“I think so, too,” Samantha volunteered, giving Troy a malicious smile. “I hadn’t had a chance to share all the data you’ve collected, Rose. Why don’t you tell him?”
She looked up from the menu. “If he’d like.”
“Like?” he croaked. “I’m dying to know.”
“I’m not sure you appreciate how many endangered species there are in the tract of land. Plant, amphibian, retile, fish, animal…the list is quite extensive. Building roads, uprooting the forest substructure, cutting down trees, it’s all very harmful to that fragile ecosystem. I’m sure you’re more interested in dollars and your bottom line than insignificant species that don’t translate into profit margins. I have a lot of research and data to back me up if you’re interested.
Samantha watched him turn on the charm. He said, “I’m always interested in the environmental issues, Rose. You wouldn’t be boring me.”
The woman’s eyes twinkled as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “I probably would, but let me assure you, I do plan to block this development of yours. Even if I have to chain myself to a tree.
His expression was positively poisonous as he glared at Sam. “I see. How are you going to do that, Rose?”
“We’ve already file injunctions, as you are no doubt aware. Also, I’ve contacted the local papers and spoken with reporters like Sam. I’m hoping to get some national coverage. Steve’s working on that at the moment actually. He’s got better connections nationally than I do. He’s also contacting some Hollywood stars who lend their support to environmental issues.”
Troy raised an eyebrow. “Steve?”
“Dr. Steven Carlson, he’s head of the federation. Got his Masters in environmental studies at Washington U.”
“St. Louis,” Samantha broke in. “We know about Wash U.
“Yes, I suppose you would. Sorry.”
The waitress brought their food, giving Troy a chance to escape. He hesitated, his expression telling Samantha he was worried about what she might say. It was something he’d have to chance, she grinned at him. He excused himself and left the café.
“I see Troy hasn’t changed much. Still as handsome as ever.”
“Yes, and nobody knows that better than him.”
“Stuck on himself? He never was in high school. At least not that I noticed.”
“He’s always been full of himself and now he thinks he’s some real estate tycoon or something. Watch yourself with him, Rose. He’s developed quite a reputation with the ladies.”
“Oh! Well, you don’t have to worry about competition from me, Sam. Anyway, that man’s always been stuck on you.”
“Oh, that’s over long ago. Actually, I barely see him anymore. I hope you didn’t think I was trying to protect my territory. I wasn’t. We’re like oil and water, if you know what I mean.”
“Right. That’s why his eyes were trying to melt you.”
“I don’t know about that.” Embarrassed, she sputtered, “Let me get for your meal tonight, Rose. It’s been fun getting re-acquainted. Let me know when Steve gets here.”
Samantha took her leave and drove home with more than environmental issues on her mind.
* * *
Her parents, Ozzie and Sally, were sitting in the living room when Samantha came in. “You missed dinner, honey. Can I get you something to eat?” Sally greeted her.
“No thanks, Mom. Dad sent me to Reeds Spring on an assignment. I ate at the café over there when I was done.”
Ozzie said, “How did it go? Did you talk to the woman?”
“Yes. There just may be a good story in this after all.”
“Really? Environmental forces at work and all that?”
“At the very least. Maybe a lot more.”
“Oh?” His eyes lit up. “Well, tell me about it.”
“Not yet, Dad. I have to do some research. And Rose has a man coming I’ll want to interview before firming it up.”
“Do you think our readers will be interested in it?”
“I’m sure they will. Especially if what I think is going to happen, does.”
“What’s the main issue?”
“The impact any development will have on the conservation area that is adjacent to the proposed development.”
“Oh, for the love of Pete! That conservation area is almost six thousand acres for crying out loud. I don’t see how a little development can harm anything. I hate it when people come in and start messing in what only concerns the locals.
“She may be a flake, but she’s an educated one. And she actually grew up in Flanders so she’s not exactly an outsider. She’s pretty canny.”
Ozzie snorted. “Who is she? You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it enjoying, but I am fascinated with the possibilities.”
“Hmm. Do tell.”
“Turns out Rose Ingersoll used to be Rosemary Silcox. She married a big shot environmentalist in Nashville when she left Flanders. It looks like they have a good shot at shutting down Troy Robert’s new development he’s planning over in Reed Springs.”
Osmond smiled. “Now, that’s more like it. A story you can get your teeth into.”
She gleamed triumphantly. “I couldn’t have said it better.”
* * *
“Hello?” Sam answered the phone as she slipped into bed
“Well, what did you say about me?”
“Nothing, Troy. Other than warning her about your less than desirable Lothario habits.”
