Chapter 4
Lauren looked at the pages in front of her, wishing she didn’t have to admit that Seth had come up with an impressive list of names, but he had. There were some on the list she didn’t recognize, but more that she did, and many were people who had reputations as the top in their fields. Just about every branch of science was represented; from ecologists to biologists, he’d gathered a group of people who could deal with any problem that arose.
“All these people have agreed to come her and work on your project?” Lauren asked, still feeling just a slight bit of disbelief. It all just seemed too good to be true, and probably impossible to pull off. “How do you plan to pay for all this?”
“It’s all in the financial section of the notebook, but primarily I’ll use my own money to pay for the solar panels and wind turbines. Of course, I’ll sell off any equipment at the mines that I can and reinvest that money as well. If I can get some investors in the project I’ll do that, but as it is the financing is in place.”
“And money for the cleanup? Where is that going to come from?” Lauren knew that there had to be a flaw in the plan and was pleased to have found it. “It will take years for the renewables to start paying off.”
“I’ve already created the fund. The first deposit was over a million dollars, proceeds from the sale of my father’s fleet of sports cars,” Seth explained, flipping the pages of the notebook. “I’ll arrange for more money to be transferred from the company holdings as soon as I can. I’ve got financial advisors looking at what else can be liquidated.”
Lauren sat back in her seat and looked at the plate of food in front of her, she hadn’t even touched it and it was getting cold. To stall she picked up her fork and took a bite, mentally going over everything that Seth had said. The more she thought about it, the more she began to think that it just might work. But there was still one huge problem that Seth hadn’t addressed.
“What about the little matter of the lease on the land?” she asked, wondering how he was going to solve that problem.
“I’ve been negotiating with the Yup’ik for months, they seem agreeable to the plan as long as it benefits them and the land. My father treated them poorly, I have every intention of remedying that situation,” Seth said, sliding a thin folder across the table.
Lauren opened the folder and found a draft of a new lease, she read it over quickly then shocked looked up at Seth. “This is very generous,” she said, the surprise clear in her voice.
“I don’t see why the Yup’ik shouldn’t profit as well, it’s their land after all. I’m not like my father, I want to do what’s fair,” Seth explained.
Lauren needed time to process all that Seth had proposed. There didn’t seem to be any drawback to approving his plan, but it deserved more thought before she made a decision. She paged thought the notebook, then realized that part of her problem was that she really couldn’t envision exactly what the land looked like, whether it would even support what Seth was proposing.
When she’d worked a case in the past, she’d always gone to the site, knowing that seeing the problem often made things clearer for her. Plus, that would give her some time to further assess the situation and talk to the director; this felt like much too big a decision to make on her own.
“Mr. Montgomery, you’ve given me a lot to think about. But I should let you know that I make it my policy to visit any site that’s under my protection before I can make a decision I’ll have to see the mines and the clear-cut areas,” Lauren said, using her best authoritative voice.
That was the last thing he’d been prepared for. The sites they’d have to visit covered hundreds of miles, visiting them all would take weeks and he didn’t know if he had time for that. The deadline for the lease was only two weeks away and he couldn’t be in two places at once. Negotiations with the Yup’ik would take days if not an entire week, custom dictating that a lengthy discussion take place before any decision was made.
“Do you have any idea how many miles of territory we’d have to cover?” Seth asked, not sure if Lauren understood what she was asking.
“I understand that, but it’s necessary,” she said stubbornly.
“You also understand that there are no roads to many of these places, especially the clear-cut areas,” Seth continued, hoping to dissuade her, which only made her dig in even more.
“I see, but I still insist on seeing at least some of the worst areas. It’s something I have to do. Surely there are roads to some of these places,” she said, not giving in all the way, but compromising since the truth was she was a bit scared of the Alaskan back country.
“There are roads to them, but none that connect them. I could take you to one of the mines and one clear-cut,” Seth suggested, thinking that wouldn’t be too difficult.
Lauren flipped through the notebook to the map of the mines. “There are more than twenty mines on this map, I’ll have to see more than one,” she said, pointing to several that looked like they were close to one another.
Seth was just about out of patience. “Look, I have to be in the Yup’ik village in two weeks or the lease won’t get signed. I’ll take you anywhere you want when I get back if you’ll just give me the okay right now.”
“That is something I just won’t do,” Lauren said, insulted that he’d think she’d do that.
Seth knew that he’d have to give in to her demands, he had to have her approval before the Yup’ik would sign the lease. “Fine, but you better be ready to travel tomorrow morning. I’ll put together a list of places we can visit, but you only have two weeks,” he said, his displeasure clear in his voice. “Meet me at my house at six a.m. tomorrow and don’t wear those heels.” Then he threw some money on the table, picked up his computer, and left.
Lauren wanted to throw something at him as he walked away, but didn’t want to cause a scene. The man was impossible; her request didn’t seem that out of the ordinary to her, any field agent would have done the same. None of this was her fault. In fact she was bending over backward to help him, the least he could do was treat her with respect. She’d just begun to like the man, then when he hadn’t gotten his way, he’d turned into a typical spoiled rich guy.
