Baby I'm In (Honky Tonk Angels #3) (18 page)

“What is?”

“I’m going to tell you but right now I need to talk to Coop before Wes gets here, okay?”

“Sure.  Whatever you need.”

She leaned over and kissed him.  “What I need is you, Kyle Stadler.”

“And I need this mess to be over.  I don’t like drama, Liz.”

“Me either.”

“Then do what you need to do, babe.”

“On it.”  She grinned and pulled out her phone.  “Coop?  Hey.  Wes is on his way here now.  I know you’re a good distance away but when can you leave?  Yeah, I’ll send you directions.  Okay, love you.”

As she ended the call, she looked at Kyle again.  “So, I’m gonna need directions.”

“Not a problem, set up the text and give me the phone.  Where’s he coming from again?”

“San Antonio.”

“Okay.”  When she handed him the phone he started typing away.  Liz sat and watched and it occurred to her that this was the first time she’d faced a problem with her father with people backing her.  It felt good.

But still scary as hell.

Kyle was dumping a load of soiled hay when Wes pulled up.  He emptied the wheelbarrow, yelled for Buddy to have someone finish up the stalls and walked over to Wes’s truck, pulling off his gloves.

“She’s in the house.”

“So, I’m assuming you know what’s going on?”

“Some.”

“And what do you think?”

“It’s more important what you think isn’t it, Wes?”

Wes nodded.  “I guess it’s important what I do.”

“Can’t disagree with that.  Come on in.”

They entered the house and found Liz in the kitchen.  She was making a pot of coffee.  “Wes is here.”  Kyle announced.

“Oh good.”  She looked over her shoulder at them then finished her task.

“Okay.”  She turned and took a seat at the table.  “I have a question.  Would you two please sit down?”

Both men sat and she looked expectantly at Wes.  “Who else knows about that report?”

“Me, my father, Pressley and my mother.”

“Your mother!”  Liz jumped up.  “Of course, why didn’t I figure that out?”

“Pardon?”  Wes looked as confused as Kyle felt.

“You do know that she and my mother are friends.”  Liz said.

“Actually, no I didn’t.”

“Well, they are.  Mom called Cooper and said she knows about the report and may be able to help.  I couldn’t figure out how she could know but now it’s all clear.  So, if your mother knows, where does she stand?”

“Behind me.”

“That’s clear as mud.”

Kyle couldn’t agree more.  He felt pretty much like an outsider in this situation and wondered if he should even be there.

“Sorry.  She told me to do what was right.  Not what made a fortune but what was right.”

“And what do you think is right?”

Wes looked at her, then at Kyle and back at her.  “Probably to go with Cooper’s plan.”

At that point Kyle had to speak up.  “Can someone explain exactly what that is?”

Wes and Liz looked at one another and he turned both hands up as if in offering.  “Okay.”  She looked at Kyle.  “I told you about the report.  Neither Wes’s father or mine can afford to let anyone know they have it.  They can try and buy as many of the mineral rights they can get their hands on, have their own survey done and then drill test wells.  But they can’t just start drilling.”

"Our plan is also to secure the rights.”

“Buy people’s rights out from under them?”

“No.  No.  We’d form a company. Everyone who signs their rights becomes a shareholder. The company would be funded by Wes, Cooper and me.  We’d pay for the survey.  Hell, Wes and I can do that.”

“You can do a survey?”  Wes asked in obvious surprise.

She ignored the question and kept her attention on Kyle. “Anyway, we can handle the survey and then based on that start drilling test wells.  Once we know where the reserves are, we set up fields.  Cooper and Wes both know how to run an energy company.  They both know the business from the ground up.  Because they’re funding the start-up costs, the surveys and test wells and cost of drilling, they have a share in the company and would be on the Board of Directors.

“What we need are people who can help us convince others to sign on with us.  People like, maybe, you or Cody, or your friend JD.  Wes’s mother would be perfect but I think it would be unfair to ask her to choose sides in a family war.  And make no mistake, it will be war.”

“Will it?”  Kyle asked Wes.

“All out, pull no punches, I’m afraid.”

“And you’re willing to do that?  Go up against your father and make an enemy of him?”

Wes looked down for a few moments then abruptly looked up.  “After speaking with my mother, I did some digging on my own.  My father was very crafty and covered his tracks.  If anyone ever digs into it, they’ll point the finger at me.  Not him.”

“Same for my brother,” Liz added.  “Kyle, I know this all sounds unbelievable to you because your folks are good and decent, but trust me, money and power corrupt.  My father was willing to sell me to a man I hated just to further his own goals.  He’d think nothing of letting my brother take the fall and go to prison.”

“Hard to believe someone would be that way to their own child.”

“I know, but it is what it is, and we have a chance to beat them.  Moreover, we have a chance to make sure that the people who profit from the oil are the people who rightfully deserve it.”

