The Gamble (Colorado Mountain #1)(56)

“Land developer,” Mick said to my back as I started pouring out coffee.

“Yes?” I asked when he said no more.

“Folks like town the way it is, Nina,” Jeff told me as I handed Max a cup, black, and I turned to take Mick’s to him.

“What does that mean?” I asked Jeff then smiled and enquired, “And how do you take your coffee?”

“Black, sugar, one spoon’ll do,” he replied.

“You see the housing developments on your way in, ‘bout twenty miles out?” Mick asked as I went back to the coffee.

“Kind of, it was snowing. It doesn’t snow much in England so I was a bit anxious and concentrating,” I explained as I made Jeff and Mindy’s coffee.

“Those’re Dodd’s. Even twenty miles out, they changed the landscape and the economy,” Mick said. “Then he put in a coupla strip malls close to the developments, more change to the landscape and the economy.”

“Houses are big, people in them loaded. They got money to spend, sometimes that’s good, sometime’s it isn’t so good,” Jeff put in.

I touched Mindy’s back and set her coffee by the range where she was studiously frying bacon like taking her attention from it would mean it would combust, igniting us all in a fiery inferno then I turned and walked Jeff’s coffee to him.

“Money in the town would be good,” I noted. “Wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah, for shop owners, some more jobs. The rest live like they live. When there’s not much to compare it to they like that life just fine. When a bunch of fancy cars and folks with fancy clothes and fancy attitudes sweep through town, they find reason not to like their life so much,” Jeff said.

I nodded and went back to the coffeepot.

Well that possibly explained Sarah the restaurant hostess’s face closing down on me when she saw my “fancy clothes”.

“People here like a small town, some good tourist trade, neighborly folk,” Mick explained as I made my own coffee. “Town’s bigger now, not everyone knows everyone else, not everyone’s so neighborly anymore.”

“And crime’s up,” Jeff added. “Petty stuff, nothin’ big, but more people means more people misbehavin’. Last ten years, we’ve had to add three more officers to the payroll to keep up with it.”

I turned and leaned against the counter with my coffee, taking a sip then I said, “I can see your point.”

“Well, seein’ it then knowin’ that those developments you drove through, those are only coupla ones Dodd put in. He builds in four counties, changed them all. Within a twenty mile perimeter ‘round our town, he’s put in twelve developments, four strip malls and he was plannin’ to put in even more.”

“Don’t strip malls have to be, um… on a strip?” I asked.

“Dodd’s are in the middle of nowhere, though they’re close to the road. Not exactly what you expect when you’re drivin’ through the beautiful state of Colorado,” Mick answered.

“Again,” I remarked, “I can see your point.”

“And people here don’t only like bein’ in a small town, lot of them live here because they like it and they’re pretty damn proud of the beautiful state of Colorado,” Mick went on.

“If it’s that unpopular, how’d he get zoning permission?” I asked.

“Can’t say,” Mick answered.

“Bribes?” I guessed.

Mick nodded but said, “Can’t say.”

“Really?” I whispered, my eyes big and they were on Mick.

Mick kept nodding and Jeff grinned at him as he repeated, “Really can’t say.”

I smiled at Mick, the toast popped up and I went to the fridge to get the butter.

“Anyone want jelly?” I asked the room at large.

“Not for me,” Mick said.

“Nope,” Jeff answered.

“Crazy,” I muttered and Max chuckled.

I took out a plate, grabbed the toast, put in more bread and started buttering before I asked, “Mindy, darling, you working tonight?”

“Yeah,” she answered and I looked at Jeff.

“You know, Jeff,” I called and his eyes, which were resting on Mindy’s bottom, jolted to me. I ignored catching him checking Mindy out and asked, “It’s asking a lot, considering how much responsibility you carry in your day to day job –”

“Nina –” Max muttered low but I kept going.

“Because I know your job is super important –”

“Nina –” Max muttered again but I ignored him.

“But, if you could look in on Mindy tonight at The Dog, it would be appreciated.”

Mindy twirled around, fork in hand, and stared at me.

“No problem,” Jeff said quickly.

“I’m…” Mindy whispered and turned to Jeff, not meeting his eyes. “That’s all right Jeff. You don’t have to do that. I’m fine.”

“Don’t have to, but I’m gonna,” Jeff said back and Mindy’s face flamed.

I smiled.

Then I was jerked back with a steely arm around my waist and my back hit a wall of solid Max.

“Stop it,” Max whispered in my ear.