Hidden Trails

by Bonnie R. Paulson

  “Will you be purchasing this through the bank or trying to acquire a loan? Are you borrowing from someone else? And just paying us?”

  “Mr. Burns, Cyan’s father, has agreed to invest in my venture. He believes I will be able to maintain my... He’s going to let me borrow the money. I won’t need to go through the bank, except to purchase Bella Acres from you.” Her nerves jumbled the words as they tried to get from her head to her mouth.

  She really just wanted him to read her mind so he would understand exactly what she was there to do. She didn’t need anything else from him, just a simple here’s the paperwork, let’s sign it. Let’s get this over with. Bella Acres is yours.

  “Are you sure about this, Stefanie? Did you get gainful employment? Something more steady?” He eyed her across the expanse of his desk, concern stitching his eyebrows.

  Stefanie lifted her chin. “I have enough employment.” It wasn’t any of his business if she had a job or not. She was borrowing the money from someone else.

  Mr. Burns hadn’t asked about how she was going to pay back the loan or even if she had a job or what her credit history looked like. Which gave Stefanie pause.

  He hadn’t asked anything about what she was going to do, hadn’t mentioned a payment schedule. She had no idea what she was doing. But she bit her lip, to keep from letting her worry and confusion spill out.

  For the first time, the reality that she might be in over her head started to push through the haziness of her stubborn desires. “Can you just tell me what the next steps are? I would like to move forward with this as soon as possible.”

  Maybe Mr. Burns had plans to take Bella Acres away from her. Maybe he had something else in mind. Maybe he was counting on her not being able to pay for it. Too many what-ifs ran through her mind, eating into the things Mr. James was saying to her.

  She squinted her eyes and set her jaw, determined to stick to her plan, even with the doubts rearing up in front of her.

  “... I’m afraid it’s going to be more involved than that. Because I own the bank, I do control who I sell the land to. And since Bella Acres is technically mine, I’m not sure I feel comfortable letting you just buy it without any real plans. Stefanie, I know you don’t have another job. I know everything that goes on in Clearwater County. Your circumstances haven’t changed to affect your ability to pay those bills. Nothing is going to help you with that. You’re going to sign with Mr. Burns just like you would with the bank. I’m afraid I just can’t sell Bella Acres to you.” He met her gaze with compassion, but business-like firmness.

  Stefanie’s heart sank. Tears welled up in her eyes. She leaned forward, her fists clenched on top of her knees. “Please, Mr. James. Please, reconsider. I have so many ways to make money. I know they’re not quantifiable right now. I know that they’re not things that a banker would understand.”

  She swallowed, certain she sounded like a kid begging for candy, but she didn’t stop. “I don’t have a steady paycheck. I understand the significance behind that. But Nate is so blinded by the medical costs that he thinks Emma needs, he’s not paying attention to what she wants. You don’t understand. I’m losing my sister. The whole family is losing Emma, and Nate just won’t... Nate won’t let her go. I have to save Bella Acres. He won’t do it. As soon as Emma has gone,” Stefanie’s voice caught and she lifted her fingers to her mouth.

  The pause nearly broke her, but she started again. “I know that sounds callous to say. But as soon as Emma is gone, we won’t have medical bills to take care of anymore. Nate will be able to focus on the land and the rest of the family. We won’t be stranded with all of these what-ifs from him.”

  She breathed a huge sigh. “We won’t be struggling like we are now. And maybe that’s why Emma is doing this. Maybe she sees it for what it is. I can appreciate that.” She blinked back more tears that threatened to course down her cheeks. She had no pride left to hold onto.

  She had nothing.

  Her sister-in-law was dying.

  She was going to lose Bella Acres.

  She was going to lose everything.

  She had nothing.

  Even if she did get Drake’s attention, she had nothing to offer him.

  She was nothing but a homeless woman with no plans.

  No nothing.

