“It’s not his call,” she said. “Tell Brody I’ll pay for it.”
She ended the call and secured her seat belt. In the pit of her stomach she had a bad feeling her big brother would ignore her. Brody had led the family for so long it was as if he’d forgotten that his siblings were adults now—especially her. And her big brother didn’t have the right to make decisions for her.
“Katie?” Liam asked, turning the key to her wagon. “Are you OK?”
“Just drive.” For once, please listen to me. Let me call the shots and do as I ask. “Please. I need to get home.”
Chapter 9
LIAM STOLE A glance at his passenger. Her eyes were fixed on the road, her hands clutching her phone. He’d overheard enough of the call to get a sense of the situation.
“Can you go any faster?” she asked.
“Not if you want to get home in one piece,” he said. “Have a little faith in your brother. I’m sure he’ll do the right thing.”
“Brody always thinks he’s right. But if he sends those poor animals away, with no place else to go . . .” She shook her head. “How much longer?”
“Honey, we’ve only been in the car for five minutes.” It would take them another forty-five to get back to Independence Falls. “Sit back and try to relax.”
She grunted as if he’d suggested the impossible.
“Tell me, do you have any other places in mind for Georgia’s party?” Liam asked, hoping the conversation would distract Katie from her burning desire to get home.
“I do,” she said. “But the research for the next idea on the list, well, let’s just say it is a little more involved.”
“Than a mechanical bull?”
She nodded. “I want to check out a place on the west side of the Independence Falls Reservoir. I was hoping to drive over Saturday.”
“That side of the lake is surrounded by national forest. You’ll need to park your car a ways out and hike in.”
“I know, but it’s the next thing on Georgia’s list. And after seeing the bar tonight, probably the most practical.”
“As her brother, I vote for hiking and camping. But getting to that side of the reservoir is a mile and half mostly uphill.” Liam had no doubt Georgia could do it. She had traveled on foot while hauling a seriously heavy pack when stationed in Afghanistan. But the others?
“That’s one helluva way to kick off a bachelorette party,” he added.
“I know,” Katie said. “And getting everything out there will be a challenge.”
Liam stole another glance at her. She’d relaxed her death grip on her phone. “Everything? What are you planning to bring to the party?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know. It’s one of your sister’s wild ideas, but Eric would hate it. And if we have to hike out there, it won’t happen anyway.”
“You could come at it from the other side. Cross the water by boat,” Liam said, knowing he should stay out of it. If Eric would hate Georgia’s plans, he probably would too. But the thought of more “research” with Katie kept the wheels in his mind turning.
“I have a friend who owns a small motorboat and docks it over there. We might be able to borrow it,” he continued. “If the water level isn’t too low this time of year.”
She cocked her head to one side as if considering the idea. “Too low even for a motorboat?”
“The reservoir is manmade on cleared land. Lots of stumps underneath when the water level is low. And we’ve had a dry few months.”
They were nearing the end of fire season, but this one had been rough. A few weeks earlier, Liam had fought a massive blaze on a piece of property he’d been harvesting. And afterward, he’d faced an investigation that had nearly cost him his job and his best friend. He was more than ready for the constant rains the Pacific Northwest was known for, but Mother Nature wasn’t cooperating.
“But I’ll make the call,” Liam added. “Are you free this weekend?”
“Saturday might work. I would need to see about the cabin first. And make some other arrangements.”
“Saturday’s great. If you don’t mind heading out in the late afternoon. We’re planning to get the last of the trees on Mrs. Wilson’s property harvested that morning.” And thank goodness for that. He wanted the excuse to stay the night with her alone in a cabin. After tonight, in the club, feeling her respond to his touch, he wanted her. But he planned to take his time. He’d meant what he’d said in the parking lot. He needed to do this right.
THIRTY MINUTES LATER, Katie dropped Liam off on the street in front of his house with a promise to call the cabin about Saturday, and sped toward home. Turning down the driveway, her hands tightened around the steering as the house came into view. There was no sign of the horse trailer. But her big brother sat on the front porch.
Katie parked her wagon and climbed out, fighting to control her temper. She approached Brody, noting the way his eyes widened at the sight of her dress.
“Where are the horses?” she demanded.
“They’re in the barn.” He pushed off the steps, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Chad and Josh are feeding them now.”
Temper gave way to a flood of relief. Katie rushed over and threw her arms around her big brother, her face resting against his T-shirt. “Thank you. The whole drive back, I was so scared you would send them away.”
“The sheriff was out of options. We were his last hope. And I would hate to see them go to a slaughterhouse.” Brody hugged her back, but then drew away, looking down at her. “But we can’t afford to keep them, Katie.”
“We’ll have the money soon,” she said. “When the contract comes through and we put those new trucks to use—”
“I should never have let you buy those trucks.” Brody released her, stepping back. “We’re out a lot of money if Black Hills doesn’t sign. And I think Eric and Liam can smell our desperation.”
“Mr. Fidderman will come through,” she insisted. And she wasn’t desperate. But she had a bad feeling her brothers—Brody in particular—saw Moore Timber’s offer as their only option.
