“THE NEXT STEP is to get the Environmental Protection Agency out here,” the surveyor named Tony Baker was saying. He looked from Brady’s intent face to Zannah’s rebellious one. “Actually, that should have been your first step. I’m guessing you two have never been involved in a project of this magnitude before.”
“No, not like this.”
Brady shot a glance at Zannah and sighed. “Or any building project,” he admitted.
Baker looked around. “So, what is the scope of this project?”
Zannah faced Brady. “I’d like to know the answer to that question, as well. If it’s not too much trouble,” she added with a falsely sweet smile.
Her annoyance with him had only grown while they were on the mesa, staying out of the surveyors’ way and doing their best to avoid each other. She had finally sat down on a flat rock, chin in hand, and brooded.
He should have known better than to think about this project without giving her a heads-up. His dad had always used the old-fashioned phrase In for a penny, in for a pound. Once a project was started, go at it all out to see if it would work. If not, move on, but don’t waffle.
“High-end homes or condos in a resort setting. There’s no room for a golf course—”
“Golf course?” Zannah asked around a strangled noise.
“No, there’s not,” Baker said. He pointed over the side of the bluff. “Maybe down there.” He walked over to take a look. “At least a nine-hole course. Be a big draw in this area.”
“Over my dead body,” Zannah muttered.
“I hope we don’t have to go that far,” Brady answered, then flashed her an apologetic look. “Sorry. We’re in the exploratory phase right now.”
He braced himself for more arguments from her, but she simply gazed at him with a profoundly disappointed and puzzled look on her face, then turned away. She went and sat in the quad, her head down, staring at her hands.
Seeing her distress caused regret to stab at him. He thought he’d done his best to explain, but she simply didn’t understand.
HE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND, Zannah thought. This morning’s actions proved that. And somehow she’d failed to make him understand. After they had gone through the books, discussed every purchase and every bill, she’d thought he grasped how important it was that Eaglecrest continue on the way it was, but with better financial management.
She’d been wrong.
The trip back from Hawk’s Eye Mesa had been virtually silent, and as soon as Brady stopped the four-wheeler beside the surveyors’ truck, she jumped out and went looking for her father.
She found him in the office, writing a list of the supplies he needed to take with him into the mountains. When she whirled inside and shut the door, he jumped.
“What bit you?” he asked, starting to his feet.
“Brady Gallagher, of course.”
“What?”
Her words tumbled over themselves as she told him about Brady’s plan.
When she came to a halt, he looked at her for a second, then said, “Is that all?”
“Is that all? It’s Hawk’s Eye.”
Gus frowned and sat back in his chair. “I don’t like the idea of building on Hawk’s Eye.”
For the first time, Zannah felt a spark of hope. Finally, someone was listening to her.
Eagerly, she moved around to sit on the corner of the desk nearest him. “Me, neither. It’s not right to develop it into a rich man’s hideaway.”
“Rich man’s?” Gus paused to consider. “So these will be exclusive, high-end places. Be interesting to see how he does it.”
“Dad!” she said in alarm. This conversation was going sideways fast.
Gus brought his attention back to her. “Has he taken any money, signed on the dotted line with any buyers? Or contractors?”
“No.”
“Do you think he’d do that without telling you?”
“Yes. He certainly got the surveyors out here on the double.”
“But has he done anything else, used ranch money for anything?”
Some of the steam began to dissipate from her anger. “Well, no. We all three know the ranch has hardly any money, but isn’t it enough that he started this without telling me?”
“Sounds like all he’s doing is exploring an idea. Something he has a right to do as part owner, or even as a prospective partner. He can make plans, hire surveyors, get the EPA out here. I’m guessing he’s paying for it.”
“I suppose.”
“It’s his money,” Gus pointed out. He sat down and picked up his list. “He has the right to use it how he wants.”
“But we’re supposed to be partners, right?”
“Zannah, a partnership has to be built. It doesn’t appear out of nowhere.”
