Chapter Four

 

 

 

Within twenty-four hours of his arrival in the area, Cody found himself being ushered into the posh River’s Edge office of the Great Gas & Petrol Company. Everything in sight was chrome and black, except for the hardwood beneath his feet. Murals of oil rigs decorated the walls in a tasteful display and everyone he’d seen so far was wearing suits that he’d never be able to afford on his teaching salary.

A conservatively dressed beauty with a fake smile waved him toward an embellished door. “Mister Gordon will see you now.”

Cody nodded his thanks and entered the inner sanctum. He was immediately intimidated, and he wondered how Olivia would have reacted if she’d been there with him. Not that she was, and not that he’d ever tell her about this meeting…until he had to.

If ever a shark lived in human form, Mister Gordon was it. Cody took a bracing breath and held out his hand to the older gentleman, reminding himself that he dealt with juvenile delinquents for a living. Untamed children with no boundaries and little respect for authority had surely given him all the preparation he’d need to face the corporate powerhouse before him.

“Mister Gordon, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” the other man boomed. “Come in. Come in and have a seat.”

Cody settled into the sinfully soft leather chair before the desk and took in the gorgeous view of the skyline beyond the window. River’s Edge couldn’t rival any major city, but it was a much larger township than Creek’s Bend, with a well-designed layout. The Great Gas & Petrol Company had claimed an excellent location for itself.

“I was delighted to hear of your intent to sell your land, Mister O’Neal.” Gordon relaxed into his own chair and lifted the edges of his lips into something resembling a smile. “We’ve been trying to get your grandfather to sell for a number of years.”

“So the real estate agent explained.” Cody nodded. “My grandfather is extremely attached to the property, Mister Gordon. It’s been in our family for several generations, but now he’s in failing health.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that.”

Cody doubted the man’s statement very much, but he accepted the superficial sympathy with grace. “As am I, sir. Needless to say, the property has a great deal of sentimental value, and my grandfather will have a great many medical expenses to cover.”

Not to mention his father’s African hospital, but he wasn’t about to go into the particulars with the man before him. Cody kept his face impassive, knowing his reluctance to sell—even if that was simply a perception and not a reality—would be the deciding factor in the true value of the land in question.

“Hospitals are terribly expensive,” Gordon agreed. “And I suppose you’ll have to find a place to put your grandfather so he can be cared for. Even for a short while, though God willing your grandfather recovers as fully as he’s able and spends the rest of his time on this earth in wonderful pursuits befitting a man of his age, the expense of a home is astronomical.”

“Yes, it is. That’s why I have to weigh the costs of assisted living versus hiring a nurse to tend him where he already lives.” Cody shrugged. “I’m looking into my options, and I’m not really certain. I’ve got to tell you that I may not sell at all, sir, and if I do, I also need to figure out where the advantage is for me. There are currently three offers for the Double O.”

“Of course! You must make a sound business decision.” Gordon’s lips thinned, but, again, the expression gave the appearance of a smile. “No need to let emotions dictate something as important as the secure future of your whole family. And, of course, that’s exactly what Great Gas & Petrol Company is offering.”

“Is it?”

Gordon lifted a folder from his desk and held it out to Cody. “I think you’ll find our offer to be extremely generous. More than enough to take care of your grandfather for the rest of his life, enough to outfit you with the foundation of an excellent retirement plan. And, dare I say it, Mister O’Neal, it would even cover a large portion of operating costs for a certain hospital in Africa we’ve caught wind of.”

The man had done his homework, obviously. Cody accepted the folder with as much equanimity as he could manage, considering the intrusiveness of having been investigated without his knowledge. Resentment flared—but then he opened the folder and shock burned away every other emotion vying for dominance in Cody’s chest.

“You—” He struggled not to gasp like a child. “You can’t be serious.”

“Is that not enough, Mister O’Neal? We’re willing to go ten percent higher, but that’s my final offer.”

Looking at all the numbers stretched across the page before him, Cody felt lightheaded. “Could I have a glass of water, please?”

