Forces of Nature

Chapter 5


The shrill ringing of the phone jolted Crystal from her nap, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time, because she’d been dreaming of making love to Douglas. She snatched the cordless phone from the base and growled hello into it.

“Crystal, it’s Dena. I just had a conversation with Mr. Wellington and he has agreed to a meeting with us.”

Swinging her legs over the side of the sofa, she felt a warm rush through her body at the sound of Douglas’s name. “When?”

“Tomorrow morning at nine. He wants us to meet him at his office. Now, you know how much I adore your fighting spirit, but I need you to let me do the talking.”

“Fine, I’ll be there. Thank you for getting to work on this for me,” Crystal said.

“You know how close I’ve always been with your parents, and there is no way I’m going to let Welco come in with this land grab. I see the apple didn’t fall far from the tree,” she said cryptically. Crystal was puzzled by Dena’s tone, but moreover, she wondered if she should’ve called her parents before involving their lawyer.

The last thing she wanted was for her parents to leave their sunny retirement home in Miami to come back to Reeseville and get into this dogfight. They trusted me to run this farm and I’m not going to go crying to them like a baby, she thought as she walked into her bedroom to find a suitable outfit for the meeting. As she flipped through the clothes in her closet, Crystal decided to wear a charcoal gray pencil skirt and pink tunic. She couldn’t wait to see Douglas’s face when she showed up looking the part of a professional and not a protester. Then again, she couldn’t wait to see Douglas’s face again, period.

What if there was another way? she wondered as she pressed her finger against her lips. She had to get Douglas to stay on the farm for more than a few minutes. What if he stayed there for a week and saw the inner workings of the farm? Felt the peace and tranquility of the land and saw what a difference being there made in the lives of the Starlight girls. Unless he actually was the heartless bastard who called those girls delinquents, there was no way he’d continue with the plans to demolish Hughes Farm. She wondered, though, would this plan make matters better or worse?





The next morning, Crystal woke up early feeling nervous about the meeting. She’d promised to take a backseat and allow Dena to do all the talking, but would it be possible to hide her attraction to Douglas Wellington? Would being that close to him, engulfed in his manliness, turn her brain into mush, or worse yet, cause her to revisit the dreams she’d been having about him? Rising from the bed, she headed to the bathroom, showered quickly, then dressed. Pulling her hair back in a bun, Crystal decided to grab breakfast once she got into town, although her stomach was in knots and she didn’t think she’d be able to keep any food down at all. If she and Dena could get through to Douglas and he backed off her land, then she’d be convinced he wasn’t evil and would take him up on that dinner offer.

Crystal didn’t date much as her main focus was always working on the farm. Plus, there weren’t a lot of men who met her lofty standards, a man with a sensitive soul, love of land, animals, and art. That ain’t Douglas Wellington, so stop thinking about him, she told herself as she walked to her car.

Nervousness flowed through her body like blood through her veins as she drove up to the Welco Industries building. She inhaled deeply, hoping that the burst of oxygen would calm her nerves. Strengthening her resolve, Crystal emerged from the car, smoothed her skirt, and walked into the building. She recognized the security guard from her last visit to Welco.

“Back again,” he said when he looked up at her. “Where are the handcuffs?”

“I have an appointment this time,” she said, shooting him a sly smile.

“Let me check.” He picked up the house phone just as Dena walked over to them.

“He’s not giving you problems, is he?” Dena asked.

Crystal shook her head and stifled a laugh. “We’re old friends.”

Dena leaned against the desk, waiting for the security guard to get off the phone. “Well, is Mr. Wellington ready for us?”

“Yes, ma’am. He’s on his way out to see you all.”

Crystal’s breathing became shallow as she spotted Douglas and another man walking in her direction. She assumed the wiry white man walking with him was one of his many lawyers. As usual, Douglas looked incredibly sexy in his custom-tailored navy blue suit and crisp white shirt and the overhead lights dancing on his gold cuff links. His intoxicating cologne filled the air and frazzled her senses. Crystal looked away and focused her attention on Dena, the woman her mother always called a five-foot-five force of nature.

