When they got back, they wiped down their horses and put them in stalls for the night. “I want to show you one more thing before we go eat our supper,” Elaina said, needing him to understand what they were up against.
“Over there,” Elaina said, pointing to a dilapidated fence line, “the foreman promised it’d be mended come spring. It seems he was more interested in lining his pockets than upholding his word.”
Steven followed her gaze, noting the sagging posts and the barbed wire hanging limp. He reached out, letting the coarse strands run through his fingers before they fell away. “We’ll need to take inventory of what supplies we have—if any. And gather able hands willing to work for honest pay.”
“Most of the men are loyal to him,” Elaina’s voice broke slightly. “It won’t be easy to convince them otherwise.”
“Then we will start small,” he assured her, “with those who value integrity over deceit. The truth has a way of rallying folks to a just cause.” Steven shook his head. “Tomorrow, I’ll begin by talking to the hands, gauge where their loyalties lie.”
They continued on, stepping around a broken wheel that lay abandoned near the barn, its wood splintered and gray. The structure itself leaned precariously, its doors hanging askew.
“Here,” Elaina said, stepping into the house and handing him a ledger she’d kept. “I’ve tried keeping track, but without knowing how much cattle he’s sold...” She trailed off, a look of frustration etched across her features.
“Let’s sit down tonight and go through this together,” Steven suggested, taking the book from her. “We’ll compare it against the brand registry, and see if the numbers match up. Any discrepancies could help us expose him.”
“I’m glad one of us is confident we can work this out,” Elaina admitted. “I can’t thank you enough for coming all this way.”
“Miss Walstad...I mean, Elaina,” he replied solemnly, “helping you restore this place to its rightful standing isn’t just a duty—it’s an honor. This land,” he gestured broadly out the window, “it deserves to be nurtured by someone who truly cares. And I intend to ensure that happens.”
Elaina’s lips curved in a tentative smile, the first genuine expression of hope Steven had seen since his arrival.
“Tomorrow,” she said, “we begin anew.”
Looking out, Steven noticed a figure standing atop a small rise that overlooked the ranch. The foreman, his arms folded across his chest, watched the house. His stance was casual, but there was an unmistakable tension in the way he held his shoulders.
Steven felt Elaina tense beside him as her gaze followed his to the solitary man. The foreman’s weathered face seemed carved from the same tough leather as his boots, and his eyes, though distant, carried a flicker of something akin to guilt—or perhaps fear.
“He knows something is up,” Steven said softly.
“His name’s George,” she said quietly, “and he knows his days here are numbered.”
After supper, Steven sat with her ledger and worked on the numbers by lantern light. Elaina watched him work. “I’ve never seen anyone so thorough,” she remarked.
“It’s what I do,” he replied without looking up. “Or at least, it’s what I did for my family’s farm back in Massachusetts. My father always said, ‘A man’s worth is measured by the integrity of his work.’”
“Your father sounds like a good man.”
“He is,” Steven answered simply.
Hours passed as he combed through the records, cross-referencing receipts and tallies, his keen eye catching several entries that didn’t add up. He circled them one by one, the ink from his pen stark against the yellowed paper.
“Here.” He tapped a line item dated several months prior. “This sale—it’s marked as fifteen head of cattle, but the brand count for that week decreased by twenty. That’s money unaccounted for, money that should be in your pocket, not his.”
Elaina leaned closer, squinting at the details. “How could I have missed this?”
“Because you trusted him to be honest,” Steven said. “And he took advantage of that trust.”
They locked eyes, and in that moment, an unspoken vow passed between them. They would right these wrongs, together.
“Tomorrow,” Steven declared, “we confront George. We’ll demand answers, and if he can’t provide them, we’ll take our evidence to the sheriff.”
“Thank you, Steven,” Elaina said. “For everything.”
He shook his head, dismissing her thanks. “No need for that. We’re in this as partners now, aren’t we?”
“Partners,” she repeated. “Come with me. I’ll show you the room that will be yours for now. I think you’ll understand that I don’t want to share a bed with a man I just met a few hours ago.”
Steven nodded. “I do understand that, but I want one kiss before we say goodnight.”
