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Authors: Nadia Nichols

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BOOK: Montana Standoff
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“I'd like that,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I'll even show you my original Remington print. And Steven? I'm sorry.”

“You have to do what you think is right. You shouldn't have to apologize for that.”

“Maybe, but I'm still sorry.”

There was a long pause. “Me, too.”

Molly set the phone down again and sat for a few moments, recalling every word of their conversation and trying to convince herself that it wasn't the end of the world. Steven certainly hadn't called just to tell her about a brief blurb in the newspaper. He'd called because he wanted to talk to her, which was a good thing. A great thing. And he was sorry that they couldn't see each other on a personal level until New Millennium was up and running. But what if the permitting process took years? If Steven was successful in spearheading strong opposition to the Madison Mountain project, it very well could. She pushed to her feet and padded into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, as if that might help fill the emptiness she felt inside.

CHAPTER FIVE

W
HEN THE PHONE RANG
the next morning, Steven had just stepped out of the shower and was barely one cup of coffee into the day. He picked up on his bedroom extension, hoping it would be Molly calling to tell him that she was dropping the New Millennium proposal because she couldn't stand the idea of not being able to show him how to cook a proper Irish meal that very evening.

“I'm sorry to call you so early, Steven.” His sister's familiar voice came on the line, “but I need a huge favor from you.”

“It's six-thirty, Pony. That's not exactly early.”

“I thought lawyers did the nine-to-five thing.”

“Lucky lawyers, maybe. Does this huge favor have anything to do with your wedding?”

There was a pause followed by a sigh. “Steven, we need a holy man.”

“I thought you picked one already. Nana's brother.”

“He can't do it. He's in the hospital. His asthma…”

“Too many years working in the mines.”

“And so,” Pony said, matter-of-fact. “We need someone else.”

“And so,” Steven echoed. “Naturally you called me, thinking I could pull the very best one out of my hat.”

“We're doing the seven sacred steps. Our vows are written, and you happen to have close ties to the very best holy man alive.”

“Pony…”

“Luther Makes Elk would do it, if you asked him. I know he would, even though Caleb is a white man.” Her voice was determined.

“You would have
Luther
perform your ceremony? I thought you didn't like him.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because he didn't come to your fund-raiser for the school when you advertised that he would. He stood you up.”

“Yes, but Steven, he is the holiest and most powerful of the Crow Indians. Of course I would have him perform my ceremony. And after all, he
is
your adopted grandfather.”

He couldn't suppress the deep laugh that erupted. “Seven sacred steps?”

“Seven.”

“Okay. I'll try and find him, but he's a shape-shifter.”

“So are you. Thank you, Steven.” But she didn't say goodbye or hang up. He stood dripping on his bedroom floor, phone to his ear, waiting patiently. “How is Molly?” she finally said.

Steven grinned, mystery revealed. “The real reason you called is because you're curious about my love life.”

“As your sister, I have a right to be curious.”

“Molly's fine, though I haven't seen her since the rules were laid out to her by her boss about consorting with the enemy camp. Are you disappointed or relieved?”

“I want you to be happy.”

“Even if my happiness comes with red hair and white European ancestry?”

“Yes, even if. Caleb and I are having a barbecue this Saturday to celebrate the official opening of the school on the Bow and Arrow, and since you are responsible for making the school a legal entity, you have to come.”

“Is that an order, or an invitation?”

“The barbecue begins at two and there is plenty of room for you to spend the night. Bring Molly.”

“She won't come. She can't. She's been forbidden to have any contact with me as long as she's representing New Millennium Mining. It's a conflict-of-interest thing.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means if we get together on a personal level we might try to influence each other's thought processes and opinions, or accidentally divulge confidential information, and by doing so compromise our client's interests.”

“You would never do that. Molly will come if you ask her. When do you think you'll be speaking to Luther Makes Elk?”

“When would you like to have an answer from him?”

“Steven.” Pony's voice held an impatient edge.

“He doesn't have a phone, and he lives a long ways from here. He might not be home if I go to visit.”

“I need to know, Steven. It's very important.”

It was his turn to sigh. “Then I'll find him.”

