Page 13 of Claimed By 3 Mountain Men

“Why?” I press.

“I’m happy to talk about anything you want to know, Mac,” JT cuts in.

His eyes are fixed on mine, and I can’t help but notice the flecks of gold in his irises.

“Tell me then. Tell me about how much forest you cut through monthly.”

“We’re not just cutting down trees willy-nilly. We only take what we need and replant three for every tree we harvest.”

“Then why is most of the forest surrounding Silver Ridge nearly destroyed?”

“Woah,” JT holds up his hands. “That’s not true at all.”

“Over three hundred thousand acres of woodlands haven’t grown back after your family cleared them.”

“That’s because of the wildfires, Mac.”

“Then why have there been none reported in the last decade? Surely you would have taken measures to restore what was lost in that amount of time.”

Their faces darken, and I know I’ve hit a nerve.

“We’re not at fault for every tragedy that befalls this town,” Ben says, folding his arms over his chest.

“Quite frankly, I’m surprised you know so much about our business and the land around here. Surely, you didn’t fly all theway out to little Silver Ridge just to interrogate us?” JT asks, his gaze piercing into my very soul.

“I’m sorry if I care about the environment.”

“No one said you didn’t. But it seems like you have a personal vendetta against us.”

I open my mouth to refute his words but swallow them instead. He’s right. They don’t know half of it.

“I just want to understand how you can ruin such a lovely, diverse habitat.”

“We don’t want to ruin it, Mac. We love this land as much as you do,” Ben says.

Hank steps back shaking his head.

“I’m getting another beer. We’ve talked to hundreds of people like you before. You’re not interested in the facts.”

“I could say the same about you,” I say sharply.

“Come on, JT,” Ben says, tilting his head toward the door to the bar. “Let’s go.”

I clench my jaw.

“Go on then. Avoid the conversation.”

“It’s not that we want to avoid the conversation,” Ben says. “It’s that we’ve got a hell of a lot of other shit going on right now.”

“Your dad…right. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

JT tilts his head studying me.

“Are you?”

“Of course.”

“Because I know your type.”

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