The young woman’s gaze met Hannah’s. “Hello, you must be Miss Dyer. I’m Camilla Swenson, and my father owns the town bank. Are you taking a break from your nursing duties?” A smile graced her lips, but Camilla’s eyes held a look that spoke nothing of friendship or cordiality.
A chill skittered along Hannah’s spine. Never had she seen eyes so cold and unwelcoming. Surely she didn’t see Hannah as any competition for the attention of young men in town? “Hmm, yes, my brother-in-law needed a few supplies for the clinic.”
The woman at the counter picked up her package and turned to leave. She gave Camilla a quick smile but didn’t speak and hurried from the store.
Camilla stepped up to Mr. Hempstead and handed him a sheet of paper. “I’m in a hurry, so could you take care of this order for me?”
Mr. Hempstead raised his eyebrows. “Miss Dyer was here first. I’ll just take care—”
“I said I was in a hurry, Mr. Hempstead.” Camilla drew up her shoulders and lifted her chin.
A young man appeared from the storeroom. “Don’t worry, Pa. I’ll take care of Miss Dyer.” He smiled at Hannah and held out his hand for her list. “Welcome to town, Miss Dyer. My name is James Hempstead, and I work with my father here at the store.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hempstead. I’m not in any hurry, but I do appreciate your help.” Hannah followed the young man to the back of the store. His manners as well as good looks piqued her interest.
James reached up to a shelf and extracted a box of bandages. “Don’t pay that Miss Swenson any mind. She always wants to be waited on before anyone else. That’s just the way she is.”
He stated it in such a matter-of-fact way that Hannah glanced again at the young woman. She stood tapping her fingers on the counter as though impatient for the time Mr. Hempstead took with her purchases. She glanced in Hannah’s direction, and before she could look away, their gazes locked. Again a veil slipped over her eyes, and they held no warmth at all.
Hannah shuddered and turned back to James. “I need to pick up some tape for the doctor as well.” She waited while James located the necessary supplies.
“Here’s all you ordered, Miss Swenson.”
Hannah glanced back only to see the young woman grab up the parcel and turn without a word of thanks and swish her way back outside. The rudeness of people who thought their position and standing more important than courtesy was inexcusable to Hannah. She picked up what she needed and headed back to the front.
“I’m sorry for that, Miss Dyer.” Mr. Hempstead reached for his pad and pencil to write down the items she placed on the counter.
“You don’t need to apologize. I’m fine, and there’s no rush.” She smiled in hopes it would help him feel better. Rudeness, while it had no place in her world, evidently fell naturally to Camilla Swenson. Hannah made a mental note to pray for the woman. She was sure she had not seen the last of the lofty Miss Swenson.
CHAPTER 7
WHEN MICAH HAD finally caught up with his father and ranch hands midmorning, Levi was off rounding up strays on another part of the ranch. Pa had welcomed Micah’s help. They’d kept busy moving part of the herd to a new feeding ground, so he had no opportunity to talk with Pa.
Now as he washed up for supper, Micah went over in his head again exactly what he wanted to say. He’d promised at least a month’s work on the ranch, but if Pa listened to Micah’s proposition, the stay would last much longer, and that would please Ma and the girls. It might not go over with Levi, but in his present mood, no plan would be to his liking if Micah was a part of it.
Margaret greeted him when he entered the house. “About time you came in. I was just fixing to call everyone to supper.”
“I washed up outside instead of trekking more dirt into the house.” He glanced at the table, still set with only five places. “I suppose Levi isn’t coming in for supper.”
“You supposed right. With him hiding out at the bunkhouse, I haven’t had a chance to talk to him since you came home. Ma hasn’t seen him either, and I can tell it grieves her.”
“I’m sorry about that, Margaret. I tried to talk to him yesterday, but he wanted no part of what I had to say. I’ll try again. He deserves the ranch much more than I do.”
Margaret’s eyes opened wide. “Does that mean you plan to leave us again soon?”
“No, it means . . . I’m not sure what it means, but I’m going to talk to Pa again tonight about it after supper.”
“Talk to me about what?”
Micah spun around to find himself face-to-face with Pa. Heat rose in Micah’s face, and he swallowed hard. “Some things about the ranch, but it can wait ’til after supper.”
“Well, it’ll have to.” Ma stepped through the kitchen doorway with a platter of meat in her hands. “I’m not letting supper get cold. Where is Rose?”
“I’m right here, Ma. I smelled the meat and onions cooking.” Rose hurried to her chair.
After the blessing, chatter around the table between his sisters allowed Micah to tune them out and concentrate on his food and what he’d say to Pa. His father sat at the end of the table, and although he served his plate and ate, his hard gaze stayed on Micah.
Pa probably thought Micah had decided to leave. Maybe that would help. Pa might be persuaded to let him run the business end if he thought Micah might leave otherwise.
They had finished eating and Ma was dishing up cobbler for dessert when she said, “Micah, did you stop by the house this morning before you went out to the range? I thought I heard you, but when I looked, you were getting on your horse to leave.”
“Yes, I did stop by, but since Pa wasn’t here, I didn’t stay.” He didn’t lie, but he chose to leave out the details.
