Dorothy Garlock Read Online Free PDF Page A

with Mrs. Caine ”— he nodded toward Martha — “run our eating establishments.” Hunter continued around the room and included the two men and one woman who had come in during the introductions. One of the men was a lawyer with a huge red birthmark on his face and one was the city treasurer. The woman ran the bakery.
    “How do you do? ”Jill said to all. “I'll not remember all your names, but I'm glad to meet you.” She sat down quickly beside Martha.
    The meeting started with the mayor expressing his appreciation to those who came. He was a robust man in his mid-forties with thin hair parted in the middle and a thick mustache with the ends waxed to turn upward.
    “There are two things I'd like to discuss tonight. The main one is how we are going to keep our town alive after the boom. We've enjoyed the boom since the gusher came in out on Kelly's place. I'm not an oilman, but from what I've seen and what I've read about other boom-towns, our oil will last only a few years. I'd like to have some type of industry ready to take its place when it's gone.”
    “There's no reason to think the town will die any time soon, ”Hunter interjected quietly. “The wells surrounding the town will be pumping for years.”
    “That may be, Westfall, but how many men does it take to keep wells pumping when the derricks are gone and the tanks are built? ”
    “There is equipment to be moved, oil to be transported, pipelines to be built. And don't forget the possibility of gas wells here in this area. Oklahoma's natural gas is in demand now. Think about the demand as the population grows.”
    “I hadn't heard there were plans for a pipeline.” The comment came from the lawyer behind Jill.
    “Rainwater isn't Tulsa, but a cross-country pipeline isn't out of the realm of possibility.” Hunter's compelling eyes paused on Jill as he surveyed the room. His manner was daunting, if for no other reason than his air of self-confidence. His features were calm, his lips unsmiling. Sideburns framed his face and thick brown hair waved back from his forehead.
    “Does anyone else have anything to say on this subject? ”the mayor asked.
    “I agree with you, Orvis.” Mr. Burns, the grocer, lifted his hand to get attention. “When the boom passes, my business will be cut by half, if not more.”
    “You'll still have business from the ranchers. And another thing that will keep the town going is the railroad. The tracks won't be removed just because some of the wells are capped.” A hint of impatience was evident in Hunter's voice.
    “I'm not sure the ranchland around here will survive the oil boom.” The lawyer spoke again. He was a man in his mid-twenties. Jill felt a wave of pity. He would be nice-looking without the blood-red mark, the shape of a palm, that reached from the corner of his eye across his cheek to his nose.
    “The 101 Ranch over near Claremore seems to have adapted to modern-day ranching and farming.” Jill noted a muscle jumping in Hunter's jaw, even as he responded quietly.
    “There are more oil wells out there on the prairie than prairie dog holes. A law should be passed to make the oil companies more responsible for the land they spoil.” The lawyer appeared to be enjoying the argument. “They lease a few acres of land and ruin a hundred with overflow and leaking tanks.”
    “The owners don't have to lease, ”Hunter argued smoothly. “Let those who want to make a piddly living off the grass keep it.”
    “If a ranch doesn't lease, a company will set up a derrick nearby and, using the whipstocking technique, drain off the oil from under his land. Who can tell where the oil is coming from out of a fourteen-thousand-foot hole? ”
    Jill watched and listened closely. Hunter Westfall had an air of power that only money could engender. She was curious about him. The others, except for the lawyer with the birthmark, seemed to kowtow to him.
    “We don't seem to be getting anywhere with this.” The mayor's words