 

M
OLLY BIT THE END
of her pen and gazed out her office window. Noon, and after two hours she was no closer to providing Brad with the paperwork he needed to push forward with the permitting process for New Millen
nium mine. Her mind was definitely not on her work. She was thinking about Steven, wondering what he was doing, and if he was thinking about her even a fraction as much as she was thinking about him. She had glanced several times at her phone even though she knew calling him would be considered a crime punishable by death in Ken Manning's rule book.

And
why
was she wasting so much time thinking about a guy who probably didn't give a hoot about her? Except…except the way he had sounded when they'd last spoken on the phone, she was certain that he felt something, too. Maybe for him it hadn't exactly been love at first sight, but… She turned her eyes back to the computer screen with a frustrated sigh, thinking about New Millennium and the Sioux dying of cancer on the reservation near the mine Steven had taken her to see. What was the name of that place? Rocky Ridge? She typed in a legal search engine, entered her password, and within moments had forgotten all about her duties as Brad's assistant. The guilt she felt was fleeting. This was important, too. She needed to find out all she could about New Millennium Mining and its parent company, Condor International, because Steven would most certainly be using their every past environmental transgression as ammunition against any future projects on public lands. The better prepared they were, the better their chances of swaying the citizens of Moose Horn in their favor.

She hoped she wouldn't find any past transgressions. Condor International was a multibillion-dollar conglomerate with a very heavy-hitting reputation. Just because Steven had listed a string of past violations didn't
mean they hadn't already been resolved in environmentally correct ways. Somehow she had to make Steven see that it was okay to take minerals out of the earth, that it could be done in a responsible fashion and that the land could be reclaimed and made as good as new when the project was complete. She had to make him understand that big business cared about the environment, too, and wasn't the greedy, heartless monster he made it out to be.

And so she began her Internet odyssey into the legal maze, when what she really wanted to do was pick up the phone and ask Steven if he missed her as much as she missed him.

 

S
TEVEN SPENT MUCH
of the morning making phone calls from his office. He scratched out some of the names, underlined others and wrote brief notes around a few. All in all, he made pretty good headway in getting the ball rolling from a financial standpoint against the New Millennium Mining proposal. He'd just hung up from speaking with one of the bigwigs at the Wilderness Society and was staring at his notes when the phone rang. It was Amy Littlefield.

“We just sent out a mailing, like you suggested,” she said. “A one-page summary of what's happening, and when the next public hearing is.”

“Good. The more people who know, the better. We need to start collecting water samples. The ones Sam had with him in his car are definitely missing, along with his digital camera and the money you gave him as a retainer. And just this morning I uncovered an interesting glitch for New Millennium. The road they're
building to the mine site hasn't yet been legally permitted. I filed an injunction two hours ago to stop them from using it or continuing the construction process until approval is granted through the proper channels.”

“You mean, they built that huge road into a national forest without permission?”

“The permits are in the works, but yes, it would seem they've jumped the gun.”

“Then no more traffic, no more trucks, and no more road building,” Amy said heatedly.

“As soon as the injunction is enforced it will stop, but only temporarily,” Steven said. “Everything will continue just as soon as the permits are in place.”

“But they should be fined and punished,” Amy protested. “Isn't someone supposed to be watching them?”

“The Forest Service, the BLM, and the Department of Environmental Protection are all federal watchdogs, but sometimes these things fall through the cracks.”

“Or are deliberately ignored. I don't see how you can be so calm about it.”

“This sort of thing goes on all the time,” Steven said. “After a while it becomes the norm for powerful companies to bend the law and pay the fines when they're caught doing it.”

“You mean
break
the law, don't you?” she said in a caustic voice.

“I've informed the newspapers, and several journalists were going to look into it. Violations like that could work in our favor if they generate publicity. Everything that brings the project in front of the public eye will help us at this point.”

He heard Amy heave an exasperated sigh. “We're
going to hold a bake sale to try and raise some money, and one of the local ranchers is donating a beef cow for us to raffle off.” Her voice was flat with discouragement. “That isn't going to bring in a whole lot of cash, probably not even enough to pay you for attending that first meeting, let alone the second one, but we hope you'll come. It's the only chance we have to present a united front and put up a good fight.”

