by Lydia Olson
“Honestly,” Jane said. “I don’t know. I thought maybe if you knew Brandon was here then you might decide that I was too much trouble and send me back to my father.”
Milton was shocked by the accusation. He never would have sent Jane back. He wasn’t even sure that he could. He took marriage seriously. For him it was till death do us part. Milton wanted to tell her all of that, but he didn’t. He recognized that maybe he wasn’t always as openly affectionate with Jane as he should have been.
“I would never have done that,” he told her.
“I know that,” Jane said. “But I was scared. I never expected to see Brandon again, and I especially didn’t think he’d come to Denver to buy land.”
“Why has he?” Milton asked.
Jane shrugged. “Maybe you should tell me,” she said. “He came by today to see me and tell me about your conversation.”
Milton sighed. It seemed that the two of them were both keeping secrets from one another.
“Brandon and I had a meeting the day you went to the train station. He wanted me to sell him part of the land,” Milton said. “I told him the land wasn’t for sale.”
“Why would he want your land?” she asked.
“That’s a good question.”
Milton was about to tell her what else he’d learned when he heard a sharp tap on the front of Jane’s door.
“Milton?” Matthew called out.
Milton sighed. “We’re in the middle of something, Matthew. Make your own supper.”
There was a long pause. “The sheriff is downstairs and he’s asking for you.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jane was shocked that Milton hadn’t been angrier with her. She wondered why. She was grateful that he treated her with kindness, but she felt even more terrible at the fact that she’d lied to Milton about Brandon. She’d wanted to be mad at Milton for keeping his meeting with Brandon from her, but she wasn’t. She didn’t feel as if she had the right.
She had worried that Milton would pull away from her, but he didn’t. It seemed that they’d turned a corner. So naturally, something else went wrong.
“What could the sheriff want, especially at this hour?” Jane asked.
Milton sighed. “I suppose we will find out,” he said.
Jane glanced at the looking glass and caught sight of herself. She looked ghastly. Her hair was unbound, her face was red, and her eyes were puffy from her tears. “I’ll be down shortly,” she said. She reached out for a ribbon so she could bind her hair.
“I’ll wait,” Milton said. He came up behind her. She could feel the heat of him even through her dress, and she shivered slightly when his fingertips grazed her jaw. “You look lovely.”
Jane laughed. “That’s a lie, but it’s a sweet one,” she told him. Milton lowered his head and kissed the top of her hair. He did that often, and it always made Jane feel better about whatever was happening in her life. Milton brought her comfort in a way that she’d never experienced before.
After tying her hair into a long braid. Jane tried her best to pinch some color into her cheeks, so that the ruddiness looked natural and appealing and not as if she’d been crying for hours.
“Milton!” Matthew knocked loudly on the door again, and Jane tried to hurry. She didn’t know why the sheriff was there, nor why Milton was determined to wait for her.
“Give the sheriff a drink and tell him we will be down soon,” Milton hollered.
“You should go,” she said. “I’ll make myself more presentable and …”
Milton reached out and grabbed her hand. He gave her a small squeeze. “We’re a team,” he said. “We will meet him together.”
Jane looked down at her dress. It was wrinkled and stained, but there was no time to change. Reaching over, she grabbed a spare apron and tied it around her waist.
This will have to do, she thought.
“Don’t worry,” Milton told her. “I’m sure that the sheriff is just coming by to tell me that some of the cattle got out or something.”
Jane swallowed heavily. She couldn’t help but feel as though there was something more afoot here, but she kept her thoughts to herself.
“Are you ready?” Milton asked. She nodded. He opened the door and then took her hand in his own. Jane wondered if he was as nonchalant about the sheriff’s presence as he seemed.
He’s probably right, she thought. Milton is not someone who would be wrapped up in anything illegal.
Of that, Jane was sure.
But what if he is here because of my father?
A bead of nervous sweat started to build on the back of my neck, and her stomach turned at the thought. Jane prayed that she had not been the reason for the sheriff to be at their home.
Jane and Milton walked down the staircase hand in hand. It felt like they were truly a team as they stepped into the foyer.
“Sheriff Jim,” Milton said, “what brings you to my house?”
The sheriff was standing at the doorway. He was a tall man and much younger than Jane thought. This was the first time she had met him.
The sheriff shifted from foot to foot. There was a nervous energy about him that worried Jane.
He removed his hat. “Good evening, ma’am, Mr. Brennan.” The sheriff appeared reluctant to be in their presence, and Jane started to wonder if he really was there because one of the cattle got loose on someone’s property.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked. Her good manners kicked in, overtaking her trepidation.
“No ma’am,” the sheriff said. “I won’t be here long.”
