“He was a courageous guy. I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to lead the antifrackers around here when he worked for Lake Azure since Royce Flemming financed that, too. I saw Woody once picketing with a big sign that read, KILL THE DRILL!” Joe shook his head. “Then he ends up dead. He was an original around here, especially when he wore that coonskin cap. My sister says they never found it.”
“No, but then he fell quite a ways.”
“It probably snagged in a tree or caught on a ledge. I’ll come to the lodge whenever you want. The womenfolk don’t understand why I’d want to work outside in all weather with my hands anymore, as if I’d be happy just sitting around toasty warm in the house, watching sports on TV. Your know, the sod on my new place is just rolled out over unworked soil, no trees on our lot, but I’ll plant them. It’ll be real hard to get a garden of any kind going there, so I promise I’ll help beautify your community if I get the chance.”
They chatted awhile longer and Joe walked him to the door. Matt heard the voices of women and young children upstairs. Maybe Joe had got them out of their way for this meeting. The light young voices made the high-ceilinged, bare rooms of the old farmhouse seem at once friendlier, and sadder to be deserted. Unless the rig workers wanted an office here, the house and barn would be torn down and the land would soon be under concrete and drilling rigs, water retention ponds and trucks.
“The noise is amazing this close.” Matt stated the obvious as Joe walked him to his car and they shook hands again.
“At least that hellish light is gone.”
“You mean night-work lights?”
“No, not those. When they first hit gas, they flared a fifty-foot-tall flame out the top of that big drilling framework, kind of like a beacon day and night screaming, ‘Look what we’ve done!’ It erased the night, crept into the house even with the curtains closed.”
He shook his head and stayed standing there as if watching the work site as Matt got in his car, honked and drove away. In his rearview mirror, he could see Joe standing in his front yard still glaring across the road.
Despite how pleased Matt was that Royce had put him onto Joe Fencer as an excellent replacement for Woody, he left feeling depressed.
* * *
“Oh, forgot to tell you something,” Tess told Char as she opened the mail during the day care nap time. They were drinking coffee while Tess’s friend and helper Lindell Kelton took charge of the sleeping kids for a half hour, a task Char had helped with when she first came back to Cold Creek. “Sara Ann Fencer phoned to say she’d like to put her two boys in day care here three times a week. At least that’s something good they’re doing with the fracking money. Some folks went crazy when they got it.”
“Money talks—and walks. I saw them in La Maison the other night, meeting with Brad Mason.”
“Hmm. He may be Grant’s brother, but I wouldn’t trust him. Anyhow, I told Sara Ann that will be fine. I don’t want to take on too many new ones right now, though, so that I wear myself down, especially now.” She looked at Char as if waiting for her to say something.
“Tess, you don’t think that large area of fracking down Valley View could work its way down to our old homestead, do you? Wouldn’t that be something, since we don’t own it anymore?”
“Yes, but I wanted to tell you something else,” Tess said, almost pouting. “I was going to wait until you, Kate and I were together, but I just can’t. Gabe and I are making up for lost time.”
“Wait—Tess, do you mean...”
“Yes. Yes! I’m even getting morning sickness. Isn’t that great?”
“Well, I wouldn’t put it that way but—yes!” she cried, before remembering it was nap time and they were making too much noise. “Yes, that’s wonderful!” They hugged and held tight, rocking each other.
Tess started to cry. “Mom would have been so happy, but
“No, but then he fell quite a ways.”
“It probably snagged in a tree or caught on a ledge. I’ll come to the lodge whenever you want. The womenfolk don’t understand why I’d want to work outside in all weather with my hands anymore, as if I’d be happy just sitting around toasty warm in the house, watching sports on TV. Your know, the sod on my new place is just rolled out over unworked soil, no trees on our lot, but I’ll plant them. It’ll be real hard to get a garden of any kind going there, so I promise I’ll help beautify your community if I get the chance.”
They chatted awhile longer and Joe walked him to the door. Matt heard the voices of women and young children upstairs. Maybe Joe had got them out of their way for this meeting. The light young voices made the high-ceilinged, bare rooms of the old farmhouse seem at once friendlier, and sadder to be deserted. Unless the rig workers wanted an office here, the house and barn would be torn down and the land would soon be under concrete and drilling rigs, water retention ponds and trucks.
“The noise is amazing this close.” Matt stated the obvious as Joe walked him to his car and they shook hands again.
“At least that hellish light is gone.”
“You mean night-work lights?”
“No, not those. When they first hit gas, they flared a fifty-foot-tall flame out the top of that big drilling framework, kind of like a beacon day and night screaming, ‘Look what we’ve done!’ It erased the night, crept into the house even with the curtains closed.”
He shook his head and stayed standing there as if watching the work site as Matt got in his car, honked and drove away. In his rearview mirror, he could see Joe standing in his front yard still glaring across the road.
Despite how pleased Matt was that Royce had put him onto Joe Fencer as an excellent replacement for Woody, he left feeling depressed.
* * *
“Oh, forgot to tell you something,” Tess told Char as she opened the mail during the day care nap time. They were drinking coffee while Tess’s friend and helper Lindell Kelton took charge of the sleeping kids for a half hour, a task Char had helped with when she first came back to Cold Creek. “Sara Ann Fencer phoned to say she’d like to put her two boys in day care here three times a week. At least that’s something good they’re doing with the fracking money. Some folks went crazy when they got it.”
“Money talks—and walks. I saw them in La Maison the other night, meeting with Brad Mason.”
“Hmm. He may be Grant’s brother, but I wouldn’t trust him. Anyhow, I told Sara Ann that will be fine. I don’t want to take on too many new ones right now, though, so that I wear myself down, especially now.” She looked at Char as if waiting for her to say something.
“Tess, you don’t think that large area of fracking down Valley View could work its way down to our old homestead, do you? Wouldn’t that be something, since we don’t own it anymore?”
“Yes, but I wanted to tell you something else,” Tess said, almost pouting. “I was going to wait until you, Kate and I were together, but I just can’t. Gabe and I are making up for lost time.”
“Wait—Tess, do you mean...”
“Yes. Yes! I’m even getting morning sickness. Isn’t that great?”
“Well, I wouldn’t put it that way but—yes!” she cried, before remembering it was nap time and they were making too much noise. “Yes, that’s wonderful!” They hugged and held tight, rocking each other.
Tess started to cry. “Mom would have been so happy, but
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