Page 27 of Choosing the Montana Cowboy

“I think you know.”

The slow, half smile that dawned on his lips told her he did. “The ferrets?”

“Let’s just say you all surprised me yet again at dinner last night.”

He tipped his head to one side. “Seems like we’ve been doing that a lot since you got to town.”

Buddy, you have no idea.

“Well, animal habitats are a little trickier to predict.” Were they? She really didn’t know, but it sounded like as good an excuse as any. “But once Madison showed me that video, I had a decision to make. Believe your claim and take it to my boss or sweep it under the rug and hope nothing came of it.”

Sam arched a brow. “You wouldn’t be telling me this if you hadn’t taken it to your boss.”

“Correct, that’s what I did.” She looked out across the dark yard, trying to picture her own as the homesickness bug gave her a fresh nip. Did she have any perennials blooming this month? There’d been no time yet for planting annuals.

“And he swept it under the rug.”

She looked to Sam. “No, Steven wouldn’t do that. He’s a great boss and strong morals.”

“So, you’re here to tell us goodbye?”

“No.” She laughed. “Though I’m sure you’ll be glad to be rid of me when my time with this project is up. Sorry, buddy, but you’re stuck with me a little longer.”

He smirked. “I can think of worse things. So, what did your boss say?”

“Well, we talked through a few scenarios and came up with a game plan we’d like to run by you.” She leaned forward in her seat. “First, we need to prove that ferrets truly have established habitats in and around the Nelson property.”

Sam’s brows rose. “You don’t believe us?”

“We do. That’s why we’ve hired a professional photographer to capture video evidence. Without it, the project can still go before the planning board and be voted in. If we produce evidence of the presence of an endangered species, though, Terakion will have to hit pause on the project. If the ferrets’ habitat covers a good portion of the land, our assumption is that we would ultimately pull out and find an alternate location to build.”

Sam nodded. “That’s our hope, too. So, who’s this photographer you hired?”

This was going much smoother than Natalie had dared to imagine. Maybe she could have had this conversation over the phone.

“Neil Frey. He’s an acclaimed photographer I’ve worked with several times throughout my career.”

“But shouldn’t you hire someone who actually has experience photographing animals? Things are a little different out here in the wild.”

Natalie grinned. Even now, he was pushing back on her ideas. This one, however, was solid.

“You mean like the people who do shoots forNational Geographic?” He nodded. “Yeah, Neil’s work has been on the cover two or three times now. I think he’ll do all right,” she added.

Sam threw her a flat look. “You could have just said so from the start.”

“But where would the fun in that have been?” She laughed. “Anyway, I called Neil this morning, and he’s super excited about the opportunity to come out and capture your endangered neighbors on film. He’s flying out next weekend and staying until Wednesday. I’ll pick him up from Bozeman Saturday morning. And since I’d like to help support local, I recommended he stay here, at one of your cabins, if you have any available.”

Sam’s jaw dropped. “I… yeah, let me check with Norah, and I can let you know in the morning.”

“Excellent. Neil can bring along his camping gear, but if there’s something specific you recommend he bring or not bring, just let me know.”

“Sure, yeah, no problem.”

Sam looked dazed now. Clearly, he wasn’t expecting Terakion to proactively get onboard with his family’s claim. Hopefully, this wasn’t a sign they’d made any of it up. She rose from her seat with a smile.

“Great. Well, if you have any other questions, just let me know. I’ll be at the Bramble House for the duration of my stay, and I have my rental car to drive myself and Neil back and forth as needed.”

Sam watched her step past, then rose as well. Natalie continued down the porch steps, buzzing with the first sense of victory since arriving in Marietta.

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