All was not lost, just delayed. He figured another two weeks, and when “the results” did not arrive, he’d apply a little arm pressure. He’d tell the rancher that Waverling Tools could not commit time and effort to gather soil samples over such a vast expanse of land as his ranch. It had found another site—not as promising, but the company was ready to drill and could afford to set up only one rig. Which was it to be, Mr. Gordon? For the moment, Todd had to report the rancher’s call to his boss. What would he say? It was not entirely untrue that the company was interested in another location to drill. When Trevor Waverling learned of the reason for the delay, he would not wish to chance the Kodak proving Samantha’s claim and her father siding with her. His boss wouldn’t want to wait and risk losing an opportunity to lease another oil prospect that had caught his attention on the Gulf Coast. Once other investors got a whiff of the area, they’d be snapping up leases as fast as they could borrow the money.
