by Tina Leonard
The phone rang, and Danita went to the kitchen to answer it. “Alex! Tele phone!” Danita called.
“Excuse me.” He put down his napkin, gave Daphne’s hand a brief squeeze and got up to take the call.
“What?” Alex demanded a moment later, his voice carrying in from the kitchen.
Daphne’s insides knotted.
Something was wrong.
ALEX STARED at his wife as she walked into the small, sunflower-painted kitchen. “Are you positive?” he said into the receiver. But he was staring at Daphne.
She looked at him worriedly. Please don’t let anything have happened to the baby! was all she could think.
“Thank you,” Alex said, slowly hanging up the phone. After a moment, he stiffly turned to stare at Daphne.
“That was a call Sinclair for warded to me here,” he began. “It was your uncle Herman.”
“Uncle Herman?” Not the hospital, at least.
“Yes. Apparently, he’s wondering about the payment he was promised of several thousand dollars for the steers.”
“Oh,” Daphne murmured, trying to imagine that much money. She had a crumpled twenty-dollar bill in her purse left over from her last stained-glass showing—and maybe one hundred dollars in the personal checking account she’d had before she married Alex. He’d given her an account in her name when they’d married, but she’d never needed to write anything against it. Up until the time she’d quit working, she had been able to pay for everything with her own income—and proud of it. They hadn’t been married very long before she’d found herself pregnant…and then she’d left. It hadn’t seemed right to touch any of the money after that.
“Why didn’t he call Beatrice?” Daphne asked, deciding that looking too far into the past wasn’t healthy for her.
He sighed. “I don’t know. He says he’s tried calling her numerous times, but she hasn’t returned his calls.”
“Maybe she’s at the hospital.”
Alex shrugged. “Could be. I’m going to talk to her. I want to know what’s going on. She made an agreement with your uncle, and she needs to pay him. Even if she did let her cattle take off.”
A cold knot hit Daphne’s stomach, a strange premonition she couldn’t identify. All she could think of as she stared into the face of her kind, trusting husband was that, knowing Beatrice, matters were about to take a turn for the worse.
TWO HOURS LATER, Daphne still hadn’t heard from Alex. She’d cleaned up the dinner dishes, bathed the babies, fed them and put them to bed. She wanted to call the hospital and check on Gloria, but in light of Alex’s comment that Gloria had been upset with Beatrice’s intrusion, she decided against calling. She had wanted peace and quiet during her delivery, and Gloria no doubt felt the same.
Of course, Daphne had also wanted Alex there with her and had been too proud to call.
That was the single biggest regret of her life. It was eating a hole in her emotions. Watching Phillip and Gloria share the surprise and anticipation of their delivery had brought home to Daphne exactly what she’d done. She had tried to tell Alex at the hospital that she was sorry, but he’d had his mind on Phillip and Gloria and hadn’t really paid attention.
Of course, how did she apologize for stealing some thing so important from him? Especially when she was supposed to love Alex too much to cause him pain? Now that she knew the full magic of the child birthing process—and knew that she wouldn’t be able to do it again—she knew what she’d taken from him.
It wasn’t good enough to say she’d been frightened by his promise to his father, that she’d been terrified of letting him down, absolutely turned inside out by the thought of disappointing him when she already felt in adequate.
The truth was, he’d married down when he asked her to be his wife. Hearing Alexander say that he’d chosen Daphne for Alex had pushed her over the edge of normal emotional reasoning.
Now she was having to deal with the results of her cowardice. Would she ever stop being a minus in their marriage?
“Daphne.”
Danita’s voice interrupted her disconcerted musings. “Yes, Mother?”
“We can watch the babies if you want to go up to the mansion.”
Daphne hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
Danita shrugged, glancing over her shoulder at Cos. He sat in his favorite chair, reading the news pa per, totally oblivious to anything going on around him. “We’ve got no big plans.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Daphne leaned down to kiss her. “To be honest, I’d like to have a chance to speak to Alex alone.”
