The shoulders jumped when Cassandra placed a hand on each of Elissa’s shoulders. “Sorry. Didn’t realize you were concentrating so much. You look extremely happy.”
“I was just thinking about how I’ve come to love teasing people.” Elissa pulled a willing Cassandra onto her lap. “I was thinking how it came about once a certain someone realized we could have a more intimate relationship. Even before you gifted me with your first kiss.”
Cassandra leaned her head on her wife’s and wrapped her arm around Elissa’s neck. “I can’t believe that was already four years ago.”
“Time flies when you don’t age.” Elissa felt the slight tap to the back of her head. “Good thing that’s the hardest part of me. No damage done.”
“Wow, you are in a good mood.” Cassandra turned Elissa’s head so they were looking into one another’s eyes. “I love it when you are in a good mood. I’ll take advantage of it later.” She tilted her head and closed the distance for a passionate kiss.
Elissa suddenly rose from the chair. She took Cassandra with her but eased her wife to a standing position. Vampire hearing had picked up voices as they neared the kitchen entrance.
The knock on the door was unexpected. No one on the ranch knocked first. Cassandra made her way to the door. A man nearing his forties stood at the back door. His hair was dark but greying. His eyes were as dark as the night. “Is this the Angel Ranch?”
Cassandra blinked a couple times. She was accustomed to someone asking for herself or Elissa, but rarely by the ranch name. Unless they were interested in horse flesh. “Yes, it is. I’m Cassandra Peters. Standing behind me is the co-owner Elissa Monroe. What can we do for you?”
“My name is Edgar Armstrong.” Edgar tipped his hat before holding out his hand Cassandra reluctantly accepted. “I’m here to inquire about some of your stock.”
Elissa was instantly beside Cassandra. There was something she didn’t like about this man. “We have several head of horses. Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“Miss Monroe, I’m here on behalf of a growing contingency of businessmen.” There was an accent to his speech. It was one Elissa thought she recognized. If this man was who she thought he was, they would not be doing business with him. “We are soon to need as many decent pieces of horseflesh as we can get our hands upon.”
“Like I said, we have quite a large stock.” Elissa’s eyes darkened slightly. The man was being evasive. “We reserve the right to sell to who we want to. So once again I ask. Who are you buying for?”
Edgar was taken back. When he’d heard two women ran the Angel Ranch, he assumed it would be easy to acquire what he wanted. “As I stated, my name is Edgar Armstrong. And I’m here acquiring as much horseflesh from various ranches. If you’d be so kind to allow me in.”
“Where do you come from?” Elissa had had enough of the evasiveness of this man. He was causing her good humor to hastily dissipate.
“Why I’m from the great state of South Carolina.” Edgar barely had time to stick his foot out the door was closed so swiftly. “Now wait just a moment.”
Elissa opened the door, but only enough so the man could see her dark eyes glaring at him. “I once lived in the great state of North Carolina. I know what you consider good flesh. And I won’t have anything to do with it. Neither of us will.”
Edgar attempted to shove Elissa out of his way. The woman was stronger than she appeared. “There’s the possibility of a war in the next few years. Horseflesh will be at a premium.”
“It’s at a premium now. As is the freedom of every single human being, no matter the color of their skin.” Elissa growled low.
Suddenly, there were a chorus of growls. Edgar took several steps back. Raven and her pack were now between the slightly ajar door and the man.
As more growls escaped the wolf pack, Edgar continued his backwards movement. He couldn’t maintain his footing once he hit the edge of the porch. The large man fell on his butt. And into some fresh horse droppings.
“I’ve been meaning to put up a railing. Glad I didn’t before now.” Elissa had stepped onto the porch. She had their rifle. It was aimed at Mr. Armstrong’s head. “I suggest you get on the one piece of horseflesh you’ll have from around here and ride back to South Carolina.”
The man attempted to brush the dirt from his pants when the smell assaulted him. Edgar released curses that a good Christian person would blush at. “And I don’t appreciate that language. There’s children on this ranch.”
