She gasped and pushed away from him, leaning back several inches. “Dude, there was nothing fake about that accident. It was one hundred percent real. In fact, if you hadn’t come along, I would have shifted and healed much faster than I did, thank you very much.”
“Why didn’t you?” He lifted an eyebrow.
She wiggled both of hers. “And ruin being saved by a knight in shining armor?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The volume in the auditorium was so high it was difficult to get everyone’s attention, even with the mic. But Sharon’s father attempted to do just that. “Everyone, please, take a seat.”
The mayor of Cambridge stood behind Adam. Although he’d been brought up to speed on everything concerning the earthquakes and what they might mean for the community and the area surrounding the lake, he’d handed the reins to her father and taken a seat on the podium. The reality was Adam Masters had gathered more information and was a respected member of the community.
Sharon stood off to one side with Jackson to her left. She desperately wanted to reach for him, to hold his hand or soak up his warmth and comforting touch. But she knew this wasn’t the place. The last thing they needed was for the audience to turn the tables to a discussion of threesomes or polygamy or mixing races. Tonight’s agenda was uniting for a common good. The land.
On Jackson’s other side stood Gene Hamilton. In the frenzy of the week’s events, she had completely forgotten that Jackson hadn’t met Cooper’s father until the man wandered up to them and extended a hand. Moments later, Jackson had yet another family member Sharon knew would help fill the void his own parents’ absence had formed in his life. Gene was a good guy. Sharon had admired him since he and Joyce had moved back to the area.
Finally, after several attempts by Adam to get the crowd’s attention, a hush fell. “Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight. I know this is short notice, but we have a problem that needs our utmost attention.”
“Those damn frackers,” someone yelled.
Her father was a calm man. He didn’t change his expression or buckle under the pressure. She watched him with a level of admiration. No wonder the mayor deferred to him.
He ignored the heckler and continued. “There have been a series of earthquakes just north of here in recent days. Most of you have felt the larger ones. What you don’t realize is there have been smaller undetectable tremors under the Earth’s surface that indicate a possible seismic problem none of us can imagine.”
“What are we talking about?” She recognized the man who asked this question as Pastor Edmund of the Church on the Hill. The man and his congregation had been the bane of her family’s existence for years. He had taken every opportunity he could to run the Masters family out of town, including attacking them and threatening their lives over his perceived lack of morals.
He and most of his congregation were so vehemently opposed to the mixing of the races or the practice of living in groups of three that they were currently under court order to stay away from any member of the Masters family. That order was being ignored tonight for the sake of the community at large.
“What an asshole,” Gene mumbled only loud enough for Sharon and Jackson to hear.
Adam addressed the man calmly. “It’s impossible to say for sure. The Earth has its own agenda. Scientists can only attempt to predict what might occur. In this case, the frequency, duration, and location of the tremors is likely to indicate a larger earthquake in the near future.”
Sharon had shared what Cooper said about the possibility of a volcano with her father, but they’d agreed at this time to keep the threat to themselves. People were liable to really freak out if they heard the V word. It still seemed preposterous even to Sharon.
Pastor Edmund moved to stand in the aisle. His face turned red as he addressed the audience, spinning in a slow circle. “Do you see what’s happening here?”
Murmurs could be heard throughout the room, but Sharon wasn’t able to pinpoint any specific words.
“These people,” he pointed a rigid finger toward her father, “are destroying our land and our way of life.”
Sharon rolled her eyes. Leave it to Edmund to turn this into a circus before they even got started with the meeting.
The man held up a ragged bible. “This is the law of the land. This book is filled with examples of what God’s wrath looks like when He is not obeyed. Many of the citizens of this fine town are so out of God’s favor that He is bringing His wrath upon us.”
Gasps of shock, dismay, and agreement spread around the room.
Mayor Cromwell stood and came to the podium. Adam stepped aside to allow him to reach the mic. “Pastor Edmund, please take your seat. We’re not here to discuss religion. We’re here to do our part to save this town and the others in this area, namely Sojourn.”