Read Online Montana Hearts by Charlotte Carter - Free Book Online Page B

Sarah.
    â€œProblems?” She set the vegetables aside to be washed and began putting away the whole-wheat bread and rolls she’d purchased.
    â€œYeah, potentially a big problem.” Picking up cans of diced tomatoes and mushroom soup, he put them away on a pantry shelf. “My neighbor is leasing some land adjacent to mine for a cattle feed lot. The company has a bad reputation. They cut corners and don’t follow state laws about polluting the land.”
    â€œDon’t they get fined or something for doing that?”
    â€œSometimes. But not until after the damage is done.”
    She ran water over the head of lettuce then did the same for the tomatoes. “Isn’t your neighbor worried they’ll pollute his land, too?”
    â€œThe section he’s leasing lies above mine. That means the natural drainage will bring all the contamination onto my property unless they take measures to redirect it to a holding pond. The Western Region Cattle Feeding company never spends that kind of money.” Kurt poured himself a mug of coffee, downed a gulp and wrinkled his nose in distaste.
    â€œI can make you a fresh pot, if you’d like.”
    â€œDon’t bother. This suits my mood just fine.” Mug in hand, he paced across the room to the window. “The real problem is, I understand why Ezra thinks he has to do this. He’s an old guy, in his eighties, and his sons have all moved away, which means he’s running hardly any cattle at all. He’s got to produce some kind of income or he’ll lose the ranch.”
    Knowing he was equally worried about his neighbor as he was anxious to protect his land pleased Sarah. His heart was in the right place. “Does sound like a difficult situation.”
    â€œYeah, you got that straight.”
    She dried her hands on a paper towel. “What about the state or county regulatory agencies? Can’t they come down hard on the cattle-feeding company? Make them obey the rules?”
    â€œThey only act after the fact. They want proof of contamination before they’ll close down a feed lot.” He sat down at the kitchen table and stretched out his long legs, hooking one booted foot over the other. Deep worry lines etched his suntanned face. A muscle ticked in his jaw. “By then it’s too late and the damage is done.”
    That seemed strange to Sarah. She had a client in Seattle, a small businessman, who opened a car wash recently. The city planning department and building inspectors were all over him to make sure he complied with all the regulations.
    â€œMaybe if you talked with the county people, you could alert them to the problem and ask them to enforce the rules.”
    His disheartened head shake was a clear sign of hisdiscouraged mood. “I guess I can try. Not sure it will do any good, though.”
    â€œIf you can build a strong enough case against Western Region Cattle Feeding, based on their past performance, they’ll have to listen to you and won’t issue a use permit.”
    Lifting his head, he eyed her skeptically. “Just how do I go about doing that?”
    Confident of her own abilities to research and build a case, she folded the paper grocery sacks neatly and smoothed them out. “On the internet.”
    Â 
    For dinner Sarah roasted the chicken she’d planned for the prior evening and served it with a zucchini casserole and apple stuffing. She knew she was serving dishes that Zoe had never prepared, and anxiety about the reaction she’d get from the family burned in her stomach. Maybe she should have gone for fried chicken and asked Grace Livingston for her recipe. That might have been a wiser choice.
    Once the family was seated at the table, Sarah said a silent grace before asking Kurt to carve the chicken.
    â€œSure. I can carve.” He picked up the knife and fork and went to work.
    â€œCan I have a drumstick, Dad?” Toby asked.
    â€œYou got it,