War Woman (12 page)

“In short there was a signed treaty, the Treaty of New Echota. It was an agreement between the United States government and a group of Cherokee representatives that the government would purchase their land from them and the Cherokee would relocate. The problem was that the representatives were acting on behalf of a minority group of Cherokee, not the National Council. Many people protested the legality of the treaty but it was ratified by the Senate anyway. Many Cherokee were forcefully removed from their land as a result of that treaty.”

“So in essence, Ms. Hawkins, you’re saying Jonathan Wilson purchased land that the government had no right to sell him.”

“That’s what my clients are claiming.”

Jonathan looked at her for several seconds before sitting forward in his chair and placing his empty glass on the tray. “Ms. Hawkins, as far as United States law is concerned, Jonathan Wilson purchased land in a legal transaction from the United States government. Jonathan expanded his property, purchasing land from neighbors or the government, and that property has been passed down through the Wilson family. Various members of the family have added to that property throughout the years via land acquisitions from neighbors, myself included. Now I understand your clients have word-of-mouth accounts of forced removals from this area and I’m not going to get into a discussion surrounding the veracity of those accounts.

What I’m more than happy to discuss is my ancestor’s purchase of his land. I’ve told you what I know and I’ll provide all the records I have relating to the farm and my family’s history, though I’d ask you to look at them here in the farmhouse. They’re delicate and I don’t want to risk them getting damaged or lost. It’s nothing personal, just the most practical approach. I’ll set aside a room for you to use and you can spend as long as you like going through them. How does that sound, Ms. Hawkins?”

Isabelle contemplated the man in front of her. He was polite but certainly no pushover. “I would appreciate that, thank you.”

“Alright, then. Feel free to come over whenever you like. I can’t promise I’ll be around all the time to answer your questions but if I’m not available, just make a note of them and I’ll do my best to get answers for you when I can. This is my cell number and my farm manager’s number. If no one answers the door and you can’t get hold of me, try Jim. There’s usually at least one of us around.”

“Thank you, that’s very helpful.”

“You’re welcome. Do you have any more questions for me at present, Ms. Hawkins?”

“No, nothing right now.”

“Do you mind if I ask you one?”

Curious, she leaned back. “Sure, go ahead.”

“Why did you get involved in this? Judging by the expensive clothes you’re wearing you don’t strike me as the type of lawyer who gets involved in such cases. I don’t know who’s paying you but it can’t be very much.”

“Maybe my family’s wealthy, hence the clothes.” Isabelle shrugged nonchalantly.

“Not according to my research.”

She looked at him sharply then. “You researched me?”

“Of course. I take anything to do with my farm very seriously.”

“You didn’t take the protestors seriously.”

Cooper clasped his hands in front of him and leaned on his desk. “Why do you say that?”

“Because of the way you behaved.”

“Because I was friendly?”

“Mr. Wilson – ”

“Cooper, please.”

“Very well. Cooper, you’ve let this situation continue on for weeks without doing anything about it.”

“What would you have me do? Throw them off my land?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“I know what you meant. I
have
acted on this situation. When I found out what they were claiming, I looked into it myself. I’m not sorry to tell you this, Ms. Hawkins, but their claims won’t stand up in court. Now I respect what the protestors are trying to do. You can believe me or not when I say that, but it’s true. Now out of that respect I was willing to tolerate them. They aggravate Jim to no end but as long as they don’t get in the way of running this farm, I don’t mind so much. They’re only here once a week and they only stay a couple of hours. I figured eventually they would give up and not come back. Now, however, you’re involved and I would like to know why. Are you working on behalf of your family?”

“I don’t follow.”

“You have native Indian ancestors. It’s obvious from your looks. Perhaps they’re Cherokee from this area. Maybe you’re related to the Cherokee your clients are protesting on behalf of.”

Who the hell did this guy think he was? It was none of his business why she was involved. He needed to just accept that she was. And why was he commenting on her looks? That wasn’t professional.
Isabelle forced herself to maintain a neutral expression.
Okay, just calm down. This isn’t like you
. She didn’t know what it was but this case was getting to her and she’d barely begun.

“I’m helping Vivienne. We’re old friends.”

“Ah, I see.” He gazed at her for several seconds, contemplating something.

After a few moments of silence, Isabelle had had enough. “Why are you staring at me?”

Cooper smiled. “I’m not sure I should answer that. You sound slightly aggravated as it is.”  

“I’d rather not play games, Cooper. Just tell me.”

“Okay. It’s difficult not to.”

“It’s difficult not to what?”

“To stare at you. You’re mesmerizing.”

Isabelle eyed him suspiciously. “Are you hitting on me?”

“I’m answering your question.”

“I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, Cooper, but you’re wasting your time.” Isabelle closed her laptop and stood up, getting ready to leave.

Cooper stood as well. “I’m not playing any games. You don’t need to get annoyed.”

“I’m not annoyed. And you’re not as charming as you think you are. I’ll be back in a couple of days to look at your records but other than that I think we’re done for today. I’ll see myself out.”

Cooper watched her as she exited his office. She could switch from ice cool to fiery in the blink of an eye and when she was annoyed...well, she was something else. He’d never seen a woman more breathtakingly beautiful. As he contemplated her, he heard the front door close and footsteps approaching his office. Several seconds later Jim appeared in the doorway.

“So how did the meeting go?”

Cooper grinned at his friend. “She thinks I’m charming.”

