Chasing Trouble (Texas Trouble) (16 page)

The first three days of his work week were a blur of meetings, phone calls, reports and problems.  Chase was in an uncommon funk, and people were steering clear of him, even his dad had decided he needed to fly to South Texas to look at some land.  Somehow he'd made it through the week without killing anyone.  There had been a couple of close calls.

He was grouchy, he knew it, but there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it.  He hadn't heard from Dave Logan yet, and he was worried as hell that Jenny Anderson had taken off where he wasn't going to find her.  It was Thursday now, and he was pretty sure she wasn't going to honor her contract with them.  He hadn't heard a word from her.  She wouldn't take his calls. 

Chase had put out over a quarter million dollars to hire her, and if she didn't show up for work on Monday, his dad was going to peel his skin off inch by inch.

Life went on though, and today
Chase had to fly out to a remote rig to interview a new tool pusher for the rig.  The guy was local, and Chase needed to check out the operation anyway, so he decided to fly there for the interview instead of bringing the pusher to Amarillo.  Chase was replacing the guy he'd had to fire from that position three months ago, because his derrick hands and roughnecks were sloppy, production was down and he'd had two lost-time accidents in the month before he left.

The driller was filling in and that is who he was going to in
terview for the job first.  Lathan had been with them for five years, and knew the ins and outs of that well better than anyone, he deserved a shot at the lead job.  Moving from a floor job to a supervisor job though wasn't always easy.  The man he hired had to have the right personality and mentality.  His company man at the job site had recommended him, but he was new too and Chase didn't trust him a hundred percent yet.

When his pilot sat the helicopter down at the small rural airport nearest the rig, that's who was waiting to give him a ride. 
The winds were too rough and weather conditions too spotty for him to take him directly to the rig.  Chase gave the pilot a thumbs up and removed his headset then eased out of his seat and slid to the ground.  Ducking and shielding his eyes from the dust and debris stirred up by the rotors, he ran toward the truck.

On the way to the site, Chase grilled Will Johnson
, the new company man, on why he thought Lathan would be a good man for the tool pusher job.  His answers seemed legitimate, but not once did the man mention the driller's stance on safety issues.  There were shortcuts any driller or toolpusher knew to speed up production and increase their paychecks, but those shortcuts meant injuries a lot of the time. 

To prevent the problem, Chase had considered restructuring the pay so
his rig workers got a higher hourly rate without the added bonuses for meeting production goals, but decided against it.  Not only would he not be able to attract and keep the best men to work their rigs, the ones he had would become lazy and the company would suffer huge production losses. 

He knew
with proper supervision, there was a happy medium to be found.  Hiring the right people in key positions was the first step, which is why he hired Jenny Anderson.  After the way she acted yesterday though, he was seriously reconsidering.

To work with or around the men on these rigs, to train the medics, she needed a certain amount of grit.  But she also needed tact and good sense.  Yesterday, she'd been missing both.  She'd been rude to both him and Lara and acted snotty and supercilious.   If that attitude reared its head around these men, she was going to be in for a rough go of it.

A thick cloud of dust floated around the truck when Will pulled the truck onto the service road to the rig.  Chase coughed then shielded his face as he rolled up the window.  Will clicked off the air conditioner in the truck and smiled over at him.  "It gets pretty dusty around here.  Hasn't rained much," he told Chase conversationally. 

This guy didn't know that Chase knew all about the dust, grime and other nasty shit that a man could be overwhelmed
with by working here.  More years than he could count, he went home with six inches of the crap covering his body.  None of the workers here knew that he had worked every position there was on an oil derrick.  His dad made sure of it, and also made sure he didn't get preferential treatment while he did. 

By the time he was twenty-two he had worked his way up to driller
, and worked that position, twelve hour shifts, while he went to college full-time.  Sleep hadn't been very important to him back then, and it was a good thing, because he hadn't gotten much. 

Now, because of the time he'd put in, he had an advantage most company big wigs didn't.  He knew
when someone was feeding him bullshit, without them realizing it.  He could discreetly watch how things were being done on a rig, and know if it was being run properly.

Chase would bet that Will had never worked in the mud a day in his life. 
He had some experience with another exploration company working as the company man.  Most company men didn't work for the same company as the drillers.  They were usually two separate entities, but Rhodes was different.  Their wells were mostly wildcatted, drilled and supervised by them.  His dad liked it that way so they could control things, and Chase agreed.