“Did one of the animals get loose?” Milton asked. “We had a cattle drive yesterday. We put new fencing up this summer, but we haven’t had to test it yet.”
Jane narrowed her eyes as she noticed the sheriff’s throat working as he swallowed very heavily. He was nervous, which Jane thought was odd. This man was the sheriff. He had the power.
Or maybe not? Jane thought, as she glanced between the sheriff and her husband.
Milton was a wealthy man. He owned the largest ranch in Denver—maybe even in the entire state of Colorado. It seemed that made him a powerful man. Jane thought it was odd. Milton always seemed like just any other hard-working rancher. Sometimes she forgot that he was more than that.
“Actually, I’m here because there has been a complaint,” the sheriff said.
“A complaint?” Jane asked. She couldn’t imagine who would complain to the sheriff about them. The entire family mostly kept to themselves. Then, she remembered who their neighbor was, and suddenly, that unsettled feeling in her stomach began to make more sense.
“Mr. Eimer has complained that you are using his water,” the sheriff said.
Milton laughed. “What? That waterway has been used by all the ranchers in this area for years. No one owns it. It runs through multiple properties.”
The sheriff looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but standing in their foyer talking to an angry Milton.
“Here,” the sheriff said. He handed Milton a piece of parchment. Jane wondered what it was. Brandon seemed determined to do whatever he could to try and destroy the little bit of happiness that she had built in Denver. She couldn’t help the guilt that developed in her stomach. Milton would not be dealing with any of this if he hadn’t married Jane.
He might not regret marrying me now, but he might if Brandon gets his way, she thought.
“Take a look at this,” Milton said. He handed the parchment to Matthew who was standing nearby. Milton’s face was nearly red with anger, and Jane knew that whatever was written on that parchment was not good.
Matthew released a small bark of laughter. It was devoid of mirth. He shook his head and began folding up the parchment. “It seems that Mr. Eimer has filed a formal complaint to sue Milton for water rights.”
“Can he do that?” Jane asked. She was twisting her apron in her hands.
“He is doing it,” the sheriff said. “I’m just here to make you aware.”
Milton scoffed. “You’ve known me since we were kids, Sheriff,” he said, “you know how the waterways work in these parts. Heck, your family’s ranch is on one of them.”
The sheriff lifted his hands. “I’m just delivering the message. The legality of all of this is for your lawyers to deal with.”
“And we will,” Matthew said. He stepped forward, making it clear that he was aligned with Milton.
The sheriff nodded. “Be sure to move your cattle tomorrow morning,” he said. The sheriff placed his hat on his head, tipped it toward them, and began walking out of the door.
For a few minutes everyone stood silently in the foyer. Matthew was still holding the parchment, Kate was standing off to the side with wide eyes, and Milton was looking at the door as if he wanted to smash the wood to bits.
“What do we do now?” Jane asked. She hated how soft and scared her voice sounded. She could hardly believe that Brandon would go so far as to sue Milton.
“We eat dinner,” Matthew said.
Jane didn’t think this was the appropriate time to point out that she hadn’t prepared anything for supper. Glancing over at Milton, Jane worried that he was going to blow up at any moment. He was breathing heavily. His chest rose and fell in quick succession, and she worried that he might drop dead on the floor from anger.
“I’ll start setting some food out,” Jane said. She wasn’t sure if she should leave Milton’s side. He didn’t look well. She also thought that food might help to calm his anger. “I’m sure that food will make this all better.”
“How dare he,” Milton seethed.
“Milton …”
“How dare he come here and try and sue me for water that he has absolutely no right to!” Milton was yelling at this point. Jane wondered where her father was. She assumed he was in his room, which is where he spent most of his time. She wondered if he heard Milton yelling.
“Calm down,” Matthew said. “We will handle this.”
Milton started toward the door and both Jane and Matthew’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?” Matthew asked.
“I’m going to have a discussion with Eimer. Unlike him, I don’t send the sheriff to do my dirty work.”
Jane had never seen Milton so angry. This was the type of reaction that she’d expected when she told Milton she’d previously been promised to Brandon.
“You can’t do that,” Matthew said. “If you do, he’ll have an even better case against you.”
“He has no case against me! He’s simply a bully and a black hat. He wants my wife, and he won’t have either.”
Kate snorted. “So, you’re just jealous—how very masculine.”
“Knock it off, Kate,” Jane said. She was not in the mood for her sister’s dramatics.
“No,” she said. “You have brought misery on all of us with your selfishness. If you’d simply married Brandon like you were told to …”
“You both need to stop it,” Milton said. He turned flaming eyes toward Jane and Kate, and Kate seemed to shrink back just slightly. “I’m tired of the fighting. You two need to find a way to live in this house without arguing with one another. We have bigger problems than the anger that you have over whatever the other has done.”
