Daphne walked out the door with her head held high. She had nothing to fear from this coward today. Her savior had arrived yesterday and would be paying off the farm in the afternoon. “What is it Mr. Gantry?”
“What, no, how are you Mr. Gantry?”
“What is it Mr. Gantry?”
“I am here to inform you that your property has officially been foreclosed upon.” He let these words hang in the air a minute and smiled. “You have until the end of the day to vacate the premises Ms. Haynes.”
“No. There must be some mistake. I have until day after tomorrow to pay it off. I have someone coming in to make a payment today.”
“No mistake Ms. Haynes. The foreclosure was expedited. You have until sundown to be off this property or we will remove you by force. Anything of value must be left in place to be sold for cash.”
With that he mounted his horse and was gone. Daphne felt as though she had been kicked by a mule. How could this have happened? Where was Micah? Why did she have to deal with this on her own? She became angry. If Micah had been here instead of traipsing about the countryside doin’ who knows what, she would not have lost her farm. Why didn’t he go make the payment this morning? She couldn’t believe she had started to let herself have feelings for him. He was just like all men, lousy. She walked back inside the house, sat down at the kitchen table, and began to sob.
Chapter 5
When Micah had finished his morning errands he galloped as quickly as he could back to the small farmhouse. He was excited to see Daphne, and see how she had liked the flowers. When he arrived home, however, there seemed to be some sort of storm brewing around the place. Things were thrown haphazardly around the outside of the home, and he could hear a horrible ruckus coming from inside the place, like someone was screaming and throwing pots and pans around.
Micah cautiously opened the front door to peek around the corner. As he did a glass dinner plate whizzed past his head and crashed against the wall behind him. He was thanking his lucky stars that it hadn’t hit him when two more came following right behind, both barely missing him again. He threw up his hands in surrender shouting, “Please no more. I give up. Let me in so we can talk about what’s got you all riled up.”
“I don’t want to talk to you; you are upsetting me.”
“What have I done? I haven’t been here all morning.”
“Exactly! You haven’t been here all morning. You got it on the first guess.”
Certainly she could not be this upset over him being gone for one morning. It was their first morning together, but she had been abundantly clear that she had no intention of being his bride. Why then would she be so upset if he went about his business as if he were a single man. If she was this emotional about him being gone for a couple of hours, he was sure he did not want to be tied down to her for the rest of his life.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what’s going on here.”
“Just like all men. You never will get what’s going on, but maybe you will get this, I am moving on!”
“Let’s slow down a minute and talk. Maybe you can give me a few details about why you’re so upset.”
“I would be glad to, dear. While you were out and about this morning,” she spoke in a very sarcastic tone, “my good friend, Mr. Gantry from the bank, stopped by.”
“Really? I’m sorry I missed him.”
“Oh yes, I’m sorry too. He let me know they had ‘Expedited’ my foreclosure, and I needed to be gone from this property before sun down. I can’t help but think that if you had gone to the bank before you went sightseeing this would not have happened.” She shouted this last part as she hurled a coffee cup toward Micah, forcing him to duck behind the door. It smashed into little bits that scattered at his feet.
The vein in his neck had reappeared and was beating furiously. He spoke in a low deliberate tone, “He did what?”
“He evicted me! He told me to leave all of my belongings for the auction and get out. I don’t know what they’ll do when they see the mess I’ve made, but I really don’t care. The worst part of all was that the one person that was supposed to be on my side in this thing was missing, so I was just all alone…like always.”
A deep look of shame stole over his face. Her last shot had hit him directly in the heart. Shame was soon replaced by steely determination and fury as he walked over to Daphne. Placing his hand under her chin, he tilted her face upward to meet his gaze. His eyes were tender and caring, but ablaze with rage at the same time. “Daphne, I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you this morning. I’m sorry you have been subjected to the shame put on you by Mr. Gantry and his cohorts. I wish I could take all that away, but I cannot. What I can do is try to make it up to you. I’m gonna’ ride into town right now, and I will have a conversation with the folks at the bank. I think we may be able to work somethin’ out.”