“Brody, do you want to sell to Moore Timber?”
Her brother ran his hand over his face. “I think it might be best. At some point, we need to take what we can get for the business and move on with our lives. You have a potential job waiting for you in Montana. Josh wants—”
“Stop,” she demanded. “You’ve put us first for the past seven years. You held us together after Dad died. It was always about us. Now it is time to think about what you want.”
“I’m proud of what we’ve built here,” Brody said quietly. “But—”
“No more ‘buts.’ ” Katie crossed her arms in front of her chest. “We’re not selling.”
Brody shook his head. “You’re just like them. Dad and Grandpa. So damn stubborn.”
Katie smiled, feeling a rush of pride at his words. Those men were her heroes. And though her brother might not realize it, she had fought an uphill battle to keep her backbone, to make her own choices. “Have a little faith in me, Brody. I can close the deal with Black Hills. Once we have those contracts, we can start to grow the business. Eventually, Chad, Josh, and I can step away.”
“What about Montana?”
“If I get the papers signed, and if they offer me the job, maybe I’ll take it. If not, well, I’m a big girl Brody, I’ll find something else eventually.” Katie looped her arm through his. “How about you introduce me to the new horses?”
“Do you want to change first?” Brody asked, looking pointedly at her skirt.
“Horses first.”
Arm in arm, they headed for the barn. “Mind telling me where you were dressed like that?”
“I was checking out a potential bar for Georgia’s bachelorette party.”
The muscles in her brother’s jaw tightened. “You went
barhopping by yourself?”
“No. I brought a friend,” she said. “Don’t worry, he kept me safe.”
From the other guys, she thought. But if Liam thought for one minute that a heartfelt conversation in a parking lot would erase the old hurt she’d carried around for the past seven years, he was flat-out wrong. She wasn’t about to hand back the apology, but knowing why he’d walked out of her life after one heart-to-heart with her brothers didn’t change the fact that her loyalties lay elsewhere.
“Thanks again, Brody.” She gave his arm a squeeze. “For everything.”
Chapter 10
“WE’RE NOT SELLING the company to Moore Timber,” Katie assured the balding man with the weathered face. Joe Fidderman, owner of Black Hills Timber, nodded. But his hand holding the pen over the signature line of the contracts did not move.
“I have nothing against Eric. I knew his father well and he’s grown up to be a fine young man. The way he has grown that business . . .” Mr. Fidderman shook his head. “We’re not competing in the same league anymore.”
“You’re branching out into different areas.” Katie forced a smile as she tried not to stare at the hand holding the pen above the paper. “By letting us take away the branches and other typically unused pieces from your timber harvests, you’re helping to create energy. All of that material will be turned into biomass fuel. And at the same time, we’re cleaning up the forest floor. Some would argue that alone will help prevent forest fires.”
Mr. Fidderman nodded, lowering the pen to the paper.
“Eric Moore is not interested in biomass,” she added. “We are.”
“If you’re sure your brothers don’t want to sell—”
“Sir, I won’t lie to you,” she said. “Part of me wants to sell and move on with my life. But my oldest brother loves the company. Brody has worked so hard to keep it running. When my dad died . . . Brody was there for us. He found a way to pay for my college tuition even though times were tight. He could have moved away, pursued his own passions, but instead he set everything aside for us. For me. And he’s not ready to sell.”
Mr. Fidderman nodded. “Well then, you have yourself a deal, Ms. Summers.”
Katie held her breath as the older man scrawled his signature across the contract. She’d done it. She’d secured the future of Summers Family Trucking. She stood, reaching across the desk to take the papers.
“I look forward to working with you,” he said.
Katie tightened her grip on the contracts. “And my brothers.”
“But you’re the one with the vision. I like that about you,” he said, finally releasing the documents she’d been dying to get her hands on. “I feel confident that with you steering this ship, we stand to make a pretty penny.”
Forcing a smile, she nodded. Montana was sounding more and more impossible. Of course, they had not offered her the job. Yet. She’d aced the interview this morning. But still, if Brody had walked away from them when opportunity came his way after their dad died, she never would have finished college.
“Of course. And in time, I think you’ll find you like working with Brody. He knows this business inside and out.”
“I understand loyalty,” Mr. Fidderman said. “I respect what you’re doing for them. Keeping the company afloat. It’s not an easy thing to do in this market. I think we’ll make good partners. And if this helps prevent forest fires, I’m all for it. Lord knows I can’t afford another one on my land. The last one, about two years back, nearly wiped me out.”
Katie said good-bye and walked out of the Black Hills office clutching the contracts to her chest. She’d done it. Now they didn’t need Moore Timber or Liam Trulane. Of course she still needed to convince Chad and Josh that walking away from a million dollars—or more if Liam raised the offer—made sense.
In her back pocket, her cell phone vibrated. Setting the contracts on the hood of the car, she retrieved it and glanced at the screen. Montana. And there was only one person there who had a reason to call her—Carol Lewis, owner of the Safe Haven.
“Hello?” she answered, biting back the words: Did I get the job?