It had been a couple of days since their meeting but eventually Isabelle had phoned him to ask if she could view the records. She had been the epitome of politeness on the phone and had obviously decided to ignore the way their meeting had ended. If that’s how she wanted to do it, then so be it. Cooper had organized his family’s records on the desk in the guest bedroom and provided her with the details she’d need to access his Internet connection wirelessly. Once she was set up, they had stayed out of each other’s way.

Glancing at his watch, he noted it was around lunchtime and he could do with a break about now anyway. Leaning back in his chair, he tilted his head from side to side and then stood up. He was in the process of organizing a new distribution agreement but hopefully it would be sorted soon.

Leaving his office, he walked to the guest bedroom and knocked on the open door. Isabelle looked up at the sound.

“I’m making lunch. Would you like to join me?”

“No, that’s okay. Thanks for the offer though.”

“You look like you’re in for the long haul.”

“These records are fascinating.” She offered him a smile but then suddenly appeared apologetic. “Sorry, I’ll get out your way. I’ve been here for four hours already. I didn’t mean to overstay my welcome.”

“You didn’t. You don’t have to leave. I meant it when I said you could spend as much time here as you wanted. You just don’t look like you have any food with you and I figured you’d be hungry about now.”

“I didn’t mean to stay this long. It’s nice having some place to work though. Vivienne’s apartment is ideal for one, extremely cozy for two.”

“Look, I’m already making food for myself. It’s no trouble to just increase the amount. Besides, my food is legendary.” He winked at her, a smile curving his lips.

“Legendary?”

“Oh, yeah. Many have accepted the challenge, and many have been conquered. It’s all about whether you can handle the heat.” His tone was teasing, and she could see the glint in his eyes. He was testing her, in more ways than one.

“Well I never back down from a challenge.” She pushed her chair out from the desk and stood.

“Excellent. Come with me then.” Cooper led her to his kitchen and gestured for her to take a seat at the large, rustic table. Then he busied himself with preparing their lunch. He fried a selection of vegetables and chicken pieces, with a generous portion of chopped chilies. While they were cooking, he boiled water and got pasta on the go. Fifteen minutes later a bowl of steaming chicken pasta was placed before her. Cooper sat down across from her and dripped the contents of a bottle over his own pasta before placing the bottle on the table in front of her.

“What’s that?”

“Chili sauce. You may want to taste your pasta before adding any.”

Isabelle took a bite and was assaulted with a wall of heat. “Wow, you don’t hold back, do you?”

Cooper grinned smugly. “No, I don’t.” Then he proceeded to eat his chili-laden pasta with relish. Isabelle reached forwards and grasped the sauce bottle, causing Cooper to pause in his eating. He watched, intrigued, as she tipped the same amount of sauce he had onto her pasta. He raised an eyebrow as she ate a large mouthful.

“Mmm, that’s much better.” Isabelle smiled tauntingly at him as she continued to eat.

Cooper stared at her, a look of slight awe on his face. He continued to watch her for several seconds, expecting her to give in at any moment, but she didn’t.

“Aren’t you hungry? Your food’s getting cold.” Isabelle smirked at him.

“A worthy challenger at last…I’m impressed. A woman after my own heart.”

“I’ve had years of practice. I’ve been eating hot food since I was five. My parents are addicted to it and brought me into the fold.”

“I like your parents very much,” Cooper grinned. “Are they in Georgia?”

“No, they live in Oklahoma. I moved to Georgia to study law and then got a job here.”

“Do you have any family in the area?”

“No, none that I know of.”

“Hmm.”

Isabelle noted his thoughtful look. “What is it?”

Cooper shrugged. “I know it sounds odd but you look familiar, even though I’m sure I’ve never seen you before. I thought you might have family around here, which would explain the déjà vu I experienced when I first saw you.” He could tell his words had displeased her, as she drew back and sat upright in her chair. “I’m honestly not trying to play any head games with you. You’re the lawyer, that’s your job.” He offered her an easy, teasing smile. “I just like to state things as they are.”

“Yes, I’ve gathered that.” She frowned slightly at him.

“Soooo…changing the subject. Do you enjoy practicing law?”

“Yes.”

“Really? I thought most lawyers hated it.” He grinned at her and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Okay, I’ll admit that it’s not always great but then no job is.”

“I don’t know about that…being a swimsuit model photographer sounds pretty great all the time.” She scowled at him and he laughed. “Ha, you’re not so hard to rile after all. I knew there was some fire beneath that cool exterior.”

“You seem to pride yourself on lighting the match.”

“What can I say; it comes naturally. In all seriousness though, did you take this case because of a lack of job satisfaction?”

“Well, since we’re stating things as they are, I took it because it called to me. I want to make a difference with my work and I felt with this case that I could do that. A lasting, tangible difference that would benefit more than just a wealthy corporation who could afford to hire me whenever they wanted. Don’t get me wrong though, I appreciate the money I earn at my firm. I just need to do something a little different sometimes.”

Cooper nodded. “I understand. So are you making any progress with my family’s records?”

“Well I’ve read through the letters. There’s no mention of how the farm was obtained but Jonathan and Bethany seemed very close. I haven’t started on Bethany’s journal yet but I’d like to do that today.”

“How long are you in Crooked Creek for?”

“I go back to Atlanta in ten days.”

“Not much of a vacation. You’ve pretty much been working non-stop since you got here. Do you always work when you’re on a vacation?”

“Not if I can help it. I didn’t even know about this case until I got here. I came to get away from work and ended up diving headfirst into new work. But it’s different to my normal work so it’s still kind of a vacation.”