“You don’t know these people, Micah. They make all the rules ‘round these parts. They have all the money, and all the power. I’m just gonna’ leave; I’m so tired of fighting it.”
“Don’t leave. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” He walked across the sitting room to his bedroom and pushed the door open. He slipped inside the room and came out a couple minutes later strapping a pair of holstered six-guns to his waist. He tied the holsters down to his legs with a small leather string. Micah looked like the kind of man who had used these guns in the past and it scared Daphne. As much as she hated Mr. Gantry she did not want to see anyone get hurt. What good would that do?
“What are gonna’ do with those, Micah?”
“Nothin’. All I am going to do is talk with the folks at the bank. You stay here and I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
Micah walked out the front door, mounted his horse, and rode away. Daphne walked out the front door to watch him as he went. She was nervous about what may happen between him and the bank, but she was excited because no one had every stood up for her like this before. She felt like this was the kind of man that could take care of any situation no matter how big or small. This was the kind of man she wanted…she wanted him bad.
Chapter 6
When Micah arrived in town he went directly to the bank. He tied his horse to the hitching post out front and walked in the door. He spoke to the first person he saw that seemed to be employed by the bank, “Excuse me sir, who is the manager of this bank?”
A thin man wearing a dark grey suit answered, “Mr. Albertson, sir.” His voice was nasally, and he had an air of superiority about him. He looked Micah up and down and seemed to disapprove. Micah couldn’t believe the arrogance with which this bank was operated.
“First name,” Micah did away with the pleasantries. He figured if a man was going to treat him like dirt he would return the favor.
The man, taken aback, answered, “Alvin.”
“Alvin Albertson? Typical banker name. What about Mr. Gantry.”
“Yes sir, what about him?”
“I’m afeared you have the wrong idea about what’s happenin’ here. When I ask a question I expect a direct answer. What is Mr. Gantry’s first name?” Micah spoke in an even and calm voice that conveyed the fact he was done with any and all games this gentleman wanted to play. His eyes were fixed directly on the other man’s eyes challenging him to smart off one more time.
“Lonny,” the man’s voice cracked. He was not used to being treated in such a brusque manner, especially by a man of such enormous size. Micah decided to let him off the hook, he had made his point.
“Lonny?”
“Yes sir.”
“Where might his office be?” The man pointed to a door at the back right corner of the bank. “Is he here?” The man nodded yes. “And Alvin’s office?” The man pointed to the opposite corner. “Is he in?” Another affirmative nod. “Thank you.” Micah started walking toward the office that he had been told belonged to Mr. Gantry. He knocked on the door and patiently waited for a reply.
Chapter 7
“Who is it?
” a haughty voice came from the other side of the door.
“A customer,” replied Micah.
“I am far too busy to see any customers at the moment. Go see one of the tellers, I am sure they can assist you with any needs you have.”
“I’m here to see you.”
“I cannot see you now. Make an appointment and I will see you in a couple of days.”
Micah opened the office door and walked in. Mr. Gantry’s face registered alarm. He was unaccustomed to his wishes being ignored—especially by customers. “Are you Lonny?”
Lonny regained his composure somewhat to reply, “I am Mr. Gantry and I would appreciate if you would address me as such.”
“I’m sure you would Lonny. I would like to have a meeting with you and the bank’s manager, Alvin.”
“You and a lot of other people, but as I said earlier I am far too busy, and I don’t believe Mr. Albertson is in at the moment.”
“Is Alvin in the habit of being out of his office at two o’clock in the afternoon?”
Lonny was becoming flustered. “No, Mr. Albertson is not typically out at this time of day, but he mentioned that he would be visiting customers this afternoon, and not to expect him back.”
“Let’s go see,” Micah said with a wink and a halfcocked smile.
