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  “I encouraged Dillon to join the cavalry. If I hadn’t, he might have stayed on the ranch. For all we know, you’d be married to Dillon.”

  “I never would have married Dillon. You and I both know that. Stop making me pay for a youthful crush in a time of weakness.”

  “I’m not making you pay.”

  “Yes. You are. You won’t listen to me.”

  “I’m sorry,” he muttered, his tone grudging. “I’ve been carrying the guilt for ages, and it’s hard to let go.”

  This wasn’t the time to add the extra burden of declaring her love. He might feel obliged to say the words in return, and she didn’t want a lie between them. He cared for her. He cared for Gracie. He was willing to give up everything for them. That was more than enough. For now. Later, when they’d settled someplace, she’d broach the subject.

  “Apology accepted,” she said. “If you’d like to give Dillon your half of the money, I support the decision. It’s our fault he’s losing his inheritance. I don’t mind starting over, and I can make do with less.”

  She’d wanted to make his life easier, instead he’d been given a terrible burden. A burden he shared with his brother. A burden he didn’t deserve.

  “I know you can do with less. Thank you. For standing by me.”

  “You’re my husband. Gracie is our daughter, no matter what the courts say. We’re a family, and families stand by each other.”

  * * *

  Alone in the kitchen once more, after Sterling had gone to bed, Heather rested her head on the table and sobbed until she had no more tears to cry.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “How’d it go?” Dillon asked.

  “Not good.”

  “I had a feeling,” his brother said. “Are you certain this is what you want to do?”

  “Otto isn’t the man we thought he was. If he can hide that kind of cruelty for as long as he has, we don’t stand a chance. I’m not risking my family. He’ll never leave us alone. I don’t put murder past him.”

  “Do you really think he’d go that far?”

  “Look how far he’s already gone. This is an obsession. And who knows. Maybe Pa did promise him the land. Pa always told us that we’d never see a dime of his money. For all we know, he did double-cross Otto.”

  “That doesn’t excuse what he’s done.”

  “No. It doesn’t. But that man is unhinged. I’m not going to risk our lives.”

  Giving up and walking away didn’t sit right with him, but he’d considered all the options. The only way to guarantee the safety of his family was giving in to Otto’s demands.

  “What are you going to do?” Dillon asked.

  “Heather and I agreed. We’re giving you our half of Otto’s money.”

  “Oh no.” A flush spread across Dillon’s face. “You’re not doing that. I don’t want your charity.”

  “This has got nothing to do with charity. We chose Gracie. You didn’t have any other option.”

  “You said it yourself, Otto wasn’t going to quit. Gracie was simply a convenient means to an end. I’m not taking your money. Besides, it’s not like we’re coming out ahead. What Otto is offering is a pittance. You haven’t answered my question. What do you think you’ll do now?”

  “What are we going to do?” Sterling elbowed his brother in the side. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy. Any ideas?”

  “We can homestead.”

  “Nah,” Sterling replied. “All the good land is already taken.”

  “Not all of it.”

  “I thought you were an invalid who couldn’t work on a ranch?”

  “That’s how it’s going to be, is it?” Dillon chuckled. “You’d use my own words against me?”

  “In a heartbeat.”

  “Then hear me out. We’ll homestead. Have you ever been up near the Great Falls of the Missouri River? I hear there’s some beautiful country up there.”

  “I’ve been there.” Sterling recalled a vast wilderness cut by the muddy river. “Starting over won’t be easy. Are you prepared for that?”

  Dillon grew thoughtful. “Otto did us a favor. We have our freedom. We’re not part of a dying legacy. You have Gracie and Heather. I’d rather have something for myself anyway.”

  “I’ll check with the Bureau of Land Management and see what’s available. If we’re together, we can double the property.”

  “You gonna stick with sheep?”

  “I’m going to stick with what makes me money.”

  “It feels good,” Dillon said with the first genuine smile Sterling had seen on his brother’s face since his arrival home. “Letting go of the ranch feels good. Better than I thought.”

  “I’ll miss the house,” Sterling admitted.

  “I’ll miss the indoor plumbing.”

  “You’ve gone soft.”

  “Don’t lie. You’ll miss it too.”

  Sterling stuck out his hand. “To new beginnings.”

  “To letting bygones be bygones,” Dillon replied. “To the future.”

  Sterling stood outside after Dillon went in, letting the cold seep into his bones. He watched the shadows passing by the windows in the main house. He’d promised Heather a good life, and instead he’d lost everything.

  The next few years were going to test them all. She’d agreed to the challenge, and her acceptance boded well for their future. A new sense of purpose filled him. He was gradually releasing the guilt he’d carried over the years. Dillon’s injury still haunted him, though, and it probably always would.

  A fair bit of pride remained beneath the surface of Sterling’s acceptance. He loved Heather, but she’d gone through too much in too little time. With everything else happening around them, she didn’t deserve the weight of his love, as well.

  She’d been through a lot, and he didn’t want her mistaking gratitude for love. If homesteading proved difficult, he wanted her to have an escape. He didn’t want her to feel guilty about leaving him simply because he loved her.