Astounded by the unfairness of that statement, Zannah was speechless for a moment. Finally, she said, “Funny you should say that, because that’s exactly how this partnership got started.”
Gus hunched his shoulders, and she bolted off the desk, turned on her heel and stalked out.
Once in her bedroom, she sat on the side of her bed once again and stared at her wall full of family memories.
Her gaze landed on the drawing her aunt Stella had done of the original homestead. It was something she’d created from old photographs and family oral history descriptions. She’d given it to Esther as a gift many years ago and it had come to Zannah after her mother’s death.
Zannah had always loved it because to her, it represented continuity and history, but also the future. Her family had been here for more than ninety years, and they were a solid part of the land.
Brady simply didn’t understand because his family had always been on the move, always pursuing greater opportunities.
Well, no, she thought, her ideas coming together. He didn’t understand because he’d never been a part of something like Eaglecrest. His experiences with family business were strictly financial. From what little she knew about it, the Gallagher business model had been one of finding a struggling company connected to the auto industry, buying it, building it up, selling it and turning a profit.
He didn’t know what it was like to love a place wholeheartedly because it was part of him.
Zannah shot to her feet. She’d been going about this all wrong. Time to change that.
“SO, WHERE ARE you taking me?” Brady asked, not for the first time.
“I already told you, someplace I should have taken you days ago. Be patient.”
“Hey, between the two of us, I don’t think I’m the one who has trouble with patience,” he said, pointing to himself, then to her.
She didn’t respond. She was driving the quad, and she had to concentrate as she slowed down to make the turn onto an overgrown track. They bumped over rough ground for half a mile, then came to a stop beside a small wash that could only be called a creek in the rainy season.
“Here we are,” she announced, swinging out of the vehicle.
Brady followed and came to stand beside her. He rested his hands on his hips as his gaze swept the area. “Where we are is—?”
“The original homestead.” She smiled as she looked around. “Where my great-grandparents built their first cabin, started their family.” Flashing him a proud smile, she said, “Come on. I’ll show you.”
Brady followed her as she walked over to a cleared area of ground. A forlorn-looking pile of stones showed where the fireplace had once been. It was the only part of the cabin that was still recognizable.
“Up close, you can see that this was where the house stood. Part of it burned, and they tore it down when the new ranch house was built in the 1960s, but the ground still shows where the foundations were built.” She pointed to a depression in the earth several feet from the ruined fireplace. “There was a root cellar, where they stored preserved food, but it was filled in so no one would accidentally fall. I think there must have been a trapdoor over it at some point.”
Brady walked around, studying the ground. She was thrilled that he was taking this little excursion seriously until he looked up and said, “So the scars will always be here.”
“Scars? What do you mean?”
He pointed to a long, dark stain that ran around the perimeter of the house. “This must be where they dug the foundation, because the ground has been disturbed, the natural vegetation eradicated. It will never go back to being the unspoiled meadow it was when your family first arrived here.”
“Does it need to?” she asked, reminding herself that the reason they were there was because he didn’t understand.
Brady stood with his thumbs hooked into the back pockets of his jeans. “No, but it illustrates the point I’ve been trying to make—that things change, progress is made and matters can never go back to the way they were before the change.”
“Don’t you think that depends on how the change was made?” Zannah asked, frowning. This was not the kind of reaction she had expected or wanted from him.
“Look,” he said, swinging his arms wide to take in the lush meadow. “This place is different than it was before your family came, probably different than it was a few years before that. Lightning strikes probably caused wildfires. Elk, deer and maybe even bison grazed here, changing the landscape, probably trampling the grass, changing the path of the creek.”
“So?”
“None of those things permanently wrecked the landscape, ruined the beauty of this meadow.” He turned back to look into her eyes. “And building homes on Hawk’s Eye Mesa won’t ruin it, either, Zannah. I’ll make sure of that. But we have to look forward to projects that are going to help us establish a firm financial foundation. And the sooner, the better.”
