CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“There are several possibilities the McGowans have for wanting the land near the reservation. None of them could be described as environmentally safe.” Addy showed her next slide. “This land here”—she used her laser pointer to circle the land in question—“sits directly above the water source for the entire Flathead Reservation. If polluted, more than five thousand families would be directly affected. We must gather more information and find out what they intend to do with this land and, if necessary, stop the purchase from going through. I’m going to need volunteers who have legal experience.” She squinted in the dark tent as she tried to find Estelle. Instead she noticed a shadowed figure just inside the tent. Her heart skipped, and she had to hide a quick smile at seeing Trent.
Her heart fluttered once, then sank when she realized what he must have heard. How long had he been standing there? The look on his face told her long enough.
She shut the small projector hooked up to her cell phone off and flipped on the portable light. “We’ll finish this discussion . . .” She came up with a blank. “Later,” she finally said. “The meeting is adjourned.” She walked toward the back. Taking Trent’s arm, she pulled him outside and as far away from her small group as possible.
“What are you doing here?”
“That was quite a speech back there,” he said. She could hear the anger in his voice.
“I’m just doing my job,” she said, stopping by a large fallen tree and sitting down, patting a spot next to her. At this point, she didn’t trust her legs—they were shaking so much. “What are you doing here, Trent?”
“Well, I was here looking for you.” He took a step toward her. His not taking a seat was a bad sign. “I guess I found more than I bargained for.”
“You’ve known why I’m here since I got back to town,” she said. She felt her chest constrict when she saw the look he gave her.
“Yes, but . . .”
“What?” She stood to meet his gaze.
“I had hoped that you’d come to trust us.” His voice dipped.
“I do.” She shook her head, unable to explain more. “It’s just I have a . . .”
“Job to do.” He sighed.
“Yes, I have to do the best I can, explore every—”
He stopped her by holding up his hand. “I get it, really I do.” He nodded back in the direction they’d come from. “But from what I heard back there, you make it sound like we’re out to destroy the planet.”
“Drilling for oil . . .”
“Don’t give me that bull. You drive a gas-fueled car like the rest of us. You use plastics and drive on asphalt.”
She sighed. “Yes, but it’s my job to make sure you’re pulling oil from the ground in the most sustainable way possible.”
He was silent for a while. Then his head tilted as he held out his hand to her. “Take a ride with me.”
She hesitated for a split second, then acquiesced. Only three bandages remained on her right hand, and when it landed in his, he took a moment to look down at them.
“How are these?”
He threw her for a loop. One minute, she was sure he was so pissed he was about to . . . What? Break up with her? She held in a laugh. She wouldn’t describe their relationship as boyfriend/girlfriend. Not that she’d ever had a boyfriend before, but from what she knew, they didn’t fit the mold.
“They’re fine,” she said, trying to tug her hand free, but he held it gently. “Where are we going?” she asked as they made their way across the parking lot.
“Well, I have a quick stop first, then, if all goes well, I’d like to show you something,” he said, opening the door to his sedan.
“Not driving the truck?” she asked when he got behind the wheel.
“Trey needed it today,” he said. “We’ll be switching this out for it.” He glanced over as they pulled out of the parking lot. “If it goes the way I hope.”
“What?” she asked, but he only shook his head.
“You’ll see.”
They sat in silence as they drove toward his mother’s place. When he parked behind the work truck, she automatically knew his entire family was there.
“We normally have dinners on Friday.” He helped her out of the car. “I skipped it tonight because I wasn’t in the mood.”
He took her hand again and she followed him into the house.
Everyone stopped talking at the table when they walked in.
“Addy, what a pleasant surprise.” Gail stood up, but a look from Trent sent her back down.
“I need a family vote,” he said, still holding Addy’s hand.
“Okay,” Gail said slowly. “Go ahead.”
“Everyone knows what Addy has gone through in the past week. What you don’t know about her family doesn’t really matter, but needless to say, we are the closest thing to a family that she has now.”
Addy’s heart melted as she looked up at Trent, then over at his family as everyone nodded in agreement.
