Despite his resolution, Curtis could not tell Miss Dalton of his plans that morning. Because before the day could begin, an unexpected guest arrived at the ranch.
Curtis awoke to a heavy pounding on the front door. He opened his eyes and saw that it was barely light. He lay for a moment without moving. He knew Jacob would never call this early, and if anything was urgent, Mr. Winter had a key to the house.
The pounding continued, and Curtis jumped up with alarm. He didn’t want Miss Dalton or Darla to worry, and he certainly didn’t want them to investigate this mysterious early-morning caller on their own. He grabbed his house coat and hurried down the hall, wrapping the coat around him as he went.
When he got to the entryway, he found Miss Dalton had already arrived. She stood hesitantly in front of the door and whipped around when she heard him round the corner.
“Oh, Mr. Hart, thank goodness, I was just going to come to fetch you. I heard the knocking, but I got nervous when I realized I didn’t know who was on the other side.”
“Very sensible, Miss Dalton,” Curtis said. He was relieved she hadn’t tried to open the door without him. “I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Miss Dalton nodded, but her eyes shifted to the door as the pounding continued.
“If you wouldn’t mind just standing back,” said Curtis, gesturing toward the kitchen door. Once she had moved an acceptable distance away, Curtis leaned toward the door and asked loudly, “Who is it?”
The pounding stopped, but there was no answer. Curtis placed his hand against the door and said once again, even louder, “Who is it?”
There was a shifting sound outside of the door, and then a muffled voice called out, “It’s me, Curtis! It’s your brother!”
Even through the door, Curtis recognized his brother’s voice. He unlocked and threw the door open in surprise.
“Ralph! Whatever are you doing here?”
Ralph looked haggard. His face was shiny with sweat, and his hair, while normally well-groomed, looked messy, even underneath his cap.
“Curtis,” he gasped, “I’m sorry to bother you so early, but I didn’t know where else to go. I’m afraid I’m in dreadful trouble. I could lose everything. I don’t know what to tell Layla and–” Ralph stopped short. His eyes flicked to Melinda standing behind Curtis.
“Forgive me; I didn’t know you had company.”
Ralph stood awkwardly in the doorway as Curtis looked at his brother. His green eyes were panicked, and there was something else there, too. It looked like fear. No, it looked like terror.
“Come in, brother, come in.” Curtis pulled Ralph inside and helped him with his coat. “You remember Miss Dalton from church? She’s staying with me a while.”
Ralph furrowed his brow as though trying to conjure up a memory of Miss Dalton.
“Miss Dalton. Church … oh yes, of course! You were there with the children? Of course, I remember, for I saw you there, and it had been the first time in years.” Ralph indicated his brother during that last statement.
“That’s right,” said Curtis.
The three of them stood without saying anything. Finally, Melinda gave a weak wave and said, “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Hart.”
Ralph gave a start. “Oh, how rude of me. I’m so sorry, Miss Dalton. I’m quite distracted this morning. How are you? What brings you to Hart Ranch? I didn’t know my brother had company; otherwise, I would never have presumed to bother you.”
Melinda waved him away. “Please, don’t worry yourself. I was staying at the reverend’s house with one of my young charges, but the storm unfortunately drove us out, and your brother was kind enough to take us in. We’ll be here until the railway tracks are cleared.”
Curtis didn’t like to think about how soon that might be. He looked at Miss Dalton, wrapped in her housecoat. Her face still had a sleepy quality, and her hair was tumbling out of her nightcap. It looked beautiful and wild.
“Ah, good, good,” Ralph muttered in response to Melinda.
Silence fell upon the three of them once more. Ralph tossed Curtis a desperate look, and Melinda cleared her throat.
“Uh, why don’t the two of you go into the parlor. It sounds like you have a lot of catching up to do. I’ll go fix you some tea.”
Curtis smiled at her gratefully. “Thank you, Melinda.” He turned away and then turned back in horror. “I’m so sorry, I mean, Miss Dalton.”
Curtis couldn’t believe his mistake; how could he have said something so improper?
Miss Dalton smiled and blushed. “It’s quite all right, Mr. Hart. It’s still early, and I’m sure we’re all a little sleep deprived … just don’t let it happen again.”
Curtis began nodding his head vigorously in agreement but then noticed Miss Dalton had a curious little smile on her lips. She was teasing him!
“Of course, Miss Dalton, never again.” Curtis gave her a bow and ushered his brother into the parlor.
***
Ralph immediately filled the room with a feeling of dread. He seemed unable to sit still and instead paced around the room, wringing his hands and shaking his head.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Curtis,” he said, his voice breaking.
Curtis walked over to his brother and placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Sorry for what? Whatever it is, I’m here for you. Just tell me what’s the matter. You said you might lose everything?”
