by Cora Seton
The woman introduced herself as Hayley, and she greeted Liam with a smile and a firm handshake. “This is Parker,” she said, indicating her companion. Parker shuffled the clipboard he held to the crook of his arm and shook Liam’s hand, too.
Liam relaxed just a bit. He’d expected the pair to be severe, confrontational even. Instead, they were just… people.
“Lead the way, and we’ll get started,” Hayley said.
Liam gathered himself together and led them to the barn. “We’ve implemented a compost-bedded pack system to help with the comfort and longevity of our cattle,” he explained, showing the inspectors the dry beds and concrete feed alley he had built. Of course the inspectors knew how the alternative housing system worked. The point was to prove he did, too. “We aerate the pack twice daily, and at the end of the season we transfer it to the field where it can compost, and lay down fresh sawdust here to start a new pack.”
“May I take samples?” Parker asked.
“Of course.” Liam stepped aside and allowed the man to collect samples from the pack and from the waterer, then led them out to the herd so they could take hair and blood samples from the animals, as well.
Next Liam showed them around the pasture. The drought had yellowed the grass, but the spread was large enough that the cattle were still managing to find plenty of forage. “We’ve had to supplement grazing with feed more than usual,” Liam explained as they neared Pittance Creek. “We use all-organic feed, though. I have documentation for all of it. The herd drinks straight from the creek while grazing, and the waterers in the barn pull from the creek as well, not the town reservoir.”
As he watched Parker collect a vial of water from Pittance Creek, Liam suddenly felt off-balance. He’d been thorough about the substances used on his own property but hadn’t considered runoff from Thorn Hill. Not that he thought the Coopers were filling their mutual water supply with chemicals, but how much faith could he put in them, really? If Parker found any traces of strychnine, potassium chloride or the like in that water, Liam’s whole project was done for.
What else might Parker find in that water—the same water that flowed through the Ridley property, nourishing a secret crop?
He told himself he was being silly. You couldn’t take a water sample and find traces of pot growing upstream. Just because certain plants were illegal didn’t mean they secreted illegal chemicals into the environment.
Liam composed himself, but it was too late. Hayley and Parker were studying him. He must have had a strange look on his face.
“Are you all right with us taking a sample here?” Hayley pressed him.
Trick question. According to Part 205, Subpart C of the National Organic Program, they were entitled to take any samples they wanted. She wasn’t asking for permission.
She was asking if Liam had anything to hide.
“Of course.” Liam kept his voice even. “Sorry if I made a face. Just thinking about how low the creek is.”
“Must be hard to run the operation under these conditions,” Hayley said sympathetically.
Liam sighed. “You don’t know the half of it. Nothing could have prepared me for a drought like this.”
Something changed in the inspector’s eyes, and Parker jotted something down on his clipboard. “You didn’t plan ahead for a drought?”
Liam tried to backpedal. “I mean, within reason—”
“Following organic procedures under ideal circumstances is one thing. We have to be sure you won’t cut corners when conditions aren’t perfect. A ranch is not a controlled environment.”
Liam rubbed his forehead, craving a cold drink. She was talking to him like a child. He knew damn well the weather and other factors didn’t always cooperate. “Of course. Let’s move on,” he said, trying not to let her lecture get to him.
He took the inspectors to the storehouse, but he couldn’t seem to get back on track. The organic feed and everything else had been thoroughly documented as he had said, but he struggled through the paperwork he had prepared, conscious of the inspectors’ eyes on him.
“I have receipts. Just give me a minute to find them,” Liam said. Hayley looked unconvinced. “I assure you, the herd eats nothing but organic feed.”
Hayley glanced to Parker, who jotted something on his clipboard. Liam paused, realizing his mistake. “I mean, thirty percent of their feed comes from grazing, of course, as is required. I meant the other part is all organic feed. I have documentation for that, too. Not that you need documentation of that. We were just in the pastures. They’ve obviously been grazing—you could see for yourself.”
Parker was at his clipboard again, and every stroke of his pen put Liam on edge.
“Do you tend to eyeball your measurements?” Hayley asked.
“What? No, that’s not what I meant.” And you know it, he almost added. “Here we go,” he said instead, wiping sweat from his brow as he found the receipts from the organic feed supplier. “As you can see, our feed is organic, all-natural and totally ethanol-free.” He decided to try to lighten the mood a little. “At least our cattle feed. Those who tend them get plenty of ethanol in their diets.”
Hayley didn’t smile. “Do your hands usually drink on the job?”
“It was a joke.” Liam scowled when he saw Parker writing something. “What the hell are you writing for? I said it was a damn joke.”
Parker kept writing. Liam reached out to snatch the clipboard from him but pulled his hand back just as quickly. He was losing it, and he needed to pull himself together.
If it wasn’t already too late.
Still rattled from her encounter at the Ridley property the previous day, Tory nearly forgot about Liam’s inspection until she got the rather cryptic text from Liam. He didn’t mention the inspection, but he obviously wondered why she hadn’t been in touch. She debated staying home. Maybe she’d be in the way, even though Liam had suggested he wouldn’t mind the moral support. Besides, she was finding it hard to persuade herself it was safe to leave the house.
