Page 111 of Five Mountain Daddies

The days pass and the office just keeps getting more and more tense. The pressure’s building, but I can’t seem to face Samuelagain.

Not after the last time. I’m angry about the way it went down, but I also know I can’t keep hiding my secret from him. I feel like a hypocrite, and I know there’s only one way to solve thatfeeling.

I want him, and I can’t keep lying to him, but I’m terrified. I feel like I know him really well but the truth is, he’s still just that big sexy stranger I first met in a bar. I’m supposed to fix this strike thing, and I’m afraid that this baby news will only make that more impossible. Worse, I’m afraid I’ll love himforever.

But that’s just not fair. I can’t assume he’ll run away. I know it’s hard and it’s scary but I have to believe he’s the kind of man that can step up and do the right thing, even if I don’t know what that right thing is rightnow.

Each day feels bleaker than the one before it. I want to call Samuel and talk to him, not even about work, just about anything. Maybe that’s childish but I want to hear his voice more than anything in the world, even if the last time we saw each other didn’t go down so well. I need him more than I can really understand, more than I want to admit tomyself.

I don’t know how I got here. I didn’t come back to Wheelville thinking that I’d meet some big stranger and fall hard, but here I am falling anyway. Sometimes I feel like a silly little girl, dreaming her days away, imagining that my Prince Charming will come saveme.

Except my prince isn’t a prince at all. He’s a miner, and he’s coarse, and rough, and enormous. And I love all that abouthim.

I spend most of my time trying to avoid Ingram and the board. I want to figure this mess out, but I’m at a total loss. Unfortunately though, I can’t avoid them forever. Late one afternoon, as I’m thinking about leaving, I get a knock at my office door. Before I can say anything, Neal Watt walks in with a smile on hisface.

I gape at him for a second. I didn’t expect to see a board member today. He sits down comfortably in front of me, and after a tense second, hespeaks.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” hesays.

“Can you blame me?” I ask, deciding to behonest.

He laughs. “No, not really. I guess Samuel isn’t too keen on that contract you mentionedanymore?”

“Not anymore,” Isay.

“And you don’t have anything new to put in itsplace?”

“Notyet.”

He sighs, but he’s still smiling. “I figured as much. As soon as that strike started, I figured we were screwed. And that Ingram… he’s not doing us anyfavors.”

I’m not sure how much he knows about what Ingram’s been doing, so I decide not to respond. But he surprises me anyway by shaking hishead.

“I don’t know why that guy thought violence would break the miners,” he says. “Never workedbefore.”

“You know?” I ask,shocked.

“Everyone knows,” he says, laughing. “Not much we can do about it,though.”

“You could fire him,” I say. “That might bring the miners to thetable.”

His smile disappears. “Careful,” he says. “You don’t know which side I’mon.”

I sit back and watch him for a second. “I don’t think you’re on any side,” I say finally. “That’s why you’rehere.”

His smile comes back. “You’re right aboutthat.”

“So tell me straight. What do youwant?”

“I want an end to this strike,” he says. “And if you can’t make it happen in the next five days, we’re going to fireyou.”

I clench my jaw. “Justme?”

“As far as you know.” He sighs and stands up. “Maybe we’ll fire Ingram too. Truth is, I don’t know if we can. All depends on what you do.” He hesitates before heading to the door. “Do youunderstand?”

“I think so,” I say, although I’m not sure I do atall.

“Good.” He nods once and leaves myoffice.

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