Page 106 of Samuel

“You have to tell me what’s going on.” She grabbed Evie’s hand. “Do I need to call Sam? They have the satellite phone out with them. I’m sure he and John could be back in a couple of minutes if you need him.”

Evie broke out into a huge smile.

“Abby. There’s oil under the ranch. And from the look of these documents, it’s not just a little. There’s enough here to make sure your family is taken care of for generations to come.”

Her eyes went wide. “Oh my god. Did my dad know?”

“His name is on the survey. Along with Garrett’s. He had to…”

“Why wouldn’t he drill? Why wouldn’t he tell us? His heart attack… Sam’s heart… all that stress, for nothing.”

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.” That had to be why Garrett was so interested in the ranch. He’d known all along what was under the soil.

“Can I see?” Abby asked, reaching out for the document Evie was holding onto like a lifeline.

“Yeah. I think I need to sit down. I made myself dizzy with excitement,” she laughed. Jellybean kicked as she rested her head against the back of her chair.

“Oh my god. We have to call Daisy! This isn’t just under the ranch. It’s under their farm, too.”

Evie registered Abby’s excited voice in the background. She must have decided to call Daisy right then and there. God, Evie was so happy for Sam and his family. For her friends, too. This was life-changing news. The money that they’d earn from drilling, well, there certainly wouldn’t be that stress on Sam’s shoulders anymore.

But something was eating away at her. Why hadn’t Sam’s father looked into drilling? Why didn’t he share this news with anyone? Surely, Sam would have told her about it if he knew. The documents she came across could have only been more hidden if they were burnt in a fire and thrown in the cattle corral. The sight of Garrett’s signature on the paperwork gave her the worst feeling of all.

Because it suddenly all made sense.

Sam’s dad didn’t want to drill his family’s land. But his partner did.

“I’m going to pee my pants!” Abby giggled, sliding her cell phone back in her pocket. “Daisy and Hank are on their way over! I couldn’t tell them over the phone, this is too incredible! Don’t leave the office without me, okay? I’ll only be a second.”

Abby closed the door behind her as she left. Evie needed to call Sam. He should be there when Hank and Daisy came to hear the news. Maybe even Sylvie should be told. She didn’t want anything to do with the ranch business, but it was still her land.

The office door swung open violently and Evie jumped as Garrett strolled in. Oh god. She’d made the worst mistake. She wasn’t supposed to be alone.

Her eyes dropped to her desk where her cell phone sat, then back up to Garrett.

“Garrett. What are you doing here?”

“You’ve been a naughty girl, Evelyn. I told you, I wouldn’ttake kindly to you snooping around, putting your nose in a situation you knew nothing about.”

“I haven’t done a single thing about thethousandsof dollars you’ve stolen from this ranch. I haven’t done a single thing about the fact that you killed our cattle. I haven’t done a thing about you threatening me. I’ve done nothing about any of it. So don’t you come in here thinking you can threaten me again. Once was more than enough to piss me off.”

“Oh, Evelyn. I’m not here to threaten you. I’m here to use you. This has all been taking far too long for my liking. I thought throwing this ranch into bankruptcy would be the best way to get what I want, but honestly, I’m just bored. So now, you’re going to follow me to my car, and when Sam is done playing cowboy for the day, he’ll know where to come to find you.”

Garrett dropped a note on her desk before holding out his hand. Evie shook her head.

“We don’t have time for this. I jammed the door to the bathroom, but I’ve known Abby practically her whole life. It’s only a matter of time before she climbs out the window. I’d really rather not have to hurt her before we leave.”

“I won’t let you hurt her.”

His eyebrows raised and he chuckled. “Given your… delicate condition… I don’t really think you could stop me even if you tried.”

Garrett pulled out a cloth and small vial from his pocket. “I’d hate to have to use this on you. I’m not sure how much chloroform is safe for a pregnant woman. But then again, there is only one person in this room that cares whether you and your child live, Evelyn. So, you’ll come with me quietly? Or will you be risking your child’s life today?”

Her stomach lurched. “I’ll come with you.”

“Very good. My car is just outside the barn.” Garrettpushed the cloth and vial back into his pocket, reaching to the other side and pulling out more dark fabric.

“I-I said I would go with you…”

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