"Is it always this dusty," Chase asked holding back a smirk.  He thought he'd have a little fun with the man.

"Has been since I got here two months ago.  Wish it would rain," he said.

Rain was not something a driller prayed for.  Too much rain mean the pits took on water and the mud concentration got screwed up, which could cause major problems with drilling.  "Yeah, maybe they'd have enough mud if it rained some, huh?"

He smiled over at Chase then looked back at the road and leaned closer over the steering wheel.  "Yeah, they sure use a lot of it."

They used a lot of drilling fluid, also known as mud, but it didn't come from rainwater and dirt.  Drilling mud was usually made from bentonite clay and other chemicals, which either thickened or thinned it.  The Mud Man watched over the pit and drilling to make sure the mud was right
for the conditions.  It had to be right so the drill bit was lubricated and the bore stabilized.

"So, have they found that key to the Vee Door yet?  Someone filed a report that it had been lost
," Chase asked gruffly, but he was laughing inside.

Will's mouth opened and closed a few times then he glanced at Chance with a worried expression on his face. "Nobody gave me a copy of that report..." he said
brusquely.  "I'm gonna have Lathan's ass."

Well at least Lathan would get a good laugh out of it.  Anyone with even a week working on a rig knew that the Vee Door was a chute where pipe was sent up to the catwalk where hands waited to stack it.  When a worm, or newbie
, started working in the patch, the seasoned hands would often harass them to go find the key to the Vee Door.  It was a standing joke, and a rite of passage.  When Will confronted Lathan he was going to get his initiation.

Chase hid the grin he couldn't hold back by looking out the window across the wide open field surrounding the derrick.
  His fingers moved to his face to feel it, because he hadn't smiled all week. 

Will pulled the truck up next to his trailer and they both got out
, then Chase asked, "Where's Lathan?"

"Um, last I saw him he was in the doghouse," he replied and Chase headed in the direction of the control shed beside the derrick.

Before he got to the door he heard shouting inside and stopped to listen.

"I don't give a flying rat's ass if you can move faster without the harness, Joe.  Just put the damned thing on!  Doing stupid shit like that up on the monkey board can get you killed.  That's why John lost this job, and I'm not gonna follow in his footsteps.  If I see you up there
again without it, you're going home, then next time you're fired.  Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," the other man said, then Chase heard footsteps and stepped in the doorway.  The man shouldered his way past Chase and two-stepped down the stairs.

Obviously, the heavily tattooed and solidly built man standing there looking at the control monitors was Lathan, he surmised.  Lathan pulled off his hard hat then ran a hand through his thick sandy colored hair, before jamming it back on his head and huffing out a breath. 

"Tough day?" Chase asked with a
smile and stuck out his hand.

"Yeah, I'm surrounded by dumbasses, are you the new worm?" he asked
grumpily then turned his attention back to reading the monitors mounted on the wall.

Chase dropped his hand back to his side and told him,
"No, I'm Chase Rhodes and you must be Lathan."

Lathan swallowed a couple of times then dragged his eyes
back to Chase.  "No, shit?" he said with a groan.  "I'm sorry, man."

"No, shit
, and no worries, come see me in Will's trailer when you get free."

"Sure thing."

It was almost dark by the time Chase had Will drive him back to the airport where the helicopter was waiting to take him home.  He was hot, tired and covered in mud.  As a final step before he hired Lathan to be the permanent tool pusher, he'd done a full inspection of the well
with him.  Lathan had pointed out the improvements and repairs they'd made since the former tool pusher was fired.  Chase was impressed, the man knew his job and he was going to be one of the best pushers they had.

Some of the other hands on the crew he had doubts about, and he'd voiced them to Lathan
and Will.  Because of the arson recently at adjacent wells, he made sure to warn him to keep a good eye on the new hires too.

That was something else he needed to ask Dave Logan about when he called.  He needed to know if Dave had made any progress in discovering who the arsonist was or their motive
for sabotaging the wells.  Chase agreed with Dave's early assessment that it had something to do with the new safety legislation they were lobbying for.  It was coming up for vote soon, and would affect a lot of companies who were behind retrofitting their rigs to comply with regulations.  The tree huggers had also piggybacked environmental legislation with it, so if it passed it would cost drillers a bundle.