“Thought so. Been a while since you had that chance with no babies and no in-laws. ‘Course, Beatrice’ll probably want to start an argument while you’re there, but you don’t let her. Just go up to Alex’s room and lock the door, for heaven’s sake.” She pushed a lock of hair away from Daphne’s eyes. “Get it all outta your system, gal.”
Daphne tried to smile, but it was hard. “I’ll try.”
A moment later, after she’d brushed her hair and made herself more presentable, she dashed out the door, jumped into her Chevy and swiftly drove up the road.
At Green Forks, a surprised Sinclair let her in the house when she rang the bell. “Alex is upstairs,” he told her.
“Thanks.” Daphne hurried up the stair case, which had yet to be repapered in the gold Beatrice wanted, though the Banning boors were still not in their customary places. “Alex!” she called, walking to his office.
He turned, looking so stern she was instantly worried. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I should be better, I suppose, since Beatrice has apparently gone back to Philly.”
“Philly?” Daphne repeated, a cramp stabbing her stomach like a wintry wind. “She didn’t stay to see her son’s baby?”
“Oh, she went by the hospital again on her way out of town. Just long enough to look at her new grand daughter, I imagine.”
“Is Gloria all right?”
“Yes. When Phillip called to tell me, he sounded none the worse for wear, either.”
“I’m glad.” Daphne felt an immediate bonding with Gloria. Being a mother was a wonderful thing. What he’d said registered on her suddenly. “Didn’t they tell us they were expecting a boy?”
“Apparently so no grams can be read in correctly even in the big city.” Alex walked to the window to stare at the pasture. “It wouldn’t have mattered what the sex was, though. Apparently, Beatrice was never worried about that.”
“I thought the entailment thing hinged on male heirs.” Daphne was confused, but it was the look in Alex’s eyes that confused her the most. Instead of being glad Beatrice was gone—she thought he’d be jumping for joy—he appeared tired. Instead of being happy about Phillip and Gloria having a girl he seemed un concerned, except for the momentary smile when he’d mentioned the proud parents were fine.
“As I’d said before, entailment in America isn’t recognized, no matter how much Dad was living with his roots in his British ancestry.” Alex still didn’t look her way. “There was only one heir to Dad’s estate—me.”
“Is that why Beatrice left?”
“I don’t think so.” Alex was quiet. “She left because my lawyer filed a counter suit against her, contesting her claim to Green Forks.”
“I see.” Daphne didn’t, but with her husband so weary, she chose not to concentrate on legal matters. “Alex, there’s some thing I don’t under stand. Why did Alexander never tell you about his sister?”
“Bad blood, easy enough to under stand with Beatrice.” He ran a hand absently through his hair before looking at her. “My mind’s been so occupied ever since Dad died,” he said, almost to himself. “I would never have remembered the safe if Joshua hadn’t found a copy of the divorce papers.”
“Alex—” Daphne began.
He shook his head. “I had put them in the personal safe in my room, which made me recall that Dad had a safe, too. No one has the combination except the lawyer, so I
had a hunch it contained important papers. I called Joshua, and he dug up the combination. What do you suppose I found when I opened it?”
“I don’t know,” Daphne murmured.
“Documents in which Beatrice agreed to sell her portion of Green Forks to Dad. She didn’t want anything to do with it—or him—and she says so in a letter.” He gave her a grim smile. “Although apparently my aunt has over ex tended herself financially in Philly, which my new, hard working lawyer was able to discover. When he had called to tell her my father had passed away, she quickly realized he didn’t have any idea she wasn’t entitled to anything. Thinking she could come down here and make a quick buck somehow, she hopped the first plane she could catch. Hence the fast attempt at an estate auction and the immediate cattle purchase. She didn’t expect her money making project to run off on her.”
It should have been funny, but there was no amusement in Alex’s tone. “She certainly did work fast. I still don’t understand why Alexander didn’t warn you she might come and try to finagle some thing out of his estate.”