“I'll be there,” Steven promised.

He stared out the window after hanging up the phone, thinking about fundraising, or trying to, but a certain red-haired woman kept distracting his concentration. He thought about the barbecue Pony had invited him to at the Bow and Arrow, that beautiful ranch on the edge of the Beartooth Wilderness, and the next thing he knew he was pulling Molly's card out of his wallet and dialing her office number. She answered on the first ring.

“Ferguson.”

“Young Bear,” he said, following her brusque lead. “I'm calling to invite you to a barbecue being held this Saturday at the Bow and Arrow.”

“When?” No hesitation whatsoever on her part.

“Two o'clock.”

“How do I find this place?”

“When you get to Katy Junction, take a left. You can't miss the ranch sign. It's about eight or ten miles from town.”

“I'll be there,” she said, and abruptly hung up the phone. Steven held the receiver to his ear for a few moments more, wondering how Pony had known that Molly would say yes, when he'd have bet his bottom
dollar she'd politely refuse. He shook his head, marveling. Must be a woman thing.

 

M
OLLY GLANCED FURTIVELY
out her open office door. Life went on as usual in the corridors. No one was watching her or hovering near her door, eavesdropping. No one suspected that she had just been speaking with the firm's evil archenemy, making plans with him for a Saturday rendezvous at a ranch called the Bow and Arrow.

She drew a deep breath and tried to remember that she was supposed to be working while she was at work, but she couldn't concentrate. Steven Young Bear had just asked her on a date and she'd said yes. She'd said yes in spite of the fact that she wasn't supposed to see him, consort with him, talk with him, laugh with him, and certainly not fall in love with him. In spite of the fact that when she agreed to act as Brad's assistant, she'd sworn off all but professional contact with the opposition's lawyer. On the other hand, attorneys represented clients, but the clients didn't control their attorney's private lives. As long as there was no breech of contract, as long as they both acted professionally, as long as their private lives remained separate from their professional lives, there was no conflict of interest. What harm could possibly come from going with Steven to his sister's place for a barbecue?

She jumped out of her chair and paced to the window, gnawing at her fingernail. No harm would come. No one from the office would ever know. Certainly Ken Manning would never find out. She would meet Steven there and they would have a good time and then she'd come back home.

“Molly? Do you have those papers for me?”

Brad's voice startled her and she whirled around with a surge of guilt. He was hovering in her doorway, file folder in one hand, tie loosened, top buttons of his white shirt undone, hair tousled. He looked like he'd been busting his butt on the New Millennium permitting process and fully expected that she'd been doing the same.

“Ah, well, no, not exactly. Brad, could I speak with you for a moment?” His expression changed from intense to questioning, but he stepped into her office and waited. Molly crossed to her desk. “I've been doing some research and I think that you should be aware that Condor International is in court right now on four different EPA violations with two of their other mining subsidiaries, and if I can dig this stuff up in such short order, you can be sure Young Bear's all over it.”

“So?”

“Well, I'm just pointing out that if push comes to shove, these pollution violations at other mining operations aren't going to look very good for our client. Two of the violations are so bad they've been proposed as Superfund sites.”

Brad stared at her for a few moments more and then shook his head with a laugh. “Sometimes I forget how new to this you are. Don't worry about stuff like that, just get those papers together. We have to fast-track this permitting. The courthouse rumor mill has it that Young Bear filed an injunction this morning. He's just getting started making our lives miserable.”

“How so?”

Brad shrugged. “He's shutting down the mine road, which is just bullshit theatrics on his part. The road per
mit's not approved, but it will be in a matter of a few weeks. Everyone knows that, including Young Bear.”

Before she could respond, Brad left. She stood for a moment by her desk, thinking about what he'd just said, then glanced at her computer screen. After a moment, she sank down in her chair and tapped in another legal search engine. She still had plenty of time to get the paperwork to Brad before the end of the workday and plenty of questions she might find answers to on the Internet. Brad's comments had done nothing but increase her growing sense of unease. She had initially intended to sleuth out information she could use as examples to show how New Millennium's proposed mine would benefit the tiny community of Moose Horn, but the deeper she dug, the more confused she became.

BOOK: Montana Standoff
10.51Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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