That was silly, though. No one had pursued her when she’d raced home from the Ridley property the day before. There probably hadn’t been anyone there—
Or Steel had warned them off.
She’d called him several times since she’d made it back to the barn, but Steel hadn’t answered. He hadn’t replied to her texts, either, and while her brother often disappeared for days if not weeks at a time, his silence was scaring her. What had he gotten mixed up in?
It pained her not to call the sheriff about what had happened at the ranch, but nothing really had happened. The movement she’d seen in the outbuilding could have been any number of things. It was Steel’s reaction that had frightened her. No one had chased her home or threatened her. Besides, if the sheriff checked out the Ridley property, he’d find the pot crop. Much as she didn’t want to admit it, Steel obviously was responsible for the illicit plants.
That knowledge hurt more than she cared to admit. She’d known for a long time Steel was skirting the law, but until she’d seen the crop with her own eyes, she’d been able to pretend it wasn’t true. Now she had to face it. Steel was as bad as Dale. Maybe worse.
Where did that leave her?
She couldn’t even talk it over with Olivia or Lance without adding to their burdens. Maybe they already knew the extent of his criminal activity, though.
That left her feeling more alone than ever.
Her first mistake had been thinking she could come home and have a different experience this time around, Tory told herself. There was no getting away from who the Coopers were. Time to face up to it.
That didn’t mean she had to act like the rest of them, however. She’d said she would support Liam, and she decided she’d keep that promise. She had more in common with him than she did her own family. He wouldn’t take to breaking the law to make ends meet.
In her truck, she covered the short distance to the Flying W in a matter of minutes.
It was a good thin
g she did.
When she found Liam and the inspectors in the storeroom, Tory immediately realized he was floundering. She couldn’t imagine why. When she’d gone through the paperwork with him, it had seemed like he had everything in order.
“Hi, everyone,” she said after listening at the door a few minutes, and she caught a look of surprise—and then gratitude—in Liam’s eyes. “I’m an associate of Liam’s,” she told the inspectors, worried they might ask her to leave if she said she was a friend—or, more truthfully, a family rival.
She shook their hands with a smile but still sensed trouble, both from Liam’s tense greeting and the inspectors’ tight smiles. They were pretending a cheerful sort of curiosity about Liam’s set-up, but it was clear he’d already clashed with them on something.
And that wasn’t fair, because he’d worked damn hard to do everything correctly.
“Where are we in the process?” she asked Hayley briskly, keeping an eye on Parker while he kept an eye on her.
“We’ve taken all the samples we need.” Hayley’s expression was guarded as she looked Tory up and down.
What’s wrong? Weren’t ready to pick on someone your own size? Tory wanted to ask her but behaved herself. She was full of righteous energy after waiting twenty-four hours and still not hearing back from Steel. If these inspectors thought they could railroad over Liam, they were dead wrong.
Something in her eyes must have warned them she meant business.
“Just need to fill in a few details,” Parker said. “Liam was unable to give a satisfactory accounting of some aspects of the operation.”
“I’d be happy to go through any part of the inspection with you again,” Tory said. “In fact, we can start over if you want, now that I’m here.”
The pair exchanged an alarmed glance. It was obvious neither of them wanted to take another trek around the ranch in this heat.
“That won’t be necessary,” Hayley said slowly. “Let’s just go over the details we’re missing.” She took the clipboard from Parker’s hands and skimmed through it. “First of all, we’re concerned about whether you can maintain organic practices during unusual climate conditions, such as an extreme drought.”
“We’re in an extreme drought,” Liam burst out angrily. “And I just showed you how we’re managing.”
Behind the inspectors’ backs, Tory made a calm-down motion with her hands. “What specifically are you worried about?” Hayley and Parker turned back her way.
“You depend on water from the creek, but the creek is awfully low this year. If it were to dry up, how would you provide the herd with clean, chemical-free water?” Hayley asked.
With the paperwork she’d done with Liam still fresh in her mind, Tory quickly supplied the answer. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. Liam gave her a panicked look, but she waved him away. “We are allowed—in fact, required—to provide for the animals in our care however necessary in cases where complying with the regulations of the National Organic Program is unfeasible.” She smiled. “Since that has no bearing on your report, I’m sure you were asking to set your own mind at ease. You’ll be happy to know a local bylaw gives any rancher the right to draw water from Chance Creek itself in times of need. I can supply you with documentation as to the cleanliness of Chance Creek, as well as geological surveys showing that Chance Creek is unlikely to ever go dry even in an extreme drought.”
“No need for documentation. That will do,” Hayley said shortly. She glanced up at the sun and made a face.
Tory realized one mistake Liam had made and rushed to correct it, certain it would make a world of difference. “It’s a hot one today. Am I the only one wishing for a glass of lemonade? How about we head toward the house while I answer the rest of your questions?”