“So I’m proposing a vote to let her in on the McGowan secret.” He held his fist up and waited for everyone else to follow.
Addy looked around and noticed that even Trisha and Kristen had their fists up.
Gail counted, and a tear escaped Addy’s eye as she realized every thumb was raised high.
“Good,” Trent said, then tossed the car keys at Trey. “I need to switch with you.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the room.
“Wait,” she started to say, looking back at his family. But there wasn’t enough time to get out anything beyond a quick thank-you.
He helped her into the truck, and they sat in silence as he drove. When they reached the turnoff for the reservation, she glanced over at him.
“Where are you taking me?”
He smiled. “It might take a visual to explain. Besides, I’m in the mood for a little night hiking.”
She sighed and crossed her arms. The man was infuriating. She’d expected anger when she’d seen him in the tent. She hadn’t expected this. He was almost . . . excited. Why? What was his game? She hadn’t lied; she did trust him and his family. But what was he up to now?
“This? This is how you plan on telling me what your family is going to do with the land?”
He chuckled. “Would you prefer charts and graphs? We have some, but . . .” He shook his head. “I like seeing the real deal.”
“Okay.” She drew the word out.
She silently watched the darkness out her window as they wove their way around the hills, across bumpy dirt roads, toward the valley where the Lenz land sat directly across the river from the reservation.
He parked at the side of the road, then helped her out.
“There’s a jacket somewhere there.” He nodded to the back seat. Thank goodness. She still hadn’t replaced her heavy coat.
Together they started walking toward the middle of the field, the moonlight giving their path a glow. He stopped in the middle of a large, flat section.
“This”—he took a deep breath—“this is where the main building will go.” He indicated the area around them.
“Okay,” she said, waiting. Her mind whirled with a million different options. What was he telling her? She hung on his every word.
“Then, over that way, three larger ones for housing.” He waved toward the river. “We’re debating if they will be apartment-style or more like dorms.” He leaned toward her. “My vote is for apartments. Anyway, there will be enough housing for almost five hundred. Then,” he continued before she could ask any questions, “over there will be seven more buildings.” He motioned into the darkness. “There, the classroom buildings, and this way . . .” He took her hand and walked a few paces away from the river. “Several more, including the hands-on training facilities.”
“Okay.” She tugged his hand until he stopped. “Trent, what is all this?”
He smiled and pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. “This is the Thurston McGowan Flathead Drilling Training Center.”
“The . . .” Her head spun.
“The Thurston McGowan Flathead Drilling Training Center,” he repeated. “My father’s dream for the past few decades.” He dropped his arms and motioned around them. “One hundred and three acres. A facility that will teach the safest method of drilling and extracting oil from the earth while doing as little to no permanent harm to the land as possible.”
Her chin dropped. “You . . . you’re going to teach people how to drill for oil?” Instantly she wondered if she was going to have to fight a bigger battle to get them to stop their new plan. Then she played over his words again, and the words safest and no permanent harm stuck out.
“No, not exactly,” he said. “My family is going to teach my father’s technology to others. Businesses will bring their employees here and pay to have them trained in my dad’s secret methods.”
Her head went through the details as fast as she could. Did she believe him? Why would he lie about their plans to her now? Her eyes scanned over him, and a part of her remembered how he and his brothers had been in the past. She was pretty sure Trent was no longer the same boy-toy he’d been back then, but with all her faults, she questioned if she had the ability to spot the full truth.
“My father’s methods will stop fracking globally altogether. Not only are these methods cheaper, it’s more environmentally sound.”
“Okay,” she said, still not able to grasp it all. “But you’ll be giving your father’s knowledge away?”
His teeth flashed in the moonlight as he grinned. “It’s what he wanted.”
“Then how will you make a living? What about McGowan Enterprises?”
“Oh, we’ll still be in business locally. But we’ll shift some of our focus to this. I’ll be in charge.” He looked around the moonlit field. “It’s already been decided.”
“You . . .” She blinked. “Will run all this?”