“According to Sinclair, Dad’s old lawyer had done the pa per work to buy out Beatrice’s portion many years ago. He and Beatrice had never ex changed so much as a Christmas card in the last twenty years. Unfortunately, the new lawyer was so green he knew nothing about the situation.”
“But Sinclair?” Daphne allowed her gaze to rest on Alex, searching his features.
“Sinclair knew of Beatrice, knew she and Dad had come to an agreement, but he wasn’t in Dad’s confidence as to the entire matter. And there toward the end, Dad was rambling so much about heirs and kingdoms that Sinclair wasn’t reading Dad’s real concern. I have to confess I wasn’t, either. I humored him every time he brought up male heirs.”
“Is there anything I can say? Do?”
“No.” He ran a hand through his hair. “As far as I know at this moment, I’m on the hook for paying for the cattle Beatrice bought.”
“What?”
He chewed the inside of his jaw for a moment before answering. “Joshua says that if I had the cattle, I could return them, but the cost of getting them out here had to have been prohibitive. My only choice is to sell the ones that have been found, not that they’ll get a good price in this market, as your uncle Herman very well knew.”
“Oh, no.” Daphne’s blood began racing.
“And though I could sue Beatrice for sticking Green Forks with the bill, it likely wouldn’t do me any good. She has no money, and another lawsuit would just end up costing me more.” He shook his head, his expression wry. “Maybe I could press Phillip into indentured servitude. That sounds feudal enough to suit Dad, doesn’t it?”
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”
He looked at her, his eyes flat and weary. “I can’t help thinking that we should have known each other well enough to get through some difficult times, Daph. We should have been able to lean on each other instead of pulling apart.”
He turned his head so he wasn’t looking at her. Daphne was aware that his mind wasn’t focused on her. That was so unlike him and so startling that she felt suddenly anchorless.
“If you don’t mind, Daphne, I think I’ll turn in. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“Oh.” Daphne bowed her head. “I’ve made a mess of every thing.”
“Well, we had a lot of help.” Alex crossed his arms, his face impassive and cool as he looked at her. “But I don’t want to think anymore about it tonight. I just want to…be alone so I can think this through.”
Dimly, Daphne realized she had been dismissed. There wasn’t anything she could say to help her husband, after all.
“Okay. I’ll see you later.” She felt terrible saying that! She shouldn’t be leaving her husband when he was so down! But she’d left him in the first place, and then she’d left him again, so was it any wonder he didn’t want her now?
Miserable with the pain of her husband’s sudden reserve, Daphne silently left the room. She knew they were right back where they’d started before Alexander died. She’d over heard a conversation and she had left Green Forks because she believed Alex didn’t love her.
Now she was leaving Green Forks—and this time, she could be certain his feelings for her had changed. He had always done everything he could to be with her, whether climbing ladders in the night or sitting up at any hour helping her feed and comfort their babies.
Her heart shattered. Alex didn’t even want her around.
Chapter Sixteen
Alex waited until he heard Daphne’s foot steps retreating before allowing his head to fall forward in a tired slump. He was exhausted in a way he had never been before, not even when he was helping take care of his three newborn daughters.
It was those damn divorce papers that were bothering him. When Joshua had called to inquire as to the status of his divorce, embarrassment had washed over Alex. He had for got ten he’d sent a copy of them to the old lawyer. For some reason, hearing Joshua, in his eager-beaver lawyer’s voice, ask about his divorce had made it sound so real.
Alex didn’t want it to be real, so he’d pushed the whole thing out of his mind. Joshua, naturally, was thinking about how a divorce would affect the financial position of Green Forks, some thing he was very right to be concerned about with Beatrice’s attack on the ranch.
He hadn’t known what to say. He’d mumbled, “I’ll have to get back to you later,” and hung up the phone. But all the energy had been sucked right out of his being. He had never looked at the papers beyond an initial cursory glance. He’d been too astounded, too afraid to read the cold legalese. Wishing for a good, hot fire in the fire place, he’d tossed the papers out of sight where he couldn’t see them. Wouldn’t be reminded of them.