“Sounds good,” Parker said with obvious relief, confirming her suspicions. She shot Liam a reproving look when the inspectors’ backs were turned again.
“Got any snacks?” she murmured as they made their way to the house.
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll figure something out,” she assured him.
Hayley was studying the clipboard. She asked a few more questions but nothing Tory couldn’t easily provide answers for. Parker seemed far more interested in making it to the house.
“We can provide any additional materials you need,” Tory made sure to state several times. “I can pull information on the organic certifications of our suppliers, prior research done on the chemical content of the local soil, whatever you require.”
When the inspectors exchanged another, almost desperate, look, Tory knew her ploy was working. It was perhaps the most underrated trick she’d learned from her reading about being a lawyer: the fastest way to reach a settlement was to threaten to flood the other team with tedious paperwork.
“I think we have what we need,” Hayley finally said when they made it to the house and Tory had fetched them the lemonade. Thank goodness everyone in these parts kept a pitcher handy in hot weather. She found some homemade cookies, too, and passed them around. Doubtless Maya had made them. She was always baking for her farm stand at the end of the lane.
“You should be hearing back from us soon,” Parker said when he’d drained his glass and eaten several cookies. “Pretty country here.”
“That it is.” Liam was still riled, but at least he was trying to act friendly.
“I think that went pretty well,” Tory said when the inspectors had left. “We make a great team.”
She turned to Liam and was surprised to see him studying her.
“Can Turners and Coopers ever be on the same team?” he asked.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Tory went to take a seat, then must have thought better of it since she remained standing. She snagged a cookie, though. Liam didn’t blame her. They were good.
“I found something on the Ridley property,” he said, unwilling to be distracted. When she frowned, he figured she knew exactly what he was talking about. “Does that crop belong to your family?”
“Was that your first thought?” she shot back. “Someone commits a crime in Chance Creek, and the Coopers are automatically to blame?”
“Are you saying they aren’t?” Liam pressed. “Tell me the truth. Did you come back here to join your family’s new operation?”
“Are you serious?”
“I’m damn serious. I thought I knew you—”
“For the record, I just found out about that crop yesterday—and I still showed up to save your ass today!”
“You can’t blame me for asking,” he hedged, aware he wasn’t being entirely fair.
“I’m going to law school! Do you really think I’d gamble with my future like that? Or is it so impossible for you to even imagine a Cooper as a lawyer?”
“I think you’d make a fantastic lawyer, and I don’t want to believe you’d do anything like this, but I’d be a fool not to ask. Law school is expensive. You said it yourself.”
“And God forbid I find honest work to pay for it,” Tory said flatly.
Liam sighed. “Whether you’re involved in it or not, we can’t let it happen in our backyard. What if someone finds out about it—how’s that going to impact your career? Hell, what if the certification people had gotten my address wrong and stumbled on it just now? This affects all of us. It’s not just the pot, you know. It’s the—”
Tory cut him off. “I know it affects your family as well as mine, and I’m trying to figure out what’s going on. You need to give me time.”
“Do we have time?” He thought of the man with the shotgun again—who must be connected to the Coopers if Tory knew about the crop and hadn’t come to any harm. “When our fathers started growing pot, it set off a chain of events that ended up with your dad in jail and both of our families broken apart.”
“You think I can forget that?” She shook her head at him. “Thank God for the Turners, our caring neighbors across the creek, lovingly reminding us of every misstep, every painful m
oment of our past.”
“Tory—” This was far too dangerous not to act on. She had to see that.
“You know what? I’m over this,” she said.
And left.
Maybe it wasn’t Liam’s fault that once again, her family was committing crimes and ruining everything, but that didn’t mean she was going to stand there and let him question her motives. She’d left her family years ago to get away from just this sort of thing, and it steamed her to find herself right back where she started. She was so mad at Steel she could scream.
The worst part was that Liam was right: if someone found out about Steel’s operation and thought she was involved, it could end her law career before it even began. Sticking up for her family was one thing, but she wasn’t going to stay here if it meant giving up her dreams. If she was smart, she’d keep driving right now. Find some other state in which to start over. Turn her back on all of this.
She’d done that once before, though, and it had been loneliness that had pulled her back here as much as financial hardship. She was a Cooper. Chance Creek was her hometown. It was one thing to choose to leave. Another thing altogether to feel driven out.
She and Liam had fallen back into old Turner/Cooper rivalry habits quick enough when the chips were down, hadn’t they? She wasn’t sure whose fault that was, although she knew she was at least partly to blame. Liam was trying to protect her as much as himself, she supposed. If Steel wasn’t her brother, she’d have appreciated his concern.
Instead she’d lashed out. It wasn’t just a family thing, she admitted to herself now that she was calmer. It was uncomfortable to have someone else tangled up in her life. She’d gotten by on her own for years before Liam came along and started trying to carve out a place for himself in her life. She’d planned to continue doing so.
Was that what she wanted?
She sat in Thorn Hill’s driveway with the engine still going. The longer she stayed here, the more entanglements she’d face. The cleanest move would be to cut all ties now.
So why was she still here?