The fines and penalties they proposed were very stiff, and might close some of the main offenders down.  Like Pinion, the worst of them.  They were a big drilling operation, but they were top heavy, the big wigs got most of the money the company made.  The owner, Slim Watkins, liked the high life, including toys, tequila and trophy wives.  Slim must've been married six times now, that had to put a dent in his pocket book.

Hell, between seeing what a mess that man made of his life by getting married and the fact that his brother, Joel, who he thought had a solid marriage getting a divorce, Chase decided maybe he'd be better off like that movie star George Clooney and staying single. 

Women just seemed to want
Chase for either friendship or sex, maybe he'd be better off just going with that and forgetting about the happily ever after.  He was beginning to believe that didn't exist for him.

Of course all of his
friends
were married now, or nearly married.  He'd be an awfully lonely camper at cookouts and on Friday nights, unless he brought a hot girlfriend with him like George would do.  Not a bad idea at all, he thought and grinned, his spirit lifting a little.

Chase
climbed into the jump seat of the aircraft and his phone rang.  He reached into his pocket, pulled it out and saw that it was Dave Logan.  Hope surged inside of him and he quickly answered.  "Yeah, Dave, what did you find out?"

"She's at the Bowman Ranch," he informed shortly.

"Where is it?" Chase asked and grabbed a notepad and pen from the seat pocket to jot down the information, repeating it loudly so the pilot could hear.

"Thanks man, call me tomorrow and update me on the fires." he said then disconnected the line.  He glanced over at Tom his pilot and smiled.  "You get all that?"

"Yep, I can have you there in thirty minutes," he replied.

"Thanks," Chase said and sat back in his seat then folded his arms across his chest in satisfaction. You can run, but you can't hide
Dr. Anderson, he thought smugly.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Jenny brushed the mud and hay off her boots on the boot scraper
that was nailed to the back porch, then raised her arms over her head in a long stretch.  Although she was tired and sore, she felt more relaxed than she had in years.  It was amazing that she'd forgotten how much she loved working outdoors with her hands.  It was also amazing that she and Beau had buried the hatchet last night, and everyone still had their scalps.

The 'Come to Jesus' meeting
Ben had commanded could have something to do with her lighter mood too.  Beau showed up last night at the ranch, and he, Jenny and Ben "put the shit to bed", Ben's words again, once and for all. 

At first
, Jenny had resisted, she was still extremely pissed at Beau about how he acted toward her at the hospital, but then she realized Ben had a point.  Carrying around the garbage and bitterness for so long hadn't done any of them a favor. 

None of them could move on, until they settled it once and for all
, and now that they had Jenny felt like a lead weight was off her back.

Apologies and explanations were given all the way around
, they'd discussed everything from Jenny leaving without a goodbye to Ben not being Beau's biological father.  Some things were still not fully resolved, but they all agreed to disagree.

"Hey, sugar..."
Beau's familiar deep voice sounded behind her and she turned to face him.  After they'd finished talking, and drinking, last night, Beau decided to spend the night at the ranch, and help with the chores today.

She gave him a smile she thought she'd never be able to
give him again, "Hey, dumplin'," she replied with a grin.

"Dumplin', huh?" he repeated with a matching grin.

"Yeah, isn't that what your mama called you as a kid?"

Beau's grin faded and h
e growled before stepping into her space, "Don't call me that, and don't ever mention that woman again."  He was still dealing with what his mother had cost him...cost them.  She should have thought before speaking.

Jenny took a step back from him and put a hand on his broad chest.  "Sorry, I was just playing around."

Beau huffed out a breath and she saw the tension leave his shoulders.  "I'm the one who's sorry...just touchy I guess," he told her then leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Understandable," she told him and patted his cheek.  "I'm glad we worked things out, I've missed you."

His jaw worked a couple of times then he told her, "I'm sorry I hurt you, Jen..."

"We just weren't a good match, it wasn't your fault...you tried," Jenny ducked her head and admitted then turned toward the door.

"I
didn't
fucking try, that was the problem," he argued gruffly then put his hand on the doorframe, leaning over her.  "But I'm going to do it right this time.  I don't know how, but I've got make up with Jazzie.  I've been going crazy missing her, and she won't talk to me."

"You
called
her?" Jenny asked incredulously.