  Maybe in a few months, if things went well and she stayed, he’d court her properly.

  The next few months were going to be difficult. He only hoped the marriage survived that long.

  * * *

  Monday morning, the four of them traveled into town to do the paperwork. Heather glanced over her shoulder at the receding roofline. “This doesn’t seem fair. I feel as though we’ve lost.”

  “We got Gracie,” Sterling assured her once again. “We won. I don’t care what Otto or anyone else thinks. I know the truth.”

  Despite his assurances, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d somehow caused this mess. That she was responsible for the current predicament. Sterling had been nothing but kind, and she’d brought him nothing but heartache. It was bad enough that Sterling was losing the ranch, but Dillon was suffering too.

  While the brothers spoke with the lawyer, Heather and Gracie met Irene at the café. She wasn’t quite certain what to say. Gracie fussed, making conversation nearly impossible. Irene’s boys came in from outside, and Gracie was instantly enchanted with people closer to her own size.

  She toddled over to them, intent on gaining their attention. Unused to having girls around, the boys didn’t mind entertaining her.

  Irene poured a second cup of tea. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong.” Heather sipped her tea. “Why do you ask?”

  “Because I just asked you if you were attending the Christmas Day service, and you said, ‘not until July.’ I don’t even know what that means.”

  “I’m sorry.” Heather plunked her cup on the table. “We’ve had some trouble.”

  “Is it Dillon?”

  “No.” Heather shook her head. “He’s been indispensable. Seeing those
two together is the one bright spot lately.”

  “I know I shouldn’t ask...it’s rude.”

  Irene’s curiosity was only natural. “Dillon lost his left leg below the knee. A snake bite in the Oklahoma Territory. That’s all I can say.”

  “Those Blackwell men have their fair share of pride. I hope he hasn’t been too difficult. A man in pain can lash out.”

  “He’s adjusting.” Heather sucked in a breath. “Otto has offered to buy the ranch, and the three of us have agreed.”

  Saying the words lifted a weight from her chest. Everyone would discover the truth soon enough anyway.

  “You can’t be serious.” Irene gasped. “Where will you go? What will you do?”

  “Sterling and Dillon have discussed homesteading near the Great Falls of the Missouri River. They say the falls are a good place for a flour mill.”

  “What do those boys know about flour milling?” Irene tsked. “It’s Dillon, isn’t it? The man is too prideful to be seen around town less than perfect.”

  “It’s not Dillon, Irene. I promise.”

  She couldn’t let Dillon take the blame for Otto’s machinations.

  “Then it’s that story in the newspaper. I know everything. You can’t receive two hundred pieces of mail in this town and not hear about it over the pickle barrel in the dry goods store. Everyone here supports you. Beauregard Thompson made you and Sterling sound quite romantic. Surely they’ll let you keep Gracie?”

  “Sterling and I have found a way to keep her. We’re petitioning the court for custody.”

  “If you need my help, you let me know.”

  “I will.”

  A shadow crossed their table, and Heather glanced up. “Woodley! I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  The ranch hand grinned, revealing his gap-toothed smile. “I got me a job in the kitchen. I prefer ranch work. But this will do.”

  Sterling had broken the news to the ranch hands the previous day, so Heather didn’t feel as though she was speaking out of turn. “I’m sorry about what happened. Otto is purchasing the ranch, and I think Joe, Price and Ben are moving on. Sterling and his brother are going to try their hand up north. If things change, can we call on you?”

  “Sure thing, Mrs. Blackwell. Just so long as Mr. Berg isn’t a part of it.”

  “Don’t worry. Mr. Berg won’t be a part of anything we do in the future,” Heather replied, unable to strip her voice of bitterness.

  Irene flicked a glance at Gracie, and her gaze narrowed. Heather pinned a bright smile on her face. “I better be going. Sterling will be finished at the lawyer’s office by now.”

  “I hold a Christmas Day supper after the service. We’d enjoy having you. The Blackwells used to stay the night in town after the service. I hope Sterling continues the tradition.”

  “That sounds lovely,” Heather said. She rose and lifted Gracie. “Can I bring anything?”

  “Just yourselves.”

  Heather stepped into the sunlight and stared at the fluffy clouds drifting over the sky. She didn’t want to leave. She was only just starting to fit in.

  In that instant, an idea formed in her head. Otto was using the Blackwells’ honor against them, but she wasn’t bound by old loyalties to the ranch hand. She simply had to disappear for a few months. Without Gracie as leverage, Otto had nothing. If she bought the brothers some time, they might be able to thwart the takeover.

  Everything was happening too fast, but if she slowed down the course of events by leaving, they’d have time to think of another plan. Time to trap Otto in his own lies.

  Her heart ached at the thought of being gone from Sterling for even a short time, but what was a few months when they had decades together?

  Sterling would never agree. Which meant she’d have to work in secret.

  Her first stop was the train depot to check the schedule. There was a train out of town the day after Christmas. Since everyone from the ranch, save for Otto, was staying overnight after Irene’s party, she could pack without anyone noticing.

  Her next stop was the lawyer’s office. She recognized the clerk as one of her former students. “Mitchell. I didn’t know you were taking up the law.”