  She bit her lip. So many doubts and insecurities tore through her. Suddenly, she realized she had to have something. She couldn’t go to Drake with nothing. And it finally hit her just how much she wanted him in her life.

  “You don’t understand. I can’t lose Bella Acres. I’m willing to do anything. I have a backer. He’s not even cosigning.” Her tone hardened and she stilled herself away from tears. “He’s willing to pay. I just need you to agree to sell it to me. I’m willing to pay whatever I need to pay. Mr. Burns said to do whatever I need to do. He said you know each other and that this would be taken care of and wouldn’t be a problem.” She wouldn’t beg any more than she already had, at least not verbally, as she pled with him with her gaze.

  The tension in the room drew taut enough Stefanie could’ve reached out and strummed it like a well-tuned guitar. She held her breath as Ronan deliberated.

  Ronan’s reluctance was palpable. “I don’t know. Stefanie there’s a lot more going on than just you borrowing money. I don’t think you understand the magnitude of what you’re asking to do.” He watched her for a second meeting her gaze.

  After another silent moment, he nodded his head. “I do understand, though, what it’s like to not have people give me a chance. To give my wife a chance. I’m not going to be sexist here, and I’m not going to assume that because you’re young you don’t know what you’re doing. So if you think you can do this, if you know that you can do this, I will sell you Bella Acres. I’ll back you on this. However, there are things you need to know beforehand.”

  He watched Stefanie for a moment and then reached into his drawer and pulled out a thick file. “You will not just be taking over the land. There are loans and liens that need to be paid off as well. You also have back taxes that are due, as well as utilities that have not been paid. The rights and liens are going to mess with your taxes. There’s a lot going on here you don’t know a lot about. That’s okay and I’m willing to work with you. But I do need you to understand that your best interest is in getting an accountant or business manager to look over your items. I have a few on hand I can recommend.” He tapped the file, making the edges line up nicely.

  He placed the file in front of him and leaned forward. “You understand I want you to succeed? I don’t want to see you fail.”

  Thankfully, Drake was so near to Stefanie’s mind she immediately knew who she would seek business help with should she need any. She guaranteed she would, even if all she needed was to see him. “I know someone who is very good at what he does. I can ask him. I appreciate your offer.”

  She tried to hide the overwhelming burning excitement coursing through her. She couldn’t help it. Her hopes had been high, and then he’d dashed them, and now her hopes had returned.

  All of his warnings didn’t dampen her spirits.

  He said yes.

  That was the last thing standing in her way of losing Bella Acres.

  Now she could keep her home. She could keep her home her parents had built.

  Nothing that Ronan said at that point was going to run her off. Nothing anyone said was going to be able to ruin her excitement.

