by Bobbi Smith
"You're worried about dealing with him?"
"According to what Cole told me, he's in charge of everything until I turn twenty-five, get married, or sell out. I have no intention of selling out, and I certainly don't plan to get married any time soon," she said with conviction.
"But I thought we were planning to return home to Philadelphia once you'd settled everything here." Evelyn was taken aback by her declaration. Living on the Lazy S was nice enough, she supposed, but she was accustomed to life in a big city.
Jenny turned to look at her aunt, her expression serious. "Aunt Evelyn, I am home."
"Oh, my." The older woman sank down on a chair, her own plans in chaos. She knew how headstrong her niece could be, and she could tell that Jenny had made up her mind. Still, she had to ask, "But what about Cole? Are you going to be able to work with him? He didn't seem all that friendly today, and four years is a long time to be forced to deal with one another."
"I can do anything when I set my mind to it," she declared. "I'm going to make Papa proud of me."
"He was always proud of you," Evelyn said with certainty.
Jenny knew there had been times when he hadn't been proud of her-like when she'd walked out on Cole. But that had been then, and this was now.
"Well, I'm going to make him prouder. I want the Lazy S to be the best ranch around." She went to look out the window. The land stretched before her in seemingly unending glory. "It's so beautiful here, Aunt Evelyn. This is my home. This is where I want to stay. I hope you understand."
"Oh, I do, dear, and if you want me to, I'll stay here with you," she offered.
Jenny looked at her in surprise. She'd expected her aunt to be anxious to leave. "But what about your life in Philadelphia?"
Evelyn smiled gently at her as she went to stand beside her. "You're my family, Jenny. I love you and want to help you in any way I can."
Jenny hugged her. "We'll make Papa proud, you'll see. It may have taken me a while to realize that this is where I belong, but now that I'm back, I never intend to leave again. I'm home, Aunt Evelyn. I've come home."
Jenny turned to gaze out the window again at her beloved ranch, and her heart filled with love and fierce determination.
She was going to do this for her father and for herself.
So, Jenny planned to stay.
The ride to his ranch was a long one, and Cole was glad. He needed the time to calm down. He'd known that seeing Jenny again was not going to be easy, but he'd had no idea it was going to be this difficult. He'd thought that he would only have to meet with her two or three times, and then she'd be gone from his life forever. But it looked like that wasn't going to happen.
Cole could only hope the lawyer and banker could talk some sense into her tomorrow and make her see that it was pointless for her to stay around and try to run the Lazy S.The easiest thing for her to do would be to let him buy her out. He would pay her a fair price, and then she would be free to go on her way and do whatever she wanted to do. If only she would listen to reason.
Paul had once told him that his daughter was as stubborn and headstrong as he was, and Cole was finding out for a second time just how right his friend had been. He had wanted her out of sight and out of mind, but it was obvious that she wasn't going to cooperate with what he wanted.
As always, Jenny was going to do exactly what she wanted to do when she wanted to do it.
Cole's irritation grew as he thought about her. He hadn't thought it possible, but Jenny was even prettier now than she had been two years before. She'd been lovely then, but she was even more beautiful now. He had been in love with her for some time before he'd finally proposed. He'd waited until she was old enough to marry, and he'd been thrilled when she'd said yes. He had played the perfect gentleman-never letting on how much he desired her. There had been any number of occasions when he'd been tempted to do more than just give her a chaste kiss, but he'd controlled himself He had always respected and honored her, for he had wanted their wedding night to be special for them.
Cole's mouth twisted bitterly at the thought of their wedding night.
It had been special all right especially painful.
Cole vaguely recalled all those hours he'd spent drinking at the High Time. He had thought he would be making love to Jenny that night, not downing a large portion of a bottle of whiskey all by himself at a saloon.
He had thought Jenny loved him as much as he loved her.
He had thought they would have a wonderful life together.
He'd been wrong.
Cole had sworn he was never going to make a mistake like that again. It didn't matter how beautiful a woman was or how much he wanted her, he was never going to let himself care about anyone the way he'd cared for Jenny. He'd learned the lesson the hard way, and it was a lesson he would never forget.
When the main house at the Branding Iron came into view, Cole was glad. His fury had subsided some, but he still felt in need of a drink. Things were not going to get any easier for him until the future of the Lazy S had been resolved. He could only hope Marsden would convince Jenny that the smart thing for her to do was to sell out to him.
Cole let himself into the house and poured himself a whiskey. He savored the liquor as he thought about the days to come. As much as he tried not to think about it, he couldn't help wondering how he would manage if Jenny really did stay on.
His worries would not be dismissed as he retired that night. What sleep he managed to get was restless.
Morning found Cole up early. He took care of his own ranch business and then got ready to ride to Durango. His lack of sleep had not helped his mood, and he doubted that it was going to improve any until the meeting with the lawyer and Jenny was over.
Jenny dressed sedately as she prepared for her trip into town the following day.