Edgar glared at the woman holding the rifle. “I’d say this isn’t over, but you aren’t worth it. I bet your horseflesh isn’t worth it.”
Elissa merely shrugged as she watched the man mount his horse. Edgar wasn’t very graceful and he nearly fell off as he headed his mount back the way he had come.
Cassandra was now standing on the porch next to her wife. “I’ve been reading the newspaper when we get it. There’s a war brewing isn’t there?”
The vampire nodded her head. “There’s always been strained relationships between the northern states that don’t believe in, or at least don’t use, slavery and the south that would be lost without it. One day soon it’s going to boil over.”
“You mean…?” Elissa nodded. “A war between brothers. I can’t believe there isn’t a way to use words to stop all the unnecessary deaths.”
“When one’s way of life is threatened, one does what one has to.” Elissa turned to look into emerald eyes. “I’ve done things in the name of the clan and in my own name that I’ll never be able to forgive myself for. It was supposedly for our survival. But now I wonder.”
“Well I wonder if it’s for survival or if it’s all about money.” Cassandra knew there were new tax laws being planned. If they went through, it would harm the south more than the north. Money. Power. It could and did often lead to war.
Chapter 46
Cassandra sat next to her wife as the convoy was headed toward Salem. They were only about fifteen minutes from town. It had been a mostly quiet trip.
An angry vampire was not something Cassandra liked to deal with. Elissa had been moody ever since the man had to be threatened to leave their property.
In a way, Cassandra couldn’t blame Elissa for being so upset. While she had been raised around slavery, she had never approved of it. Even before her vampire had entered her life, she hated the thought of others having so much power over others.
Cassandra sighed heavily. Emily was playing with the pups, who definitely weren’t pups, in the back of the wagon. Lily had asked to come along and was riding alongside Yohan.
In some ways, the pair had a moderate amount of privacy. “Are you going to allow one bastard to ruin our time together?” Cassandra whispered one of the words in hopes that Emily wouldn’t hear it. And definitely wouldn’t repeat it.
Elissa sighed heavily. She knew Cassandra was right. It was just this feeling the vampire had in the pit of her stomach. Wars. She’d seen so many of them during her existence. It wasn’t just the clan wars, but the ones between mortals.
“It’s not as simple as one…person.” Elissa didn’t want to repeat what her wife had said. “It’s this feeling I have. War is not far off. And even though we’re clear out here in the west, a war of the states will affect us.”
“I understand that.” Cassandra scooted closer to her wife. The taller buildings of Salem were coming into view. “I guess, outside of preparing the best we can for any situation, we need to enjoy one another. We need to enjoy our family.”
The vampire knew her wife was more than right. Elissa only hoped they could prepare. Sometimes there are things in life one simply cannot prepare for.
“I’ll try.” The promise earned the vampire a kiss to her cheek. Elissa turned to her wife. “Just on the cheek?” She watched as Cassandra glanced over her shoulder. A quick but promising kiss was placed on her lips. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.” Cassandra placed her head on Elissa’s shoulder. Today wasn’t
going to be all that easy. Even with the support of Mr. Wilkens, she wasn’t certain everyone would accept a business run by two women.
It was one thing to own the ranch. Most assumed Cassandra and her wife had little to do with the day to day operations of the ranch. Even those in Salem were blind to the fact they owned the ranch as well as took part in day to day operations.
By the time they arrived in Salem, the town was nearly fully awake. The only place that wasn’t open for business was the saloon. It was a good thing as Cassandra didn’t want reminders for Lily.
Elissa drove the wagon up and down main street much like she had the very first time they had visited Salem. There were several new buildings. One was a school.
After the second passing, there was one building that caught Elissa’s attention. There was a business front, but it appeared it led to a corral in back. There was also a sign saying the place was for rent.
The vampire motioned to the building as she brought the wagon to a stop. Elissa was out of the wagon and securing it to the hitching post before Lily and Yohan had even started to join them.