Ralph looked at him with sorrow in his eyes.
“It’s bad, brother. I’m ashamed to even tell you.”
Curtis placed his other hand over his brother’s heart.
“There is no shame too great that you cannot share it with me.”
Even as he spoke the words, Curtis realized he hadn’t followed his own advice. He had never told Ralph about the great shame he carried surrounding Alice’s death. But that was a conversation for another day. Right now, Ralph was the one in trouble.
“Tell me what the matter is.”
Ralph took a deep breath, moved away from Curtis, and paced the room a few more times. Curtis simply watched him. Ralph would speak when he was ready.
Finally, Ralph turned to face Curtis. He looked drained, as though he had already given up.
“You know that Layla and I married young.”
Curtis nodded.
“I love her. She is my life. She and my children are everything that is good in this world … but it’s been hard.”
Curtis sat down. He had a feeling this was going to be a long story, and he wanted to give his brother space to talk.
“We married so young, and then just a year after Marcus was born, Alice died.” Ralph threw Curtis a quick look. “It, uh, well, as you know, it was a terrible time for everyone. But I had already been under a lot of stress. Keeping a home and feeding my wife and child, it was a lot to take on. And then Alice died, and Mom and Dad left …”
Ralph paused. Curtis just watched him, uncertain where the story would go next.
“I started gambling. Just a little bit to take my mind off of everything. I had been doing it before Layla and I got married. You know, just some fun between me and the boys … but after everything happened, I started to do it more frequently. A lot more frequently.”
Curtis shifted in surprise. He had never suspected this of his brother. Curtis didn’t even know anyone else who gambled. At least, not anyone that he would associate with.
“It started becoming more than just fun with the boys. It started to get bad, Curtis. Money was already running low, and then Samuel was born, and the situation kept getting worse and worse … I didn’t know who else to turn to.”
Curtis looked at him sharply. He prayed Ralph wasn’t about to say what he thought he would say.
“I needed to feed my family, and I was desperate Layla did not find out we were in trouble so … I borrowed money. I borrowed a great deal of money.”
Curtis’s heart sank. He already knew the answer, but he had to ask the question anyway. “Who did you borrow money from, Ralph?”
“The Lowrys.”
Curtis closed his eyes and thought back to Jessie’s interaction with his brother back in church. It had seemed strange at the time, but he couldn’t figure out why. Now everything made sense. Jessie and his family were holding Ralph’s debt over his family’s head, and Ralph was rightfully terrified.
“How much?”
Ralph looked at him.
“What?”
“How much do you owe the Lowrys?”
Ralph hung his head. “Four thousand dollars.”
“FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS?” Curtis shouted. He jumped up and hit the back of his chair in frustration. Ralph winced.
“Why didn’t you come to me? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was ashamed. I’m your big brother. You were already going through so much, and I didn’t want to burden you with this. I thought I could get it under control; I thought I could handle it.”
Curtis was surprised by his brother’s words. He knew they hadn’t been close since Alice died, but he had always assumed that was because Ralph blamed him for her death. He had never considered that maybe Ralph was facing his own demons.
Curtis went to his brother and gripped his shoulder once more. Ralph finally looked up at him. He looked nervous, as though expecting Curtis to strike him or yell again. Instead, Curtis pulled him into a hug. Ralph’s body shook slightly as they touched.
The pair pulled apart, and Curtis gripped Ralph’s face in his hands. “I will always be there for you. We’re family. We’ll figure this out.”
Ralph clenched and unclenched his jaw. He opened his mouth as if to speak but abruptly closed it again. Curtis gestured him over to a chair.
“Sit down. Tell me everything from the beginning.”
They had just settled across from each other when there was a tentative knock on the door. Melinda walked in with a tray bearing tea, toast, and preserves.
“I thought you both might want some breakfast,” she said, laying the tray on the table beside Curtis’s chair.
“That’s very kind of you, Miss Dalton, thank you,” said Curtis.
“It’s no trouble at all. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Curtis glanced at his brother, who was nervously tapping his foot. “Perhaps you could be so good as to let Mr. Winter know that I won’t be able to see to my regular duties this morning. If Miss Winter would be good enough to help him, it shouldn’t take too long.”
Melinda looked between Ralph and Curtis. “Yes, of course. I’ll see to it right away.”
She gave a short curtsey and made her way out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
“She seems to be a very pleasant girl,” said Ralph weakly as he attempted a smile.
“Yes, she is. It’s been refreshing to have her in the house,” Curtis said simply.
“Ah. Good, good.” Ralph’s foot tapping got louder.
Curtis poured his brother a cup of tea, adding a generous helping of cream.
Once the tea was in Ralph’s hands, Curtis said, “All right, from the beginning.”
