From Cash’s expression he still seemed dubious. “How does she plan to prove it?”
Sawyer shrugged. “We’re working on it.”
“We’re?” Jace’s brows shot up again. “Now you’re her champion. Just the other day you couldn’t stand her.”
Cash, the grown-up in the room, ignored Jace and asked Sawyer, “What would be the motive to spread rumors about her? Who has that big of a grudge against her? Or something to gain?”
These were all questions Sawyer had asked himself. Gina sure didn’t think there was anyone who would go to this end to ruin her. “It might be someone out to get the Clays and Gina was just an unintended casualty.”
“Sounds a little out there to me. But if your instincts say she’s telling the truth, I’ll go with it because you’re usually right. Not always, but usually.”
Jace glanced at his watch. As Mill County sheriff, he usually had meetings and briefings in the morning. “You have a thing for this woman?”
“Hell no,” Sawyer said and even to his own ears sounded too defensive.
“For a guy who isn’t into her, she sure spends a lot of time at your place.” Jace topped off his cup from the carafe on the table.
“She likes my kitchen.”
“Are you sure that’s all she likes?”
Sawyer was preparing a pithy comeback when Mitch Reynolds walked in. Jace bristled. The two of them used to be best friends until Mitch started screwing Jace’s other best friend’s wife. At the time, Mitch had been engaged to Aubrey. The whole ordeal had ended in a complicated mess that had almost lost Jace the sheriff’s race.
On top of that, Mitch, a developer, had been caught up in a scam to swindle Randy Beals out of his ranch so he could build a golf-course community. Jace had arrested him, but Randy wouldn’t press charges because his kids had also been involved in the conspiracy.
Mitch bobbed his head at them. Sawyer wasn’t sure if Mitch was being cordial for appearance’s sake or if the gesture was his equivalent of waving his middle finger. Whatever. The guy could go screw himself for all Sawyer cared.
A few minutes later, Randy came in the coffee shop and joined Mitch at his table.
“What the hell’s that about?” Sawyer said.
Jace watched the two men across the restaurant. “What do you think it’s about? Randy’s so desperate to sell, he’s willing to make a deal with the devil.”
“I don’t want that asshole as a neighbor.” Sawyer drained the last of his coffee and poured himself another cup.
“Are you kidding?” Cash said. “You said it best, Sawyer. When he’s done with Beals Ranch, it’ll be half-acre lots with mini-mansions and an eighteen-hole golf course. Our neighbor won’t be Mitch, it’ll be two thousand new families.”
“Who’ll complain about the smell of our cattle,” Jace added and rubbed his hand down his face. “Shit.”
Maria, who’d been working at the coffee shop as long as Sawyer could remember, brought their food while Laney took orders at another table.
Jace doused his chicken with hot sauce. “Our only hope is that the city won’t allow Mitch to develop the land, that it’ll have to stay agricultural.”
Jace was delusional. The tax revenue alone would be difficult for any municipality to turn down. And then there was the fact that it was happening all around them. The land was just too damn valuable for ranching or farming.
“Any way we can appeal to Randy?” Sawyer asked and looked to Jace because he’d known Randy his whole life and had grown up with the Beals kids.
“It’s not like I can tell him who or who not to sell to. He’s got to do what’s best for him and Marge. And last time I talked to him they were drowning in debt.”
Basically, there wasn’t a whole lot they could do to prevent the inevitable.
They ate and moved on, talking about Sawyer’s article, a cattle-rustling arrest in Texas that Cash was keeping tabs on, and eventually came around to the topic that was supposedly the reason they’d met for breakfast in the first place.
The flower farmers.
“Well, are we going ahead with letting them lease the property or not?” Sawyer looked to Cash, who’d been briefed.
There was no question Jace’s vote wasyes. Whatever Charlie wanted, he wanted. And Charlie was in favor of a flower shop. Aubrey, too.