Elissa first helped Cassandra down before helping Emily from the back. She took her charge’s hand as they made their way to the sidewalk. She waited for Yohan and Lily to join them. She reached into her pocket and produced two pennies. “Why don’t you and Lily get some candy from the general store.”
“We can look at the catalog. And the toys.” Lily held her hand out. Even though Emily was nearly a teenager, she felt more comfortable holding someone’s hand when she was in town.
“Ok.” Emily waved at Cassandra and Elissa before she started to pull Lily along. If there was candy to be had, they should hurry.
“Let’s see if we can figure out who owns this place.” Elissa made her way to the door. It was locked. There was only the sign in the window stating it was for rent, not who to contact. “Let’s look around back. Maybe we can find something out there.”
There was a narrow alleyway between the buildings. Elissa led the way. When they finally made it to the back, the trio was astounded. It was as if it had been built to house horses. “I can’t believe this isn’t being used. It’s perfect.”
Yohan shook his head. It really was like this was a mini ranch. There was a barn with four or five stalls. There was the fenced in area to exercise the horses. Ideas of how to improve it and how the business could begin were already having trouble being contained in his mind.
“Now if we could only find out who owns the place.” Cassandra moved into the barn. It was in pretty decent shape. Not much work would have to be done before they housed their horses here.
“That would be me.” The trio turned to find themselves looking into familiar dark eyes. Edgar had a smug smile on his face. “I heard about what you intended to do so I bought this place. It’s not for rent for the likes of you.”
Cassandra hastily placed herself between her wife and Mr. Armstrong. “That’s a shame. With all the money we’d be paying in rent, you’d more than make up for what you paid to own this place.”
A thought crossed Cassandra’s mind. She would wait until she could extricate them from Mr. Armstrong’s presence. She hoped it wouldn’t take long. She could feel the anger rolling off Elissa in waves.
“You should have thought about making money when I asked for horseflesh. A sensible businessman is about the bottom line. Leave it to females to have sentimentality.” Mr. Armstrong leered openly at Cassandra.
The young woman ignored his open leers. “We’ll see who has more business sense.” Cassandra curtsied before grasping Elissa’s hand. “You have a good rest of the day.”
Cassandra couldn’t wait to be away from the man. As soon as they were out of earshot, she turned to Yohan and her wife. “I have an idea. Yohan, could you see how Lily and Emily are doing. Maybe take them to the café for a snack. Just keep them busy for a little while. We’ll find you.”
A blond eyebrow rose. His cousin was up to something. Yohan wished he was privy to it. But he knew that Elissa and Cassandra were one hundred percent partners. If their plans worked out, he’d be let in on it. “Of course, I’ll take good care of Lily and Emily.”
The words, for some reason, had more emotion behind them than Cassandra would have thought. But then again, love at first sight wasn’t uncommon. She only wondered if Yohan would still be attracted to Lily if he learned of her past.
“Ok. What is this plan you have?” Elissa waited until Cassandra was looking her in the eyes. There was no answer. Instead, the younger woman grasped the vampire’s hand and tugged her toward the bank.
After they were further away from the building, Cassandra began to speak. “What if the building has a note on it? Or mortgage? Something where Mr. Armstrong owes money. Who do you think the bank would rather do business with? Two women who have over fifty thousand in the bank or a stranger from the south no one knows anything about?”
Elissa could have kissed her wife. Every day, there was something about Cassandra that proved just how intelligent and grown up she was. “I think you are brilliant.”
“We’ll see how brilliant I am after we speak with the bank manager.” Cassandra squeezed the hand that she held as they neared the entrance to the bank.
There was a line at the counter so Cassandra made her way to the desk outside the bank manager’s office. Carissa was the secretary, she thought. The young dark haired brown eyed woman glanced up from the paperwork she was working on. “Can I help you, Miss Peters?”