“Ladies, my office is this way,” Douglas said, his voice sounding like a sweet symphony to Crystal.

The foursome walked into Douglas’s office where three more suits were waiting. Crystal turned to Dena after they’d taken their seats. “Looks like they have the entire legal staff here.”

“It’s just a ploy to intimidate us,” Dena replied confidently, then faced the four lawyers. “Gentlemen, my client and I only have one thing to say—we’re not moving.”

Dena stood and touched Crystal’s arm so that she would follow suit.

“Then what was the purpose of this meeting?” one of the attorneys asked.

Dena reached into her leather briefcase and withdrew a blue document. “This is a summons to appear in court. We’re seeking an injunction to stop any construction near the farm. Obviously, you all thought this was about money and to get what you wanted all you had to do was add more zeros to the check. Well, it doesn’t work like that. And, if this was about a negotiation and not intimidation, all of you wouldn’t be here.” She waved her hand at the cavalcade of lawyers. “Let me be clear, this isn’t my first time at the rodeo and we won’t be intimidated by these high-handed actions.” She passed the document to Douglas.

“What?” Douglas snapped, leaping from his seat when he looked at it.

Crystal folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head to the side. “I told you I wasn’t going to roll over and play dead for Welco Industries.” Dena shot a look to Crystal telling her to save it.

One of the lawyers cleared his throat and rose to his feet. “Let me see that.” He took the document from Douglas’s hand.

Dena nodded toward the door and she and Crystal took their leave.

Douglas ran after them, catching Crystal by the arm. “Do you really want to throw down the gauntlet like this?” he asked. “This will get ugly, and if you and your attorney think that was intimidating, wait until we get inside the courtroom.”

“Please take your hands off me,” she replied breathlessly. The touch of his hand against her skin rippled through her nervous system, causing her to quake inside.

“Crystal, you can relocate, you can buy more land. . . .”

Focusing her stare on him, she pushed his hand away. “This isn’t about the land, this is about a legacy. This is about my family’s blood, sweat, and tears. So, take your money and shove it.”

“I’m shoving it under your nose. I would advise you to take it. You won’t win in court.”

Dena stepped in between Douglas and Crystal, placing her hand on his chest. “Mr. Wellington, you have more to lose than my client—tread lightly. Crystal, let’s go.”

“You don’t want to do this,” Douglas called out after her.

Crystal waved her hand in the air, dismissing him as she and Dena walked out the door.





Douglas stood against the wall, watching Crystal’s hips sway as she left. He didn’t want to fight with her and he didn’t want to get nasty to get that land, but if he had to, he would. This was business and if she wanted to run with the big dogs, she was going to need more than some small-town lawyer to win. At the end of the day, though, he hoped Crystal would forgive him when it was all over. In an ideal world, she’d be standing by his side when the business park was built, sharing in his success. Douglas walked back to his office and dismissed his legal staff. In the quiet of his office, he began to look into the mythology of Hughes Farm. The vast number of articles that popped up on the screen shocked him. Leaning back, Douglas read the history of the farm, starting with Casio Hughes, a sharecropper who first took ownership of the farm in 1921, following a lengthy court battle with the Winchell family after the reading of Simon Winchell’s will.

So, fighting runs in the family, Douglas thought as he rubbed his aching eyes. The next article detailed the success of Hughes Farm over the next fifty years, from cotton to tobacco to soybeans, and finally to a low-income housing community. He began to see why Crystal was so protective of the place. But if the land was this historic, what had his father been trying to accomplish by purchasing it? The file about the farm was old and thoroughly researched. Even at the time of his death, Douglas Wellington Jr. had been trying to bring the farm under the company’s umbrella. Why is this happening? The woman of my dreams hates me and I have to take her land.

