Chapter 60

CHAPTER 60

SLATE

T hings at the farm had been going well since Jeanie had gotten home a week ago. She was back to her usual self, and she and Jess had been inseparable.

Austin had gone back to the city last Sunday and Doug was still fussing over his wife, but he was also pitching in a bit more with the chores, helping Jess to get them done faster so they could have more time to spend as a family.

I'd been giving them as much space as I could, but Jeanie had also insisted on giving Jess and me some lessons in the kitchen. Every afternoon, the three of us were in there together, and while I'd never intended on learning how to cook, it was surprisingly fun.

It was Friday afternoon and I was due in the kitchen in a couple of hours, but first, I'd had to come out to the site. I was meeting with the drilling crew. Tommy, the shift foreman, grinned as he shook my hand.

"Slate, my man. We're happy to report that we're finally done."

I blinked rapidly, my lips parting in shock. "You're done , done?"

"Yep." He let go of my hand and took a step back, motioning at his crew who, I realized then, were busy packing up.

Fuck. That's it. They're really done.

I'd known they were getting close, but I hadn't expected today to be the day. So many emotions zapped through me that I felt a little faint, so surprised that if I hadn't been standing in the middle of a field, I'd have sat down for a minute.

After all these weeks and all the challenges we'd faced, it was finally and suddenly just done. As soon as this conversation was over, I'd have the answers the Merricks had been waiting for all this time and I'd be in position to advise them on what came next, but as soon as the decision was made and the ducks were in a row, I'd have to leave.

The sun was sitting high in the clear sky, a slight breeze rustling my hair and blowing hot hair over my skin. The scents of manure, laundry, and oil hung in the air and the only sounds I heard were that of the crew and the occasional moo.

It was impossible to think that I'd have to leave this behind soon, but in the week since Jess had told Jeanie about us, she hadn't brought up our future to me once. Which I took as meaning only one thing, and that was that she didn't want that.

Since I wasn't the type to force my presence upon her by taking Doug's offer, I was still preparing to leave as soon as all this was said and done. A fucking storm of I didn't even know what ripped through me.

Fighting to maintain composure, I nodded and even finally managed to return his grin. "Thanks, Tommy. The family will be happy to hear it. What's the verdict?"

"Everything is good to go when they want to start extracting and barreling. Obviously, they'll have to maintain proper storage in proper containers in a facility with proper ventilation, but as soon as they've got all that lined up, they can get started."

"Wow." I rocked back on my heels, sweeping a gaze across the site I'd spent at least a couple of hours at every day since I'd been here. "I'll check my emails for your final report, but what's the estimation?"

Tommy chuckled, cocking his head as he nodded at me. "They struck it big, man. There's a lot of oil here. Enough to keep them busy for the rest of their lives if they decide not to sell the property."

As he said the words, I didn't know how I was feeling. I was relieved, obviously, about the fact that the oil wasn't a bust. I'd known for weeks now that it wasn't, considering how long the evaluation had ended up taking, but I hadn't wanted to say anything to the Merricks until we knew for sure.

On the other hand, this meant that my job was closer than ever to being done. The ball was in the family's court now regarding how they wanted to handle it from here, but I had a few ideas to lay out for them, and depending on the option they chose, I'd be gone by the end of next week.

Two weeks max.

It was that realization that tore my insides to shreds, but I didn't let Tommy see it. Ultimately, this was what I'd come out here to do and it was great fucking news for the Merricks.

"Thank you for everything you did here, Tommy," I said. "I know you and your guys worked hard and I want you to know that I appreciate it."

He nodded, sliding his gloves back onto his hands. "Any time, Slate. You're one of the good ones to work for. Let me know if anything else comes up. I heard you were getting out of the industry, though."

"I was." I cleared my throat. "I mean, I am, but I might have something else for you already."

"Yeah?" He arched both eyebrows at me and chuckled. "That's a lot of projects for a guy who's supposed to be getting out."