“I know we need more money, but—”
“And now you also know how much we need, and I do mean both of us have to work to find a solution.” Brady breathed a heavy sigh, then straightened and squared his shoulders like a man facing an impossible task. “Look, I get that you don’t want me for a partner, but fighting me on every suggestion? Every opportunity? How is that going to help save Eaglecrest?”
Zannah waved a hand in the general direction of the mesa. “How is that project going to give us the immediate help we need? It will be years before it pays off.”
“Not necessarily. Once we have the plans in place, we can advertise to the kinds of people who can afford to invest in a substantial down payment.”
She shook her head. “Still, years.”
“Do you think that’s what your great-grandparents thought when they came here, built a house, planted a garden, started running cattle, had kids of their own, out here in what must have been the back side of beyond? They took a risk, and it paid off. Are you saying you’re not as courageous as they were?” He paused, waiting for that to sink in. “I refuse to believe it.”
Her stunned brain couldn’t seem to form a coherent sentence. He had her cornered, and they both knew it. He knew she wouldn’t say that she wasn’t as brave as her ancestors. It infuriated her that he had so neatly turned the tables on her.
When she didn’t answer, he went on. “It’s only exploratory, Zannah. If it looks like it will be too costly, too difficult, we won’t do it.”
“Speaking of exploratory, I need some clarification.”
“On?” he asked, eyeing her warily.
“On boundaries. On how much you’re going to explore and decide on without discussing it with me.”
When he started to speak, she held up a hand. “I know it’s an equal partnership—at least, it will be at some point—and I know my dad has given you free rein to explore more moneymaking opportunities, but I need to know what you’re thinking.” Frustrated, she clenched her hands at her sides. “I need to know—I mean, hiring surveyors to go up on Hawk’s Eye—that’s something I should have known about.”
His expression softened. “Zannah, I—”
“You must have worked with partners before. There has to be communication—”
“You’re right,” he broke in. “I should have told you what I wanted to do, but, honestly, I knew you’d fight me on it.”
She looked away. He was right, and they both knew it. She took a deep breath and said, “About the idea of developing the mesa, it might take years to find that out, and even more years to see a profit.”
“We won’t know until we make a start.”
“And how do we do that? From what I can tell, you don’t know any more than I do about construction.”
“I do know a few things. My family has built several businesses from the ground up, so I know how to get started. First, we clear the site, level it out, find any problems with rocks or caliche.”
“What about utilities? The kind of people you’re hoping to sell to won’t want to live in a cabin without electricity or running water. Getting back to nature has its limits for most people.”
“We’ll find solutions,” he said. In a gentler tone, he continued, “I know what you want, Zannah.”
Uncertainly, she met his eyes. “What?”
“You want to know how it’s going to end before we even start. I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
She didn’t like that he understood this about her, but he was already aware of how she felt about change in her life. There were people who ran toward new experiences with open arms. She simply wasn’t one of them.
She was aware of Brady watching her as she brooded for a few seconds.
Then he said, “Maybe Gus shouldn’t have told me you don’t like change, but if we’re going to be partners, it’s something I need to know.”
“You’re right. He shouldn’t have told you that, and I don’t like change.” Her gaze met his, then skittered away. She hated that he knew such a thing about her.
“But I also know you’ve been through big changes and survived.”
Defensively, she glared at him.
Brady took a deep breath and lowered his head a little as if he was determined to get through this no matter what. “Like when your mother passed away. You could have stayed here at Eaglecrest, maintained your old life, worked at what you’d always known, avoided any more changes, but you didn’t. You went to college and worked in Vegas before coming home.”
Zannah wrapped her arms around her waist as she said, “What’s your point?”
“My point is that change is inevitable, and it isn’t always bad. It’s something you learn to live with. You’re a different person now, and Eaglecrest is different, too. Changes have to be made, or Eaglecrest won’t exist at all.” He gave her a firm look. “And I already know that’s a change you couldn’t live with.”