Ralph took a large swig of tea. He sat and stared into the cup as though hoping it would give him answers.
“Well, as I mentioned, it was nine years ago, shortly after I got married.”
“How did it start?”
Ralph looked wistful. “It seemed harmless at first. I started spending time at the saloon. I thought that was just what married men did. Working as a rancher can be lonely sometimes, and I just wanted to find other men my age to talk to.”
“Why didn’t you talk to me?” Curtis asked.
“You were only sixteen, Curtis,” said Ralph. “Our difference in age doesn’t feel big now, but at the time, I was a man. A married man. And you were still a boy.”
“There are sixteen-year-olds who have gone to war,” said Curtis gruffly.
Ralph gave him a smile. “That’s true. But you weren’t at war, Curtis. You were joyful and goofy. You loved singing with Alice and running through the woods with your horses.”
“Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have helped you,” said Curtis, the pain evident in his voice.
Ralph looked at him sadly. “I know.”
Silence coated the room for a few moments before Ralph spoke again.
“At first, it was just for fun. It was a good way to erase the stress of the day. The games put me in a better mood for when I came home to Layla.”
Ralph’s eyes darkened.
“I couldn’t tell you when exactly things changed. I think I’d had a bad day at work, or maybe Layla had just told me she was pregnant, but somehow, I started borrowing money.”
“From Jessie?” asked Curtis.
Ralph frowned. “No, not at first. I mean, now I know it was all Jessie and his father. Everyone at every one of those games either worked for them or was borrowing money from them … but I didn’t know that at first. I thought they were my friends.”
Curtis let out a sigh. He felt terrible that he hadn’t been there for Ralph when he needed him.
“When it began, it was just a few cents here and there. I’d have a bad day, and someone would tell me they’d spot me. I even tried to pay them back sometimes, but they’d wave me off. Or they’d let me pay them and then raise the buy-in, so I’d borrow money all over again.
“I won just enough that it never really felt like a problem … it wasn’t until Marcus was born that I started feeling the squeeze. Everything started to cost more than it had before. You don’t realize how much a tiny little person can cost!”
Ralph took another swig of tea. He looked up at Curtis and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.”
“It started getting bad after Alice died. At least, that’s when I began to realize I had a problem.”
Curtis didn’t meet his brother’s gaze. He couldn’t.
“I just felt so lost. Mom and Dad left, and Alice was gone, and you seemed impossible to reach.”
Curtis flicked his eyes to Ralph’s face. He wondered at his brother’s description of him. He hadn’t said anything about him being at fault, but what did he mean about being impossible to reach? Curtis opened his mouth to ask but then closed it again, not wanting to interrupt his brother’s story. He would ask him later.
“Samuel was already on the way, and I couldn’t imagine what it would cost to feed another mouth. I started borrowing bigger sums of money. That’s when Jessie started showing up at actual games.”
Ralph covered his face with his hands.
“I knew his reputation, but I was in too deep. He explained what interest was, and again, it all started small. But the more I owed, the higher the interest. Before long, I owed more than I could make in a month.
Curtis felt helpless listening to Ralph’s story. He tried to think back to the birth of his second nephew. He tried to remember how his brother had acted back then, but it was all blank. Curtis had been so caught up in his grief and shame over Alice’s death that he had barely been present for his nephew’s birth.
With each new child, it just got worse. We needed more food and more things. More clothes. The ranch should have been enough. Business was going well by the time Eva was born, but by then I couldn’t stop. I kept on thinking I would make it all back. I kept on thinking I would win and the nightmare would be over.”
Curtis had finally had enough. “That’s what gambling is, Ralph! Everybody thinks they’re going to win. Everybody thinks it’s just one more game until all their problems are over. How could you have let this happen? How could you have been so foolish?”
Ralph let out a sound like a sob and leaped out of his chair. Curtis immediately regretted his words.
“I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have spoken so harshly.”
Ralph stood by the window, looking out at the perfectly snow-lined hills.
“No, you’re right. I was foolish. I should have known better. I think that’s why this is all so painful. I’ve been so angry at myself for so long. I’ve been so ashamed.”
Ralph looked directly at Curtis. His eyes looked desperate.
“I’m a smart man. I come from a good family. I knew who the Lowrys were and how they took advantage of vulnerable people. I didn’t want to think myself vulnerable. I just felt so pathetic. I thought I could fix everything.”
Curtis shook his head firmly. “You’re not pathetic. Yes, you made some poor decisions, but the Lowrys are the real problem here, not you. They look for people, good people, to take advantage of. They saw that you were starting a new family.”
He paused.
“They saw that you were … going through a loss. They saw all that and seized the opportunity to prey on you. They’ve been doing this for a long time … they just knew you were an easy target.”
Ralph bit his lip, blinked his eyes several times, and turned away. Curtis knew he was fighting back tears.
