“That man you saw has been wanting to graze his cattle on this land.”
“But you grow wheat, I thought.”
Sarah nodded. “And we have a major track of creek running through our property. He had the nerve to tell me that my father was thinking about going into partnership with him.”
“Partnership?”
“Yes. That after all those years of Arlan trying to get my father to sell, they were going to go into business together. Can you believe that?”
“I don’t know what to think.” Ian rubbed his hands over her shoulders. He moved his mouth to rest against her hair and inhaled. Her scent was intoxicating.
“And then he has the nerve to ask me to marry him.”
Ian stepped back and dropped his hands. “Excuse me?”
Sarah turned and looked at him. “The farm is in default on its taxes. If I can’t come up with either the money or a husband by midnight tomorrow night, then the farm will go to a tax sale. Then Arlan will get everything.”
“But he wants you to marry him?”
“He said it was the only way I could stay on the farm. I can’t leave. This is my home. My parents and sister are buried out back.”
“How would him marrying you prevent that?”
“If I’m married all property becomes my husband’s.”
“How much do you owe, Sarah?”
Sarah was wringing her hands. “Fifty dollars,” she finally said in a low voice.
Ian let out a whistle. “That’s a lot of money.”
“I know,” Sarah whispered.
“Well then, there is only one solution.”
“What’s that? I can’t come up with the money by Thursday.”
“You’ll have to marry me.”
Sarah couldn’t believe that she was married. Ian insisted on getting married right away, so they rode all the way to Bachelor after dark to pound on Reverend Bing’s door.
The Reverend was surprised at such a late hour but performed the ceremony anyway. Ian apologized for not having a ring, and he promised he would ride into town the following day to purchase her one from the mercantile.
When the vows were over, Ian gave her the sweetest kiss. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought that the marriage was real. Instead, she knew it was simply a marriage of convenience.
What Ian was going to get out of it, she wasn’t sure.
They agreed that he would help with the delay of the tax payment and then stay until Sarah could get everything paid off. Then they would part ways amicably.
But that didn’t seem so nice to Sarah.
Ian promised to go to the bank the following day and start the process to transfer everything over in his name. That would allow Sarah enough time to sell off many of the furnishings in the house to make the tax payment.
They rode in silence back to the farm. They had taken one horse, so Sarah was sitting in front of Ian. He had his arms wrapped around Sarah and his hand was holding onto the saddle horn.
Sarah leaned back into his arms, enjoying the feel of them around her. Everything was dark when they arrived home.
Ian walked the horse to the front of the house and slid Sarah from the animal. “I’ll go and put up the horse.”
“Are you sleeping in the bunkhouse?”
“Do you want me to sleep in this house?” Ian asked.
“I think it would look odd if my new husband slept in the barn.”
“What are you thinking, Sarah?”
“You can stay in Lacey’s room until we get everything settled.”
Ian laughed. “I did miss that blue and pink quilt.”
Sarah couldn’t stop thinking about her husband. She was becoming more comfortable around him and they fell into an easy routine.
True to his word, the day after they married, Ian rode into town to pick up a copy of their marriage certificate and to go see Mr. Mathews at the bank.
When he returned her brought her another cake from the bakery and told her it would take at least three weeks before they heard from the tax collector. Mr. Mathews, he said, would drop the notice off as soon as he received it.
They fell into an easy routine. During the day Ian would spend time with Dell learning everything he could about the farm. At night he would help dry the dishes while they shared happenings from their day. Then they would sit in front of the fire and play checkers or listen to Sarah read before heading to bed.
Every night he would walk Sarah to her room and gently kiss her goodnight before heading to Lacey’s room where he would sleep. Sarah burned every single one of those kisses in her memory. She had fourteen so far. One for every night they were married.
Ian was invaluable in helping to clear her parent’s room. When she couldn’t decide, he decided for her. When she mentioned she was thinking of selling off all the furniture, he convinced her to keep it in case she decided to move into that room. It was her house now.
When he said things like that Sarah couldn’t help but think that he might be leaving soon. Even though every action Ian took said otherwise, Sarah couldn’t help but think that eventually she would be alone in the farmhouse.
The only room she didn’t want Ian’s help in was the office. Sarah was still processing her grief and she spent many hours sitting at her father’s desk, looking out the window or talking to the painting on the wall.
If she wasn’t inside working or sitting in the office, Sarah was making plans for her garden. Her father started the seeds in the barn and the young plants were about ready to be put in the ground.
Every year, her family would rotate where the garden was placed in the yard. This way it allowed the soil to heal from the garden the year before. There were three such garden plots that were used to grow vegetables for the farm.
Sarah knew that she was only going to have to grow for three people, not the normal dozen that lived at the farm. Still, she couldn’t help but make the garden patch as large as normal. Maybe she could either can up the extra or sell it in town.
That is if the tax assessor decided to accept a deferment until she could raise the money. They should hear something any day now. Sarah walked to the barn to collect the plants. Ian and Dell were fixing a post in the barn yard. Sarah waved to them as she went by. They waved back.