Zannah pressed her lips together as she thought it over. At last, she said, “All right, then. We can explore the development of the mesa, but promise me that even in the planning stages, it will be environmentally friendly, ecologically responsible, will fit the landscape and...and be beautiful. If the plans fail to meet any of those standards, we won’t do it.”
Solemnly, he raised a hand. “I promise.”
She looked at him for a few seconds, sure she saw a suspicious twinkle in his eyes, but his expression was a model of seriousness.
“Okay, then,” she finally said.
“Good.” As they walked back to the quad, he asked, “So why Las Vegas?”
“What?”
“Why go to college in Las Vegas, live and work there? I mean, that must have been a huge change.”
“It was, but that’s where my brother and his wife were, and I wanted to be near family. Then they had Emma and Joelle, which made it even better. Once they moved to Phoenix a couple of years ago, it was too hard. Why?”
“Just that you don’t seem like a Vegas girl.”
“I’m not. I’m home now.” She paused. “And what exactly is a Vegas girl like?”
The look on her face must have told him he’d better tread carefully. He considered her for a second, then said, “Big city, neon lights.” He released a gusting sigh. “Never mind. I’m going to shut up now. Let’s get back. Isn’t your brother arriving this afternoon?”
“Yes.”
“From what I’ve seen of your family so far, you probably have certain traditions to follow when he arrives, right?” He smiled. “My mom always makes my favorite cake when I come home—or wherever their home is currently.”
“Well, yes, we do,” Zannah said. She used to take first-day-home photographs, but that had fallen away years ago. She wondered where her best camera was.
Brady glanced at the sky. “And it looks like it’s going to storm.”
She hadn’t paid any attention to the weather report that day, an oversight she shouldn’t repeat. A sudden storm could be dangerous when they had guests out on a trail ride.
THERE WAS VERY little talk between them on the return trip. Zannah concentrated on the rough track she had to follow, her mind heavy, full of everything she had experienced since the day Brady Gallagher had landed in her life.
She had little time to dwell on it all, though, because as soon as they got to the main house, twin human tornadoes erupted through the front door and into her arms.
“Aunt Zee! Where have you been?” Joelle demanded.
“We’ve been waiting for hours and hours!” Emma added.
The girls wrapped themselves around her, one on each side, and looked up at her expectantly. She hadn’t seen them in weeks and was surprised that the tops of their heads were suddenly level with her chin. At nine and ten years old, they were growing into beautiful young women.
Both of them had their hair, dark like their mother’s, pulled back into ponytails, and they were dressed in shirts, jeans and boots. They were ready for the ranch.
She gathered them close in a tight hug and planted kisses on their heads. “It hasn’t been that long. We were only gone for a little while.”
Brady walked up and she introduced him to the girls. They each shook his hand politely and said, “Nice to meet you.” Their parents had drilled good manners into them.
Brady smiled down at them. “Glad you’re here. Your grandpa tells me you’re a big help in the summer.”
“Yes, we are,” Emma answered in a matter-of-fact tone that made Brady chuckle.
He glanced at Zannah, and they shared a moment of amusement before she realized he had known her nieces all of one minute and he was already charming them the way he had charmed her father and probably everyone else he’d met at Eaglecrest.
She frowned, and he gave her a curious look before he turned toward his room to get ready for the evening’s activities.
The girls immediately asked, “Is that your new boss?”
“Of course not.” Zannah shot a glance after him, sure she could see his shoulders shaking with laughter. “He’s my unplanned partner,” she added, raising her voice.
“Come on,” she said, looking back at her nieces. “Let’s go get you two settled into your room. You’ve got the one right next to mine again.”
“We know. Sharlene told us,” Emma said, looking up at her aunt with a sweet smile. “Can’t we have our own rooms now, Aunt Zee? Mom and Dad finally let us have our own rooms. We don’t have to share at home anymore.”
“Yeah,” Joelle added. “I like having my own room.”