Pa narrowed his eyes and pushed back from the table. “Might as well get this over with right now.” He stood and glanced at Ma. “I’ll have coffee and some of that cobbler later.”
He strode toward his office, and Micah had no choice but to follow. The anger in his father’s eyes didn’t bode well for the meeting, but Pa needed to know the truth. Whatever happened after that would determine the future.
Pa stood behind his desk with the palms of his hands flat on top. “Why did you come by the house? You knew we’d be out on the range already.”
Moisture coated the palms of Micah’s hands, and he itched to rub them on his pants leg, but kept them still at his sides. Although they stood eye to eye, his pa’s heftier build still created a prick of fear. “I wanted to check on something first.”
Still that narrowed-eye glare. “And what would that be?”
Might as well tell him the truth. Pa didn’t cotton to liars, and Micah didn’t need that mark against him. “I thought I should see how the ranch is doing. I wanted a look at your ledgers.”
Pa said nothing, but his jaw worked in a way familiar to Micah. The vein in Pa’s temple throbbed blue, and his mouth set in a firm line. His attempt to control his anger failed as he slammed a fist on his desk.
“I knew it. When I came in a while ago, I could tell something was different. What gives you the right to go through my private business?” He jammed the key in the drawer lock and yanked it open. Then he slammed the ledgers on the desk. “And just what did you think you’d find?”
The old fear of reprimand threatened to take over, but Micah stood firm even as his nerves tensed tighter than a rope around a tied-up calf. “Since you plan to leave me the ranch, I figured I had a right to know where it stands. I found about what I expected to find. You’re barely making ends meet with the cattle. You had a few bad months, but you’re not getting back into the black quick enough, and you owe the bank.”
The muscles in Pa’s jaws worked again, but after a few moments they relaxed and he slumped into his chair. “Times have been hard, and the market was down on our last drive. I haven’t told your mother or the others.” Then his eyes narrowed at Micah. “And it’s not your place to go telling them either. I can work this out myself.”
“I have some ideas about ways to save some money and to make more at the same time.” Micah grabbed a ladder-back chair and pulled it up to the desk. “I’m real good with figures, and if I had a chance to study these ledgers more carefully, I believe I could really help.”
Pa’s shoulders slumped before he straightened up with the old fire in his eyes. “Just because you were always good at ciphering doesn’t mean you know anything about the business end of a ranch. I can take care of the books. I need you riding and taking care of the herd and helping with the horses. That’s your job until the ranch is yours.”
All the air flew out of Micah’s lungs with the weight of denial pressing hard. “Pa, Levi’s done a good job with the herds and the ranch hands while I’ve been gone. I don’t want the whole ranch. I just want to help you make it like it used to be. I can do that better here in the office and out with the buyers and sellers than I can on the range. Levi told me he’s been giving the orders to the hands for the past several years, so why can’t we let that continue?”
Pa drummed his fingers on the desktop for a few minutes. Again his eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. “Yes, he has, but you’re back now. My father left this land to me, and I’ve built it and added to it so that it’s one of the best in the state, and now that legacy falls to you as the oldest son.”
“But it’s not going where it should with all the debt you have. Let me help in turning it around. Besides, how can I do anything if Levi won’t take orders from me?”
“We can fix that, but this business of your poking your nose where it doesn’t belong—” He stopped and rubbed his right arm above the elbow. Beads of perspiration dotted his forehead.
Concern gripped Micah even tighter than it had before. His voice lowered and softened. “If you’re leaving it to me, I have a right to know where it stands and what to expect in the future. I ask you again. Let me take over the job of running the business end of ranching by managing the books and taking over the buying and selling and talking to the other owners at auctions and cattle sales.”
Pa nodded his head as though to concede the issue. “Maybe, but I don’t want your ma or sisters to know how the ranch is doing. It’s as good as it always was for them. Do you understand? Can I trust you to keep this between us?”
“Of course. The last thing I want to do is to hurt Ma or the girls. Why haven’t you talked with Levi about it?”
“It doesn’t really concern him either. He’ll get his inheritance when the time comes.”
If there is anything left to inherit. “Will you at least reconsider the terms of your will and divide the ranch between the two of us, or even give Levi the larger share?”
Pa picked up the ledger book and placed it back in the drawer then locked it. “I’ll consider it, but until I decide what to do one way or another, you are to stay away from my desk. In addition, you and Levi need to work out your differences.”
He waved his hand in dismissal. “Now go on about your business for the evening.”
“I will, Pa. I really do want to help, and Levi deserves to know that at least a half interest in the ranch will be his.”
“I’ll pray about it. Now go, and tell your ma I’m ready for my coffee and dessert.” He picked up a stack of papers and began reading them.
Micah said nothing, but just before he closed the door, he glanced back and found his father once again massaging the left side of his chest with his right hand. Micah leaned against the now closed door. What he’d witnessed disturbed him more than he could admit.
If Pa was in poor health, getting the ranch back to solvency was a priority. The sooner Pa turned the bookkeeping and deal making over to Micah, the sooner that could happen.