“I won’t go with you. If you wish to have a meeting with either Mr. Albertson or myself, you will need to make an appointment with our secretary for next week.”
Micah reached out a large hand and caught hold of Lonny’s suit jacket and started pulling him toward the manager’s office. “Sir,” Mr. Gantry continued, “This is no way to treat a civilized man. We have guards on staff that will stop you by force if necessary, so I suggest you let me go right now.”
As Mr. Gantry was speaking, a guard caught sight of the scene and started to reach for his gun. Before he could draw his weapon, however, Micah looked at him, put two fingers to the brim of his hat, and gave a small salute. The guard tried to suppress a smile as he turned his back on Mr. Gantry.
Outraged Mr. Gantry said, “I can’t believe he just did that. I will have his job today.”
“I’m sure you will. Let’s go see about that meeting with Alvin.”
Mr. Gantry started to shout loud enough for the whole bank to hear, “MR. ALBERTSON IS NOT HERE. YOU CANNOT SEE HIM.”
Micah saw the secretary that was posted outside of the manager’s office, jump to her feet and scurry through the door. When Micah and Mr. Gantry arrived a few seconds later, Micah tried the door knob, but found it locked.
“I told you sir, there’s no way for us to have a meeting today. Mr. Albertson is out, and I’m far too busy with pressing matters.”
“Pressing matters like finishing up the illegal foreclosure on the Haynes place?”
Mr. Gantry’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. At the same time Micah took a step back, lifted his right leg, and slammed his foot into the door near the handle. The door flung open and broken pieces of the door frame flew into the room. Alvin and the secretary were cowering behind an enormous solid oak desk. Micah threw Mr. Gantry against the desk saying, “Alvin stand up you coward.” He nodded toward the secretary and said,” Ma’am, no lady should have to witness this. Would you kindly oblige me by closin’ the door on your way out?” He turned his attention back to the task at hand, his anger beginning to boil over. Once the secretary was gone, and the door closed, Micah turned an intense stare on the two men.
“Now, as for you two, I have a problem. Do you two like to pick on widows and poor folks?”
Mr. Gantry spoke up, “No sir. We try to be as fair and generous as possible with all of our clients. Ms. Haynes has fallen behind reconciliation on her loan so we were forced to foreclose.”
“I am under the impression she has two days yet to make a payment…is that correct?”
“Technically yes, but she has demonstrated a callous disregard for due dates in the past, and we felt it was in the best interest of the bank to be done with the situation once and for all.”
“The situation? Is that what Ms. Haynes is to you, a situation? Let me ask you this; is it the habit of this bank to break the law in such a reckless manner every time they perform an eviction?”
“We have not broken the law!” Alvin chimed in.
“You have broken the law at every turn, Alvin. You have denied Ms. Haynes her full time to make full payment of her debt.”
The two men looked sheepishly at one another trying to come up with an answer that would satisfy Micah. It was in vain, however, because Micah would not be satisfied with any answer. He continued his tirade, “Did either of you gentlemen receive a letter informing this bank not to make any moves on the Haynes property because payment in full was on its way?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“Why did you disregard that letter?”
“It seemed like an attempt by Ms. Haynes to put off the foreclosure,” Mr. Gantry said.
“Well that letter was from me. I am a man of some means, and I am in love with Ms. Haynes. The fact that this bank has been involved in the mental torture of her over the past eight years makes my blood boil. You two gentlemen are the cause of my anger, and therefore, will receive the brunt of my wrath.” Until this point Micah had been speaking in a civilized tone with Mr. Gantry and Mr. Albertson, but his voice took on an angry edge as he continued. “I am a patient man, and have never been one for vengeance, but when it comes to those I care about I will not be lenient in the least. I would inflict bodily harm to you, but I don’t think that would change your ways, although, it would make me feel better. I think you two would be hurt far worse if I hit you in the pocketbook.”
