Which definitely wasn’t going to be Montana.
The idea of helping Liam with his paperwork intrigued her, though. Unlike most people she knew, fine print fascinated Tory. She knew the power of words, the way they could bind in good ways and bad. She liked the idea of being the bridge between people and documents, sorting out the truth when relationships broke down.
She thought she’d concentrate in business law. There’d always be work for her in that area, and the possibilities for growth seemed endless.
“Is the Hunts’ lodge okay?” she asked, remembering Liam would know.
“Mark and his crew put out the fire before it even came close. Good thing they were able to respond so quickly,” Liam said. “I told him about Rod. He said he’d investigate. Can’t tell you how happy I was they saved the place. I hate the thought of an arsonist loose in this kind of drought.”
Tory shivered. “Me, too.”
“Sorry I had to let slip about you being there. Mark kept asking me about our campfire. Hinting maybe I set the blaze.”
“He didn’t!”
“It’s his job.”
“I’ll back you up.” Tory hated the idea of Liam being a suspect. She knew all too well what it felt like to be judged guilty of crimes she didn’t commit—simply because of who her father was.
“Mark said he’d call the Hunts. Tell them it is time to come home and look out for their property. I wonder if they will.”
“They’ll probably sell,” Tory said before she remembered what Megan had said earlier. “Although I hear it’s hard to sell property in Silver Falls.”
“That town is in trouble,” Liam affirmed. “Have you heard about all the houses gone empty in the hills? People just giving up, packing their things and running out on their mortgages?”
“Yes.”
“I worry. If the hospital closes, will more things close in Chance Creek? Will people walk away like that?”
She didn’t know. She thought about what her mother had said about Leslie. How she’d always wanted to be independent, and now she was handling dialysis alone.
Would something like that happen to her someday, or would she be able to create a community for herself when she settled in a city and began to practice law? Somehow she had never quite managed that in Seattle.
“I think our property values will hold steady, but costs might rise, and that’s just as bad. Tell me more about the organic certification process,” Tory said, needing to distract both of them. When he squeezed her hand, she squeezed his back. They’d make good business partners, she decided, even if they couldn’t be anything else.
“Should I take you somewhere to grab a bite?”
“Can’t you keep me away from home longer than that?”
A grin spread over Liam’s face. “As a matter of fact, I can,” he said. “I’ve still got all my camping gear in the back. We can make a quick stop at the grocery store.”
“I’m not sure I want to go back to Runaway Lake,” she told him. “I need clothes, too. I can’t keep wearing this same dress.”
“I like that dress, but I don’t want to go back to Runaway Lake, either. How about we try Hatten Pond instead? With a trip to a store first.”
“Hatten Pond is an hour away, isn’t it?”
“Yep.”
“Sounds perfect. But let’s stop at Willows on the way.”
Chapter Six
“When did you decide to get the Flying W certified organic?” Tory asked when they exited Willows. She was dressed in jean shorts, a T-shirt and flip flops and looked far more comfortable than when they’d gone in. She held a bag with several other changes of clothing in one hand, the dress she’d worn to the wedding in her other one. Tory put her bags in the back of the truck, and she and Liam climbed in.
“I had the idea after Dad died and I took over with my siblings,” Liam said as he drove to the grocery store, where they needed to stop next. “About the time the rest of your family came back to town, actually.” He remembered how mad he’d been at the Coopers for having the nerve to show their faces in Chance Creek again. How could he have known it would lead to this?
“How come it took you three years to do anything about it?” Tory asked.
Liam shook his head. “Wasn’t sure I could do it. I guess for a while I was afraid to try. I did a lot of reading. Hung out on forums asking questions. Finally decided not to put it off any longer.”
“I think it’s great.”
“I didn’t even tell my own family until recently,” he admitted. “Could have picked a better time, though. This drought isn’t making things easy.”
Tory nodded. “Seems everyone’s having trouble. Why didn’t you tell Noah and the others from the beginning? Seems like they mostly let you do what you want with the place.”
Liam was quiet as he pulled up in front of the grocery store, wishing he didn’t have to answer that. There were some things he wasn’t even comfortable admitting to himself.
“You remember I played football in high school?” he asked when they were inside the store.
“That rings a bell. You were on the team with Lance, right?”
He nodded. “It was my life back then. I loved the challenge. Loved that I could leave everything I had on the field and the other guys would do the same and let the best man win. If I lost, it was okay, because each game was a chance to try again.”
Tory tossed a pack of hot dogs into the cart Liam was pushing. “I think I get that. I was never into sports, but I did debate club in college like all the other aspiring law students. No matter how complicated the rest of your life gets, there’s one place where you always have the chance for a win. I guess it’s why people get hooked on video games.”
“Did you ever go to