The fact that she was attracted to him only made her like him less, it made her vulnerable to him, a feeling she didn’t like at all. As she walked out of the restaurant she promised herself that she was going to make this as hard for him as she possibly could. She had to put her personal feelings aside and approach this from a profession standpoint. Her career depended on this case and she wasn’t going to blow it because Seth Montgomery was the most handsome man she’d ever met.
The next morning, she left her little house at the ridiculous hour of five a.m. and headed for Seth’s house. It was only an hour’s drive from Naknek, but it felt far longer as the distance between visible signs of life grew farther and farther apart. After driving for nearly an hour, she began to think that she’d missed the house; no one could live out here, the landscape so harsh virtually nothing could survive. But out of the mist that had begun to develop as the sun rose, she saw the huge stone gate that guarded the road, and then a sign that said Montgomery Manor.
If she hadn’t been slightly off balance because of the barren landscape, she might have laughed at the sign. It looked slightly ridiculous sitting in the middle of nowhere. She pulled onto the dirt road and bounced over the potholes wondering how anything managed to survive in this harsh climate. Even in the middle of summer, there was little more than a covering of green on the ground, not a tree in sight. And then she understood why as the wind gusted so strong that her little car almost went off the road.
Heather had warned her that her choice of vehicle was all wrong, but she felt comfortable in the little car and had laughed her warnings off. Now she understood that if she was going to travel at all in this state she’d need something much more substantial, like the truck the sales man had tried to sell her in Anchorage. Just another thing she’d have to spend money on; she’d already spent more than she was comfortable with on the gear loaded in the back of the car.
Seth had sent her an unbelievably short email with nothing more than directions to his house and a list of supplies she’d need for the trip. She and Heather had made a last-minute trip to the hardware store, emerging with not only a tent, that she had no clue how to set up, but a stove that looked like it could explode the minute you turned it on. It was painfully clear to her that she was way out of her element and would at some point be embarrassed by her lack of knowledge.
She battled the wind for what felt like an hour but was really only a few minutes, then the road dipped down toward the ocean and the wind calmed. The sun blinded her for a minute, shining off the ocean as it crested the horizon, then she saw the house. It was tucked into a little bay, protected by the land surrounding it, looking like something from a fairytale. She couldn’t help but be amused by what Seth considered a cabin, mansion was a better description.
As she got closer, she noticed that there were several barns and a huge garden to the west of the house. There was a long dock with several boats tied up to it, as well as a huge garage, several of the doors open to reveal four-wheelers. When she pulled into the huge circular driveway, the first thing she noticed was chickens in the yard and she couldn’t help but laugh.
When she parked the car and got out, the smell of animals filled her nostrils, making her wonder just how many there were. But then she looked up at the house and was instantly distracted by its sheer size, it’s massive log walls impressive even to her. The massive double front doors opened and Seth stepped out, looking just like the master of the manor as he stood on the front porch. She sucked in a deep breath, desire rushing though her as she studied him, happy that her sunglasses covered her eyes.
Seth gave her a little wave, and her heart lurched in her chest. The man was just too good looking, and she was sure that he knew it, how could he not. Hoping it would give her a chance to get herself under control, she went to the trunk and began removing her gear. But Seth soon joined her and silently took her bags; when their hands briefly touched something passed between them, surprising them both.
Flustered, Lauren said the first thing that came to her mind. “When everyone said you lived in a cabin, I never imagined it would look like this.”
Seth looked at her sharply. “Well, let me set the record straight, this isn’t my cabin. This is my family home,” he said, pointing to the family crest on the front door. “It’s a bit of a monstrosity, but my family has lived here for generations.”
“Oh,” Lauren said, at a loss for words as they walked through the front doors, the soaring ceilings capturing her attention.
He led her from the entryway into an open living area with the biggest fireplace she’d ever seen. She stood in the center of the room and looked all around her, thinking that something was wrong with the room. Then she realized that it was filled with stark modern furniture which didn’t fit with the warm wood walls, or the gleaming wood floors. But the floor to ceiling windows that faced the ocean caught her attention before she could comment.
“This is my favorite part of the house,” Seth said, coming to stand beside her.
“It’s beautiful,” Lauren said, watching the surf crash against the rocks in the bay. “You must love living here.”
“Honestly, I hate this house. It’s big and ugly and since my last step-mother redecorated it, it’s just as ugly on the inside,” Seth said, then turned from the window and crossed the room. “We should be getting on the trail, unless you want a tour of the house.”
Lauren was tempted to take him up on the offer, the house intrigued her, but now was not the time to indulge her curiosity about the house. “No, that’s okay, we should get going,” she said, turning from the window.
Seth walked out of the room without another word and she followed him through the kitchen and out a back door. There was a huge pile of gear stacked on a back patio and both a horse and a four-wheeler next to it. Lauren looked at the horse, then the four-wheeler, then at Seth.
“I’ll leave it up to you whether we go on horseback or use the four-wheelers,” he said, walking up to the horse and stroking its nose.
