Free Matt: Tales of the Were (Redstone Clan Book 5) by Bianca D'Arc Page A

going to retirees and women like Jenny who wanted to work, just not in construction.
    “His name is William O’Donnel, and you have his bio in the materials I’ve provided. He’s already agreed to set up a private patrol based on his years with the National Parks Service. He’ll be working directly for the Maxwell Preserve Trust that has been set up to fund this preserve, with the stated goal of adding to these lands, if possible, over the next several decades. As adjacent lands come up for sale, the Trust aims to bid on them, trying to expand the natural area as much as we can.”
    Matt saw nods from the eco warriors, and he knew they hadn’t expected that particular feature. Score one for Morgan. It had been her idea to set up the Preserve Trust and give it a mission of buying up the land in the area. Atticus had approved the idea, loving the thought of creating an even larger buffer between his lands and his neighbors.
    Atticus’s vineyard was on the edge of the valley. The housing development was a short distance away, in the rocky areas that were no good for growing grapes. If they had their way, the nature preserve was going to work its way up the hills behind the vineyard as much as possible over the next decades. Before too much longer, the vampire vintner would own as much land as he could possibly buy up—all very legitimately—turning it into a nature preserve and ensuring his privacy.
    Morgan had worked it all out so that he actually gained tax breaks by donating the money to the trust as a charitable contribution. She was clever, was Morgan.
    “This is all great, and we like the idea of the preserve, but our main problem has been, and continues to be, the old gold mine.” Daryl got to the crux of the group’s objections. “We’re concerned that, if you stir up the land nearby, all the old tailings will cause problems downstream.”
    Matt was ready for this question. “If you’ll look at the revised plans filed and approved a few days ago with the county, you’ll see that the gold mine is going to be sealed off. Absolutely nothing of the old mine will be used in the new construction. The most we’re going to do is stabilize the area by sealing the mine entrance permanently. In fact, our guys have already started. We can hike up there next and take a look at their progress, if you want.” The eco group seemed surprised by the news, and most of them looked pleased.
    The spokesman looked skeptical. “I’d say we should definitely go up there. I want to see for myself what kind of methods you’re employing.”
    Matt expected that and had his crews working on the main entrance to the mine, which would be closed permanently. The secret plans had nothing to do with the very obvious main entrance, and never had. There were other shafts. Other entrances that could be created much closer to the housing development, in much greater secrecy.
    He also wanted to give the eco guys one more aspect to think about. “There will be children living in the new housing. Babies and youngsters. We don’t want any of them wandering into an unsafe situation. Nor do we want to stir up any toxins that might be in the area. We plan to do even more environmental testing than the results already in your handouts. And, if any new problems are discovered, a full cleanup will be done in accordance with California and EPA law, so that the land is returned to its natural, safe state. Testing will occur on an ongoing basis, and any new situations will be remediated before any construction will proceed or anyone will be allowed to move in. Redstone takes this stuff very seriously. I know you may not be familiar with our company, since we haven’t done too many public projects around here recently, but we have the highest rankings in safety and environmental responsibility. We pride ourselves on that, and on our respect for Mother Earth.”
    Well, that was no fib. The Redstones followed the Goddess. Some people called her Mother