by Lydia Olson
Of course, no one in Denver knows that.
“I’m not accusing you of anything,” Sara said. “But I’ve known Milton since I was a girl, and he cares for you. The idea of you running off …”
Jane felt terrible. She had not meant to bring him any sort of pain. I should have been honest. Jane was sure that Milton would have understood. Looking back, she felt silly for trying to hide. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Even if Brandon had come for her, she very much did not—and never would—ask him to.
“I have no plans to run off anywhere,” Jane said.
“I know that!” Sara exclaimed. “You don’t have to convince me.”
Sara didn’t say as much, but Jane could hear the words that she did not speak. Jane needed to convince Milton that she was not going anywhere.
“You should head home,” Jane said. “I’m sure Hank is waiting for you.” There was nothing else to be said. Jane appreciated Sara telling her about Milton’s mother, though she knew that he would not appreciate what Sara had done. Knowing about Milton’s mother helped to explain a lot, and it gave Jane the courage to tell Milton the truth about Brandon.
“Are you certain you’ll be okay in the house alone?” Sara asked, her eyes wide with worry.
“I’ll be fine,” Jane said. She actually felt better. Milton was probably waiting around town, trying to get his head straight. She tried not to smile as she thought about it. Milton was a man who liked being in control. Jealousy was an emotion that one could not control, which meant it was likely something that Milton absolutely loathed.
“Oh,” Sara said. She stopped before she got out of the kitchen. She pulled a brown piece of folded parchment from her dress. “This came for you.”
Jane turned the paper over and over. Her heart stopped as she looked at the handwriting on the front of the paper. The hard, black slashes were familiar to her. This was a letter from home.
“Thank you,” she said. She couldn’t believe that her father finally wrote her. It had been over a month and she assumed that he was too angry to acknowledge her at all.
“Milton can be a difficult man to get to know,” Sara said, “but knowing him is worth it.”
Jane gave Sara a smile. “I know.”
She did. Milton had proven it to her time and time again.
“Have a good night,” Sara said. The sound of her walking out the door echoed through the otherwise quiet house. Jane shivered. She didn’t like being in the large home alone. Her father’s ranch had been so much smaller. When she was alone in the house, she tried not to think too much about her unease.
Luckily for her, Sara had left her with something to keep her mind off Milton and their problems. A letter from her father arrived, and now that it was here, she was worried about what it might contain.
“There’s nothing that he can do for you,” she muttered to herself as she broke the wax seal holding the paper closed.
Her heart hammered as she opened the paper. She knew that her father would be cross with her, and she could not fathom what he might have written. Though she hoped he forgave her for running away and marrying without her permission, she knew well enough that he was unlikely to ever forgive her. He was a proud man. He wouldn’t forgive easily.
Releasing a heavy sigh, Jane unfolded the paper and began reading the words her father sent to her. The further she ran down the page, the more surprised she became. Her father did not mention her marriage. He did not even mention his anger toward her. His letter was one that shattered her.
They were losing the ranch.
Jane pressed a shaky had to her mouth as she read the letter a second time in shock. Her father had taken a line of credit from the bank during a bad year, and that money had come due. Unfortunately, he had several bad years, and he couldn’t gather the funds to pay back the loan. The bank would be taking the house and the land.
Jane couldn’t believe it. She had to read the letter several time before the words on the page sunk into her mind. Tears started to fill her eyes and spill over, wetting the page. She didn’t expect to be so upset at the idea of her father no longer owning their home, especially since she ran away from it. She’d resigned herself to the fact that she might never return to New Mexico, but that was much different from knowing that her home would no longer exist.
The ranch hadn’t always held fond memories, but it had been the last place she had been with her mother. Jane wiped her tears, but that didn’t do much to stop them from falling.
Before Jane could allow herself to feel anymore, she heard the sound of the front door opening and closing.
“Jane!” Milton’s voice called down the hallway startling Jane out of her grief. He was finally home, and Jane couldn’t stop the overwhelming feelings that started to take over. Brandon was in town. Her family was destitute and soon to be homeless, and her husband was worried that she might leave him because his mother had not been a good woman.
Jane wasn’t sure how much more she could take. Her life was starting to spiral out of control, and she needed to find a way to put things back together. The problem was that she didn’t know if she could do it herself.
Am I strong enough to be everything everyone needs me to be? Jane wasn’t sure that she was.
Chapter Eighteen
Milton felt terrible the moment Jane’s face came into view. Her wide, blue eyes were filled with tears, and he could see where a few had fallen and made tracks across her soft skin. After meeting with Mr. Wiley, Milton had decided to go to the saloon for a drink. He needed something to take the edge off his anger.