“Gee, thanks. I hope that didn’t put her off. I’m gonna have to sweet talk her out of this environment crap and I don’t need you throwing a monkey wrench into the works.”
“No monkey wrenches. I just stirred the proverbial pot a little, that’s all. Look, I’m bushed. I gotta get some sleep. I have a feeling Rose Ingersoll isn’t going to go back on her death bed promise.”
“Good night, Samantha.”
She broke the connection and laid her head on the pillow, her mind playing over the options. Not so great for Troy Roberts but absolutely exhilarating for her. This could be really good if Troy thought he could turn on the charm and sweep Rose off her feet, just like old times.
Time for Flanders’ great master of seduction to meet his match.
That thought did nothing to enhance sleep.
* * *
Troy’s first waking thought was that he could turn to the local member of congress, Naomi Geiger. He’d contributed to her campaign and sponsored rallies in the area. Then he remembered her platform. Ms. Geiger claimed that environmentalism was equivalent to patriotism, which ranked right up there with Godliness. Many of the stars clamoring for his properties were among her biggest supporters.
Maybe if he told one or two of them about the potential problem and explained the measures he had planned to mitigate the environmental damage, they’d come to his rescue. Maybe not.
It was a sensitive issue. Environmental protection had taken on an aura and lots of the big Hollywood stars were jumping on the bandwagon. Rosemary’s friend Steve sounded like he had some of them in his back pocket though, which could prove to be a problem. Sam’s gonna twist things around so I look like the bad guy, no doubt about that.
That brought his focus back to Samantha. What else will she do to undermine me? Something for sure. Well, I’m not going to wait to find out.
The first step in beating Rose Ingersoll to the punch would be to get the loan approved at the bank. Then he could finalize the deal and get those development permits approved. Maybe that would take the wind out of her sails and discourage her. Maybe not.
* * *
Samantha was up at the crack of dawn, forsaking breakfast to get the weekend edition ready for the presses. She’d been hard at work for over two hours when Ozzie came in.
“Morning, Samantha. You must have got up awfully early. Your mother is worried you’re missing too many meals.”
“She wouldn’t think that if she’d seen the scale this morning, Dad. I’m up three pounds.”
“And still slim as a boy,” he said. She muttered under her breath as he asked, “What has you off and running today?”
“I’ve got a lot to do. I had to run out to Reed Springs yesterday. Remember?”
“Yes I do. Can you give me a little hint about the deal you think will go south?”
“Nope. Not until I know for sure.”
He shuffled off to his office. She knew he wouldn’t give up until he’d wormed it out of her. Well, he can worm away all he wants. I’m not telling him until I’m ready.
It was late in the afternoon and she’d stayed at her desk since coming in. No lunch after no breakfast meant she was ravenous. Ozzie interrupted her thoughts when he stepped into her office.
“Time to head for home, Sam.”
“I’m almost done, Dad. I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay. Now don’t disappoint your mother tonight.”
“I won’t.” She looked up and smiled. “I’m famished.”
Minutes later, the phone rang. It was Missy.
“Samantha? Wait ‘til you see the cute outfits I got today.”
“I can hardly wait.”
“Why don’t you come over tonight?”
She was about to decline when she had a thought. Dying to share what she knew with someone, Missy would be perfect. “I’m going home for dinner. How about seven?”
“Fine. See you then.”
* * *
Her Volvo crunched gravel in the Coward’s drive at five past seven. Missy waited impatiently at the top of the steps. “Hi, Samantha. They’ve got the neatest sales going on in Branson. Wait’ ll you see.”
“As they say, Missy, if you can’t find it in Branson, you can’t find it.”
“Well, they’ve got that right. Come on up.”
She followed Missy up to her bedroom. Actually, her bedroom suite. The Cowards were the wealthiest family in Flanders and the house reflected that.
Trailing her friend into the huge walk-in closet, she dropped into one of two easy chairs in the elongated room. Missy pulled out one pastel dress after another until she’d laid six of them across Samantha’s lap in a rainbow of soft colours.
“What do you think?”
“They’re all lovely and they’ll all look great on you. I think I like the lavender one the best. Or, maybe the pink.”
“Me, too.” Missy hung the dresses back into place and sat in the other chair. “So tell me, what’s the story you’re on?”
“What makes you think I’m on a story?”
“The glow in your eyes. You don’t get that bright-eyed bushy-tailed look unless something exciting is cooking.”
“Well, you’re right.” She laughed. “Oh, this is so cool. Troy has got hold of something even he can’t get out of this time.”
Missy’s eyes reflected a hint of mystery but whatever it was, it evaporated. “He’s in trouble?”