Douglas stood up and walked to the window overlooking sleepy Reeseville. The skyline of the town wasn’t impressive like Charlotte or Atlanta, but Welco could make it that way. With the right development, Reeseville could be a progressive city with booming employment and growth. But what was it going to take to make Crystal understand that? Hopefully the court case would be over soon and he and Crystal could reach some kind of middle ground and get to know one another better. He needed her in his life; her aura was so positive and vibrant. No woman had ever touched him the way Crystal had. And no woman had ever told him no either.

Crystal’s no different, he thought, adjusting his tie. I just have to get her to see things my way.





Sitting at an outside table at the Main Street Café, Crystal quietly sipped a cup of green tea. The scene in Douglas’s office replayed in her mind. He wasn’t going to give up until he got what he wanted and Crystal wasn’t about to let that happen. How can I appeal to his human side? He knows what it’s like to have a family tradition. Hell, if someone wanted to take Welco he wouldn’t roll over and let it happen.

Draining her teacup, Crystal grabbed her cell phone and called Welco Industries.

A drone voice answered the phone. “Welco Industries, how may I direct your call?”

“Douglas Wellington, please.”

Classical music played in Crystal’s ear as she tried to think of something to say.

“Mr. Wellington’s office,” his assistant said.

“Is Mr. Wellington available?”

“May I tell him who’s calling?”

“Crystal Hughes.”

Moments later, Douglas breathed her name, sending shivers down her spine. “This is a nice surprise.”

“I don’t want to fight dirty, but I will,” she said. “Why don’t you come out to the farm and see what it means to the community?”

“There’s no doubt that Hughes Farm is important to Reeseville, but I don’t see how spending any time out there will change anything,” Douglas said. “However, if this is your cute way of accepting my dinner invitation . . .”

“You’ve only briefly seen the land. There’s nothing like waking up and smelling the dew-covered roses and honeysuckle. I’m pleading with you, please consider it,” she said.

“Fine, I’ll consider it. But what about this injunction?”

“Spend a week at Hughes Farm and I’m sure you will change your mind about wanting to destroy this land to build a business park.”

Douglas laughed. “I doubt that, but I will take you up on your offer, Ms. Hughes. When do you want to make this happen?”

“This weekend, I’ll fix up one of the guest cottages and you can move in,” Crystal said as the wheels spun in her head. Sure, her plan was hokey and Douglas might not change his mind. But Crystal believed that nature, and especially the beauty of Hughes Farm, would have some kind of impact on him. Maybe seeing how much people depended on the food she raised there and how much the Starlight girls needed a home would give him pause. Dena wasn’t going to like it one bit, though.

“Ms. Hughes, I look forward to it. I’ll have someone bring my things over Saturday morning.”

Crystal smiled, knowing that once Douglas got on her turf she would be able to change his mind by any means necessary. But would she be able to keep things strictly professional? Of course I can, she thought as she pulled cash from her purse to pay for her tea.

A half an hour, one muffin, and two more cups of tea later, Crystal called Dena. There was no way she could keep her plan under wraps. Besides, she needed Dena to get their court appearance pushed back.

“Absolutely not,” Dena balked when Crystal made her suggestion. “What do you think having that man on your property will do? He’ll probably draw up new plans for the business park. Where did you come up with this hair-brained idea? A Lifetime movie?”

“Dena, this is my decision. Let’s be real about this. Douglas has a legal staff that can tie us up in so much red tape.”

“Is there something I should know about?” Dena asked suspiciously.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Crystal toyed with the half-eaten muffin she’d been nibbling on.

“You just speak of him with such familiarity. Have you forgotten that he is trying take your property? Your family legacy? City council is in Welco’s pocket, and we have a fight on our hands,” Dena said gruffly. “Just what in the hell do you think inviting him to stay at the farm will accomplish? If anything, he’ll get more ammo to use against us. Let me tell you something about men like Wellington: they are not sentimental. Roses, fresh fruit, and crying little girls don’t mean a damned thing to them.”

“Dena, calm down. This will work, trust me. I have some tricks up my sleeve that might not hold up in court.”

“Do I want to hear more?”

“Dena, if Douglas Wellington has a human side, once he sees how dependent people are on this farm and its history, there will be no business park at this location.”

