LITMIR.BIZ

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      Half an hour later, Clayton knocked on the front door. Maggie hurried to let him in. “Thank you for coming to the house.” She led the way to the kitchen.

      “What can I do for you?” he asked, eyeing the plate of cookies and the two cups that rested on the table.

      She smiled as she picked up the coffeepot. All men were the same when it came to cookies and coffee. “Well, for starters you can have a seat and help me eat these cookies.” She poured hot coffee into the two cups.

      Clayton’s rich laughter washed over her like warm water on a cold day. She felt goose bumps swell on her arms.

      “I’ll be happy to put away a few of those cookies for you.” He moved to the table and waited for her to indicate which chair to take. She waved him to the one on the end, and then Maggie joined him.

      When he was seated, Maggie said, “Help yourself.” She pushed the plate closer to him.

      Clayton picked up a golden-colored cookie and bit into it. He grinned. “These are very good.”

      “Thank you. They are my grandmother’s recipe.” She took a sip of the warm coffee.

      His eyes narrowed. “Why are you trying to sweeten me up?”

      She laughed. “Am I that transparent?”

      Clayton chewed, then swallowed. “Let’s just say I know a bribe when I taste one. Ma used to ply us boys with cookies when she wanted information.”

      Maggie nodded. “I think I would like your ma.”

      “I’m sure you would. Everybody loves Ma.” He washed the first cookie down with a big gulp of the coffee. “So, what do you want to know?” His blue gaze met hers.

      She sighed and put down her cup. “As you know, I can’t very well get out with the children to check and see for myself what Gus is doing to James’s ranch. Bill used to come and give me updates on how things were going so I was hoping you would do the same.” Maggie waited to see if things were as bad as she felt in her heart that they were. She hadn’t seen the books in over three months. She prayed the ranch finances were in order.

      Clayton set his cup down and reached for another cookie. “Well, according to Hal, Gus isn’t around much so hasn’t given any orders other than for the men to do what they normally do. I’ve noticed that the calves haven’t been rounded up or branded and there are a lot of repairs on the place that are being neglected.”

      Maggie leaned forward in her chair. “How many calves do you think we have this year?”

      It seemed to Maggie that Clayton was doing a mental head count. “I’ve seen about three hundred, more or less.”

      “That sounds about right. Gus said we lost over half the herd this winter and that’s about half of the calves Jack said we’d have this year.”

      Clayton’s eyes narrowed. “How did you lose half the herd?”

      “Gus said that last big snow we had trapped some of them in the gully and they froze to death. He and the men couldn’t get to them because of the weather.” She sighed. “We took a big loss on them.”

      “If you don’t mind my asking, how is the ranch making money?” Clayton pushed the plate away as if he’d lost his appetite.

      “Jack always took the cattle to market in the late spring, but with us losing half the herd, I’m not sure what Gus has planned.” She hated admitting that she didn’t know what would happen next.

      Clayton’s frown deepened. “Maggie, there aren’t enough cattle on this ranch for a cattle drive to anyplace.”

      She shook her head. “We are a small ranch. Every spring Jack teamed up with our neighbor, Mr. Morris, and they’d take our cattle and his to market.”

      “Doesn’t it seem odd to you that half the herd froze to death in the gully? Isn’t the gully supposed to help protect them? And where were the men when the cattle were freezing?”

      Clayton’s blue eyes had hardened to deep sapphires.

      Maggie realized just how little she knew about her own ranch. She sighed. “I don’t know.”

      “I’m not trying to be rude, Maggie, but why haven’t you asked Gus these questions?”

      She swallowed. “I didn’t know what to ask at the time, and lately, he isn’t talking to me.”

      Clayton nodded. “Yeah, I noticed he hasn’t been to the house. I just assumed that you two meet once a month instead of weekly.”

      Maggie shook her head. “No, he’s still sore because I won’t sell the ranch to him.”

      They sat in silence for several minutes. Then Clayton said, “You could fire him. Since the Pony Express riders come through about every two or three days, I would be happy to help you with the running of the ranch. At least until you can find someone who would do an honest job for you.”

      Maggie hated to admit it, but Clayton really was a good man. Not a man whom she’d ever fall in love with or want to marry. Jack had been a good man but he hadn’t loved her. Her marriage to him had been out of his desire for an heir and her need to put a roof over Dinah’s head. Then just as she’d started to fall in love with her husband, he’d up and died. Maggie didn’t want to feel the disappointment of lost love again. But he seemed to really want to help her. “Thank you, but I don’t feel like I can do that at this time. Gus wouldn’t leave quietly, and since he’s Jack’s relative he might go as far as to try to take the ranch away from me legally. To be honest, I’m not sure if I have a legal right to the land.”

      “Did Jack have a will or a piece of paper saying the ranch belonged to the child?” Clayton reached for another cookie.

      Maggie nodded. “Yes. Right after the funeral Jack’s lawyer called both Gus and me to his office. He had Jack’s will. Jack had left the ranch to our unborn child and given Gus a hundred dollars. Of course, Gus wanted it all, but the lawyer said that as long as the baby lives, he legally owns the land.” She watched as he finished the cookie.

      “Well, doesn’t that answer your question? Sounds like you do have a legal right.”

      She shook her head. “No, James has the legal right. Not me.”

      Clayton drank the rest of his coffee and stood up. “You know, maybe we should make a trip to town and check with Jack’s lawyer. I think that as long as you are James’s mother, you have as much right to this land as he does.”

      She stood also. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask.” Maggie followed him to the door.

      Just before leaving, Clayton turned to face her. “Maggie, I’ll do what I can to help you with Gus.” His blue eyes softened into clear blue pools.

      Maggie’s heart skipped a beat. Her palms grew moist. She wiped them on her apron. Confusion clouded her mind. What was it about Clayton Young that had her brain turning to mush?

      * * *

      Clayton walked to the barn. He didn’t understand why he cared so much about this family. But the thought of Gus Fillmore taking advantage of Maggie and the children infuriated him.

      Over the last week, he’d tried to keep to the barn and do the job of Pony Express manager but had found himself watching the house and wondering what Maggie and Dinah were doing.

      He missed his family and decided maybe that was why he felt protective of Maggie and the kids. Clayton went to his room and picked up one of the medical books Doc Anderson had given him. Flipping through the pages, he couldn’t focus on the book. His mind continued to drift to Gus, Maggie and the turmoil with the ranch.

      He tossed the book onto the cot and pulled his coat and hat back on. Not expecting another rider for a couple of days, Clayton decided he needed to get some fresh air.

      Bones snorted

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