He nodded, then moved closer to her. “And we’ve been talking about needing someone with your skills. Someone who knows and is concerned about the environment. Someone who can help me maintain the integrity of my father’s wishes.” He took her hand in his. “Someone we trust.”
She felt a mental kick in the gut and almost doubled over from the pain.
“Trent, I can’t . . .” She stepped away from him.
“What?” He tried to follow her.
“I’m only here to find out what your family intends to do with this land. Now that I know, I’ll report it and—”
“You can’t.” His voice dropped. “The family voted that they trusted you. We are taking you in our confidence and risking this deal by doing so. Legally, no one can know until the ink is dry.”
“Why?” she asked. Her heart felt heavy. Why would his family trust her with such a secret? Especially when they knew she was working for the enemy?
“We have until the end of May before my father’s legal obligations are free from my uncle’s input. They signed a contract.” He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “We need until the end of May.”
She wondered how she’d survive after the secret came out, what she would do. Did she really imagine she could have a normal life in Haven? Something shifted inside her, and she knew exactly what she needed to do. The same thing she’d told herself a million times before.
“Okay, I’ll keep your secret until then,” she said. “But I can’t . . .” She shook her head. “I don’t think I can stay in Haven.”
He felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.
“Is it because of your folks?” he asked.
“No.” It burst from her. “That has nothing to do with it.”
“What then?”
“I just . . . I have my job.”
He could see the question in her eyes. “Will you stay around until our secret’s out?” he asked.
She bit her bottom lip, but then nodded. “I’ll have to—if I can’t explain why I would leave to anyone.”
He moved closer to her. “And . . . what about us?”
At her smile, he pulled her back into his arms.
“Good.” He kissed her.
She broke the kiss. “You can’t come by the camp like that again.” Then she looked up at him. “Why did you stop by? I thought we were going car hunting tomorrow.”
“We are still, but . . .” He decided to tell her after all. “I ran into your folks tonight at the diner.”
He felt her stiffen. “And?”
“I guess you’ll hear it anyway, small towns and all, but I gave them a piece of my mind.”
“Was that all?” she asked.
“Yes.” He nodded. “I’m afraid your mother isn’t happy with me, and I worried she’d take it out on you.”
“She isn’t happy with me either. You’ll get over it.” She turned and started walking back to his truck. He followed her. “I did,” she said when he caught up with her. “Now if we’re going to leave early tomorrow, I need some rest.”
“Still set for me to pick you up at six?” he asked.
“Yup,” she said. “I’ve been looking at a few dealerships online.”
“And?”
“I picked up my insurance check today.” The feeling of relief still hadn’t left her. “It should be enough for the Jeep I want.”
“Another Jeep?” he asked, opening the truck door for her.
“Yeah, this time, the four-door Wrangler.” She waited to finish her thought while he climbed in behind the wheel. “A white one again.”
He dropped her off back at her trailer, only having enough time to give her a quick kiss before she got out of the truck.
By the time he pulled into the driveway, the only cars left were his mother’s and Trisha’s. The house was dark, but when he walked in, his mother was in the kitchen making a grilled cheese sandwich.
“Can’t sleep?” Trent asked.
“No. Do you want one too?” she asked, looking over at him.
“Yeah.” He could go for one of his mother’s grilled cheese sandwiches just then. He needed the comfort food, even if he wasn’t hungry.
He sat at the bar and filled his mother in on the entire evening.
“Well, you have until the end of May to change her mind.” His mom cleared their dishes and piled them in the dishwasher.
“What if she doesn’t change her mind?”
His mother walked over and placed a hand on his face. “If she’s as smart as I know her to be, she will.” She leaned up and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Just don’t do anything to screw it up.” She patted the spot she’d kissed.
“Me?” he laughed.
“You boys, you take after your father—good-looking, smart, and, when the going gets tough, you tend to screw up love.”
“Love?” he asked as she walked down the dark hall toward her room. “Who said anything about love?” he called after her.
“Exactly.” She waved at him over her shoulder as she disappeared into her room.