Theodore wasn’t nearly as anxious as the first time he and Isabel expected a visit from Mick and Abigail. He still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of having guests, but at least he wasn’t looking for excuses to hide in the barn.
He had just finished laying out the fresh straw in the barn when he saw the dust kicked up by the wagon. Isabel must have been watching for them because she rushed out of the house, with Timmy on her hip, to greet their guests.
She stood near Theodore, their arms touching. For the first time in his life, he didn’t feel uncomfortable with a touch. If he was honest with himself, he liked it.
Mick jumped off the wagon and ran around to help Abigail. Then, the two men worked together to unhitch the horses and take care of them.
Isabel had made a nice pot roast for lunch. She had the table set when Theodore and Mick walked in.
“Abigail made her world-famous apple pie,” Isabel said, setting it on the counter.
“I don’t know about that,” Abigail said, blushing.
“Everyone in your world knows about it, which makes it world-famous,” Mick stated.
Abigail grinned. “You know, it could be known because it’s not edible.”
“That’s why it’s the first to disappear at the church potlucks,” Mick retorted.
The conversation started out light. They talked about the weather and the next church social. Then, it turned darker.
“Did you hear that Richard Cohen lost his ranch?” Mick asked. “He was in town selling everything that he could so he, his wife, and three kids could travel back East where they have family.”
“What happened?” Theodore asked, although he was certain that he already knew the answer.
“First, someone poisoned his well. Luckily, his wife noticed that something was off about it. She thought that maybe it was just going dry and had some sand crystals in it, but since they had heard about everything going on at other ranches, she decided to test it. She soaked a small piece of meat in the water and put it by a rat’s nest. A couple of hours later, she checked, and the rat was dead,” Abigail said.
“Oh, my heavens,” Isabel gasped. “That’s terrifying.”
“She said she could haul water from the creek, and they could overcome the problem. Then, someone poisoned his range cattle. They threw out some hay laced with the poison. He went out one morning, and most of them were dead. That night, his barn mysteriously caught fire and burned to the ground,” Mick reported. “After that, he was done.”
“I’m willing to bet that I know who was willing to buy his land, of course, at a much lower cost because the ground and well are contaminated with poison, and there’s no barn,” Theodore said bitterly.
Mick nodded. “You’d be right.”
“It’s terrible that this man can terrorize everyone and get away with it,” Isabel snapped.
“I agree. Honestly, if these ranchers weren’t such good men, he would face prairie justice,” Mick said. “Unfortunately, I think the folks around here are just tired and feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness.”
Theodore shook his head and muttered, “I know the feeling.”
“Let’s talk about something else, at least over dinner,” Abigail said. “We don’t need to get sour stomachs.” She turned to Isabel and said, “Did I tell you how Mick and I met?”
Isabel smiled. “No.”
She leaned forward, eager to tell the story.
“I guess you know that my father owns the general store in town.” At Isabel’s nod, she continued. “Well, Dad ordered some fittings from Mick and asked if I would stop by and pick them up. Mick had only been in town for a few months, so I had never met him. He was in the process of working on a horseshoe and didn’t even notice me. But I sure noticed him. There was something about him.”
Isabel’s grin widened, and Mick chuckled.
“When he finished with the shoe, he looked at me like I was just any other person, but he did offer to help me carry the crate of fillings, even though they weren’t that heavy.”
“They were pretty heavy, but I’m certain you could have carried them,” Mick chimed in, grinning at her.
“I guess it was love at first sight, at least for me it was. He barely noticed I was there, at least for a while,” Abigail said. “Finally, though, I got up the courage to ask him to go to the church social with me.”
“I was stunned. I never had anyone ask me out on a date before. I was always the one to do the asking,” Mick said. “But she was sweet, so I said yes. After that, I mostly did the asking, although she invited me to her place a couple of times. I had to make sure that she could cook well before the relationship went any further,” Mick joked.
“We fell in love, he asked me to marry him, and I said, ‘Yes,’” Abigail said.
Mick patted his belly. “She keeps me well fed, so she’ll do.”
Isabel and Theodore laughed. He was a little shocked that he was relaxed and enjoying the company in spite of all the stress.
After dinner, he and Mick decided to take a walk outside.
“I wanted to talk to you alone,” Mick said. “Abigail told me what happened outside the bank, and frankly, people talk.”