"Yeah?" Beau's brows knit together over his green eyes.

"Dumbass, when you're in as much trouble with her as you seem to be, you go and see her, you don't call."

Beau stood up and looked stunned.  "Did you just call me a dumbass?"

"If the ass fits..." she told him with a chuckle.

"I've been a miserable bastard
without her, that's for sure," he admitted then took off his hat then ran a hand through his dark hair.  "I don't know if she'll even talk to me in person."

"There's only one way to find out," Jenny told him.  "If you love her, go after her...and fucking
tell
her you love her, dumbass."

"Wow, you never talked to me like that before."

"Well, get used to it, because now that we're friends I don't have to worry about pissing you off, do I?"

"I reckon not," he agreed with a snort
, then leaned around her and opened the door.

"Let's eat supper, then we'll go for a ride down to the creek," he suggested.  "You've been working your ass off this week, but you haven't had much time for fun.  Dad said you've been keeping busy."

"I like it...I forgot how much," Jenny told him.

"Well, we'll go for a ride, then I've got to get back to
Lubbock.  I work in the morning...if I still have a job.  When Dad called I hauled ass out here, I thought something was wrong."

They walked inside the door into the mudroom and Jenny bent down to take off her boots.  "I'm glad he called," she said standing back up to look at him.

"Me too, sugar," he said then hugged her.

Ben's housekeeper, Shorty, and that was a good name for her because she was barely five feet tall, had fixed stew and big fluffy buttermilk biscuits for dinner.
  According to Shorty, Ben had eaten earlier and had to go to town for a while. 

Jenny knew he had a girlfriend there, but she wasn't going to share that information with Beau.  As upset as he was right now over Jasmine Ramos, and his mother's lies, he didn't need another layer of worry added.  If Ben wanted him to know, he'd tell him.

Jenny noticed that Beau didn't eat much, just sipped on tea and talked while she cleaned her plate.  "Not eating isn't the answer, Beau...you're gonna make yourself sick," she chastised then popped the last of her biscuit in her mouth.

"Yes, Doctor," he said and grinned, but it didn't reach his sad eyes.

Her eyes traveled over his leaner frame and hollowed cheeks.  "Seriously, honey, you need to go see her...the sooner the better."

"I just feel so damned guilty about what happened and how I treated you," he told her and finished off his tea.  "I don't know if I can do it right with her, either.  My track record leaves a lot to be desired."
  He fingered the condensation on his glass then said morosely, "She's probably seeing someone else by now."

"Who could she be seeing?" Jenny asked.  "If she loves you, she's not seeing anyone else, she's probably as torn up as you are."

Beau snorted then looked up at her.  "She told me she never wanted to see me again."

"No, shit?"

"Yeah, go figure, huh?" he replied and his eyes glittered.

A loud sound broke the silence that fell between them and Jenny pinned him with her eyes.  "What the heck is that?" 

It sounded almost like a helicopter was landing on the roof of the house.  Both of them scooted their chairs back and started toward the front door.  Beau grabbed his weapon off of the table by the door and shoved it into his belt at the front of his jeans, then he flung the door open and she followed him out onto the front porch.

When she stood beside him, he put his arm around her waist and held her protectively at his side as a green and black helicopter landed right in the front yard.  Jenny groaned when she saw the words emblazoned on the side of the aircraft...
Rhodes Drilling & Exploration.

"What the fuck?" Beau said with amazement in his tone.

"My new boss," Jenny explained.

"Tell me you're not fucking working for Chase Rhodes..." he growled and his hand tightened at her waist.
  Last night she told him about her new job, she just didn't mention who she was working for.

"Afraid so."

"That bastard gets around, doesn't he?" Beau grated and stepped in front of her, reaching back to keep his hand on her waist.

"I treated him at the hospital, then he offered me a job I couldn't refuse."

"Of course he did.  That job include warming his bed?"  Beau asked nastily with a glance over his shoulder.

"We're not engaged anymore, Beau. You don't get to ask those questions, but no it doesn't include that.  I'm the Vice-President of Health and Safety."

Beau snorted, then asked gruffly, "What the hell do you know about oil wells or drilling?"

"Funny, that's exactly what I asked Chase..."

"So what did he say?  Don't worry, sugar, you just wear those short skirts and high heels and it'll all be good?"

