Chapter 4: The Jennings Plan

Rain, mud, lanterns dying. He saw Will’s face, remembered the rain at Maple Creek, the porch lanterns flickering out at Silver Hollow—all flashed through his mind…

Good hearts. Old man’s legacy. For a moment, Caleb was speechless, and could only mutter, “The folks in this town have good hearts, the old man’s legacy…”

People and resources. That’s what matters. Carter Jennings waved him off and smiled. “I know all about the big ideas, but to beat the rivals, two things matter most: people and resources!”

That hit hard. He sat up straighter, the truth of it settling in. For all his plans and speeches, maybe he’d overlooked the basics.

He meant it. He sat up straight and said, “Teach me, please.”

How to rally people. How to stretch a dollar. Carter Jennings spoke at length, and Caleb felt like a lightbulb had gone off.

It had been rough. Real rough. Since the old days, there’d been nothing but trouble.

Miles of nothing. Not even a rooster. It was normal for the roads to be empty for miles, not a rooster crowing anywhere.

Too many people gone. Even though Silver Hollow was better off than the city, after the loss at Riverbend and his own six campaigns to Maple Heights, too many people had left.

Land everywhere. But no one to work it. Now Silver Hollow had good land but not enough folks, with most of the property owned by a handful of big families.

Land. That’s what mattered. As long as there were people, everything else—money, food, workers—could be fixed.

Carter Jennings could fix the population problem.

Bring people back. Offer land, offer hope. He laid out a plan for bringing people back—offering land, jobs, a fresh start. Caleb felt hope stirring in his chest, fragile but real.

Land. That’s what mattered. It was the one thing they had in abundance. If they could just find a way to share it, to make it work for everyone, maybe they could build something lasting.

Two stubborn families. Keeping things afloat. In all the local counties, only Price and Morrison had managed to keep the big families in check and, to some extent, level the playing field.

He wanted to change everything. Carter Jennings’ ideas and policies were even more radical.

Count every acre. Tax what they have. He called for a complete survey of Silver Hollow’s land and taxes based on acreage.

Three years. No taxes. Just work the land. He pushed for reclaiming abandoned lots and offered three years’ tax breaks as an incentive.

I need you. They’ll listen to you. Carter Jennings looked at Caleb and said, “Only your reputation can keep the big families from pushing back. I need your full support!”

He winked. “You got it.” Caleb thought for a moment, smiled, and said, “You know it still needs the mayor’s signature.”

The mayor never said no to anything. Charlie Liu, after hearing Caleb’s explanation, thought asking him was pointless.

Seal thudded on the desk. It was done. He told the secretary to bring the appointment papers, stamped them with the city seal, and made Carter Jennings Chief Advisor in the councilman’s office.

The Jennings Plan. People started to talk. Carter Jennings got to work on the so-called ‘Single Tax Law.’

No exceptions. This was the new way. Caleb ordered everyone to follow Carter Jennings’ new rules to the letter.

Coffee chat, or else. If anyone tried to fight it, Will Young and the town guards would come by for a little ‘coffee chat.’

Silver Hollow was changing. For real this time.