Wyatt headed over to where Jon was set up, and Dom called out behind him, “We’re all entitled to make our world a better place, too, man. Don’t forget that.”
Chapter Thirteen
Chey turned onto the same access road back to the lake that she and Wyatt had taken what felt like a lifetime ago now. That fact was made even more surreal because it had only been one week since she’d come out here for the barbeque after witnessing Wyatt in full Reed Planet action.
Between then and now, the formerly rutted and potholed dirt road had been freshly graded, and now had a layer of gravel on top, making the drive in smooth and easy. The grass had been cut, and the fence bordering the nature center had been given a new coat of paint. All spearheaded and funded by Grant Harper and accomplished with a lot of volunteer hours from her friends and neighbors.
Chey knew the town council was not happy that the locals had taken it upon themselves to do the work, or that Grant had personally contacted the county clerk in charge of issuing the appropriate permits. It still hadn’t been exactly one hundred percent on the legit side of how things were done—they technically needed council approval for the upgrades—but they figured the council could hardly complain that all the improvements to the lake property they’d been neglecting for years had all been done for free. They hadn’t added anything new or changed anything.
Chey tried not to think about the fact that if the council had its way, all those improvements the townsfolk had slaved over would be moot, as the fencing and nature center would cease to exist, and the road she was on would be widened to four lanes and paved.
She was heading back toward the picnic area where the town hall meeting was to take place and was pleasantly surprised when she ended up having to park quite a distance away. The place was crammed with cars, trucks, and even a tractor or two. “Or ten,” she said, smiling and shaking her head. No doubt there were horses tied up somewhere as well, and maybe a golf cart, too. “Classic Blue Hollow Falls.” And she loved every part of it.
Everyone had come out for the town meeting, and she couldn’t be more thrilled about that. The council had thought they’d congregate at the lake as kind of a dual town meeting and groundbreaking ceremony. Vivi, Chey, and everyone else had been perfectly fine with that plan. What was up for grabs was exactly which project they’d be breaking the ground to build. What better place to decide than here?
Her smile widened when she spied the phalanx of news trucks and their big satellite dishes, parked way up close to where the impromptu stage and stands had been set up. Everything was coming together as they’d hoped. “Thank you, Reed Planet and Grant Harper,” she murmured. Their story had indeed gone viral.
The only hitch in their plans had come when Chey had been delayed back at the farm by a sudden and inexplicable power outage. She’d had to stay behind and sort that out and was mildly annoyed that she was late, but Wyatt, Vivi, Addie Pearl, and Grant were all already here, and they didn’t need her to get things started. Still, she didn’t want to miss any part of it.
She had to back up to find a place big enough to fit her dual-wheeled truck, but finally got it pulled in and parked. She slid out, plopped her hat on her head, and turned to close the door.
“We need to talk.”
Startled, both by the sudden intrusion and the menacing tone, Chey whirled around, having to put a hand to her hat to keep it from flying off. “Mr. Hammond,” she said, surprised, but putting a polite smile on her face while staring down the scowl on his. “Nice day for a town meeting, don’t you think?”
Hammond was a good bit taller than she was, about Vivi’s age, and ruggedly built, with tailor-made suit jackets that hid the beginnings of a paunch. His hair was silver and his eyes a hard blue. She wasn’t sure if his face was just built into a permanent scowl or if that was more of an indication of his nature.
He reached for her arm when she went to move past him, and she stepped back swiftly out of reach. So swiftly he looked momentarily surprised. Years spent barrel racing and dodging handsy cowboys still held her in good stead. “I beg your pardon,” she said.
He took a menacing step forward and she could see the sweat beading up on his forehead. “You’re going to be begging for more than that if you don’t pay close attention to what I have to say.”
Chey went very still. “You’re going to want to be very careful here, Mr. Hammond,” she said, standing her ground. Not that she had much choice, with the truck at her back, but she held his gaze openly and steadily. Something else she’d learned to do at a young age. Rodeo life was not for the naive or faint of heart, and innocence died early on.
“Your man is way back there at the staging grounds,” he said, and the smile, when it came, made her skin crawl. “He won’t be pulling one of his fancy rescue maneuvers today.”
“Oh, I won’t be needing one,” Chey said, not bothering to hide the edge in her tone. “Vivi wouldn’t have either if you’d behaved like a gentleman.” Her hand was already in her pocket, and she palmed the rather large pocketknife she always carried with her, as pretty much every farmer and rancher did, though not usually for personal protection. “Take a step back now and say your piece. I’m listening.” She held his gaze. “Unless of course you think you need to bully a defenseless woman just to make a point.”
“You’re about as defenseless as a snake in the grass,” he said. “Rallying your troops, trying to shut down my resort.”
Chey lifted her brows. “Your resort, is it?”
“It will save this town,” he said heatedly.
“So will mine,” Chey countered.
“You tree huggers have no idea what this town needs. And you, you’ve lived here no more than a minute and you think you know what’s good for us? This resort will help all those people you’ve got so twisted up, thinking we’re trying to screw them out of house and home, when we’re doing the exact opposite.”
“What you’re screwing them out of is the place they call home,” Chey said. “Significant distinction. We just want everyone to have the chance to live a decent, happy life.”
“Well, we can make sure they live a hell of a sight better than decent.”
“Not everyone is looking to make a fortune, Mr. Hammond. Not if it means losing their way of life in the process. If they’d wanted that, they could have moved down to Turtle Springs, or out to Valley View, or sold out to any one of the developers who have been sniffing around up here.” She tilted her head to the side. “Seems like the one most interested in making a fortune out of all of this is you. And I’m guessing a majority vote of the town council stands to benefit personally as well?” She shoved her other hand in her back pocket, all laconic, laid-back cowgirl, using the stance as a cover to fiddle with the cell phone that was stowed there. She double pressed the button on the side, then slid the screen twice and pressed, hoping she was doing it right.
“If you’re just looking to make some money off the deal, you could invest in our project,” she told him. “We have the full support of the community. Join us instead of creating this division and peddling your distorted truth of what folks’ lives will be like once that resort is built. You may not make the windfall you’ll get from whatever deal you have with the guy building the Taj Mahal of resorts, but you’ll do well enough and have the added benefit of being a town hero. I mean, how much more money do you need?” She noted his eyes dart away and he shifted his stance. That was when she realized this wasn’t about greed. It was about desperation.