That wasn’t hard to figure out.  Kyle actually admired the plan. “If it will help, then count me in.”

“Seriously?”  Liz reached across the table to take his hand.

“Yeah.”

She smiled at him then looked at Wes.  “Okay, you said Pressley knows about the report?”

“Yeah, she’s been riding my ass about it.”

“So, if you went to her with our plan, would she help?”

“Yes.  No doubt about it.”

“And does she have any expertise she can lend?”

“Indeed she does.”

“Okay. Cooper will be here this evening. You and he need to get everything hammered out so we can get started as soon as possible.  Time isn’t on our side, Wes.  My father sent Coop here to start sewing up the rights and I’m willing to bet your father is just as eager.  We can’t waste time.”

“You’re right.  So where does Cooper want to meet?”

“You tell me.”

“Well, my father is in Houston for a couple of days, so why don’t you and Kyle bring him to the ranch?”

“If that’s what you want.  I’d like to see Landing.”

“That’s another thing we need to settle.  I don’t want to give up on him.  I still think he can win and it’s become abundantly clear that he won’t run for anyone but you, so are you in on that as well?”

Liz looked at Kyle.  “It’s up to you, honey,” he said.

She turned her attention to Wes.  “I am, but you know we can’t train him there, and if we push ahead on this oil deal, you’re going to have no time for racing for a good solid year if not more. So, I propose we move Landing here.  You know Kyle will take care of him and we can keep training him without anyone knowing.  But let’s shoot for next year.  There’s no way we’re going to qualify this year without devoting all our time to it, and honestly this oil thing is too important.  It affects a lot of people, Wes. It needs to come first.”

He was quiet for a few moments then nodded.  “Agreed.”  He stood and smiled at her. “You know, I think I like you better as Liz Quinlan Redgate.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I like women with brains and brawn.”

Liz laughed.  “Get outta here.  I’ll call when we’re on the way this evening.”

“I’ll be waiting.”  He turned as if to leave then stopped to face Kyle.  “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Standing with us.”

“Proud to.”

Wes clasped Kyle’s hand then turned and left.  Liz looked at Kyle once Wes had gone.  “Are you sure about this?”

“I am.”

“Thank you.”

“Nothing to thank me for.  You’re trying to make sure that the people who own the land aren’t cheated.  I wouldn’t be much if I didn’t support that.”

Liz rounded the table to him.  “You sure make it hard on a girl, Kyle Stadler.”

“Hard to what?”  He wrapped one arm around her to pull her close.

“To not fall in love with you.”

Kyle felt the punch of her words almost like something physical.  The surprising part was the punch wasn’t something that made him want to turn tail and run.  In fact, quite the opposite.

“I’d like to make it impossible.  Any way I can accomplish that?”

“Hmmm, I can think of a few.”

She laughed as he scooped her up in his arms and headed for the bedroom.  They might be in a situation that could backfire and ruin them all, but right now, in this moment it was just him and her and he intended to enjoy every second of it.

Kyle cut a look at Liz who sat between him and her brother Cooper on the sofa in Wes’s office.  Wes sat across from them.  It had been a strained few hours since the arrival of Liz’s brother Cooper. Kyle had expected her to be a little more excited to see her brother, or at least comforted.  Thus far they’d seemed a little uncomfortable with one another.

Cooper and Liz shared certain physical characteristics, the same dark hair and those odd eyes the color of whiskey. That’s about where the similarities ended.  Where Liz was short and petite in build, Cooper was tall and big boned.

Liz might have grown up the child of wealthy parents, but she didn’t flaunt it in her dress.  Cooper, on the other hand, had shown up in a suit that probably cost more than what most people in Cotton Creek made in several months.

He seemed pleasant enough, and Kyle respected the fact that Cooper was a man to look you in the eye when he spoke, but there was definitely some tension between him and Liz.  Kyle hoped that whatever it was, it didn’t affect what they had planned with Wes.

They’d been through the plans pertaining to the set-up of the new company and were kicking around ideas for the name. When the door to the study opened everyone tensed, a fact not lost on Kyle.  Mary Pursell stepped into the room.

“Mother.”  Wes rose.  “We’re having a meeting.”

“Yes, I can see that.”

“It’s— “

“Cooper Quinlan?”  Mary asked when she looked at Cooper.

“Yes, ma’am.”  Cooper stood.

“And Heather Elizabeth.”  Mary looked at Liz.

“Liz, ma’am.”

“As you wish.  Forgive me for intruding, but as I told Wes, I want to help.  I know about the log and I know you, Cooper, have been speaking with Wes about a plan to subvert my husband’s and your father’s plan for it.  I think I can be of help, so might I sit in?”