“Um…” Lauren had no idea what to say, she’d never ridden a horse or driven a four-wheeler. “Are these our only options?” she asked, again feeling like she was going to make a fool of herself on this trip.
“I’m afraid so, I tried to warn you if you’ll remember,” Seth said sarcastically.
Lauren didn’t appreciate his tone of voice, she was here to help him after all, so she shot back, “Do I look like the kind of person who rides a horse?”
“How am I supposed to know? I didn’t mean to insult you, just give you the options,” Seth said innocently, knowing that he’d pulled this stunt just to freak Lauren out, hoping she’d back out of the trip.
But all he’d done was make her even more determined to follow through, which was good because she really did want to see what they were dealing with. Facts and figures were fine, but nothing could replace seeing the areas that were affected in person. Driving a four-wheeler couldn’t be that hard, after all it wasn’t that much different than a car and thanks to a high school boyfriend, she could handle just about any car.
Lauren had fallen for a bad boy her Senior year in high school, not only did he smoke cigarettes and marijuana, he was a dedicated street racer. For a good girl like Lauren it had been an adventure to push safety to the limits, speeding down the back roads, always on the verge of a crash. In the end the boy had broken her heart but not before she’d gotten a look at another side of life, and some serious skills behind the wheel.
“I think the four-wheelers will be just fine,” she said, giving Seth a false smile.
“Okay, then let’s get our gear loaded,” he said, pointing to the stack of supplies.
Lauren picked up the first pack on the pile, it was much heavier than she’d anticipated and she grunted. “Do we really need all this stuff?” she asked, stumbling over to the trailer attached to the four-wheeler.
“We’re going to be a long way from any kind of civilization for over a week, it pays to be prepared out here,” Seth said, easily shouldering a bag twice the size of the one she’d picked up.
Lauren sighed, this was going to be harder than she thought, especially since she had little experience with the outdoors. “You’re the expert,” she said, then reached for another bag.
“Why don’t you load your gear, I’ll get this,” Seth said, clearly annoyed with her.
Lauren looked at the pile of gear and wanted to do as he suggested, but she wasn’t going to let him get anything over on her so she picked up another bag and began lugging it to the trailer. “That’s okay, I’ll do my share.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Seth said, under his breath but just loud enough for her to hear.
She wanted to make a rude reply, but knew that it wouldn’t do any good to fight with him, even though it might make her feel better. They finished loading and set off, Seth watching Lauren carefully to make sure she wasn’t going to crash the four-wheeler. Lauren was tempted to pretend to be out of control just to get to Seth but again resisted the urge deciding it was a juvenile move, but it did make her smile to think about doing it.
Seth saw that smile and was tempted to ask what was so funny, but he was filled with a suddenly longing for Lauren that made no sense to him. The woman was nothing but a thorn in his side, she’d made this as difficult as she could, and he was sure that she’d be nothing but a liability on the trial. But there was still this tiny little piece of him that was drawn to her in a way he couldn’t describe, it was more than just the physical desire he was feeling, that he understood. It was deeper than that and he didn’t like it one little bit.
Being a confirmed bachelor, he’d long ago given up on the idea of love, it just didn’t exist. Like any man he craved female companionship from time to time, and he’d even had a few long-term relationships, but no woman had ever made him feel the way he assumed you were supposed to feel when you were in love.
It was never difficult to find that companionship when he wanted it, in fact there were several women in town who welcomed him into their beds. Living in such a small community he had to be careful who he got involved with, but so far, he’d managed not to break anyone’s heart. He was always upfront with the women he became involved with, explaining early on that he never planned to get married, and would never have any kids.
A few had tried to change his mind, going so far as to move to his little cabin, but it never lasted. After a few months, they’d pack up, say a tearful goodbye, and move back to town. He never interfered with their plans, just went along, thinking that it might be nice to find someone to share his life with. Of course, that life wasn’t all that easy, and the isolation could be difficult to cope with, not very many people could handle it.
Once they’d been on the trail for an hour, Seth realized that Lauren had mastered the four-wheeler and he relaxed. They’d navigated several boggy areas where it was all too easy to get stuck, but she’d gunned the engine and slogged through them like she’d been doing it all her life. Grinning from ear to ear as the mud flew and the tires slipped dangerously in the mucky ground.
Lauren hadn’t had much fun in her life for a long time, since the moment that she realized that if she was going to go to college it was up to her to get there. It wasn’t that her parents wouldn’t have given her a college education if they could have, but with eight brothers and sisters, she’d figured out early on that it wouldn’t be possible. So, she set about doing everything she could to secure the education she dearly wanted.
When she got to the university, she found the world she’d always been looking for. A world full of people who wanted to learn, to explore, and best of all she found people just like her. She’d never fit in at any of the schools she’d attended, girls just weren’t supposed to be interested in science, they were supposed to take typing and computer classes. Lauren wanted more than a boring nine to five job, she wanted to make a difference in the world.
When she emerged from the university with a degree in biochemistry, but no money for any further study, she took the internship with the EPA even though it wasn’t what she’d envisioned she’d be doing. Now she was on her first assignment, one that could make or break her career, but as she flew through the mud, that was the last thing on her mind.