 

* * * *

 

Cody walked into his grandfather’s hospital room, paused, glanced over his shoulder then opened his jacket and removed a paper lunch bag. He held it up and shook it. “There’s a lady named Julia at the River Watch Restaurant in town that swears this chicken melt is your most favorite thing on earth.”

Eugene’s smile only lifted half his mouth. “She’s right.”

“Then I guess I’ll let you have it. Don’t tell the nurses, Grandpa. They’d probably kick me out.”

“Kick your tail end, first. They’re mean around here.” Eugene grabbed the bag with an enthusiasm only a man on a strict diet could manufacture.

Cody watched him for a minute, remembering the handful of times they’d shared a meal. Rising from the depths of his memory were scenes of holiday dinners with the family and summer picnics before Uncle Otis and his grandmother had died—a few birthdays, when the family was in the same country, and an anniversary or two. There had been very few occasions where they’d gotten together recently. Oren was always overseas and Cody had been busy building his career. He wondered how many meals Eugene had eaten by himself over the years.

“Next time, I’ll bring my sandwich here,” Cody said. “We can eat together. I’m sorry I didn’t think of it sooner.”

“Used to being alone.”

Cody wasn’t certain if Eugene was talking about himself or his grandson, but either way, he figured the statement fit. The topic was too painful to contemplate, so he changed the subject. “How are you today? Did you have PT?”

“Afternoon session. They’ll be coming for me shortly.”

“How’s that work for your oxygen?” Cody pointed to his own nose, but he meant the tube in Eugene’s.

“It’s portable. Got wheels for the days they make me walk, but that’s tomorrow. Today I got arm curls.” Eugene grinned around his sandwich. “It’s my favorite.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have to think about what I’m doing, so I can concentrate on other things.” Eugene winked. “The therapist is real pretty. Smells goods, too.”

“Don’t tell me you’re turning into a dirty old man!”

“Nah, Olivia’s always there to keep me on track, but I ain’t dead yet, boy. I still appreciate a lady who’s nice to others. She’s got a good heart…and a good husband, a passel of kids, all with manners…”

“Olivia does?” Cody reared back in his chair, completely surprised and sick to his stomach, until he ran the statement through his brain again. “Or your therapist?”

“Therapist. Olivia isn’t married. Damn near every man in town has asked, but she won’t have any of ‘em.”

“Why?”

Eugene’s mouth puckered and his eyes glittered with protectiveness. “She’s better than them. Running her own business and making it a success, too. They’re jealous, or they want what’s rightfully hers.”

“Huh. Speaking of that…” Cody shifted in his chair. “She told me about the water rights situation.”

“Wiggins is a bastard.” Eugene balled up his trash and made a surprisingly forceful toss toward the trashcan.

“Grandpa… There’s not a whole lot of money left in your savings. I talked to your accountant.”

“Olivia will deposit some money in there on the fifteenth of the month.” Eugene’s pride was evident in the way he said, “Like clockwork.”

“That’s for letting her use your land, right?”

“Yup.”

“Grandpa—”

“No.”

“You don’t know what I’m going to say.”

“Yes, I do, boy, and the answer is no.”

Cody hesitated. He rubbed his forehead, hoping that would help him find the right tack, but he knew in his heart that fireworks were about to go off. There was no emotion on the old man’s face, no surprise in his voice. His eyes were flat, slightly narrowed, and watchful—but resistant.

There was no easy way to say it, so Cody just blurted it out. “The Great Gas & Petrol Company has just offered our family an obscene amount of money for the Double O.”

“No.”

“Grandpa, just hear me out—”

“No.” Eugene’s words started to slur a bit more as his face flushed and his anger rose. “I won’t sell my home!”

“You can’t live on your own, you can’t afford a private nurse and you might not have the final say, either.” Cody groaned and stared up at the ceiling. “Grandpa, Dad doesn’t want the ranch. He wants the money, and I can’t take you with me. You’ve got to live where there’s someone who can help you.”

“Olivia can help me.”

“You just said she’s running her own business. How can she watch over you, too, when she doesn’t even live in the same house?”

