Page 125 of Westin

“So don’t sell.”

He sighs. “He’s got oil guys with him.”

I take a beat. Real estate developers are one thing. Big oil and gas is a many-headed beast we don’t have the resources to take on.

“What’s your plan?” I say.

He shrugs. “It appears to me that Vince Cassidy is the one pushing this, and Corbin Buchanan is his puppet in the government. He’s trying to run a highway through the South Platte area to get access to everything west of it—my land.”

I lean forward. “Corbin Buchanan is planning on putting an access road through Carter Farms so he can bring materials up to build the highway. I need to find a way to stop him. It sounds like we could work on this together.”

He thinks it over. “What’s your plan?”

“I don’t have one,” I say. “The snow will hold off any construction, but when it gets warm and they approve the permits, they’ll start.”

“You want Carter Farms?”

“My girl wants it,” I say. “It’s hers.”

He laughs once, shaking his head. “Talk about pussy whipped, huh?”

I don’t answer. He’s not wrong.

“Her brother lives there now,” I say. “He’llhave to sell now that the Garrisons are dead. He’s in a corner; he’s got no other alternative. I’m not sure why he hasn’t sold yet.”

“Want me to have a word with the lady in the permit office?” Deacon says.

I consider it. “Sure. I’ve got a feeling she’d take a check for kicking the can down the road. Give us a few more months of time.”

“They always do.”

I think back to how Sovereign and I pulled off Clint Garrison’s death so cleanly, all the bribes and threats handed out to the lawyer, the coroner, the judge. It worked, and he got his girl. Maybe I can get mine that way too.

“We gotta cut off the people who are facilitating this shit at the source,” Deacon says.

He’s right, but I need time to figure out how. I sit back and put some bills on the table, picking up my hat.

“I don’t want to leave the horses long,” I say. “You come up to Sovereign Mountain, and we’ll talk about this with Sovereign.”

He nods. “Will do.”

I leave him there and head back to the truck. My mind whirls all the way to the general store, where I go to get some necessities. I know Deacon is right, but adding someone like Vince Cassidy to the mix will make this hard to pull off. Bodies like his are hard to hide.

I stand by the checkout with bread, milk, and eggs. The register is lined with plastic buckets of candy wrapped in white wax paper. My eyes fall on the closest bucket, one labeled Lemon Chews.

My father used to get those for my mother, maybe as an apology for everything. It was a kick to the stomach when Diane said they were her favorite.

I pick up a handful and set them on the counter before I take out my card. Then, when I get back in the truck, I shove them in my pocket.

Anything for my girl.

CHAPTER FORTY

DIANE

For the first time, I see someone other than Westin. Not because I have the courage, but because I hear a faint knock at my door around noon. I’m in a thick sweatsuit and socks because the floor is always cold this time of year. I brush my hair back into a ponytail and pad to the door, cracking it open.

Keira stands outside, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Behind her is a graying woman with a kind but stern face. That must be Maddie, the woman who runs the kitchen up at the ranch.

---