Page 118 of Caught in the Axe
Since venturing out into the woods to help out, I’d become more familiar with the roads and the scenery and found myself enjoying the drive to the main logging camp, where we were staging and stacking wood that needed to be transported to the mill.
I wasn’t particularly useful. I was usually the guy with the clipboard, counting and keeping notes, recording weights, and radioing instructions, but it felt good to contribute.
And it gave me a new appreciation for what Gus did.
“Gus, I have news,” I yelled up to him as soon as I put the truck in park.
“Whatare you doing here?” He was wearing his usual jeans and flannel and worn work boots, along with an orange safety vest. He removed his headset, swung himself out of the nest, and climbed down, then signaled to the guys on the ground to turn off the equipment.
“I have news,” I repeated, unable to hold still. I was bursting to share it with him, and the long drive had done nothing to calm the excitement that had kept me up all night.
He lowered his brows and frowned. “You couldn’t call?”
“And wait hours for you to call me back?”
“I’m a little busy at the moment.” He held out an arm, gesturing to all the work being done around us. “But please, interrupt my morning and tell me what you need.”
I nodded toward the small building, then took off for it, not waiting to see if he’d follow. Once we stepped inside, I whirled around, unable to keep a grin from spreading across my face. “We got a new offer.”
He scratched his beard and huffed. “We already have an offer. You said it’s shitty but that we gotta take it.”
I shook my head. “This is a new offer. A company called Strategic Timber out of Canada. Sustainable forestry investment. They’ve offered double what The Carson Group did, and they want to remain operational.”
He collapsed into the chair behind his desk. “Fuck me.”
“Yup.” Damn, my heart was pounding out of my chest. “I can’t wrap my mind around the number, but it’s enough to set you all up, pay everything off, and give bonuses to the loyal employees who stayed with us until the end.”
“What about Carson’s offer?”
“Sara will contact them today and give them a chance to counter, but given how they’ve been fucking around for thelast few months and that they no doubt plan to just sell off the assets, I doubt they’ll be interested.”
Gus flipped on the coffee maker perched on the wooden slab counter. His movements were so slow and deliberate.
I wanted to jump out of my chair. “Seriously? This is your reaction?”
He regarded me for a long moment, his face an unreadable mask. “I’m just letting this sink in.”
He turned back to the coffee maker and carefully prepared two cups, taking his time. When they were just the way he wanted them, he handed one to me, then sat and sipped his slowly.
“We need to take it,” he said after a solid five minutes of silence.
Fucking finally. “Yes. I agree. But…”
He raised one bushy eyebrow, bringing his mug to his lips.
“There are a few conditions,” I explained. “First, we have to close out all open orders.”
A simple nod. “We’re doing that right now.”
I cringed and braced myself for his reaction. “By June tenth.”
“Are you fucking kidding?” He jackknifed up in his seat. “That’s in three weeks.” Setting his coffee on the desk, he stood and paced. “I could call in Mike, maybe shift some guys around.” When he spun and headed back toward me, he ran a hand through his hair and tugged. “If Finn can fly some of the guys up north, it would save time.”
This was one of the things I admired most about my brother—his ability to manage the logistics of the people, equipment, and trees.
“I gotta make a few calls.”
I cleared my throat. “There’s more.”