Eugene’s brows lowered, his color rose and the slur of his words deepened until Cody struggled to understand them all. “The Double O is the only thing in the world the O’Neals have ever owned. That house, the property and everything on it is your legacy. You’re the last one, boy!”

“I know, but my job is—”

“You can teach anywhere, Cody. What’s wrong with the school in town? Hell, they’ve even got a few more in River’s Edge and that’s just down the road.”

“I already have a job I love and I can’t take care of you. I’m not a doctor.”

“Your father is. Tell him he’s got to come home.”

“He won’t.”

Eugene shook his head. “I won’t go.”

“Grandpa”—Cody slid to the edge of his chair—“you won’t have much say.”

“Bullshit! My therapy is coming along and I won’t let anyone start telling tales on what I am or am not capable of. I’ve lived my whole life in that house and I won’t let anyone tell me I’ve got to leave it when there’s no cause.”

“The doctors here have already said you can’t live by yourself.”

“You and your father will have a hell of a legal battle on your hands if you try to take me out of that house, boy.”

Cody looked at his grandfather’s expression and his heart plummeted to his toes. The old man was more than determined, but his yellowed skin spoke volumes about his health and the fact that his left hand was still nearly useless didn’t ease any worries.

A sudden surge of fear—of losing his grandfather, of losing the only stable influence in his life, of being left alone on the continent by himself—rose to choke Cody. On its heels came an anger that burned white-hot in his gut.

He struggled to keep his voice gentle. “Grandpa, you’ve been in the hospital for months. They won’t let you out because you can’t survive on your own. You need a place where there is care around the clock, a place where everything is right there at your disposal, to make it easy for you. Those places cost more money than anyone has, unless we sell the Double O.”

“No.” Eugene struggled against his pillows. “They came sniffing around years ago, convinced there was oil out in the western paddock, and I said no then. I sure as hell won’t sell now, when—”

“When you have no way to take care of the land or of yourself?” Cody sat forward in his chair. “You need round-the-clock assistance, Grandpa. I don’t know how many times I have to say it. And how do you think we should pay for it? What do you think my father’s going to do when he finds out how much money is at stake? You know he wants to fund his hospital.”

“I won’t let them drill on my land.”

“How much longer do you think it should be yours?” Cody refused to wince or apologize for stating such a harsh truth. The details had to be taken care of. He had a life to go back to. He couldn’t stay at the Double O forever.

Eugene’s face turned crimson. “Well, then why would you sell it all? Why can’t you just…lease them the western acreage?”

Cody listened to his grandfather spit the word ‘lease’ as if it fouled his mouth. Heart squeezing, he watched the old man’s flush rise and deepen, and he heard the anguish in the slurred words, but he didn’t know how to ease his grandfather’s transition. He couldn’t begin to fathom the emotions that stemmed from the understanding that Eugene, as a man who had once been active and strong, a man who took care of his family and took pride in his ancestors’ small accomplishments, had entered a phase of life that left him helpless and reliant on the kindness of others, unable to hold on to the things that had once brought him joy.

Cody sighed. “I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

“It doesn’t!” Eugene waved a hand wildly enough that Cody feared the heart monitor on his finger would fly off. “You’re doing this, but you don’t have to. No one is forcing you.”

“We need the money.”

“The land is worth more than money, Cody. That land is your great-grandfather’s blood, sweat and tears. That land holds memories, hopes and dreams and love.”

“You can’t eat hopes and dreams!” Cody’s temper got the best of him and he bounded to his feet, waving his own hands in a mirror image of his grandfather. “Hopes and dreams won’t pay for your therapy. It won’t pay for a nurse. It won’t pay to keep you alive!”

“Ahem.” A nurse with an unoccupied wheelchair appeared in the doorway. “I do hope you’re not upsetting my patient.”

“I’m not trying to,” Cody growled. “Please excuse us, ma’am. We’re working on family business. I promise we’ll keep it down.”

The woman shook her head and came farther into the room. “No can do. Your family business will have to resume after Eugene’s physical therapy.”

“No, it won’t,” Eugene stated. “I’m done with this business. Go home, Cody. Take a good long look at the Double O and really think about what you’re giving up.”