He drank a pint before realizing that he was needed at home more than he was needed in the saloon. What he hadn’t anticipated was meeting Brandon Eimer. Eimer walked into the bar before Milton walked out. He stopped Milton, attempting to make jovial conversation, but Milton hadn’t cared for it. Something about the man rubbed him the wrong way. Probably because Milton knew that he had targeted his ranch and possibly his wife.
But Milton had been unable to shake Eimer. He’d agreed to meet with him tomorrow to discuss ranching. Milton cringed at the thought. He did not care to meet with some big city slicker who was captivated by the west. It never went well.
None of that mattered now. Because standing before him was a very upset Jane. “What’s wrong?” he asked, taking long strides toward her.
“Nothing,” Jane said. “I’ll get dinner ready. It may be cold.” She turned away from him brusquely, but not before Milton noticed the piece of parchment she was clutching in her hands.
“I’m sorry for coming home so late. I went into town for the afternoon …” he trailed off.
“I’m aware.”
Her voice wasn’t hard, but he could detect the undercurrent of unhappiness. What does she have to be upset about? She’s my wife. I do not owe her an explanation of my whereabouts.
Still, as he watched her prepare his supper, Milton couldn’t help the guilt that rumbled in his chest. Something was afoot, but he wasn’t sure that Jane was to blame. Two minutes in Brandon Eimer’s presence, and he could sense something off about the man.
“You’re angry,” Milton said with a sigh. He was tired of avoiding the problem between the two of them. The ale hadn’t done much to cool his temper, but time away from the ranch had given him a bit of perspective.
“I’m not angry,” Jane told him. She set a plate down at the table. It was piled high with cold meats, cheese, and bread. She must have spent the day baking loaves because he could still smell the freshness of it in the air. It made his mouth water and his stomach grumble. It also heightened his desire to do away with this unpleasantness between them.
Milton knew he could ignore things, sit down to his meal, and engage in pleasant conversation with his lovely wife. But Milton knew that he shouldn’t do that. If he did, tomorrow would come and bring with it the same tension that had lived in his household over the past few days. He couldn’t stand it.
“We need to talk,” Milton said.<
br />
“There’s no need,” Jane told him. “I’m not cross. You are free to come and go at your pleasure. I’m not sure why you would think otherwise.”
Milton lifted a brow at the tightness of her voice. She might not be angry with him, but she was upset about something. He sighed. It was one more thing that his wife seemed content to hide from him.
Why doesn’t she trust me? he wondered. He didn’t dwell on the fact. They had not yet shared themselves fully with one another, and in some ways, that was okay. What wasn’t okay with Milton were the lies. He wouldn’t tolerate them.
“Why were you asking after Brandon Eimer?”
Jane released a heavy, long-suffering sigh. Milton suspected that Sara told Jane that Eimer was the reason for his abrupt departure. He didn’t care. He refused to be ashamed.
“I was curious,” Jane said.
“Why?” he pressed on.
Jane rolled her eyes. Milton could tell that she was frustrated by the line of questioning, and a part of him wanted to back off. He wasn’t in love with Jane. It didn’t matter to him if her feelings weren’t with him.
But I won’t have her making a mockery of me either.
“Serena and Sara both mentioned him purchasing land next door to ours. I was simply curious about who our neighbor would be. Frankly, it would be nice to have some company out here. There are only so many hours I can spend baking bread and mending shirts.”
Milton took a step back at her words. Jane was never hostile. Even when she complained, she never did so in such a forthright manner.
“I didn’t realize that you were so unhappy here,” Milton said.
The tears returned to Jane’s eyes, and almost like magic, her anger was gone. “I’m not unhappy,” she said, a small sob releasing. “I simply don’t understand my place here. You want a wife to help run your household, but there’s little to run. You say you want me to take an interest in the town, but then, you get angry when I begin asking questions.” Jane threw her hands up in frustration. “Frankly, I’m not certain you want to be happy with anything other than a wife who will say yes to your every whim and wish.”
Milton bit his tongue. A part of him wanted to laugh. He couldn’t help it. Jane’s words were harsh, and he should have been angry to hear himself described so terribly, but he wasn’t. Jane was right. Milton had spent so much time not wanting a wife that he wasn’t sure what to do when he finally had one.
What amused him was the flush in Jane’s cheeks. She was so kind that she’d been bottling up her emotions for weeks.
“I’m sorry,” Milton told her.
“You are?”
“Of course,” he said. You aren’t wrong in your assessment. I’ve been difficult. I’ve been that way my whole life.”
Jane sighed. “I did not expect you to agree so easily,” she said. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“You can tell me why you are upset.” Milton suspected that there was something else going on with her whether it was him being late to supper or something else, he wouldn’t know until she told him.