It paid to be one of the wealthiest women in the territory. Yet, it also could hamper. “Miss Monroe and I would like to speak with Mr. Wagoner if he has a moment.”
“For you, I’m certain he does. One moment.” Carissa didn’t hesitate in knocking on the door to her boss’ office. “Miss Peters and Miss Monroe would like a word with you. Not sure what it is in regards to.”
Mr. Wagoner was a portly man in his mid-forties. His hair was nearly nonexistent. What was left was blond mixed with grey. “Send them right in, please.”
Carissa nodded. She left the door open and motion to the awaiting ladies. “He said to go right in.” Once they were at the doorway, she asked, “Is there anything I can get for you?”
“No thank you, Carissa.” Brown eyes grew wide. Apparently it was an honor for Cassandra to know the secretary’s name. “You have a nice day.”
Elissa nodded as she passed the young woman. She hadn’t known her name. The vampire inwardly beamed with pride. And chastised herself. Little things like knowing someone’s name went a long way in impressing people.
There was that old saying of catching more flies with honey than vinegar. In some cases, that appeared to be true. In others, Elissa knew her animalistic side was the best way to deal with things.
“What can I do for you ladies?” Mr. Wagoner waited until they were seated in front of him before resuming his seat. “I hope the bank hasn’t done anything to make you unhappy.”
“We’re very happy with the bank, at the moment.” Cassandra leaned forward. “In fact, we are attempting to expand our business to here in town. But the perfect location won’t rent to us. We were wondering, without breaking any confidentialities, if there was a note or mortgage on the property.”
Mr. Wagoner’s blond eyebrow rose. “I can’t reveal ownership. However, if you are interested in obtaining a specific property the bank holds the mortgage on, I’m certain there is something we can do to make it work ethically.”
“Excellent. It’s the property directly across from the bank.” Cassandra’s face was nearly glowing as she began describing it. “The back has room to board horses. And a small corral area. The storefront could be used to sell tact or saddles. We’d be more than willing to pay what was owed on the mortgage, plus an amount that would cover what you’d earn in interest.”
The bank manager’s eyes grew with the last part of Cassandra’s statement. Dollar signs were in front of his eyes. “I know the property. If I remember corr
ectly, the gentleman who owns it now only took out the loan on it last week. It would be a considerable amount…”
“I’m certain that we’ll make back whatever the amount is once we open our establishment.” Cassandra hoped Mr. Wagoner would go along with what she had planned.
“I think we can work something out.” Mr. Wagoner rifled through his desk draw. “In fact, I know we can. It will just take a little money.”
Elissa couldn’t stop the eye roll. She couldn’t wait to confront Mr. Armstrong. He would lose and that’s what was important.
Actually what was important was that this was another step in continuing the legacy they were building. Elissa knew they’d have to change with the times.
Chapter 47
Cassandra stretched after stepping down from the buggy. Today wasn’t a day for restocking the supplies of the ranch. It was a day to celebrate.
The year was eighteen-hundred-sixty. Cassandra was a few weeks from turning nineteen. The time was fast approaching the time she would be turned. In some ways, she wished she could be turned now, but understood why a few more years made sense.
“Are you all right?” Elissa was standing behind her. The vampire’s breath tickled on Cassandra’s neck causing a shudder to flow up her spine.
“Just thinking how time is flying by.” Cassandra held out her hand. Emily was thirteen now. She was following behind her moms. “I’ll be nineteen soon. Emily is already thirteen. Seems just like yesterday we brought her home at the ripe old age of eight.”
“It does seem like yesterday that I was holding some squirt up so she could help me rebuild the stables.” Elissa glanced over her shoulder and grinned at the glare she received.
“And now I’m nearly as tall as you are.” Emily stuck her tongue out at her mom. She wasn’t really upset. She enjoyed it when Elissa teased her.
“And taller than me.” Cassandra shook her head. “So much for not being the shortest on the ranch.” They all chuckled. Even with war growing more likely with each day, they attempted to keep humor in their lives.
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