebrows shot up. "Didn't you just tell me a minute ago that you're not stupid? If that's true, then how is it possible that the thought didn't cross your mind?"

He ground his teeth. "If you ask me, it was only a matter of time before someone got onto their land and started messing with stuff, but it wasn't me. In fact, I'm the injured party here. Machines can be repaired, but that deal was as good as done before the idiot screwed it up for me."

"Only a matter of time, huh? How do you reckon? The locals here know and trust one another, Oden. This isn't the wild west and it's not a cutthroat environment."

He scoffed. "It's not? Think about it. This town is full of failing farmers who missed the memo that the world was changing."

"What are you talking about?"

"They're still seeding their crops the old-fashioned way." He leaned back in his chair with a derisive snort and rolled his eyes. "None of them are producing enough to keep up with the big boys. They've missed out on contracts with grocers because they can't compete with the mega farms who saw they had to evolve to stay in the game."

"That's an interesting opinion, but it doesn't prove anything."

Oden's beady eyes locked on mine. "Merrick Meadows is dead, Slate. It has been for a long time. You and I might not be farmers, but we are the only ones with enough sense to see that there's nothing to be salvaged on that property. It's a dump. Worse even than that. It's a dump stuck in the past."

A surge of protectiveness rushed through me hearing him speak of the farm that way, but I didn't let him see it. I couldn't afford to show any weakness here. Oden had turned himself into a threat against my clients—my future bride and her family.

I wanted to get rid of him without rousing any suspicion. "If it's such a dump, why did you offer them as much as you did and why would someone go to the trouble of sabotaging the operation?"

"My client wants that property," he said with a shrug. "If the oil doesn't pan out there, maybe they'll turn it into a resort or buy up a few more farms and amalgamate. That's their prerogative. All your clients need to know about the offer is that it's a gift."

"A gift that came with a string," I said. "As soon as they didn't accept immediately, someone trespassed on their property, damaged the machinery of a company trying to help them, and made them feel unsafe in their own home."

"And I've already told you that wasn't me," he spat. "Jealous farmers are a threat. Far more so than I am. They're seeing the Merricks get luckier than anybody has a right to in this life. They want a slice of the pie and if they can't have it? Maybe someone is jealous enough to try and stop the Merricks from getting it too."

"Maybe," I said slowly, taking onboard everything he'd said.

Ultimately, though, it didn't matter whether or not I believed him about the sabotage. He'd still hurt Jess and there was no forgiving that.

Plus, while I would obviously tell Doug I'd met with him today, I knew what his answer would be to hearing the offer was back on the table. They weren't going to sell to his client—or to anyone else for that matter—right now.

I took another sip of my drink and pulled my sunglasses out of the collar of my shirt. "I've heard your song and dance. I'll take it to my client, but you might as well know that the Merricks aren't going to sell."

"Excuse me?"

I shrugged, pushed back my chair, and picked up my drink. "We've discussed their options and they're aware of the risk, and they've decided to proceed independently. They don't need investors, buyers, or developers sniffing around right now. However this falls will be the end of it and they're satisfied with that."

His jaw clenched, his expression hardening, and he glared at me. "They're making a mistake. A big one. When this is all said and done and they've lost everything because of it, they won't thank you for this, Slate."

"I know." I stood up and slid my sunglasses over my eyes. "Just as your client has its prerogative, though, mine has theirs. I'm simply telling you what the family has decided so that you don't waste any more of my time or yours."

"This isn't over," he said, shoving his chair back and rising fast. "My client isn't just going to let go of this property. At least bring the offer to your clients' attention again. Who knows? Perhaps sanity will prevail. They're going to lose this battle. Do try to make sure they don't lose everything they have right along with it."

"I'll convey your concerns," I said. "I am, however, telling you that they are not going to sell. Take that back to your client. Perhaps sanity will prevail on their end as well. There are plenty of other properties they can buy for their resort or amalgamated farm."

"They won't take this lying down," he said, his voice low and threatening.

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "As a colleague I once respected, I'm asking you to back off here, Sawyer."

Oden shook his head at me. "You've lost your head up your ass, Spieres. It seems all the fresh air is making you dumber, but if I want something, I get it. You should know that by now."

He tossed a ten-dollar bill on the table to cover my coffee, obviously not realizing I'd already paid for it, turned, and stomped off. I wanted to punch out his other headlight as he slammed the door behind him and peeled off, burning rubber once more.

I sighed and watched him go, swiping up the money he'd dropped on the table and pushing it into the tip jar on the counter before I left. The Merricks were not going to be happy to hear that Oden had contacted me to reach out to them again, but at least I'd made their position clear.

If only I thought that would've made a single lick of a difference, that would've been great. But I knew the guy well enough to know he wasn't just going to give up. Not even if he didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of buying that property from them outright. He'd simply find another way and that?

It scared me a heck of a lot more than the sabotage had.