“I swear that I’m not upset that you went into town. Though, I wish you would trust me when I tell you that I was simply curious about our new neighbor.”
“I do believe you.” Milton felt silly standing before her. He continued to make Jane pay for the mistakes of his mother. He didn’t want to allow it, but he couldn’t help himself. Even as he told Jane he believed her; he wasn’t sure if that was truly the case. “But I can see that you are upset, and I wish you would tell me why.”
Jane pulled out the parchment that she had been clutching in her hand when he walked into the kitchen. “I received a letter from my father.”
Milton’s heart sank slightly, and his guilt intensified. He allowed his anger to keep him from being home when Jane needed him. He knew that she had left her home without her father’s blessing, so he couldn’t imagine what the letter said. From the redness of her nose and the tears that still clung to her long, auburn eyelashes, he knew that the contents of the letter were not good.
“What does the letter say?” he asked.
“We should eat. I’m sure that you are starving after a long ride.”
“We can eat if you are hungry, but I would like to know what was in the letter that upset you so greatly.” Milton was treading lightly here. The last time that he asked Jane about her family, she became upset.
“My father has lost his ranch,” Jane said abruptly.
“What?” Milton asked. He wasn’t sure that he heard her correctly.
Jane sat at the table. It seemed that the weight of the letter was too much for her. “My father has lost the ranch. The bank will be collecting it within a week’s time, and he and my sister will be destitute and out on the streets.”
Milton did not expect to hear such a tale. He thought that her father might have scolded her for her choices, or at worst, disowned her. He had not expected to learn that his in-laws were poor.
“We will need to write them back right away,” Milton said.
“What? Why? I’m not sure that I can help them. I’m sure my sister has something up her sleeve, but my father … he’s lived on that land since he was a boy. I don’t know how he will survive losing it” she said. Her blue eyes, which seemed to have turned to crystal from the wetness of her tears, were wide with shock and confusion. Milton felt more for his father-in-law than he thought. As a fellow rancher, he knew it would crush him to lose his land.
“We will help them.”
“I can’t ask you to send them funds,” she said. “You did not agree to support my family when we married, and I don’t think Pa would even take it. He’s a proud man.”
Milton shook his head. “I’d gladly give them money, but that is only a temporary solution. We have a large house. Plenty of room. You’ll write, telling them to come stay with us until a more permanent solution can be thought of.”
Jane’s mouth opened in shock. “Come live with us?”
Milton nodded. He could hardly believe that he was suggesting such a thing, but he didn’t what else to do. He was not the type of person who wanted extra family members in his home, but he couldn’t allow Jane’s father and sister to live on the streets. Though he hadn’t expected to take care of her family, as her husband, it was his duty.
“I can’t ask you to take responsibility for my family.”
“They are my family now,” he told her.
A small sob escaped from Jane’s lips, and she covered her face with her hands. Milton rushed to her. He kneeled before her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “Shhh. Sshhh,” he said. “Everything is going to be alright. I’ll make sure of it.”
Milton would make sure of it. He had his doubts about Jane. He couldn’t stop the small fingers of doubt that ate at his stomach and his thoughts. He still believed that there was some connection between Jane and Brandon, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. But the affection he felt for her overwhelmed everything else.
“You are too good to me,” Jane said. Her head was in the crook of his shoulder, and he could feel her soft breath against his neck as she spoke. He pressed her further into his body. He could smell the sage soap she used in her hair, and he felt his heart race as the heat of her body seeped into his.
“You’re my wife,” he reminded her. “It’s my job to take care of you. For richer or poorer, remember?”
Jane gave a small little laugh. She pulled away slightly, so that he had a clear view of her face. Her cheeks were now as flushed as her nose, and though she had clearly been weeping, she looked beautiful.
Milton brushed a stray, red hair out of her face allowing his fingers to linger lightly on her skin. For a moment, it seemed that neither one of them was breathing. They continued to embrace, looking deeply into each other’s eyes.
“You may regret all of this once you meet my family. They aren’t the easiest people to get along with.”
Milton shook his head. “They
raised you. I can’t imagine that they are that terrible.” At least he hoped not. Milton had dealt with difficult personalities before.
How bad can her family be?”
Chapter Nineteen
“I can’t believe that my family will be here soon,” Jane said to Sara as they worked to strip the guest room bed. Jane had been preparing the house for her family’s arrival. It was much more work than she thought, and once again, she found herself grateful to Sara for her help.
Two weeks passed since she received her father’s letter. She had expected her family a week ago, but the bank had offered her father a one-week extension to gather his things. Jane was grateful on his behalf, and she had a feeling she had Milton to thank. Though he couldn’t pay off her father’s extensive line of credit, she couldn’t help but wonder if he had paid the bank enough to allow her father and sister to gather their belongings.