The two men looked scared and curious at the same time. “What do you mean? We don’t have any of your money on deposit here.”
“According to my sources you received a substantial deposit here today around 12 o’clock.” The men went slack jawed. Micah was enjoying this moment; he had taken these boys by complete surprise. “It should have been a two million dollar deposit delivered by an armored stagecoach. Do you gentlemen receive that sort of cash on a regular basis, or does that ring a bell.”
The two men could not speak. They were horrified that they had disrespected the man that was now the bank’s single largest depositor. The smile on Micah’s face was growing wider by the second and he was not about to let Alvin and Lonny off the hook. “I have here,” he produced a paper from his pocket, “a signed receipt with two signatures on it. One appears to say Alvin Albertson and the other is a little smudged, but is that Lonny Gantry?” He dangled the paper in front of their reddening faces. Their eyes danced around as they tried to read the two names. They knew, however, that the marks were their own. It had not been two hours earlier that they had received the cash and placed it in their vault.
“I also received word from the foreman of the delivery team that he personally handed a note to Mr. Gantry along with the deposit. Did you see this note Lonny?”
Lonny nodded his head yes. He pulled from his jacket pocket an unopened envelope. Micah shook his head in disgust. “In all the excitement of the moment I forgot about the note.”
“Please open it and read what it says.”
Lonny carefully opened the envelope, unfolded the paper, and read, “Dear Sir, please deduct all necessary cash from my deposit to cover any and all debts owed by the Haynes farm. I appreciate your quick action, and will be by at my convenience to pick up the deed.” The note slipped from Mr. Gantry’s trembling fingers.
Micah’s eyes narrowed. “And to think, I thought you fellas’ just had a devil-may-care attitude, but it turns out you run a shoddy operation. I have a mind to call back the armored coach and withdraw every last cent I put into this place.”
Mr. Albertson found his courage as he was faced with losing the two million dollar deposit. “No. Please sir, what can we do to keep your business?”
“Now that is caring for the customer, Alvin. If only you g
entlemen would care that much for all of your customers, I would not have had to come down here in such an unpleasant mood this afternoon. I will tell you what you can do for me.” The men leaned forward in anticipation. “You can give me the deed to Ms. Haynes’ property.”
“Certainly,” Mr. Gantry reached into his pocket and produced the document.
“Johnny on the spot I see,” Micah chuckled and shook his head. “You can give that to Ms. Haynes when you two come out to her farm to apologize this afternoon. I have also heard some unpleasantness about Ms. Haynes heirloom candlesticks.” The color drained from Mr. Gantry’s face. “I see you know what I am talking about, Lonny. Tell me about that.”
“That was a legal sale of collateral put on deposit with the bank by Ms. Haynes. The board approved the sale of the items.”
“Well did the board know it was not their right to sell the candlesticks?”
“It was within the rights of the board to make that decision.”
“Boys, I know a little something about banking, and I know what you have done is against the law. I am done talking about who had the right to do what, and when. I am going to tell you this once, so listen carefully. I don’t care what you have to do to get those heirlooms back, but I don’t want to see your sorry faces on her farm until you have Ms. Haynes’ candlesticks. And I expect you there in an hour.”
The two men nodded in agreement, and watched Micah walk out the door. As he left he held up one finger to emphasize the one hour time limit. He mounted his horse and galloped away in a flash.
Chapter 8
When Micah made it back to the farm, Daphne was waiting on the porch. Her eyes were red and puffy, and tears were still brimming in her eyes. She sat quietly in a rocking chair, barely looking up as the horse pulled to a stop in front of her. Micah climbed down from his horse and the six guns on his waist made a clacking sound as he hit the ground. His face looked grave as he walked toward the porch to meet Daphne. He had been working for the last mile of his ride to wipe the smile off of his face. He had finally succeeded when he had rounded the bend into the final stretch to home.
Mail-Order Husband: The Millionaire's Debt Page 2