CHAPTER 2

Silver Matlock sat on the edge of the settee, staring at the carpet, her hands balled into tight fists in her lap. Tension gripped the small parlor, as it had gripped the house ever since her disastrous would-be wedding six days earlier.

“Are you telling me we could lose the store, Gerald?” her stepmother demanded.

“The store. Our home. Everything.”

“But that’s impossible. We couldn’t be . . . impoverished.” Marlene Matlock’s voice lowered as she grasped the severity of their situation. “Gerald, that’s not possible. We helped build this town. We are the family everyone looks to. We—”

“It’s not impossible, my dear.”

Hearing the tiredness in her father’s voice, Silver looked up.

“We are facing ruination.” He ran the palm of his right hand over his bald head. “We’ve spent above our income for too long.”

Her stepmother’s ill temper returned. “Are you saying this is my fault? You know we couldn’t allow Silvana to be married without a proper wedding.”

Gerald Matlock shook his head. “It’s much more than the expense of the wedding, Marlene, and you know it. I’ve tried to make you understand. Business has not been good for a long while. Twin Springs isn’t growing as it once did. The money from selling that piece of land was to have paid off the mortgage and our other debts. With it stolen, there’s nothing left to fall back on. We are out of options.”

Blinking back tears, Silver watched as her father left the parlor, his shoulders slumped.

She knew the family’s financial crisis was neither because of her stepmother’s spending nor because of the mercantile receipts falling off. Those things hadn’t helped, but the current crisis was her fault. All her fault. Hungry for a man’s affections and pressured by her stepmother to find a husband, she’d fallen for Bob Cassidy’s considerable charms much too easily. Why hadn’t she listened to that tiny voice of doubt?

“Whatever shall we do now?” her stepmother whispered.

Silver remained silent. She had no answer.

Her stepmother turned to look at her. “That man of yours has ruined us.”

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

“We’re all sorry. Much good it will do us.” She dabbed beneath her eyes with a handkerchief. “Oh, we should have known the minute he came calling on you he was up to no good. Why else would he come?”

Of course they should have known. It wasn’t possible Bob Cassidy could have loved Silver. It wasn’t possible he’d truly wanted to marry her. Why would he? She was no great beauty like her stepsister. She had no great fortune to inherit from her father—even before this latest disaster—and she hadn’t been blessed with the usual feminine attributes used to attract a man’s interests.

Yes, the Matlocks should have known Bob was up to no good.

Silver rose and left the parlor. A short while later she entered her father’s office at the back of the mercantile. She’d known she would find him there, going over the record books one more time.

“Papa.” She brushed her fingers across the back of his neck before resting her hand on his shoulder. “What can I do to help?”

He raised his head to look at her, and a lump formed in her throat. He looked years older than he had only a week ago. “There’s nothing any of us can do, Silver. There’s no proof Mr. Cassidy is the person who stole from us. And even if there was proof, it isn’t likely the authorities would be able to restore our property should they find him. It’s all gone. The cash. Your stepmother’s jewelry. Everything.”

Silver touched the necklace beneath the collar of her dress. “I still have Great-Grandmother’s locket. You could sell it.”

“It would never bring enough to make a difference, my girl, but thank you for offering. I know what it means to you.” He patted her hand.

“Perhaps the sheriff in Denver can find . . .” She trailed off as her father shook his head.

“I doubt it.” He sighed. “Sheriff Cooper promised to do what he can, but I’m afraid it will never be enough.”

“God will help us, Papa. He’ll show us how to save the store and our home.” She said the words with more conviction than she felt.

And if He doesn’t help us, I’ll find a way to do it myself.