Free Lone Star Courtship by Mae Nunn

“This is Parker Pearson for Eye Witness News at the site that will become Galveston’s only Hearth and Home supercenter. Or will it?”

    He snapped off the wireless microphone.
    â€œWhat’s that supposed to mean?” Casey stood, still cradling the antiquity. Her eyes lit, pools of bright indignation.
    She focused on the anchor she recognized from the evening newscast, trying to make sense of his comment.
    â€œIt means beware the CAVE people.”
    â€œCave people?”
    â€œCitizens Against Virtually Everything. Once they show up in force, they’re going to shut you down indefinitely.”
    The recent arrivals began waving their crudely made signs and chanting. “Protect our native heritage! Stop the expansion!”
    â€œWhat are they talking about?” Casey looked to Peterson for an answer. “They don’t have a single detail and they’re already carrying on like a bunch of flower children at a sixties’ protest.”
    â€œInterfering with commercial growth on the island is the life work of this bunch. You should see the frenzy they can get whipped into anytime the port authority tries to expand services.” He turned his back and motioned for his cameraman. “Come on, Chuck. Let’s go shoot that tanker that’s leaking oil in West Bay.”
    â€œBut what happens now?” she called.
    He glanced over his shoulder and gave her the grave look he’d used for the camera. “Hire yourself a good lawyer and settle in for a fight. Unless you find a way to reason with these kooks, they can hold up your construction for months, maybe get your building permits revoked and shut you down permanently.”
    â€œPermanently!” She stared at the pottery in her hands and then up into the dark eyes of Barrett Westbrook, the ninth generation of British attorneys. His face was impassive, unreadable. Was that because he’d just had all his questions answered? Would he call for her conviction and execution before evidence was even presented?
    Her fingers started to tingle. In anticipation of the trembling that sometimes followed that sensation, she turned the handmade vessel over to Cooper.
    â€œDon’t worry, Casey girl.” He put a warm hand on her shoulder. “I’ve watched these folks for years. They may seem goofy but their hearts really are in the right place. We need a few days to figure out how big this campsite was and then we’ll take it from there. The Karankawas were nomads, so maybe this is one of those spots where they only stayed for a little bit before movin’ on.”
    â€œThen how would you explain this perfect jug? Why would something like this get left behind? It doesn’t make any sense. What if this is only the tip of some cultural iceberg?”
    Cooper held up his other hand to silence her growing alarm, and leaned closer for privacy.
    â€œThere are plenty of authorities on this stuff. Let me make some calls to see what we can find out.”
    She felt her pulse quicken. Turning something of this critical nature over to another person went completely against her grain. Tingling shot through her toes, her hands trembled noticeably, and the mask of her face buzzed. If she didn’t get away soon she was likely to faint in front of everybody. Wouldn’t that be a sight for the cameras!
    â€œTrust me, Casey.” Cooper gave her a side squeeze, just like her daddy would have done. “Your brother hired me for this purpose, now let go of my six-shooters.”
    A small smile returned to her face. Guy trusted Cooper. She would, too.
    â€œOkay, I’ll head over to the office to give Dad a heads-up on this development.”
    â€œDon’t be upset if he wants your brother to come down from Austin. It’s only a few hours’ drive and it might be a good idea to have him here.”
    Over my dead body.
    She’d reassure the family she had it under control and then she’d