  “I’m clerking for Mr. Kelemen until the fall, then I’m going to school back East.”

  “That’s wonderful. You’ll make an excellent lawyer. Is Mr. Kelemen available?”

  “He sure is, ma’am. Your husband and his brother just left.”

  “I know. This pertains to their case.”

  Mitchell disappeared to find Mr. Kelemen, who appeared shortly after and ushered her into his office. He was a portly man with a smooth face that made him appear younger than his years. His impeccable dark suit was tailored around his robust frame.

  “Have a seat, Mrs. Blackwell. I’ve been drafting your paperwork.”

  “About that,” she began. “I was wondering if you could do me a favor?”

  His brow wrinkled. “What sort of favor?”

  “I was hoping you could delay filing the paperwork for selling the ranch until the day after Christmas.”

  He chortled, and his shirt rippled over his rounded belly. “I couldn’t file anything the day after Christmas even if I wanted. Christmas is on a Saturday this year. The soonest I can send something up to Butte is on Monday. Even then, the courts work slowly this time of the year. The holidays, you know.”

  Her stomach sank. “Then the petition for custody will be held up too?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  She tugged her lower lip between her teeth. She’d been hoping to expedite the petition for custody over the land exchange. “Thank you for your time.”

  “Anything for you, Mrs. Blackwell. My law clerk speaks highly of you.”

  “Mitchell was always an excellent student.”

  “He’s got a real flare for numbers. In this business, greed drives most of our cases. If a fellow can follow the money, he can always find the lawbreaker.”

  “Yes. I imagine that’s true.” Especially considering their current predicament.

  “That reporter, Beauregard, came to visit me.”

  “He did? Why?”

  “He’s a smart fellow, that’s why. I’ve never seen someone with an eye for detail like that fellow.”

  “You’ll forgive me if I’m not feeling particularly charitable toward him.”

  “You might change your mind in the future.”

  Heather tilted her head. “Why?”

  “I’m a lawyer. I can’t reveal my clients’ secrets, but don’t give up hope. Salvation comes in all sorts of ways. Not always the way we think. Just be patient, Mrs. Blackwell.”

  Patience was a luxury she couldn’t afford. “I’ll try to take your advice, Mr. Kelemen.”

  She stood and gathered Gracie’s things. The timing was a hitch in her plans. If she left before the paperwork granting them custody was signed, they all lost.

  * * *

  For the next few days, Heather planned and discarded several means of saving the ranch. She considered telling the sheriff about Otto, then realized Sterling was correct. They risked losing Gracie if they angered Otto, and that was a risk she wasn’t willing to take.

  Christmas Day donned bright and clear. The sky was a brilliant blue and painfully bright. The dining room was filled with packed boxes and crates they’d gotten from the general store. Sterling had rented the top floor of the hotel in town for them, an extravagance to take everyone’s mind off the coming move.

  “I’m speaking with the ranch hands,” he said. “Do you want to come along?”

  “Yes.”

  She was going to miss the three men. She and Gracie walked the distance to the bunkhouse, and Sterling slowed his pace to match. Gracie was dressed in her Christmas best
. She wore a red dress with a white sash and full skirts. A new pair of shiny boots encased her small feet. Beside her, Sterling carried a batch of envelopes.

  The men were already dressed in their Sunday best for church, and politely stood when they came inside.

  Sterling fisted his hand before his mouth and cleared his throat. “I know we’ve only known each other a few months, but it’s been an honor working with all of you.” He passed each man an envelope in turn. “I wish you all the best.”

  Price stood and handed over a piece of paper. “When you’re ready to hire ranch hands once more, this is my ma’s address. She’ll know where to find me.”

  “You’re not staying on here?”

  Price shook his head firmly. “You’re the reason we’re all here. We’ll find other work. Don’t worry.”

  The men shook hands and fussed over Gracie. Tears sprang to Heather’s eyes.

  “Ah, don’t be sad, Mrs. Blackwell,” Price said. “Not on the little one’s birthday. Irene has promised to make an extra cake, and we’ll celebrate.”

  “That will be lovely,” Heather spoke over the lump in her throat.

  Irene had been incredibly kind after learning about the move. She and Heather had planned Gracie’s birthday party for after the service, along with Irene’s usual dinner party. The Foresters had invited all of the ranch hands to join them. Otto had declined the invitation, and for that Heather was grateful.

  The past two weeks had been awkward enough without having to put on a happy face around the man. She might be able to forgive him in time for stealing the ranch out from beneath the brothers, in his own twisted way he felt he was owed, but she’d have a more difficult time forgiving him for what he’d done to Gracie. He’d used the child as a pawn in his schemes with no thought to her future. He’d left her on a train. Alone. In the care of strangers. He’d abandoned her. Forgiveness on that issue was going to take time.

  Despite her anger toward Otto, he’d brought them together. If he hadn’t grown desperate, Gracie would still be in a children’s home. Worse yet, he might have abandoned her to the care of an orphanage.

  His motivation had been despicable, but he’d brought her Gracie. He’d brought her Sterling.