“The Lowrys are the villains here, not you.”
He stood up and walked over to his brother.
“I spoke out of anger just now. I can’t imagine the pressures you’ve been under, and I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you. I think I’m angrier at myself than I am at you. You should have been able to talk to me.”
Ralph turned around. His eyes were red.
“I saw how much you were hurting. I didn’t want to add any more pain.”
Curtis once again saw an opportunity to ask Ralph whether he blamed him for Alice’s death, but he didn’t take it.
The two brothers looked at each other, and Curtis wondered how many secrets they had kept from each other over the years. He realized he didn’t want to keep secrets anymore. He resolved to tell Ralph how much he blamed himself for their sister’s death but now wasn’t the time. Right now, there was a different problem to solve. Curtis put his hand back on his brother’s shoulder.
“Ralph, thank you for coming to me and sharing this burden. I want to do anything I can to help you. Tell me what happened that made you come to me this morning. When I opened the door, it looked like you had seen a ghost. You’ve made it clear you’ve been struggling with this for many years, so what happened that made you call on me now?”
Ralph glanced toward the door as though afraid someone might overhear them, then he turned back to his brother.
“Jessie Lowry came to my house.”
Curtis widened his eyes in horror. “He came to your house?”
Ralph nodded.
“Last night. I was just closing up the barn, and I looked up, and there he was. Layla saw him coming, too. She was looking out of the window and saw him walk up. I had to lie to her, Curtis. I told her he was interested in buying one of the horses, but I don’t know if she believed me.”
Curtis brushed that information aside. He didn’t want any fractures between Ralph and Layla, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
“What did he say to you?” he asked.
Ralph looked terrified.
“He told me he needed all of the money in three days. He said he and his family had waited long enough, and that if I didn’t produce all four thousand by Christmas Eve, then something terrible would happen.” Ralph’s voice began to shake. “He didn’t say what, but he mentioned my children. Curtis, it was a threat to my family.”
His whole body was shaking now. “I don’t have the money. I don’t have the money to pay him, and I don’t know what to do. I could lose everything. I can’t imagine what Layla will say. What if he hurts her, Curtis? What if he hurts my children?”
Curtis gave his brother a firm shake. “Stop that. I won’t let that happen; I promise you.”
Ralph looked fearfully into his eyes. “How can you promise that? How can this possibly be solved?”
Curtis took a deep breath. His brother had held onto this burden for long enough. It was time for him to share the load.
“I’ll find a way, brother, I promise you.”
Curtis saw a flicker of hope pass over Ralph’s eyes.
“We’re family, and family looks out for each other. Jessie said you have three days, so there’s no need to panic yet. Go home, look after your wife and children. I will find a way to pay your debts.”
Ralph gasped. “Curtis, no! I couldn’t possibly accept that kind of money from you.”
Curtis stopped him. “You can, and you will. I’ve had little reason to spend money these past few years except on my cows. If I can use it to help my big brother, then I think that’s a worthy cause.”
“But,” sputtered Ralph.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, then you can pay me back one day, but I don’t want you to worry about that now.”
Ralph finally broke down in tears, and Curtis pulled him into another hug. It was the first time they had been that close in years.
“I don’t know what to say,” said Ralph, breaking away from Curtis.
“You don’t need to say anything. Give me a little bit of time to get my affairs in order. I’ll come by tomorrow once I’ve had time to sort everything out.”
Ralph gave Curtis another hug. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I’ll pay you back every penny, I promise.”
Curtis patted him on the back. “Just worry about your family right now; that’s all you need to do.”
Ralph gave him a watery smile and started walking to the door. Just as he reached for the doorknob, he turned back around.
“Curtis?”
Curtis nodded. “Yes?”
“Layla is pregnant.”
Curtis felt like a million different thoughts were running through his head at the same time. He knew how scary the thought of another child must be for his brother at this time. But a child was a blessing, and once his brother was out of this mess, he would see that. He gave Ralph a smile.
“Congratulations, Ralph. That’s wonderful.”
Ralph avoided his gaze. “Yes.”
Curtis walked over to the door and, for a final time, put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Go be with your wife. Enjoy your children. I will call on you tomorrow.”
Ralph nodded, opened the door, and left. A few minutes later, Curtis heard the front door close.
He walked over to the table where Melinda had left the tray earlier and sank into the chair beside it. He idly picked up a piece of cold toast and spread some preserves on top. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he was left alone.
He finished the toast and slid down in his chair until his head rested against it. He started up at the ceiling and once again experienced the feeling that the world was closing in on him.
He blinked rapidly, forcing his eyes to focus. The world wasn’t closing in. There was just a serious situation in front of him. A very serious situation.
“Well,” he said aloud, “what am I going to do about it?”