As she carried the first few plants towards the garden plot, her thoughts drifted back to Ian.
She decided to move the garden this year to the far side of the house. It would get more sun there, and there was a pump for water. It would be easier for Sarah to water the plants on that side of the house.
Ian broke the soil with an axe before he headed out to work with Dell. He was learning quite a bit about wheat, but he wasn’t convinced it would bring in what Sarah needed when they sold it at market. She was nearly done turning the soil with a pitchfork, bringing the rich dark soil below to the top layer when she hit something.
The soil wasn’t too rocky in this portion of the farm but occasionally, they would hit a rock when working. Sarah picked up the shovel and tried to lift the rock from the soil. It wouldn’t budge. She moved the shovel all around the object. Whatever it was, it was bigger than the small rocks that they normally uncovered.
Sarah stepped back and slid the shovel back in the dirt at a different angle. Whatever was there didn’t budge. She needed to take a different approach. She dug around the object, feeling her way with the shovel. The dirt was piling up next to her.
As she cleared more of the dirt, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Ian! Dell!” she cried, falling to her knees to move the dirt from around the object.
Ian got to her first. “Are you alright?” He knelt on the ground next to her.
“Look,” she said breathlessly. Peeking from beneath the dirt was a terracotta jug.
“What’s going on?” Dell said coming up behind them.
“We found a jug.” She watched as Dell rubbed his chest. “You need to go to the doctor, Dell.”
“I’ll do it next week when I
go to town.” Sarah raised her eyebrow at him. “I promise.”
“Move over, Sarah,” Ian said. He picked up the shovel and started loosening the rest of the dirt around the jug. Soon the jug was wiggling in the dirt as Ian rocked it back and forth.
“Grab the mouth, Sarah. I’m going to see if I can pry it up.”
Sarah reached down and held onto the mouth of the jug, holding it in place as Ian grunted. He put all his weight on the shovel and with one final grunt the jar was released from the soil.
Sarah nearly fell backwards, but she managed to keep her balance. “That is extremely heavy,” she said.
“You need to break it open.” Dell looked around. “Use the shovel to crack it. Just like an egg,” he told Ian.
“Let’s move it out here so the stoneware doesn’t break in the garden.” Ian picked up the jug and dragged it further into the yard. “That is heavier than I thought. I can hear something clinking inside.”
Sarah was so excited. “Open it, Ian. Open it!”
Ian took the shovel and put the tip against the side of the jar. He lifted the shovel and brought it swiftly down where he had marked the spot. After three attempts, the jug cracked open, revealing the treasure inside.
“There must be close to a hundred dollars in there,” Dell said.
“More than that,” Ian replied. Silver coins captured the sunlight, nearly blinding Sarah. She could also see some paper bills mixed in with the coins.
Ian picked up one of the silver dollars and handed it to her. “I estimate there is probably two to three hundred of these in that jar.”
“No wonder we had trouble getting it out of the dirt.”
“You’re rich, missy,” Dell said picking Sarah up in a hug and dancing around with her. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before releasing her back to the ground.
“There is seventy-five dollars in bills here,” Ian said handing her the money. She took the bills and threw her arms around Ian’s neck. “I can’t believe we found it!” She reached up and placed a kiss on his lips. She felt his surprise but then he was pulling her closer.
They heard Dell cough and pulled apart. “What are you going to do with all your money, Sarah?”
Sarah placed the bills in the pocket of her apron. “First thing I’m going to do is pay the taxes.”
The next morning, Mr. Mathews stopped by with a notification from the Tax Assessors’ office.
“What do you mean I don’t owe anything?” Sarah looked at the paper in disbelief.
“Everything has been taken care of.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Your husband came to the bank and paid the amount owed when he dropped off your marriage certificate and signed the appropriate documents. I just had to get everything finalized before I dropped by with the papers.”
Sarah thanked Mr. Mathews, but inside she was fuming. It was her responsibility. Hers! Ian said that he was simply going to arranged for an extension. Not actually pay it!
Sarah was fit to be tied. She put the papers aside vowing to talk to Ian about them when he returned home that evening. She needed to do something to take her mind off what she just learned.
She touched the money in her pocket. He knew she was going to offer it to Mr. Mathews when the banker delivered the papers. Ian let her continue to think that the taxes were still outstanding.
Ian was out with Dell fixing a fence for the cows and horses to graze, otherwise she’d have it out with him right then. Dusty and Jesse had already left to go work at the Snyder ranch.
Instead she decided to take her frustrations out on her father’s office. She had sold the credenza and hutch before they found the jug of money, and the man was supposed to stop by with a wagon later that afternoon to pick it up.
Looking around the room she decided to start with the hutch that contained all her father’s books. She pulled over a wooden crate and opened the doors, her fingers tracing the spines.
She pulled the books down and placed them in the crate on the floor. She would sort them later. As she pulled the books out, she read the titles of the books before she put them in the crate. Some of her favorite memories were reading the books out loud to her father. That is probably why she enjoyed reading to Ian so much.