  She was going to be able to keep her life.

  ~~~

  The packet that Mr. James handed her to take home, after all the paperwork was signed, was large enough to actually be referred to as a bundle.

  Stefanie was not naïve enough to think that more paperwork meant less work. She could see it for what it was, a lot more stress than she was ready for.

  But that didn’t stop her from patting it on the seat next to her as she drove home.

  Home. Not something she’d lose on the auction block to Riddick.

  In fact,
Mr. James had taken it off the auction list in front of her. He’d looked at her one last time before deleting it in the computer field and asked, “Are you absolutely sure about this now, Stefanie?” She had nodded yes. He’d continued, “Because once it’s off, it won’t be able to go back on until the next quarter auction.”

  Stefanie hadn’t hesitated. “Yes, I’m sure.”

  She would be certain to have her home for at least five more months.

  No, that wasn’t the right attitude.

  She was going to have her home forever.

  The first person she wanted to see was Drake.

  She didn’t want to tell Nate.

  She didn’t want to see Emma.

  She didn’t want to talk to anyone but Drake about it.

  When she pulled up, Cyan sat on the porch. Her eyes focused on Stefanie as Stefanie disembarked the truck and walked up to the beautiful deck Drake had added to Stefanie’s house.

  Stefanie clenched the packet. She didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t been able to tell anyone yet. Tell anyone that she’d saved Bella Acres.

  Cyan knew. She’d been there. She’d made it all possible. Thanks to Cyan, Stefanie had been hooked up with a way to save Bella Acres. She owed her at least the good news. She blurted the news like a volcano, without holding back her excitement. “I got it. I got it. I got everything. Your dad was awesome. He helped me so much.” Like a miracle.

  Cyan’s smile split her face. “I’m so happy for you, Stefanie. That will be so great for the family. I’m here to help, as you know. You’re my sister, too.” Her face fell and she glanced toward the front window. “Emma isn’t doing any better. I feel terrible for her. Kelsey and Rachiah are supposed to be here sometime in the next couple days. They both want to say goodbye to Emma.” She shook her head, her own eyes watering. “I can’t believe it’s going so fast.”

  Stefanie cocked her head and squeezed her fingers. The papers crinkled in the silence. “What do you mean going so fast? I thought she just called hospice. After that, isn’t it at least a year?”

  Cyan shook her head, focusing her gaze on Stefanie again. “No, the hospice nurse just gave her a couple weeks. Apparently she’s a lot further along than anyone knew. She’s inside talking to Nate right now.”

  The somber news snapped Stefanie from her elation.

  She’d only been able to keep the house long enough for them all to say goodbye to Emma. Would Nate even want to stay at Bella Acres after that?

  She didn’t want to face anyone at dinner. It wasn’t something that she wanted to celebrate in the face of Emma’s impending news.

  Stefanie couldn’t do anything. A small part of her had hoped she would be able to save Emma with the gift of a home. Stefanie had wanted to fix everything. Instead, she didn’t do anything.

  She nodded tightly at Cyan, and made her way to the office.

  Her sister was dying.

  Her father had died.

  Her mother had died.

  Emma’s death would kill Nate. If not literally, maybe not his body, but his spirit would be gone.

  Stefanie knew it. Emma would be gone, he would be destroyed.

  Where would that leave the rest of them? Nate and Emma held the whole family together.

  Stefanie rested her hand on the armrests of the chair. She wished her parents were alive. She needed someone strong and solid. Staring at the wall with its faded squares where posters and pictures had long ago been sold.

  She stared.

  Drake. He was her solid and strong person.

  She won. She got to keep Bella Acres. Why wasn’t she celebrating?

  Because she had lost, too.

  She had won Bella Acres and would have to give it all up.

  All that money Mr. James had mentioned came crashing down around her.

  All those bills. Reality stonewalled her while she wallowed in weakness.

  Nate would not be able to lead them with Emma gone. There was no way. They might be able to rely on Jareth, but the resume they used for jobs called for Nate.

  Nate was their leader, he was the one that everyone knew led the Montana Trails.

  Stefanie would have to give everything up again.

  She was going to be in debt to Mr. Burns for five months, and then she would have to declare bankruptcy and tur it over to him. Just in time for the auction.

  Everything she wanted. She had nothing left. In two weeks, her sister would be gone and she’d have even less.

  She didn’t even have the will to ask anyone for help.

  Despondency took the last of the energy that she had and she couldn’t even allow tears to streak her cheeks.

  Chapter 18

  Drake

  Dinner could not have been more somber. That seemed to be the word Drake applied to his entire visit with Emma. Somber and cold. So alone.