“Not trouble, exactly. He’s buying a huge land parcel to develop for the Branson elite. The thing is, an environmental group got wind of it and he might not be able to develop it. Better yet, the representative is Rosemary Silcox, except she’s Rose Ingersoll now. It looked like she had Troy’s number, his charm was just bouncing off her. Isn’t that sweet?”
“The Rosemary Silcox? Of senior prom fame? Cause of the break-up of the century? Holy cats! What exactly is Troy wanting to do with the land, what’s he planning on building?”
“Sure. Troy wants to develop private tracts for all those country entertainers. But, Rose and her late husband’s environmental foundation want to stop it because it’s adjacent to the conservation area. She claims they have reams of data to back up their claims and this Steve who is supposed to be showing up any time now has some connections with Hollywood stars who are big into this kind of thing. Looks like Troy might have bitten off more than he can chew.”
“Oh... Oh! And this Rose Ingersoll is really Rosemary Silcox? Wow. Is she still as dumpy as she was in high school?”
“Not hardly. She could be a fashion model. She’s changed the colour of her hair and eyes and lost a lot of weight. You won’t recognize her when you see her.”
“Troy’s hormones have him panting after her, I take it.?”
“Bigtime. Only, he knows she could blow his investment to hell so he has to be really careful. I’m not sure how close she is with this Steve guy, might be more than a professional relationship, I don’t know. It was hard to tell from the little bit she talked about him.”
Missy’s look was far away when she smiled softly. “This could be what finally knocks Troy off his high perch.”
“I’d say. So now you know why I’m bright-eyed.”
“Yeah.”
They spent two hours trying dresses on. Nearly identical in size since middle school, it was something they did often.
Before leaving, Samantha said, “Promise you won’t tell what I told you.”
“I promise. You know me, Samantha. Not a word to a soul.”
“Right. I’ll let you know when the rubber hits the road.”
“Or when the stuff hits the fan?”
“That, too.”
* * *
Sam drove home still chortling gleefully. Once home she retreated to her bedroom, but was too wound up to sleep. Instead she decided to indulge in her secret vice, well not a vice really. More like a secret ambition. Plots for romance novels were constantly running through her mind and tonight a new plot had surface and she needed to get it down before it eluded her. She went to her dresser and pulled out the locked journal she kept there. Rather than use her laptop, Sam preferred the feel of pen on paper when she was creating her regency romances.
She favoured long dreamy will-o-the-wisp fantasies woven about strong-willed heroes who someday would come and rescue her from the dungeon where she languished. Oddly, the heroes always bore an uncanny resemblance to Troy Roberts.
She lifted her pen to the page and began to write.
* * *
Saturday was usually a day she reserved for herself, but today she’d gone by the paper to ensure that the presses were rolling out Sunday’s edition with no hitches. Only sixteen pages in its entirety it wasn’t much. But Flanders was one of the few small Missouri towns that bragged a Sunday edition of any kind and the residents were proud of it.
She was on the way to her car when a voice hailed her. The woman wasn’t smiling. “Sam Turner, I need to speak to you,” Rose called.
“Morning, Rose. Did you want anything in particular?”
“Yes. How much do you know about what Troy has planned? Will the development denude the hillsides of trees? What about contamination of the streams that flow through there? Fish habitat is being lost every year across the country and there are some very fragile species that call that area home. I can’t find anything in the development permits about environmental concerns.”
“I thought he would have shared that with you himself. I really don’t know anything more than you do.”
“Oh? Well, okay. Maybe when Steve gets here we can get together and see if there’s a solution to this that doesn’t involve a court date. It was pretty funny when he realized who I was.”
“It was, wasn’t it? I’m actually surprised he didn’t know you, I mean you two were pretty close the last bit of high school.”
Rose frowned at her for a minute. “We weren’t that close. I mean, we spent a bit of time together during the summer before I left, but…well, I wouldn’t say we were close. Anyway, old friendships aren’t going to stop me keeping my promise to George, you know.”
“Why should it?”
“It shouldn’t and it won’t. I need to know something else. How influential is Troy in Flanders?”
“Politically?”
“Yes. And financially.”
What do I tell her? The truth? Or do I cover for Troy? No way I’ll do that.
“Politically, he has friends. I’m not sure how effective they’ll be in opposing you. Financially, he’s not in any trouble that I know of, but he doesn’t have endless funds, either. Does that help?”
“Yes. I think so.” Rose looked ready to do battle. There was a challenging light in her eye. Sam couldn’t help but notice how well she looked dressed only in blue jeans and an oversize flannel shirt. Damn, how could she look gorgeous without even trying?
If she’s dressed for battle, I’m curious to see what kind of war she’ll fight