“Sorry, my loves, but we don’t have any extra rooms for you. You’ll have to share.”
“Oh, okay,” they said together, but reluctance dragged at their voices.
“If we have to,” Joelle added.
Zannah chuckled at their aggrieved looks, and glanced around. “Where’s your dad?”
“He’s in the office with Grandpa. They’re looking at some dirty old papers and maps.”
“Of course they are.”
AFTER SHE HELPED her nieces settle in, Zannah headed toward the ranch office, only to be caught up short by the suddenly darkening sky and the sight of Robert and Greta Bardle running toward her.
“Have you seen Liam?” Greta called out frantically as she approached.
“No. What’s wrong?”
“He’s upset because this is our last day here,” Robert answered. “We think he’s run off to hide.”
Greta cast a frantic look at the sky. “We’ve got to find him. It’s going to rain. He’ll be lost, cold and scared.”
Zannah knew that the billowing clouds and gusting wind promised much more than rain. A full-on storm was coming.
“Do you have any idea which way he went? Did he say anything that might help us find him?”
They shook their heads. Robert answered, “He was upset when Chet said goodbye. Liam was crying and holding on to Chet’s legs, but Chet had to go, said he had business to take care of in town. We peeled Liam off him, and Chet rode away. Maybe heading back to the barn? But Liam was with us then.”
“We went inside to pack,” Greta added. “It wasn’t until fifteen minutes later that we missed Liam.”
“Now, since you don’t know the area very well, I’ll contact Chet and see if he’s seen Liam, then get the staff to begin searching,” Zannah said. “We know the area very well. You stay in your cabin in case he comes back and we’ll be in touch as soon as we find him. I promise.”
The worried parents exchanged looks, but Zannah called on her years of social work training and experience to calm their fears. “We’ve mounted successful searches before, and since he’s a small boy, he can’t have gone far in fifteen minutes. Besides following Chet to the barn, are there any other places that he really liked? Places where he might go to hide?”
“Any place Chet was,” Robert answered.
Zannah smiled. “A true case of hero worship. Chet is an experienced tracker, and so is Phoebe. We’ll get them to help find Liam. And we’ll call the sheriff’s office. They will send a deputy and will call in a professional search team if necessary, but we’ll do everything we can on our own while we wait for them.”
Her reassuring tone, as well as a solid plan of action, seemed to calm them. It was a skill she had learned when dealing with emotional situations as a social worker. After she got a few more details from them, the Bardles went back to their cabin to wait for news.
Zannah headed for the office at a run, trying to outpace the storm that was swooping in, and startling her father and brother, who were examining Henry Stackhouse’s old papers.
“Dad, Casey. I need your help.” Quickly, she told them what was happening.
Casey headed for the door. “I’ll get the staff together to help out. Let’s meet in the dining room in ten minutes.”
“Okay,” Zannah agreed, grateful that her brother, the scientist, still knew exactly what to do in an emergency on the ranch.
She turned to her father. “After we get the staff together, it would be best if you stayed here to keep track of everyone’s whereabouts and to coordinate the search.”
To her grateful surprise, he didn’t argue, but began gathering up the walkie-talkies that had been sitting on their chargers on a shelf by the window.
“Let’s go,” he said. “It’ll be dark in two hours. We don’t have time to waste.”
Word had spread quickly about the little boy’s disappearance, so almost every employee and guest was gathered in the dining room, awaiting news and instructions. Joelle and Emma were there with Sharlene, bright-eyed with excitement.
Brady, Phoebe and Casey were standing together, talking quietly as they waited. As soon as Zannah and her father walked in, Gus called for quiet.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming in, but at this point, we need only experienced staff to help find Liam. We’d like all the guests to return to their cabins to wait for news. We can’t take a chance on having someone else get lost.” He glanced at Zannah, who nodded her agreement.
“Zannah?” came a hesitant voice from the crowd. Lauren, the newest member of the housekeeping staff, was nearby, holding the hand of her small red-haired daughter, Rebecca.