Jenny
huffed out a breath, then pushed away from Beau and stomped down the steps.  "I can't believe you just said that.  I'm a damned good doctor, and you need to mind your own business!"

"We're friends, you
are
my business!" he shouted behind her then jogged up to her side and put his arm around her waist again.  "Especially when some asshole is trying to take advantage of you."

"If you saw what he offered, you'd know how ridiculous that statement is Beau."

"He bought you, huh?" he huffed as they kept walking toward the helicopter.  Nobody had gotten out yet, but Jenny could see two people inside.

"No, he didn't buy me, so shut up!" she growled in frustration
and shook off his arm to walk faster.  Finally the door to the helicopter opened and someone slid out of the passenger side and slammed it behind him, then stalked toward them.  The man was built like Chase Rhodes, but he sure didn't look like him.  This guy was covered in what looked like mud from head to toe.  Only a pair of intense angry blue eyes were visible in his dirt streaked face, when he reached them.

"What the fuck are you doing here
Rhodes?" Beau said gruffly and stepped in front of Jenny.  Shoving him back, she stepped around him to face Chase. 

"I've got this, Beau!" she yelled then put her hands on her hips.  "What the fuck are you doing here, Chase?"

His eyes traveled over her face then down across her chest leaving a trail of fire to her toes then back up again.  "I came to make sure my investment was still viable.  We have a contract, and you better have your ass in the office on Monday morning."

Jenny tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow.  "Do you track all of your employees down at their homes to make sure they show up for work?  Or am I just getting preferential treatment?
" she asked then stepped close to him.  "A helicopter, Chase? 
Really
?, she continued then raked her eyes over him and added, "You look like you've been rolling around in a pigpen..."

He was dirty, sweaty and rugged
that's what he was and Jenny's hormones did a little dance through her body, setting off all kinds of alarms.  A flash of being in the shower with him, washing his body clean flitted through her mind and Jenny swallowed hard against the lust that surged through her.  Chase's shirt was glued to his defined chest and the weight of the mud had dragged his pants down low on his hips.  Jenny's mouth watered.

"
I worked today, unlike you," he said snottily, then added, "You're getting what you deserve for taking off like you did and not answering my phone calls.  I put out a lot of money out to hire you and my ass is on the line."  He huffed out a breath, then went to shove his hand through his hair, but dropped it back to his side when it wouldn't go through the hardened mud.  "I just need to know if you plan on showing up, then I'll decide what I need to do."

Jenny let him stew for a second, then lifted her chin and told him, "Of course, I'll be there.  I live up to my commitments."

"Fine.  Good," Chase said shortly and glared at Beau before looking back at her.  "I'd like to speak to you alone, please," he requested figuring he might get less attitude if her bodyguard ex-fiancé wasn't there.  He could also give talking sense into her about what she thought of him another try.  He wasn't doing
that
in front of Bowman.

His eyes drifted to the gun in the man's waistband.  If
the Ranger thought he was scaring Chase, he was wrong.  He'd have his ass under the jailhouse in the morning, and lose his job to boot, if he tried using it to intimidate him.  Being a Texas Rhodes came in handy sometimes.  His daddy knew people.

"Not happening, Bud.  You can say whatever you have to say at work on Monday.  She's not on the clock," Beau
spat then stepped forward, but Jenny put out a hand on his stomach to stop him.  Then intimacy in that action made Chase's gut clench.

"So, he decides if you can talk to me?" 
The question came out as the challenge he intended it to be, then he swallowed hard and forced the other question burning in his mind past his lips, "You two back together or something?  Jazzie might be interested to hear that." 

Beau Bowman's eyes narrowed and Chase opened and closed his fists.  Let that fucker make a move
, he thought.  Chase might be a lover and not a fighter now, but he'd had his share of fights with his brother...and usually won.  Putting his fist through that smug bastard's face would give him the ultimate pleasure right now.  Especially with how possessive he was acting toward Jenny.

"We're friends," Jenny told him bluntly and crossed her arms over her chest.

Chase dragged his eyes to hers, then spat, "Like Lara and I are friends?  Like Jazzie, Karlie and Katie and I are friends?"  She'd accused him of being a player, what about her?  And what about her ex-fiancé who was evidently two-timing Jazzie.  The thought sent his anger to nuclear proportions.