Jane felt as if she’d been scolded by her father. She was embarrassed that her husband was scolding her and her sister for arguing.
“You’re right,” she said. “As is Matthew. Brandon is a cunning man. He wanted to get a rise out of you so that you will make a mistake.”
Milton’s hand was on the doorknob, and Jane wasn’t sure that she’d convinced him. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she considered what might happen if Milton went to confront Brandon. Jane didn’t know Brandon well, but she’d heard stories about his shady business practices, and she knew him to be a snake oil salesman.
“Jane is right.” Jane, Milton, Matthew, and Kate turned to see George standing at the top of the steps.
“Brandon is hoping that you’ll make a mistake. He wants you to confront him head on. He’s counting on you being hotheaded.”
“And how do you know so much about Mr. Eimer?” Matthew asked.
George Parrish walked down the steps. It was difficult for Jane to see him after what she’d learned about him, but he was the only one who really knew Brandon. If they hoped to solve this problem, they would need her father’s guidance.
“I know exactly how Brandon Eimer operates because he’s done so with me, and it caused me to lose everything. If you let him, he’ll do the same to you,” George told them.
Milton’s face was hard as stone, but he released his grip on the door. “Well, I have no intention of allowing Brandon to take anything from me, so I suppose we should sit down for supper, and you should tell all of us what you know.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Milton was a man who understood disappointment. He’d experienced it at a young age. He didn’t expect to always get his way. He’d also never had someone sue him. Milton kept his business in proper legal shape. He took care of his land and his animals, and he helped his neighbors when they needed it.
He couldn’t believe that someone would accuse him of doing something illegal. Brandon Eimer was proving to be a gnat in Milton’s ear, and he was determined to crush him. If it hadn’t been for Jane, Matthew, and George, Milton would have stormed to see Eimer and likely dug himself into a bigger hole.
Now, they all sat around the table. The men were drinking cups of whiskey Milton kept for special occasions, and Jane and Kate were glaring at one another. Milton did not have time for their behavior.
“What do you know about Eimer?” Matthew asked George. “Because I’ve not been able to get much information about him out of my father.”
Milton sighed. He did not want to be angry with Matthew’s father. Mr. Wiley had been like a second father to him for most of his life, which was part of the reason why Milton was so upset.
He knew why Brandon was suing him. His pride was hurt that he’d lost Jane as a wife, and as Milton looked across the table at her, he understood why. He wasn’t sure that he would take losing her so easily. That part he could understand. What gnawed at his gut was that Mr. Wiley was representing Brandon. He was willing to harm Milton.
“Why is your father representing Eimer?” Jane asked. “You and Milton are best friends. Sara works for us and lives on the edge of the property …”
Matthew sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face. “My father has his reasons for taking Eimer on as a client.”
Milton raised an eyebrow at his friend, but he said nothing. He wouldn’t ask Matthew to go against his father. “Perhaps, I should ask someone else to handle this,” Milton said.
Matthew shook his head. “It’s fine,” he said. “Besides, I don’t like bullies, and this Mr. Eimer sounds like a large one.”
“You have no idea,” Jane muttered. She cooked and served dinner, mostly in quiet. Milton worried that his behavior might have upset her. Jane was a strong woman. He was sure that she could handle things, but he also knew that there were some difficulties that might make her more prone to being upset.
Matthew turned his attention back to Jane’s father. “Tell me what you know about Brandon.”
George looked as if he’d liked to be anywhere but sitting at the table being interrogated by his son-in-law and a lawyer.
Too bad, Milton thought, as he looked at his father-in-law. He didn’t quite care if George was uncomfortable. He was the reason that Brandon was in Denver. Of that Milton was sure. Considering the way Jane reacted to Brandon, he couldn’t imagine she ever told him where she was going when she fled New Mexico.
“Why would you marry your daughter off to someone so terrible?” Milton blurted before he could stop himself.
George’s eyes widened. It was clear that he hadn’t thought that Milton would ask such a question. From the low breath Matthew released, he also hadn’t expected the question.
Before sitting down for supper,
Milton and Matthew talked. Matthew suggested that he be in charge of asking the questions. Milton agreed. He was too angry to think clearly.
During dinner, he had not said a word. He’d been content to allow Matthew to handle things, but when it came to Jane, Milton could not simply say nothing.
“I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter,” George said.
That wasn’t good enough for Milton. He spent the entire supper thinking about Jane married to Brandon. It turned his stomach so much that he had barely been able to eat.