Wes and Cooper looked at one another but neither spoke.  Liz, however did.  “Mrs. Pursell, do you understand that what Coop and Wes are planning will cut your husband and my father out of millions?”

“Yes, I do.”

“And you don’t have an issue with that?”

Mary smiled at her.  “My dear, we could not spend the money we have now in several lifetimes, so no, I have no issue.  Particularly, if Wes was being honest and your plan means helping the people of this county and others.”

“It does.”

“Then may I join?”

“Absolutely.  We’re honored.”

Liz saw Kyle looking at her, smiled and reached over to put her hand on his leg and give it a squeeze.  “Okay, so Wes, give your mother the run down on where we are so far.”

He did as asked and when Mary was up to speed she nodded.  “Excellent.  What’s next?”

Liz looked at her brother and then at Wes.  “When do I get to see this log?”

“You want to read it?”

“I do.”

“I told you what it says.”  Cooper spoke up. “It covers a large area on the eastern shelf of the Permian Basin.”

“Yeah, you told me but what I’m interested in hearing is what kind of drilling your talking.  Shallow, deep?”

“Deep.  Very.”

“Slant?”

Cooper looked at Wes and Wes nodded.  “Yes.”

“Shit.”

Kyle looked over at her.  “That’s bad.”

“That’s very bad.”

“It’s not bad, Lizzy.”  Cooper said.

“The hell it’s not. Fracking is bad, Coop.”

Wes jumped to Cooper’s defense. “We can take steps to minimize— “

“Please don’t speak to me as if I’m some green investment banker you’re trying to charm out of his money.  I know what fracking is and if that’s the only option then maybe we need to rethink this whole thing.”

“Lizzy, just because there have been issues elsewhere—“ Cooper tried to speak but was cut off.

“Really? You’re going to debate the issue with me Mr. Yale law degree?”

“Excuse me.”  Wes actually raised his hand to get Liz’s attention.

“What?”

“What exactly did that mean – the part about the law degree?  Coop works in the oil business, in case you’ve forgotten and the last I looked you never have so I don’t quite get you putting in that dig.  No offense.”

“None taken. I meant simply that Coop knows I’m not without some knowledge of the process.”

“Oh?”

Kyle was surprised when Mary chuckled, earning Wes’s attention.  She smiled at her son.  “Liz has a master’s in geophysics, dear.”

“Oh.”  The surprised look on Wes’s face reminded Kyle of his own surprise when he learned of Liz’s past.

“Yes, she has a degree.”  Cooper said.  “But that doesn’t mean she knows all there is to know about hydraulic fracturing.  It’s not like she’s spent the last ten years in the trenches with— “

“Oh you better not say with the rest of us.”  Liz interrupted.  “I doubt your hands have had a callus or blister from a hard day’s work in the trenches as you say.”

It looked like the conversation was headed toward being a full out shouting match since the volume of both their voices had raised considerably, so Kyle interrupted.

“Okay, hold on.  Since I’m not an expert on this fracking thing, how about explaining it to me?  In layman’s terms.  You might as well get in practice because you’re going to have to sing this song to a lot of people if you want them to sign on with you.”

“You’re right.”  Liz agreed.  “So, do you know what fracking is?”

“Not really.”

“Okay, then let’s start there.  It’s a shortened term for hydraulic fracturing, which is a type of drilling.  If you read the official literature, it will tell you that in fracking you tap shale and other tight rock formations by drilling a mile or more beneath the surface before you gradually turn horizontal and continue up to several thousand more feet.”

“Why turn horizontal?  I thought oil wells were just straight down?”

“Using fracking methods, a single surface site can accommodate multiple wells.  More bang for your buck, so to speak.  So once the well is drilled, cased and cemented, you make small perforations in the horizontal portion of the well pipe and you pump chemicals and water through the pipe.  It’s pumped at high pressures and it creates micro-fractures in the rock that are being held open by grains of sand.”

Kyle cut a look at her.  “Okay, makes sense so far, but you seem to be against it so what’s the downside.”

“The danger to the environment.”

“Liz, not every frack site has proven—“ Cooper didn’t get to finish his sentence before Liz cut in.

“It’s environmentally irresponsible, Coop and you know it.”

“I don’t.”  Kyle said. “So explain it to me.”

Liz turned her attention back to him.  “There are numerous concerns. Methane and air pollution, contamination of ground water, exposure to chemicals, waste disposal, fracking-induced earthquakes, and the enormous amount of water use in areas that are deficient.

“Consider Wyoming and the fracking done there.  The Associated Press reported that the air quality near rural drilling sites was worse than Los Angeles.  Wyoming ozone levels were recorded at 124 parts per billion and compared to the worst air day of the year in LA at 114 parts per billion.”

“So that’s bad.  I mean really bad?”

“Well the EPS’s maximum healthy limit is 75 parts per billion and personally I think that’s too high.”