"You look lovely, dear," Evelyn told her when she came downstairs. "Are you sure you don't want me or one of the hands to ride into town with you?"
"There's no need," Jenny said, knowing that her aunt must be exhausted from all the traveling they'd done.
"Are you sure?"
"It's an easy ride. I'll be fine," Jenny said.
In truth, she selfishly wanted some time alone just to think about all that had happened. She needed to plan how she was going to handle things. It was plain to see that a lot of work needed to be done around the ranch, and she was ready to get started once this meeting with the lawyer had been taken care of.
Evelyn waved from the front porch as Jenny drove off in the buckboard. The prospect of seeing Cole again did not improve Jenny's mood, but there was no way out of it.
The ride into town passed quickly, and Jenny girded herself for what was to come as she entered the lawyer's office. As she'd expected, Cole was already there when Andrew Marsden ushered her into his inner office. What surprised her was not only the presence of Judge Harold Lawson, but also the town's most prestigious banker, Lyle Stevens. A short time later, she understood all too clearly why the banker was also in attendance.
"But you can't be serious!" Jenny exclaimed.
Her expression was one of complete disbelief as she looked from Andrew Marsden to Lyle Stevens and then over at Judge Lawson, who was there to oversee the reading of the will. Lyle Stevens had just given her devastating news, and though she wanted to deny it, from the looks on their faces, she knew it was true.
"I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you these things, Jenny," Lyle Stevens said.
"But my father was too good a businessman to have let this happen!"
"I'm afraid it's all true," Andrew Marsden said. He'd known this moment was coming and, as much as he regretted having to give her bad news, there was no way to avoid it.
"My father would never have let things get in this condition," she insisted.
"Miss Sullivan, it's true your father was very astute in his business dealings, but the trouble on the Lazy S all started with the blizzard we had winter before last," Lyle Stevens explained. "Ask
Cole, here. He can tell you how bad things were. The Lazy S lost a large part of its herd. Cole had been working with your father for over a year now, trying to help him rebuild the stock."
Jenny was aghast at what she'd just learned. Why hadn't her father ever told her any of this? Why hadn't he let her know that the Lazy S was in dire financial straits? She was hurt that he hadn't confided in her. She could have quit school and come home to help him! Instead, from what they'd just explained to her, he had borrowed heavily from the bank to keep things going. It seemed that Cole, not she, had been there to help her father after the hard times had befallen him hard times that she'd known nothing about!
"And then your father reported to me that several times a number of head disappeared."
"You mean there was rustling going on?" Jenny asked, even more shocked by this bad news. Why hadn't her father ever told her? She wondered if they had anything positive to tell her.
"It's been widespread. A number of ranches were hit, mine included," Cole put in.
"Do you have any idea who's behind it?"
"No. There was talk for a while of hiring a range detective, but the losses let up, so nothing was done," Cole explained.
Jenny looked back over at the banker, trying her best not to let her distress show.
"How much money is available?" she asked, trying to figure out how much time she had to turn things around.
Lyle Stevens went into detail with her. He showed her the books and explained all of the transactions that had taken place.
Cole listened closely, too, as they went over all the facts and figures. As executor, the Lazy S would be his responsibility, and he needed to know all that was going on.
"So what you're telling me is that, basically, I have only enough money to keep the ranch going for four more months," Jenny said quietly.
She frowned as she considered the seriousness of her situation. Things did not look good. The possibility of taking Cole up on his offer to buy the ranch flitted through her thoughts, but she immediately dismissed it.
"If you're lucky and nothing unexpected happens, yes," Lyle answered honestly.
"Cole's offer for the ranch is a substantial one and quite fair. It would be enough to pay off your debts and see you comfortably settled with an inheritance in the bank to live on," Marsden put in, trying to encourage her to take that course of action. He knew what a hard job it would be to bring the ranch back to its former glory. Paul had been having a terrible time trying to recoup his losses. Marsden could just imagine how difficult it was going to be for Jenny.
Jenny looked up at the lawyer, her expression determined and a bit mutinous.
"I'm not going to sell the ranch," she declared with finality. "It meant too much to my father, and it means too much to me."
The lawyer and the banker exchanged concerned looks, while Judge Lawson counseled her.
"Miss Sullivan," Lawson began, "I understand that this bad news about the state of your finances is upsetting to you right now, but it's important that you make your decisions based on sound logic and hard facts, not just emotion. I would hate for you to ultimately lose everything because you wouldn't listen to reason."
Jenny rose to her feet, glaring at him. "So would I, Judge Lawson, but I have no intention of selling out and running away from my responsibility."
Cole was startled by her fierce determination to stay. She'd thought nothing of packing up and running away from him on their wedding day. He'd expected her to do the same now-pack up and get out of town as soon as she'd heard the truth about the state of her finances.
"But restoring the ranch will be a monumental task," Marsden cautioned her. "Your father hadn't been certain that he could bring the Lazy S back. We've shown you what bad shape it's in. If your father had serious doubts, what makes you think that you can do it?"