  He waited for Stefanie, not touching his food as it cooled. “Where is Stefanie? Is she coming down?” He craned to see around the side of the wall or down into the living room. Where had she gone? She couldn’t still be in town. He could’ve sworn he saw the truck parked behind the barn just before he came in to eat.

  Hannah shook her head, keeping her gaze focused on her plate. “No. She has something that she’s working on.” Her eyes were red-rimmed and her nose swollen and pink.

  Drake didn’t want to focus on the news. He didn’t want to dwell on the fact that Emma had been given an expiration date. Things got real and he wasn’t ready for that kind of real – the kind of real that was like coming home after a vacation and having to start back to work the next morning as if you never left.

  He forced a smile. “Well, maybe she has something important going on.” Hopefully, she had the papers to Bella Acres. And if there was any luck or any justice in the universe, she hadn’t heard about Emma’s condition and the worsening time frame. Because that would dampen her success. How sad, if she couldn’t enjoy her victory for even one whole night.

  She had gone into the bank, as far as Drake was aware. Mr. Burns backed her, so she should be celebrating. Except anything that was worth celebrating right then, wasn’t worth having with Emma as sick as she was.

  Drake couldn’t swallow the two week prognosis without gagging.

  Two weeks.

  How could it be that his sister would be gone in two weeks?

  Time became indescribable. Not understandable.

  He finished his cold dinner, grateful no one else – namely Nate – joined them at the table and grateful Hannah didn’t want to talk.

  Drake pushed away from the table and cleared his plate. He would have to find Stefanie. He had to know what was going on with her. Plus, he’d been socked in the gut with the Emma news. He had the overwhelming need to talk it out with Stefanie – but only if she knew about things already.

  If she didn’t, he certainly wasn’t going to drop the bomb on her day.

  In the hallway, Drake knocked softly on Stefanie’s closed bedroom door.

  No answer.

  Hannah had mentioned the office. Just a few doors down, the office door was closed. Soft orange light glowed from under the crack.

  As far as Drake was aware, Nate didn’t usually spend his time in the office. Usually, he sat beside Emma whether she was asleep or awake. He would sit beside her with his hands folded and his eyes trained on her.

  Drake approached the office door and rapped the panel with his knuckles. The door pushed open with his knock and he peered inside.

  Stefanie’s blue gaze shifted towards him for a split second and then returned to the wall.

  Utter confusion and overwhelming panic covered her face.

  Drake carefully closed the door. He claimed the wingback and shifted closer to the desk so he’d be closer to her. “Stefanie, are you okay?” He wanted to ask if she got it, but he needed her to lead the conversation.

  Stefanie half blinked and then blinked fully. “I’m not sure. I don’t know, I don’t know.”

  The conversa
tion was going to be a dead end unless Drake led the way. “Did you get Bella Acres? Did you at least get to buy it?” Drake couldn’t help her unless he had all the information. Even a little bit of information would help.

  “Yes, oh yes, I did get Bella Acres.” She patted a bundle of papers in front of her. Finally her gaze shifted down, she pulled down some of the papers in the file, and rifled the stack of papers inside. “Not only did I get Bella Acres, I got all the bills that go with it.”

  Her sardonic smile held no hint of amusement but she laughed anyway. “I don’t know how to run a ranch by myself. I don’t know how to...” She lifted her worried gaze to his. “I was so focused on getting Bella Acres that I didn’t think about what would happen when I had it, except... that I would have it.”

  Drake nodded slowly. He’d known it was going to happen, but he wanted her to have Bella Acres so badly – something good for once. He didn’t think to tell her that he would make sure she didn’t have to worry.

  Plus, it didn’t hurt having her think she would need help. He narrowed his gaze on her, full of concern. “I know how to run a business. I know how to run land. I’m great with finances, remember? But I’m not a ranch hand. I’m not foreman material. That’s where Nate would come in.”

  “With Nate’s situation, right now? There’s no way he’s going to take on anything. I’ll be surprised if he wants to stay here at Bella Acres once Emma’s... gone...” She closed her eyes and wiped her hands over her face. “I don’t have the money to run this place. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just so desperately wanted to keep my home. I’m sick of losing everything I have.” Her eyes welled up and focused on him. “I’m sick of losing everyone I love.”

  Drake stood and rushed around the desk. He knelt on the ground at Stefanie’s feet and swiveled the chair toward him. He grabbed her hands in his. “Stefanie, I have the money. I have so much money and Emma won’t let me use it. Nate won’t let me help. I want to help. You have to let me.” Drake rubbed her chilled fingers in his and leaned forward between her knees.