“I’m trying to be respectful.”
“You’re failing beautifully.”
He laughed.
Then his face became solemn.
“When I do ask, if I do, your answer cannot be about the ranch.”
“It won’t be.”
“And mine isn’t.”
She believed that too.
For the first time in her life, Mabel Higgins stood beside a man without wondering whether she was too broad, too plain, too awkward or too much.
She simply stood.
And was seen.
The scandal nearly destroyed Oak Haven.
For two weeks, nothing else mattered.
Josiah Higgins had concealed an inheritance.
Thomas Cole had forged a legal document.
Mabel Higgins owned part of Longhorn Valley.
And Edwin Marsh, the supposed uncle who had vanished east, had secretly been Mabel’s biological father.
Women who had ignored Mabel for twenty years suddenly invited her to tea.
She declined every invitation.
Men who had never noticed her began tipping their hats.
She found this deeply amusing.
Clementine found it infuriating.
“You should accept Mrs. Abernathy’s invitation,” she said one afternoon.
“Why?”
“So you can eat all her expensive cakes and then tell her no.”
Mabel considered it.
“That has merit.”
The sisters had changed.
Not completely.
Healing rarely happened completely.
But Clementine stopped allowing Martha to choose her clothes.
Mabel stopped retreating into kitchens whenever guests arrived.
Josiah voluntarily signed control of the Higgins property over to Martha and Clementine while lawyers began sorting out the fraud.
Whether criminal charges would follow remained uncertain.
Harrison refused to interfere.
Mabel respected him for that.
Then came the cattle auction.
Every rancher for seventy miles attended.
Longhorn Valley planned to sell nearly five hundred head.
Mabel attended beside Harrison.
This alone created enough gossip to fuel Oak Haven through winter.
But the auction never began.
Fifteen minutes before the first animal entered the ring, Sheriff Amos Reed rode into the yard with two deputies.
“Harrison!”
Harrison turned.
The sheriff dismounted.
“We found the missing cattle.”
“Where?”
“Red Hollow canyon.”
Harrison frowned.
“That’s still Cole land.”
“Not all of it.”
The sheriff removed folded papers.
“Branding irons too.”
Mabel saw Harrison’s expression.
“Whose?”
The sheriff looked directly at Josiah Higgins, who had arrived moments earlier.
“Higgins.”
The crowd erupted.
Josiah staggered.
“No.”
Sheriff Reed approached.
“Eighty-three Longhorn Valley cattle. Cole brands burned over. Higgins mark added.”
Mabel stared at the man she had once called Father.
“You stole Harrison’s cattle?”
Josiah looked horrified.
“I did not.”
A rancher laughed.
“Convenient.”
The sheriff reached for Josiah.
Then Clementine screamed.
“Stop!”
Everyone turned.
She pushed through the crowd.
“Father didn’t do it.”
Sheriff Reed frowned.
“You know something?”
“Yes.”
Mabel’s blood chilled.
Clementine looked at Harrison.
“I know who did.”
She turned.
Toward Martha Higgins.
For several seconds, no one understood.
Then Martha whispered, “Clementine.”
Clementine’s face crumpled.
“I saw you.”
Mabel could not breathe.
“When?”
“Three nights before the jubilee. Mother met someone outside the barn.”
Martha looked around wildly.
Clementine continued.
“I followed her.”
“Stop this.”
“She gave him Father’s old branding iron.”
“Minnie…”
“She told him where Longhorn Valley’s southern fence was weakest.”
Harrison stared at Martha.
“Why?”
Martha’s composure vanished.
“Because none of you understand what desperation does.”
She looked at Mabel.
“You think Josiah wasted all that money?”
“He said he did.”
“He lied.”
Mabel frowned.
Martha laughed.
“He always lies to protect me.”
Josiah whispered, “Martha, don’t.”
She ignored him.
“The six thousand dollars wasn’t lost in investments.”
Mabel’s stomach dropped.
“Then where did it go?”
Martha looked toward Longhorn Valley.
“Into the ranch.”
Harrison went rigid.
“What?”
“Thomas Cole demanded money back after discovering Josiah lacked authority to sell the claim. He threatened us. Josiah couldn’t repay it.”
She smiled strangely.
“So I did.”
“With what?”
“Edwin’s money.”
Mabel whispered, “It was Edwin’s money.”
