Page 64 of The Rancher’s One and Only

“Not really.”

“I mean, no. I would always double-check with instruments. But I memorized the elevation map of your property before I came.”

“Did you really?”

“I did really.”

“Okay, so would you be able to do me a favor?”

“I would love to do you a favor. I feel like I owe you many favors.”

He chuckled. “I do know about that. The surveyor is coming today, and honestly, whatever he tells me, I’m not going to know the answer. I’m sort of at the mercy of what he says. And I’m at the mercy of whatever he decides, and if he asks us to move the cabins again. But I didn’t think he was right the first time, and I don’t really think he’s dealing fairly with this. And I just wonder if someone is there who actually understands all this if it would go better.”

“Oh. Absolutely. I’ll do whatever I can.”

Which was how he ended up with a cheerful companion who was far more interested in the process of surveying than he was.

She was darned near chipper.

They pulled up to the front of the glass cabins around the same time as the surveyor.

Ernestine hopped out. “Hi,” she said, walking over to him briskly and extending her hand. “I’m Dr. Ernestine Martin.”

“Trent Woodrow,” he said, sticking out his hand and looking at her like she was an alien creature. Fair enough, she kind of was. But in a spectacular sort of way.

“Mr. Noble asked me to consult on the surveying.”

“Did he?” He shot Jax a look.

“Unofficially,” Jax said.

“All right then,” he said. Then he walked over to the edge of the first cabin. “This is still five feet into the floodplain. You’re going to have to move it.”

“It’s not,” Ernestine said.

“Yes, it is,” he said. “I have the maps from the county.”

“Maybe you do, but if so then you’re not oriented to where you’re actually standing. Because this is not on the floodplain. In fact, it’s about fifty feet that way.”

“I… I’m sure it’s not.”

“It is. The current elevation we’re standing at is at less than one percent risk of flooding.”

“But that can’t be right.”

“It is right. In fact, if Mr. Noble was asked to move those cabins based on these calculations, I’m afraid the county could be liable for the cost of him having to move them.”

Trent’s face turned red. “Well, that wouldn’t be—”

“It would be extremely easy for us to prove that. I’m happy to get some equipment of my own and actually measure the elevation, which is something that you should’ve done, rather than going off old maps. It seems to me like you were a little bit complacent, and in fact hoping perhaps to cause trouble for him.”

“I don’t ever hope to cause trouble for anybody. But I’m going to have to verify if what you’re saying is true.”

“Oh, I guarantee you it is,” Jax said. “Because I’ve yet to see Dr. Martin be wrong about anything. She’s a human supercomputer.”

Ernestine seemed a little bit dented by that comment, and he was going to have to revisit that later.

“I will be back with surveillance equipment.”