“You know, you’re not doing a bang-up job selling the idea.”

“See?”  Liz turned to Cooper.  “I’m telling you that before you can sell people on this idea we have to come up with a way to minimize the impact.”

“Liz, people will overlook environmental impact in favor of money any day of the week.”

Kyle hated to admit it, but Cooper was right.  However, he didn’t say that.  This was between the two of them.

“I don’t agree.”

“Because you’re not poor.”

Kyle cut another look at her and saw the shock on her face.  “I have to agree with him, honey. It’s one thing to preach the danger when you’re rich.  But the truth is, a lot of folks who own the land you’re going to want the rights on are just barely scraping by.  Now I’m not saying that makes it right, but I am saying Cooper’s right.  Money’s going to trump the environment.”

“Thank you, Kyle.”  Cooper looked around Liz to him and then yelped when she punched him in the arm.

“Okay, fine.”  She relented.  “Maybe money does trump environmental consciousness for most, but the point is, it doesn’t have to for us.  Cooper, Wes, just listen to me.  We can do better, not just for these people but for the land too.  There are alternatives that are safer and better.”

“Such as?”

“Well mitigation can be achieved with a new technology that’s already been used in Canada.  Liquefied Propane Gas.”

“I read something about that.”

“Yes, it has promise.  Gas fracturing doesn’t require as large amounts of water and reduces the needs for a lot of the chemicals that are used. And, it does away with the need to pump the water back up to the surface after fractures have been made.”

“That could actually cut costs.”  Wes said.

“Possibly.  Another positive is that the gel reverts to vapor due to heat and pressure and returns to the surface where it can be reclaimed for possible reuse or resale.”

“Okay, I see your point and some benefits and I promise you we’ll look into it.” Cooper relented.

“Swear?”

“Yes, I swear.”

“And you?”  She looked at Wes.

“Yes, he promises as well.”  Mary answered for him and continued when Wes turned to her with a surprised look on his face.  “Liz is right and if you want my help – and apparently hers, you’re going to have to agree.  And you know I have the power to kill this before it even starts son.”

“So, you’re saying you’d tell Dad.”

“I’m saying you do this the right way or not at all.”

“Amen, Mrs. Pursell!”  Liz crowed and then rolled her eyes at the look Cooper cut her.

“Fine.”  He agreed.

“Okay, we do it the right way.” Wes said.

“Excellent.”  Liz smiled and asked of Cooper. “So, how long do you have before our father finds out you’ve gone AWOL?”

“A day at best.”

“What did you tell Henderson?”

“That you’re out of state.”

Liz chuckled.  “Just not which one?”

“Yep.”  Cooper chuckled then sobered.  “I really don’t like that man.”

“That makes two of us.”

“But I think I do like your new man.”

“My—“ Liz cut her eyes to Kyle.  “Is that what you are?”

“You tell me.”

“Yep.”  She grinned and then looked at Cooper.  “And I’m glad you approve. Even though it wouldn’t make a hoot in hell if you didn’t.”

Cooper laughed and looked around her at Kyle.  “You see what you’re getting into here?”

Kyle chuckled.  “Yeah, I think I’ve got the picture.”

“Well good luck brother.”

Liz turned to look at him and Kyle saw in the smile on her face and the look in her eyes. He knew that Cooper might be right. She might be a handful but she was still the handful he’d choose any day of the week.

Right now what mattered was getting this plan in effect that had been cooked up and her off the hook with her father so that life could settle down into normal.  Which reminded him, just how
were
they going to get her off the hook?

“Mind if I ask a question?”

“Sure, fire away.”  Wes answered.

“Lots of thought has gone into the oil thing and I respect what you’re doing, but there’s something else that needs to be addressed that no one has mentioned.”

“What?”

“Liz’s problem with her father and him threatening to have her arrested.”

“Arrested?” Mary asked.

Liz blew out her breath and quickly explained the situation to Mary.  Mary’s frown deepened to a near scowl by the time Liz finished.  “And have you told Bonny about this?”

“My mother?  No, why would I?  She doesn’t have any influence with him.”

“Then who does?”

“No one that I know of.”

“So what are you – correction – what are
we
going to do about this situation?”

“I’ve been giving that some thought.”  Wes said “And— “

Before he could finish his sentence they heard the pounding on the door and a male voice calling out.  “Mr. Pursell!  Mr. Pursell!”

Wes got up and ran to the door.  The ranch foreman stood outside, red-faced, covered with black grime and smelling of smoke.  “A barn’s on fire.”

“Has anyone called 911?”

“Yes sir and we’re trying to get the horses out now.”

By then, everyone had crowded in behind Wes.  The moment the foreman mentioned horses, Liz muscled her way by everyone and took off at a run.

Kyle took off after her.  He knew where she was going.  To get Landing.