“Yes?”
“Will you need me?” She glanced around uncertainly. “I wouldn’t know where to look, and with this storm, Becky will be scared.”
“Oh, no. We have plenty of help. Go on to your cabin. We’ll know where to find you if we need you.”
Lauren gave her a grateful smile, scooped up her daughter and hurried out.
Zannah looked after her for a second. There had been something in her demeanor that went deeper than concern for the missing boy or the coming storm. Something much more fearful.
She was brought back to the present crisis by a sharp crack of lightning, followed by a roll of thunder.
The remaining guests left quickly for their own cabins.
The staff gathered around, waiting for their assignments. Zannah directed them to different areas of the ranch while Gus handed out the walkie-talkies. When she asked about Chet, she was told that no one had seen him, and attempts to phone him had been unsuccessful.
“He’ll be in touch, Zannah,” Gus assured her. “He always checks in around seven, but with this storm coming, his phone may not be working. I’ll coordinate from here,” he said, indicating his walkie-talkie.
“Okay, Dad.”
Casey warned his daughters to stay inside with Sharlene before heading off with his partner.
Zannah was right behind him when Brady caught up to her. “I’m coming with you,” he said.
“I can travel faster and farther on my own.”
“I’m sure you can, but two pairs of eyes are better than one.”
“I don’t—”
“Want to waste time arguing,” he finished for her. “Me, either. Let’s go.”
She knew he was right, so she pelted out the door, Brady at her heels as they started for the barn. Fat drops of rain began hammering them as they went.
Inside the barn, they began a systematic search of each stall and every nook or cranny big enough to hide a little boy. They climbed into the loft, sifted through piles of loose hay and double-checked the sliding bolt on the double doors through which the hay was loaded in. The bolt was secure, too high and heavy for a small boy to open.
“Nothing,” Zannah said when they met once again at the front door of the barn. The brief rain shower had stopped, but rolling black clouds overhead told them another was on its way.
Brady used the walkie-talkie to contact Gus, who said no one else had found Liam, but they were expanding the search area. A deputy had arrived and was talking to the Bardles, and the search team had been alerted. Gus reported that he had still been unable to reach Chet.
After signing off, Brady glanced across the yard to a small building half-hidden behind some trees.
“What’s that?” he asked, pointing.
“It was a pump house for the water system at one time, but we don’t use it anymore. All the equipment’s been removed. After Chet’s parents died, Dad let him store their things in there. Chet’s been going through it slowly.” She paused as a memory clicked in.
“What?”
“He’s still settling their estate. That’s probably why he went to town.”
“Do you think he went in that building today?” Brady asked, starting across the muddy ground. “Maybe Liam followed.”
“Maybe, but Chet keeps it locked, and he’s got the only key.”
“Still worth a look.”
Zannah followed as he hurried to the door. As expected, it was locked. They walked the perimeter, looking for another way in, and ended up back at the door.
“There’s a window up there,” he pointed out, pulling a small but powerful flashlight from his pocket and shining the beam upward.
“It’s so dirty, you wouldn’t be able to see anything.” Zannah glanced at the sky. “The rain is coming again, and it’s getting dark fast.”
“Then we’d better not waste any time.”
She frowned as she looked up. “Okay. There’s a ladder in the barn. Come on.”
They returned to the barn at a run, but the ladder wasn’t propped along the back wall as it should have been, or anywhere else they could see.
“Now what?” Zannah asked on their way back to the pump house.
“I have a plan.” Brady studied the muddy ground, then looked up at the window again. “The door is seven feet tall,” he murmured to himself. “The space between it and the window is about a foot. The window looks like it opens from the bottom and swings upward. Might be locked from the inside, but we’ll chance it.” He tilted his head from side to side and rolled his shoulders like a prizefighter preparing to enter the ring. “Yeah, this will work.”
“How are you going to climb up there?” Zannah asked.
“I’m not.” He turned to her. “You are.”