And now he was on the hook for paying Daphne’s uncle a tremendous sum of money. Unfortunately, the ranch would have to absorb the drain. When he could think again, he would sit down and decide what changes would have to be made to meet this crisis. But it had been discouraging, to say the least, to tell Joshua the woman who had filed for a divorce from him was related to the man he found himself owing money to.
He liked Joshua. Obviously the man was going to be an excellent attorney. He was just too good at turning over stones in his eagerness to prove himself to Alex.
Alex didn’t want to look under any stones right now. He wanted a lot of things to stay hidden away where he wouldn’t have to deal with them until he felt more prepared.
Rubbing his eyes, he sank into a chair, sighing. “I miss you, Dad,” he murmured. With Beatrice’s un invited arrival, he hadn’t had time to grieve for his father, nor enjoy his own new father hood.
There was no getting that lost time back. “I could use your advice, Dad,” he said out loud. “You were such a pillar. I don’t think I ever realized how firmly you were keeping me on stable ground.”
Silence met his musing. He thought about Daphne, how her face had pinched with dismay when she realized he’d gotten stuck with Beatrice’s bill. Daphne didn’t know the magnitude of the problem. As much as Green Forks was worth, he didn’t have the ready cash to pay for the cattle Beatrice had bought. His father’s estate had inheritance taxes that had to be paid, a hefty sum by itself. The cattle, vanished as they were, would exhaust the food stores he’d purchased for his stock—if and when the cowboys could round up enough of the beasts for him to sell them at a loss.
It had seemed so much easier when his father was alive. “I miss you shouting,” he said to his father. “You’d be on the phone yelling right now, and people would be running to do what you wanted. You’d have this problem fixed right away.”
“Sir?” Sinclair poked his head around the doorway.
“Sinclair,” Alex sighed, “don’t call me sir. It makes me feel old. And I feel enough that way as it is.”
“Would you like dinner in your room?”
Alex realized he hadn’t eaten. “Thank you, Sinclair. That would be nice.”
“Quiet
around here, isn’t it?” Sinclair entered with the tray, having anticipated Alex’s appetite.
“Yes. Thank fully.”
“Glad to see the back of your aunt, I must say.” Sinclair set the tray in front of Alex. “Anything else I can get you?”
“No. Thanks.”
Sinclair left the room, leaving Alex to ponder what he would like if someone could get it for him. A wife who hadn’t filed for a divorce from him. That’s what he wanted more than anything. The pain he was desperately trying to shut out of his mind rolled over him again. He lost his appetite.
He picked up the phone, dialed the hospital and asked for Gloria’s room. When Phillip answered, he said, “How are the proud parents?”
“Excited. She’s perfect,” Phillip answered joyfully.
Alex gave a quiet, wry snort. “Aren’t all babies?”
“I meant Gloria,” Phillip informed him. “She did such a great job. I really appreciate you and Daphne hanging around. Gloria had a much easier time knowing she was among family.”
Alex felt strange. Family? Of course that’s what they were. Why else was he placing this call? Not out of a misplaced sense of pity, but because Phillip was his cousin.
“Thanks for the fruit basket,” Phillip said, “and the present for Gloria. She’s eaten half the fruit, and she loves the baby clothes. We were expecting a boy, you know,” he confided, “but I sure do like pink. There’s this one little outfit, it’s got cows all over it, and even though Gloria hates cows now after that one incident at your ranch, it’s her favorite. Crazy, huh?”
Alex smiled wryly at Phillip’s rambling. “The whole baby thing is crazy. I’ll be down in the morning to visit, if you think you’ll be ready for visitors.”
“That would be great. Since Mom had to get back, we’re kind of…on our own.”
He’d never known that feeling. Daphne’s family, loony as they were some times, kept him surrounded with love and affection. He heard the nervous ness in his cousin’s voice and realized he had blessings to count, even if his father had never counted old Cos a blessing in his lifetime. “Hey, no problem. I’ll be there tomorrow.”