After Ruth dished up a bowl of cobbler with fresh cream for Micah, she filled one for Joel and set it on a tray with a mug of coffee. From the look on her son’s face and his lack of talk, things between her two men must not have gone well. Her heart ached for her oldest son. He’d never had a love for the cattle and ranching like his Pa or Levi, but he did love to have fun. Now even that seemed to have drained from him, leaving a very unhappy young man in its wake.
She carried the tray across the main room and knocked on the office door before turning the handle and peeking in. “I’ve brought your coffee and dessert.”
Joel glanced up from his papers and smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Come on in. I need the distraction of your pretty face right now.”
“Compliments will get you anything you want, Mr. Gordon.” Ruth balanced the tray with one hand and closed the door behind her, praying the lighthearted comment would relieve the sadness she detected in her husband’s eyes.
This time his smile did go to his eyes, and Ruth grinned with satisfaction. Mission accomplished. Still, the pain from a few minutes ago concerned her. She bit her lip and set the tray before him. “How did the talk with Micah go?”
A long sigh escaped from Joel as he picked up his coffee. “Not well, I’m afraid.” He sipped the brew then set it down. “Ruth, why do I always wind up making a mess of things when I talk with Micah?”
So it was Micah troubling him and not Levi. “You don’t mean to, I know, but there’s something about our oldest child that sets him apart from the other four. He’s never enjoyed life here at the ranch. We probably should have sent him off to school somewhere rather than trying to keep him at home.”
“I think you’re right about that. That boy came in here, unlocked the drawer, and went over the ledgers without asking me.”
Ruth sat down hard in the chair vacated by Micah. “He did what?” That must have been the noise she heard earlier this morning.
“He went over the ledgers I keep for all the ranch business. He says he wants to take over the bookkeeping and the buying and selling of the cattle at auction.”
Not only did the boy possess good looks, but he also had book smarts and the personality it took to charm people and make business deals. She smiled. “With his wit and charm, he would do a good job. Suits him better than rounding up cattle and branding them.”
“Oh, so I’m not charming and witty?” The twinkle in his eyes belied his tone of voice.
She waved her hand through the air. “Of course you are, but Micah is younger and he does have a way with people. What did you tell him?”
“Nothing except that I would pray about it.” He paused a moment, and furrowed his brow. “I suppose Levi is the logical one to take care of the herds and be the boss of the ranch hands.”
“Yes, he is. I’m glad you told Micah you’d pray about it instead of saying a flat no.” She braced her hands on her thighs. “Now eat your cobbler and drink your coffee. You have some business with the Lord.” She stood and turned to leave.
“Wait a minute, Ruth.” When she stopped, he came around from behind his desk and embraced her. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Depending on how things work out with the boys, what would you think if I changed the will and left the ranch to Micah and Levi, with the idea that Micah would be the business manager and Levi the trail boss?”
She leaned back to search his face. “I think that would be a very smart thing to do.”
He pulled her back to his chest and kissed the top of her head. “I’m still going to pray about it and watch how Micah conducts himself over the coming weeks. He may be smart and personable, but I haven’t seen true repentance for all those years and what happened during that time. God doesn’t appear important to him, and if he doesn’t have godly character, then maybe he isn’t the one who should be running things after all.”
“Give him time. He’s still young. God has time to do a work on him.”
He leaned down and kissed her. “How did I ever manage to marry such a smart woman, and a pretty one at that?”
“You’re not so bad looking yourself.” She pushed away from him. “I have to get back to the kitchen now. You take care of your business, and I’ll take care of mine.” At the door she stopped and turned to him.
She smiled and winked. “If you’re nice later, maybe we can take care of some business of our own.”
A loud laugh warmed her cheeks and heart and followed her through the door and on to the kitchen. The great room sat empty, so everyone must have gone upstairs for the evening. She hummed to herself as she tidied up her kitchen and set things out for tomorrow. She glanced out the window and spotted a lone figure walking across the yard. Levi! She whispered, “Oh, Lord, please help me to find a way to reach his heart so he can forgive and accept Micah.”
A solitary tear slipped down her cheek. Her family may think she only knew about cooking and cleaning, but she knew more about what was really going on than she’d ever let Joel know.
CHAPTER 8
ON SUNDAY HANNAH hastened to finish her preparations for attending church with the family. The preacher and his wife had come to visit yesterday and had welcomed her to Stoney Creek. Since meeting them, Hannah had looked forward to attending the service this morning.
When she had mentioned the name for the town and the nearby creek, the reverend informed her it had been named for Rayford Stone, who had built the first house in the settlement and started ranching. His love for the country and his aggressive nature had brought others to the area, and when the settlement became a town, they decided to name it for Mr. Stone.
Sallie had then laughed and said the creek had enough stones in it to be named that regardless of the founder’s name. She promised to take Hannah there for a picnic one day soon.
Hannah stepped to the window to draw the curtains against the morning sun and spotted a familiar figure on the street. Micah Gordon strode with purpose in the direction of the church. In spite of the warnings from Burt to be wary of Mr. Gordon, Hannah’s heart did a little flip-flop, and she admired from afar his broad shoulders, purposeful stride, and handsome face.
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