He was an honorable man. That is probably why he paid the taxes. He didn’t want her to have to worry about it. He knew she would pay him when she either found the money or sold the farm. That was why he stayed around. Once she paid him there would be nothing keeping him at the farm.
She pulled the next few books down and lovingly organized them into the crate. The next book was one of her favorites. Treasure Island. She and her father would create crazy stories about pirates in their own back yard. Sarah remembered making him a treasure map to her dolly.
Laughing at the memory she flipped open the book and gasped. There was an enveloped glued to the inside cover.
Sarah ran to the desk with the book and searched for her father’s letter opener. With shaky hands, she managed to open the letter and pull out several sheets of paper.
The first two were her father’s will and testament. She would have to get that over to Mr. Rodgers as soon as possible. The other were notes that her father had written regarding going into business with ... Arlan Snyder! So, the man was telling the truth!
She put that paper aside and opened the last one. She put her fingers to her mouth. She couldn’t believe it! Her father had drawn a treasure map with locations all around the farm. This must be where he stored the rest of his money.
Sarah laid the paper down and pressed the creases out with her fingers. She recognized all these places! There was the marking for the jug they just recovered yesterday. She ran her finger over the paper looking at the other marks. Many were underneath the trees where her father loved to spend time. Some were by the creek bed where they would picnic as a family. A few were even in the barn.
Sarah put the map in her pocket. She didn’t want to share this with Ian just yet. If she told him about the map, then he would delay leaving to stay with her until she found all the money.
The sound of hoof beats drew her attention to the window outside. It was Ian. He dismounted from his horse and ran into the house. “Sarah! Sarah!” he cried.
“What’s wrong. Is everything alright?”
“You need to go get the doctor. Something happened to Dell.”
Chapter 9
Ian watched as Dell was buried under the trees with the rest of the Abrahams family. The doc said Dell passed quickly from a myocardial infarction. Ian didn’t know exactly what that meant, just that it had something to do with Dell’s heart.
It took three days to get him buried. Three days that Sarah didn’t move from her bed. Dusty and Jesse returned along with the other farm hands to dig the grave under the trees. Ian paid for a pine casket and Reverend Bing presided over the simple service.
When they were done, Sarah invited everyone back in the house for sandwiches. The men declined, stating they needed to get to the ranch.
“Will you stay for some coffee, Reverend?”
“I need to get back to Bachelor. There is a baptism this afternoon and I need to get prepared.” He gave Sarah a hug and looked to Ian. “Walk me to my buggy?”
“Of course.” Ian followed the kindly man out to where his horse and buggy were waiting.
“She’s going to need you more than ever, son. She may look like she is keeping her composure, but underneath she is dying inside.”
“What can I do?’ Ian didn’t want to think about Sarah hurting.
“Love her the best you can, son.”
Reverend Bing climbed up into the carriage and gave the horse a flick of the whip. Ian watched as he headed down the road towards town.
Love her the best you can. Ian was afraid he was already doing just that. Even though he hadn’t formally said anything, he would do just about anything for Sarah. Didn’t that amount to love?
He’d held her as she fell to the
floor sobbing when the doctor shook his head and said there was nothing he could do. He made sure that Dell had a proper burial since he knew Sarah wasn’t in any shape to plan a funeral.
He drew her a warm bath and found clean clothes for her. He made sure she ate. He listened as she screamed at him for paying the taxes without letting her know. He left her when she demanded to be alone.
Ian returned to the house. Sarah was no where to be found. She must be laying back down, he thought. He was extremely worried about her. Her eyes were sunken in and she hardly spoke two words to him or the hands that came to help.
Not sure what to do, Ian went into Jacob’s study. Sarah always seemed to find comfort there. He looked around the room. It seemed empty now that the credenza and hutch were gone.
There was a stack of papers on the desk. Ian picked up the first one. It was Jacob’s will. Everything went to his wife. If she was gone, then everything would be given to his surviving children with a fund set up to pay the taxes for ten years.
He put the will aside and lifted the next paper. His eyes skimmed the notes that Jacob had written about allowing Snyder to graze his cattle on the land. It appeared that Jacob realized he couldn’t farm much longer, but his wife didn’t want to leave the side of the mountain. She called it her piece of paradise.
Ian certainly knew that he couldn’t farm the land alone. He didn’t know anything about crops or machinery, but he did know that Sarah wanted to stay here, and he would move heaven and earth to make that possible. He quickly scribbled some ideas down on the paper. He would need to speak to Sarah and show her that it could be done.
Ian brought up his idea to Sarah later that evening. She had appeared for a simple supper of soup and then disappeared back to her room. Ian stood at the door watching her cry. His heart was breaking listening to her cries.
He didn’t enter her room. Even though they had been married for nearly a month, they still slept in different beds. This was Sarah’s private space and he would respect that.
Ian hoped that would change at some point. He had spent quite a bit of time with Sarah and he wanted to spend more. In fact, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her if she would let him.
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