Dale swallowed.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Russell asked another question.
โDoes the Cole family have records?โ
Dale's stomach tightened.
โProbably.โ
โThe Lawsons?โ
โMaybe.โ
Russell stared toward the ceiling.
He'd expected to negotiate with six landowners who knew little about the corridor.
Now he might have to negotiate with six families whose ancestors had documented responsibilities and potential access interests.
That was inconvenient.
Not necessarily fatal to the project.
But it made the cheap acquisition strategy far less attractive.
Russell took a breath.
โCan you convince Grace to reconsider?โ
Dale looked toward the Bennett barn in the distance.
He remembered Noah kneeling in the dirt.
The oversized gloves.
The straw hat.
And the way the boy lowered his head when someone mentioned his dead grandfather.
For the first time, the memory embarrassed him.
โI don't think she wants to sell.โ
Russell's voice sharpened.
โEverybody wants something.โ
Dale looked down.
โMaybe.โ
Then the developer said something that changed the old farmer's expression completely.
โYour referral payment depends on completing the acquisitions. Don't forget that.โ
For several seconds, Dale stared.
He'd told himself he was helping the community.
That the Bennett farm was failing.
That Grace would eventually thank him.
Now the arrangement sounded different when another man said it plainly.
His money depended on persuading a struggling widow to surrender her family's land.
Dale closed his eyes.
โI haven't forgotten.โ
He ended the call.
Then sat alone for a long time.
The county's public meeting concerning Prairie Meridian's proposed access corridor drew more people than expected.
Ordinarily, discussions about preliminary land development attracted a few property owners, several planning officials, and whichever residents had received formal notice.
This time, the meeting room was crowded.
Farmers wanted answers about the proposed corridor.
Others were concerned about whether the project could affect drainage or shallow groundwater.
Several landowners wanted to know why company representatives had approached them with purchase offers before explaining the full development concept.