“Katie, this is Carol Lewis. I spoke with your sheriff. He told me about the horses you rescued last night.”
“Actually, my brother was home and accepted them,” she said.
“Because you insisted. Katie, I’m impressed with your knowledge of finance. But that’s not why I’m offering you the position. I want to leave the Safe Haven with someone who will always put the animals first. The business side is important. And heaven knows, I couldn’t run this place without donations. But at the end of the day, it is about loving the animals no one else wants.”
“It is,” Katie said, staring out at the mountains. On the other side of those peaks stood her family’s barn filled with misfit horses and goats. Animals who depended on her, who needed—
“Wait, did you just offer me the job?” Katie said.
Carol Lewis laughed. “Yes. I did. So what do you say?”
Yes. The word was on the tip of her tongue. “Thank you,” Katie said, closing her eyes. “I’m thrilled and honored. But I . . . I need a few days to think about it.”
“Of course. It is a big move and I don’t wish to rush you. However, I’m leaving soon and need to make sure the Safe Haven is in good hands.”
“I understand. I’ll have an answer for you soon. I promise.” Katie ended the call and set her phone down on the hood of her wagon beside the contracts.
“I got the job,” she whispered, staring out at the familiar scenery. But the triumph was bittersweet. Brody and her brothers needed her here. Part of her wanted to say yes, but she had a feeling that wasn’t the right thing to do for her family.
LIAM LEANED AGAINST his car, his phone in his hand. He texted Katie, telling her they were set for tomorrow’s trip to the cabin. He’d managed to push the fact that this was a “research” trip for his little sister’s bachelorette to the far corners of his mind. He was going for Katie. An entire night alone with her . . .
A response flashed on his screen. I’ll meet you at the reservoir dock. And I have a few surprises for you.
Grinning like a fool, Liam pushed off his car and headed for the front door to Moore Timber and down the hall. Surprises? As long as they didn’t interfere with his plans to earn her trust, to show Katie that he needed and wanted her in his life, he was game to experiment. They had been pretty creative under the twin fir trees seven years ago, but he’d learned a lot since then. He had a few ideas of ways to make her scream his name again and again.
“Whatever you’re thinking, I’m guessing it has little to nothing to do with Wilson’s widow’s land,” Eric mused, his shoulder resting against the doorway to his office.
Liam chuckled. “Nope. But we’re done over there. Josh Summers hauled the last load from the landing a few hours ago.”
“Good. Come in and have a drink. I need to fill you in on my chat with my friend Tim Granger. Remember him? He’s the number two at Black Hills Timber.” Eric returned to his desk chair and started leafing through papers.
Liam followed him, collapsing into one of the leather chairs across from Eric’s desk. “Yeah, I know Tim. Good guy.”
Eric walked to the mini-fridge and pulled out two waters, tossing one to Liam. “Turns out his boss just signed a contract with Summers Family Trucking to haul the excess from their harvests to the biomass plant.”
“That’s what the new trucks and the chipper are for,” Liam said, leaning back in his chair.
“With that deal, they’re worth more than we thought,” Eric said. “But I couldn’t figure out why they didn’t tell us about the pending contract. And then Tim told me who negotiated the deal. It was all Katie.”
Liam knew he should be pissed that she’d hidden this from him, but his pride in her swelled. “All by herself?”
&
nbsp; “Maybe. I think her brothers know, but they still want to sell. I suspect Brody thinks the company is holding his siblings back, Katie in particular. And he’ll want to do what is best for his family. He’s always put their interests first.”
“Then Katie’s the driving force behind the counteroffer too.”
“That’s my guess.” Eric placed his elbows on his desk. “After talking with Tim, I can tell you one thing. Any deal we negotiate with Summers Family Trucking should include her.”
Every muscle in his body tensed. “You want her to work here? For Moore Timber?”
Eric nodded. “Her forward-thinking business sense makes Katie one of Summers Family Trucking’s biggest assets.”
“She’s not going to like that. She plans to take that job in Montana if they offer it.”
“Maybe not, but I get the feeling she’ll understand. You’re seeing her this weekend, right?”
“I am.” Liam frowned. “But I wasn’t planning to talk shop.”
“I’m not asking you to discuss mergers and acquisitions over dinner. I don’t want to tip our hand until Monday’s meeting, which by the way needs to include her. But it would be great if she had another reason to stay in Independence Falls.”
Liam lifted his bottle of water to his lips and quickly drained it. He needed to make the right decision for Moore Timber. His best friend since grade school had trusted him with a piece of the business. Liam damn well better do right by Eric.
But the thought of spending Saturday night with Katie and not telling her about Eric’s offer—it felt wrong. And when it came to Katie, he’d already screwed up.
“There is a lot of money to be made in this area,” Eric continued. “I don’t have the connections. Hell, I spoke out against it at the state loggers’ association years ago when it was first introduced. My father was against it and I followed his lead. Most of the leaders in this area probably wouldn’t take my calls.”
Liam lowered his empty bottle. “But they’d talk to Katie.”
Caught in the Act: Book Two: Independence Falls Page 8