“One week—and do your parents know what you’re doing?”

Crystal inhaled sharply, attempting to cool the hot anger boiling in her stomach. Did Dena think that she was a child and couldn’t make a decision without getting the approval of her parents?

“Dena, I can handle this, all right? I don’t want to involve my parents. They left this farm to me and I think I’ve done a damned good job running it.”

“And I agree, but this is a big deal, Crystal, and Joel and Erin should know their farm is under attack.”

“It’s my farm now and I am protecting it. One week, Dena, and things will change.”

“We’ll see,” Dena said, then hung up.

Without paying attention to the pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk, Crystal collided with a man, which sent her car keys flying out of her hand. As she knelt down to retrieve her keys, his big hand covers hers.

“I didn’t see you there,” Douglas said, still holding on to Crystal’s hand.

“Guess I’m still standing in the way of progress, huh?” she said sarcastically. Slowly rising to her feet, still holding hands with Douglas, she stared into his eyes and smiled. “I’ll take my keys now.”

Douglas twirled the key ring around his finger. “Why don’t I buy you a cup of coffee?”

“I don’t want any coffee,” she said as she reached for her keys.

Douglas held the keys above his head. “Then you can have tea.”

Rolling her eyes, Crystal agreed and she walked into the café with Douglas. She stood behind him at the counter as he ordered a large espresso for himself and an apple cinnamon tea for her, which was actually one of her favorite drinks from the café.

“How presumptuous of you,” she said as she took the steaming cup from him. Douglas placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to a corner table. Crystal sat down and crossed her legs. Her face grew hot under Douglas’s piercing stare. She grabbed her cup as he silently sipped his coffee, but he never took his eyes off her.

“What kind of game are you playing, Mr. Wellington?” she asked after taking a sip of her tea.

“I could ask you the same thing, Ms. Hughes. What do you expect to happen at your farm next week?”

“I expect the Grinch’s heart to grow to the size of a normal one,” she replied as she set her cup on the table between them. “Douglas, this county and this town need Hughes Farm. Why can’t you understand that?”

“Why can’t you understand that this business park is going to happen and a lot of out of work people will have jobs?”

“My keys,” she snapped.

Douglas handed them to her, but closed his hand around hers. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re sexy when you’re angry?”

The feel of his skin against hers caused her heart to palpitate. As much as she wanted to fight her attraction to him, she couldn’t help being turned on by his touch. He had a body that looked as if it was built for unspeakable pleasures, and those eyes. She wanted to get lost in them as he undressed her and ran his hands across her skin.

“You’re such a sleaze,” she snapped, rising to walk away, but her heel caught in a tear on the rug. Before she hit the floor, Douglas scooped her up in his arms.

While he held her, Douglas looked deep into Crystal’s eyes as a fire burned between his legs. He’d never desired a woman this way before and if he didn’t have her, he felt as if he would explode. Maybe it was because she was forbidden fruit, or the fact that she was the first woman to actually tell him no and mean it, but he wanted her more than he wanted his next breath. Carnal desire took over and he captured her full lips with his. Douglas felt the bite of Crystal’s fingernails on his shoulder as she responded to his scorching kiss. And just for one heated moment, they were oblivious to the stares and whispers of the other café customers; all either of them cared or could think about was the sweet inferno building between them.

Then reality slapped Crystal, making her push away from him and tear out of the café. Douglas followed her, determined to find out if she shared his yearning for her. Taking long strides, he caught up to her, grabbed her elbow, and forced her to face him.

“This is the second time you’ve kissed me,” he said.

“Funny, but I think this is the second time that you’ve violated me, Mr. Wellington.”

Stroking her cheek, Douglas smiled. “Crystal, I can’t fight being attracted to you anymore, which is why this proposal of yours isn’t going to work.”

Snatching away from him, Crystal narrowed her eyes and hissed, “You can’t expect that I’m going to let you share my bed after what you’re trying to do? Go to hell.”

“Only if you lead the way,” he called out as she stomped off. “I’d follow those hips anywhere.”