Page 102 of The Mountain Echoes

“Who’s all of you?” the inspector quips.

“The people who work here, Chad,” Maverick cuts in before I can speak.

Chad makes a face.

“Anyone go in there recently? I was there last week and didn’t see that,” Earl demands bluntly, looking at all of us.

“I did,” Tomas admits. “To get a spare part for the baler yesterday. I didn’t notice anything unusual.”

I believe him, I do.Butmy gut is crawling.

I look at Wes and Nadine. They shake their heads, concern etched on their faces.

“We’ll be pulling your last two months of compliance logs,” Gemma informs us. “And we’re placing your file under formal review. If we find residues or evidenceof misreporting, your organic status will be suspended, pending full investigation.”

“Okay.” My voice sounds thin, even to me.

“I’ll need to see your input records, storage logs, supply chain sources, and product certifications,” Gemma pushes.

Nadine steps forward. “This ain’t right. Aria runs a clean ranch. That shed’s locked for a reason.”

“And y’all have keys,” Gemma retorts.

I’m about to say something when Maverick pulls me aside, hand resting firm on my shoulder. “Let me figure this out, yeah.”

“We didn’t put that there.”

“I got this. Trust me?”

I look at him. Nod once. I do trust him.

He brushes his lips against my forehead. “Good girl.”

We leave Maverick with the inspectors and go to the ranch house, like children who’ve been given a time-out.

It’s lunch time, but we’re all a little shell-shocked as Vera takes care of us, feeding us roast chicken sandwiches that no one feels like eating.

I’d asked her to put a picnic basket together for Maverick and me, but that was before we were going to lose our organic status. That will kill our sales, which we desperately need.

“This wasn’t an accident,” Earl mutters. “Someone planted that.”

“I think someone wants you disqualified before Gunnison. And they’re getting bolder,”Nadine adds.

“People start thinking the cattle are being fed non-organic hay…,” I trail off, feeling a migraine coming on.

Maverick comes inside after fifteen minutes. He looks at all of us, smirks. “Why the long faces?”

I’m not in the mood for it. “We’re going to lose the whole damn certification if this sticks, Maverick. That’ll tank the premium we get at the sale—and if they wonder if the cattle were being fed non-organic hay…we’ll be bottom of the barrel.”

He crouches in front of me. “You’re not losing your certification.”

I look at him perturbed.

“I talked to Gemma. She’s going to clear you.”

“What?”

Everyone starts asking questions at once.