By noon, the newspaper's website had crashed from traffic. By evening, Rita called to tell me letters to the editor were running twenty to one in my favor.
The Ridgecrest Facebook group turned into a war zone: homeowners demanding Veronica's resignation; others defending her, claiming I was an opportunist. One comment thread got so heated the moderators shut it down, but you can't shut down anger once it's lit.
Veronica responded with a counterattack that showed how desperate she'd become.
First, she placed a full-page ad in Texas Living magazine, one of those glossy publications that rich people leave on coffee tables to prove they're cultured. The article was titled "The Truth About Rural Neglect" and painted me as a greedy opportunist exploiting technicalities to extort a community of hardworking families. It was a masterpiece of spin; almost made me sound like the villain. Must have cost her $15,000 for the placement—money she didn't have based on Buck's financial research.
Two days later, she showed up at my ranch unannounced, drove right up to the barn where I was fixing a tractor that had been giving me trouble since April. She stepped out of her Range Rover wearing heels that had no business on a ranch and carrying an envelope.
"Cole, let's be reasonable." She handed me the envelope.
Inside: a cashier's check for $50,000 and a typed settlement agreement. I'd drop the lawsuit, admit publicly that my cattle caused the contamination, and sign a statement saying the HOA acted in good faith. In exchange: fifty grand, and they'd leave me alone.
I set the envelope on the tractor hood, looked at her. "Get off my land."
She tried to smile. "You're making enemies you can't afford, Cole."
I picked up the torque wrench I'd been using. Not as a threat; just went back to work. "I'm making a point now. Leave before I call the sheriff for trespassing."
She left, but the harassment didn't stop: anonymous flyers started appearing on windshields around town—Cole Brennan: Extortionist or Victim?—with half-truths and distorted facts designed to muddy the water. Someone spray-painted "LIAR" on my mailbox. Shauna started getting hang-up calls at school.