hard to do because there is nothing between with us," Tess said, just to set things straight. "But I don't want you trying to intervene. My father's mad enough as it is."
"Yeah, well, I got you into this and I'm not going to walk away from it," Zak said.
Tess glared at him. "And just what, exactly, do you intend to say to him?"
"I'll tell it as it is," Zak said. "I hired you to take me up because the park plane's out of commission. I'll give you a check right now to pass on to him. That should square things away."
"Fine, you can give me a check," Tess said, "but I still want to talk to him alone. The doctor said he shouldn't even be at camp, and I don't want him losing his temper, which will happen if you're around." She got in the Jeep and slammed the door.
Zak climbed into the passenger seat, and said, "I'll have to talk to him eventually. We still have the property line to settle."
"I told you I'd pay for the trees," Tess said as she was pulling out of the parking lot.
"That's fine," Zak replied, "but if the location of the property line isn't settled soon, your father will be right back cutting trees, and my father will slap him with a law suit.”
Tears of anger and frustration burned Tess's eyes. "I wish they'd get off each other's backs," she said, gripping the wheel.
"So do I," Zak replied. "But that's not going to happen."
Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into Zak's drive and stopped, but left the engine running. Zak opened the door and jumped down, then peered across the passenger seat, and said, "For whatever it's worth, thanks for taking me up, but I wish you'd let me explain to your father. I feel responsible for what happened."
"Well, actually, you're not," Tess conceded, in a less contentions tone. "If my father had been servicing the plane regularly we wouldn't have had a broken hose, so he'll have some explaining to do too."
Zak stepped aside and Tess backed around and drove to her cabin, where she changed into work clothes, grabbed her hard hat, and headed to the compound. There, she learned that her father had taken a couple of men to where the four trees had been cut, so she immediately went to find out what was going on.
In the clearing near the property line, she spotted her father standing near Sean Herring, who was limbing a downed tree. When she looked beyond the men, her heart thumped in dismay. Stacked in a pile were the four logs he'd cut the week before, but now, four more had been dragged onto the clearing.
"Damn!" she said in an exasperated voice. Jumping from the Jeep, she rushed over to her father, and said, "What are you doing, Dad? This is not Timber West land!"
"The hell it's not," Gib replied. "I know my own land."
Realizing it was pointless to argue with him about the trees, Tess turned the focus on his health. "You're not supposed to be here," she said. "You know what the doctor told you."
Leveling angry eyes on her, he said, "Somebody's got to run the camp."
"Didn't Swenson show up?"
"I'm surprised you'd ask," Gib clipped.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you're pretty quick to go flying off with that damn Basque and leave the whole operation to run itself!"
"It was a business arrangement," Tess said, in a restrained voice.
Gib's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't aware you operated a flying service."
"Zak paid me to fly him over some eagle nests," Tess replied, her heart hammering rapidly.
"So you fly because he says fly, then ditch the plane and spend the night with--"
"I didn't spend the night with Zak. We stayed with Ralph Tolsted," Tess replied. "And the plane's back at the airpark."
Pinning her with irate eyes, Gib said, "Why the hell is he back anyway?"
"He's working at the wildlife park," Tess replied.
"Or maybe he just likes the young girls around here better."
Tess's fingers curled into her palms. "I'm tired of your cutting remarks about Zak," she said, trying to hold her temper. "I loved him and he loved me, and he wasn't some kind of pervert."
Gib flailed
"Yeah, well, I got you into this and I'm not going to walk away from it," Zak said.
Tess glared at him. "And just what, exactly, do you intend to say to him?"
"I'll tell it as it is," Zak said. "I hired you to take me up because the park plane's out of commission. I'll give you a check right now to pass on to him. That should square things away."
"Fine, you can give me a check," Tess said, "but I still want to talk to him alone. The doctor said he shouldn't even be at camp, and I don't want him losing his temper, which will happen if you're around." She got in the Jeep and slammed the door.
Zak climbed into the passenger seat, and said, "I'll have to talk to him eventually. We still have the property line to settle."
"I told you I'd pay for the trees," Tess said as she was pulling out of the parking lot.
"That's fine," Zak replied, "but if the location of the property line isn't settled soon, your father will be right back cutting trees, and my father will slap him with a law suit.”
Tears of anger and frustration burned Tess's eyes. "I wish they'd get off each other's backs," she said, gripping the wheel.
"So do I," Zak replied. "But that's not going to happen."
Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into Zak's drive and stopped, but left the engine running. Zak opened the door and jumped down, then peered across the passenger seat, and said, "For whatever it's worth, thanks for taking me up, but I wish you'd let me explain to your father. I feel responsible for what happened."
"Well, actually, you're not," Tess conceded, in a less contentions tone. "If my father had been servicing the plane regularly we wouldn't have had a broken hose, so he'll have some explaining to do too."
Zak stepped aside and Tess backed around and drove to her cabin, where she changed into work clothes, grabbed her hard hat, and headed to the compound. There, she learned that her father had taken a couple of men to where the four trees had been cut, so she immediately went to find out what was going on.
In the clearing near the property line, she spotted her father standing near Sean Herring, who was limbing a downed tree. When she looked beyond the men, her heart thumped in dismay. Stacked in a pile were the four logs he'd cut the week before, but now, four more had been dragged onto the clearing.
"Damn!" she said in an exasperated voice. Jumping from the Jeep, she rushed over to her father, and said, "What are you doing, Dad? This is not Timber West land!"
"The hell it's not," Gib replied. "I know my own land."
Realizing it was pointless to argue with him about the trees, Tess turned the focus on his health. "You're not supposed to be here," she said. "You know what the doctor told you."
Leveling angry eyes on her, he said, "Somebody's got to run the camp."
"Didn't Swenson show up?"
"I'm surprised you'd ask," Gib clipped.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you're pretty quick to go flying off with that damn Basque and leave the whole operation to run itself!"
"It was a business arrangement," Tess said, in a restrained voice.
Gib's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't aware you operated a flying service."
"Zak paid me to fly him over some eagle nests," Tess replied, her heart hammering rapidly.
"So you fly because he says fly, then ditch the plane and spend the night with--"
"I didn't spend the night with Zak. We stayed with Ralph Tolsted," Tess replied. "And the plane's back at the airpark."
Pinning her with irate eyes, Gib said, "Why the hell is he back anyway?"
"He's working at the wildlife park," Tess replied.
"Or maybe he just likes the young girls around here better."
Tess's fingers curled into her palms. "I'm tired of your cutting remarks about Zak," she said, trying to hold her temper. "I loved him and he loved me, and he wasn't some kind of pervert."
Gib flailed
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