I shrugged. "You know how it goes, but it's actually just the one project. How would you feel about extending the contract here? The Merricks are going to need someone to help them with the actual work from here on out. If they decide not to sell, that is."

A thoughtful gleam took over Tommy's eyes, but he nodded slowly. "I'll run it by everyone, but personally, I'd be interested in hearing the offer. This has been a good job and I like the area."

"Same here, Tommy," I said. "Same here. I'll keep you in the loop, but find out for me on your end and I'll bring you the offer once I've got one."

He grinned and gave me a wave as he turned and walked back to his guys. Mind racing, I sank my teeth into my lips and ran my gaze across the site once more. What had been a glorious portion of land was now slick mud and machinery, but beyond that was still the forest and the trees.

I knew this had been grazing fields before they'd struck oil, but I also knew that regardless of what they decided, no cow would be able to graze here for a long time to come. For the last few weeks, I'd been wracking my brain and researching all the different options.

I was ready to lay it out for them, but there was one last thing I needed to do before I called the meeting. My heart was heavier than it had ever been as I turned my back on the site and walked away.

Grappling with the knowledge that I'd soon be walking away for good, I went for a stroll and tried to get my thoughts into some kind of logical order. For the Merricks' sake, I had to get a grip on my own emotions before I spoke to them—or else I'd end up saying stuff that didn't make any sense.

The problem was that I didn't know how to get a grip on this. I still didn't even know how I was feeling, other than pissed off for some reason. I sighed, stuffing my hands in my pockets and just walking until finally I found myself back at the house.

I heard Jess and Jeanie laughing in the kitchen, but instead of joining them, I went upstairs and shut my door. Then I got on the phone with Mira. My sister would want the update, but I also knew she'd do everything in her power to help this family and frankly she was who they needed right now.

"Hey, sis," I said when she picked up. "How are you?"

"Slate, this is a surprise! I was starting to wonder if you'd fallen off the face of the earth again. Other than that, we're good, though. You?"

I didn't have an answer to that question right now, so I blew past it and got to the point instead. "Everything is finally done at Merrick Meadows. The land has been assessed and the final report should be in your inbox, but according to Tommy, it's a viable deposit."

She squealed. "Slate! Thank you. That's excellent news. How did the Merricks take it? They must be ecstatic."

"I haven't told them yet," I said. "As soon as it was confirmed, I came right back to speak to you first."

I couldn't see my sister, but I knew her well enough to know the beat of silence meant she was frowning. "What do you mean, you haven't told them yet?"

"You know how they feel about this farm," I said, walking over to the window and leaning against the wall. I looked out at the pastures and the barns, the view I'd grown to love so damn much. "I wanted to explore all possible options before I take anything to them."

"Okay," she said slowly. "I guess that makes sense, but what's up? You didn't just call to give me the news, did you?"

"Nope," I said honestly. "Everything here is set for the Merricks to proceed however they like."

"What do you think?" she asked. "You have an idea, don't you?"

"Well, I mean, it's definitely in their best interest to sell the oil. Things are tighter than tight for them financially and I know having to pay for this process didn't help."

"I sense a ‘but' coming."

I chuckled. "But I also know they don't want a third party intervening and muddying everything up, so to speak. Plus, they'd make more money if they didn't have to pay some contractor the usual fees to handle it on their behalf."

"In other words, you know that they don't want to lease the land to a mega corporation that hauls oil off their property, potentially for years to come," she concluded. "That is what you're saying, right?"

"Exactly, which is why I decided to call you," I said. "I have a proposal that I think you might like and I'm pretty sure the Merricks will prefer it to any of the other options they've got."

"I'm listening, but I should warn you that I'm burping Beau and he just spit up all over me," she said. "What's the proposal, Slate?"

I smiled, missing my adorable nephew but also glad that I was spit-up free. Besides, if things remained as they were right now, I'd be seeing him again real soon and I'd probably be back in the city for a while investigating possibilities for what came next.

For now, though, I needed to focus on the job I currently had. "What do you think about going into business together? Again?"