Caught in the Act (Independence Falls 2)

“I think,” he said slowly, glancing at Josh, “that we should hear them out.”

“OK.” Katie nodded. Resting her palms flat on the smooth surface her brother had handcrafted, Katie looked around the table. “Let’s say we sell and divide the profits four ways, what would you do with your share?”

“I was hoping to buy a piece of land,” Josh said. “Start my own vineyard. Maybe go back to school and take some classes in viticulture.”

“Land isn’t cheap,” she said. “Especially prime grape-growing soil.”

“No.” And just like that the excitement in her brother’s eyes dimmed. “But I’ve been saving up. And picking up some logging work on the side when I can.”

Still, it wouldn’t be enough, and they both knew it. Unless they sold for a windfall.

Chad leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. “I’d buy a chopper. Start the business dad always dreamed about. A small helicopter logging company. If I’m lucky, maybe Eric Moore would hire my outfit.”

Katie studied her middle brother. Behind his devil-may-care exterior, she knew that breathing life into their late father’s dream was important to him. Their dad had learned to fly and maintain helicopters in the military, but then he’d come home and his wife had walked out on him. The reality of supporting a family demanded he stick with the trucking business. But that hadn’t stopped him from teaching his sons to fly with lessons every week at the local airport. And Chad had fallen in love with helicopters from day one.

“You need a big, expensive chopper for logging,” she said.

“I would,” Chad agreed.

She turned to Brody. “And you?”

“I guess I’d spend more time volunteering with the search and rescue squad,” he oldest brother said. “They’re always shorthanded.”

Katie frowned. “You do that now.”

Brody shrugged. “I could do more.”

“What about you, sis?” Josh asked. “What would you do with your share?”

She would leave behind her childhood room with the pink and purple wallpaper that was better suited to a nine-year-old girl than a twenty-five-year-old woman, and make a home for herself and her animals. A place where she could stand on her own two feet, and care for the animals others saw as worthless.

Katie picked up her beer and took a long drink. Lowering the bottle to the table, she looked at her brothers. “I’d go work at a nonprofit animal sanctuary. Maybe start my own. ”

She’d been working toward her goal for some time now, sending out résumés to large animal sanctuaries in surrounding states. She wouldn’t go too far. She didn’t want to be across the country if there was a problem with the family business. But after the Black Hills contract was in place, she trusted her brothers to handle the day-to-day.

“So you think selling is a good idea?” Josh pressed.

“No. But Brody’s right. It doesn’t hurt to hear their offer,” she said. “Was today the first Liam mentioned the idea?”

Brody looked down at his hands. Smart man, he knew she would hate being kept in the dark. “Eric asked for the financials and I sent him the balance sheet. Today, after your little walk, Liam dropped in to ask for the profit and loss statements, that sort of thing. Can you pull that together for him? And the information on the pending contracts with Black Hills?”

Katie hesitated. “I’m not sure we should share that yet.”

“We’re worth a helluva lot more with it, right?” Chad said.

“We are,” she replied. “But like you said, it is not final. Not yet.”

And Liam Trulane was the last person she trusted with information about the pending deal.

“Eric is not exactly a fan of the biomass industry,” Katie added. “He has spoken out against using the extra branches from the timber harvests to create energy.”

Brody furrowed his brow. “We can’t hide the information from them even if it isn’t a done deal.”

“She might have a point,” Josh said. “I’ve worked with Liam and Eric’s crews. Those guys believe that leaving the trees limbs to decompose on the forest floor is better for the land and the next crop of trees. They’re not interested in collecting them, running them through a chipper, and selling the stuff to a biofuel plant.”

Katie nodded, grateful at least one brother agreed with her. Part of her wanted to shove proof of the deal she’d negotiated in Liam’s face. But she knew it made more sense to wait until the ink was dry on the contracts—and until they saw just how serious Moore Timber was about buying the Summers family business. For all she knew, Liam would take the information about the Black Hills deal and try to screw her. Again.

“I’ll get the paperwork in order. If Liam didn’t ask to see our pending contracts, I don’t see a reason to send them,” she said. “We should start thinking about a number. What we need to make the sale worthwhile. Grandpa built this company from nothing, starting with a single truck. And Daddy gave everything he had to this business.”