Theodore’s face flushed red with embarrassment.
“Listen, you had every right to be angry with Jenkins, and there wouldn’t be very many people who would blame you. As a matter of fact, several would be lined up to bail you out.”
“I shouldn’t have lost my temper in public,” Theodore said.
Mick shrugged his shoulders. “It happens to the best of us. So, listen, I’ve managed to save up a little nest egg. It’s no vast fortune, but it will help tide you over until you regain your footing. Then, you can pay me back.”
Theodore’s heart clenched, and he had to refrain from gaping at the other man. He and Mick didn’t really know each other very well, and Mick wasn’t rich. He worked hard, just like everyone else, scraping by. The thought that Mick would offer his savings to him was humbling.
“Mick,” Theodore said, swallowing the lump in his throat, “that’s an incredible offer and means more than you know, but I can’t accept it.”
Mick frowned slightly. “Why not? If I can help, I want to. You don’t have to go through all of this alone. You have friends who want to help.”
“I know, and that’s why I can’t take your money. You’ve worked very hard for what you have, and if this ranch goes under, I can’t put you in a bad spot, too. I don’t want to drag you down with me.”
Mick shook his head, looking earnestly into Theodore’s eyes. “You wouldn’t be dragging me down,” he said, his voice firm as though he needed Theodore to believe him. “It’s just money. But this is about your ranch and your family. I’d hate to see you lose it when there are people willing to help you save it and beat Jenkins.”
Theodore’s gaze dropped to the ground. “I appreciate the offer,” he said, his voice wavering slightly, “but I just can’t take your money.”
Mick exhaled, his lips pursed. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
“Thank you,” Theodore said with true gratitude.
They sat outside and talked about the weather, the cattle, the calves that Theodore had left, and the ones to come. Mick chatted about his blacksmith shop and the people who came and went in town.
Abigail and Mick left in the late afternoon. Theodore sat down at the table and watched Isabel clean up.
“Do you want some coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
She sat down at the table with him and smiled. “They are great.”
Theodore thought about whether he should tell her about Mick’s offer. Deciding that trust had to start somewhere, he did.
She smiled and said, “See, you have more people standing behind you than you thought. That was very generous of him.”
Theodore rubbed his hands over his face. “Too generous. I told him that I couldn’t take his money. He’s got his own life to worry about.”
“That’s what friends do.”
“It is, but I don’t want to drag him into this mess. It’s bad enough that I dragged you and Timmy into it.”
Theodore was afraid that she was going to push the issue, but she didn’t.
Instead, she said, “You didn’t drag Timmy or me into anything. Jenkins and the bank caused this mess. We’re family. We’ll find a way to save the ranch. As for Mick and Abigail, you know that you have people who care about you and are willing to stand by you. That’s worth more than any amount of money in the world.”
He reached over and held her hand. A warmth built up inside of him, and his love for her made his heart beat faster.
“You’re right,” he admitted. “I’m learning slowly. Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks.”
Theodore went outside to tend to the cattle and horses. Jacob was already out there.
“I saw Abigail and Mick out here. You’re becoming downright social,” Jacob teased.
“Maybe so,” Theodore said.
He told Jacob about the offer.
“Them’s good people,” he commented, saying nothing else about it.
After dinner, he sat on the porch, whittling another toy for Timmy while Isabel was sewing a scarf. He still hated the fact that she was working for someone else, but he had to admit that she had saved him. They sat mostly in comfortable silence until it was time to sleep. He hugged her briefly and went to bed, thinking that it was a stroke of luck that Isabel had answered the ad.
Thoughts of Isabel, the ranch, Mick’s offer, the bank, Jenkins, and a million other things bounced around in his mind. Finally, though, he drifted off to sleep.
About an hour later, a loud noise and shouting woke him up. His heart thundered in his chest, and he panted, trying to catch his breath.
What now?
His mind frantically worried about what might have happened, playing all the worst-case scenarios through his head.
He hurriedly put on his coat and boots and ran outside with his shotgun.
Immediately, he was met with a burst of heat and a plume of smoke. After coughing and rubbing his eyes, he finally processed that there was a small fire next to the barn where he kept his supplies. Robert and Samuel were already working to put it out.
His stomach churned, and Theodore ran inside the barn to check on the cattle. Tacked to the barn door was a note. Only four letters were written on it: “Sell up or else.”