She gave a stubborn lift of her chin as she leveled a serious gaze upon the lawyer. "The Lazy S is my father's legacy to me. I owe it to him to do everything I can to make sure the ranch is a success."
"While I admire your spirit, Miss Sullivan-" the judge began.
"I'm sure Cole will work with me and help me do whatever is necessary to make the ranch pay again," she interrupted, looking at Cole. "After all, he is the executor and has been entrusted with the job of making sure everything in my father's estate is handled properly until I'm twenty-five, isn't that right?" She deliberately didn't mention the "or married" part in her father's will.
Marsden, Stevens, and Judge Lawson all looked expectantly at Cole.
"Cole?" Marsden asked, waiting to see what he had to say about her decision.
Cole had been listening to the exchange in silence. He glanced up at Jenny, who stood proudly and defiantly next to him.
"Are you absolutely certain that you don't want to sell out and go back East?"
"Why does everybody keep asking me if I want to sell? I'm not going to run away from my responsibilities here."
"If things get tough, you're not going to just up and disappear?" Cole pressed. He felt a bit of shame over the satisfaction he got when he saw her flinch at his words.
"I'm not going anywhere," she declared.
After a moment, Cole gave a terse nod. "If this is what Jenny wants to do, then we'll do it."
"But, Cole-Paul was having one hell of a Excuse me, Jenny Paul was having a lot of trouble making ends meet. If he couldn't keep things running smoothly at the Lazy S, how is one woman going to-"
Cole silenced him with a sharp look. "I'll work with Jenny to see that everything is handled properly, and that all debts are paid in a timely manner."
"You are the executor of the estate, Cole. As such, you're in charge. Whatever you say goes." Judge Lawson then looked at Jenny and directed his next comments to her. "You should report to Cole directly. He is the authority on Lazy S business."
"If that's the way my father wanted it, then that will be fine," she agreed with less than enthusiasm.
It bothered Jenny greatly that she was indebted to Cole for the help he'd given her father. She'd had no idea that Cole and her father had remained such good friends after the canceled wedding. There was no doubt that Cole had little use for her. Establishing and maintaining any kind of relationship with him would not be easy for her, and she was certain that he felt the same way. She would have to do her best to keep any contact with Cole to an absolute minimum.
"Good," Marsden stated.
"Things will remain as they are, then. If any problems arise, just notify me." Judge Lawson turned and spoke directly to Cole next. "And, Cole, you will be diligent in performing all the duties appointed to you?"
"I will," he told the judge.
"I will expect a report from you regularly."
"Yes, sir."
"I guess we're finished here for now, unless you have any more questions, Miss Sullivan?" Marsden announced.
"I think everything is settled," she said.
As Lawson and Marsden walked with Stevens into the outer office, Jenny and Cole were left alone.
Jenny felt victorious. She had stood her ground against these men, refusing to sell to Cole when it would have been the easy way out. She knew her father would have been proud of her. The Lazy S was too important to be cast aside. There was too much of her father in the ranch. She loved it, and she was going to bring it back to its former glory.
"Is there anything you need from me?" Jenny asked Cole.
"Not a thing," he answered coldly, and he meant it as he rose to leave. There had been a time when he had needed and wanted a lot from her, but not anymore.
For some reason, Cole's response bothered Jenny, but she wasn't about to let him know it. She nodded and started from the office.
"Fine. I'll be going. I'll let you know if I incur any major expenses. With Louie there to help me run things, everything should be all right."
Cole watched her as she turned her back on him and, without another word, walked away. Something about the proud way she carried herself
impressed him, in spite of himself. He didn't want to be impressed by her. He didn't want to feel anything for her, but he did begrudgingly admire her determination to try to save the ranch.
His gaze shifted lower then, and he found himself watching the sway of her hips as she left the office. When he realized what he was doing and the direction of his thoughts, he gave a silent curse and tore his gaze away.
She meant nothing to him!
She was pretty, but so were a lot of other women.
It was only when she'd finally gone from the outer office that he went to join the other men.
"As executor, Cole, you'll be in charge of what's going on out at the Lazy S.It's your responsibility now, and from the looks of things, Jenny's going to need all the help and guidance you can give her," Judge Lawson informed him. Then he asked, daring to broach the subject that no one had spoken of yet, "Working with Jenny is not going to prove too awkward for you, is it? If you find you can't deal with her, there may be some legal way to replace you." He had sensed an unspoken tension between them and wanted to make sure that they would be able to get along.
"No. There won't be a problem. I'm doing this for Paul. It was what he wanted," Cole assured him.
They shook hands all around, and Cole left.
Jenny had already gone when Cole emerged onto the street. For some reason, it disappointed him, though he wasn't sure why. He mounted up and started home to the Branding Iron. He had ignored his own duties for too long.
Even as Cole made the ride home, though, his thoughts lingered on Jenny. In spite of all his irritation over her decision, he reluctantly admitted to himself that she was an exceptionally brave woman. He didn't know another female who would be capable of taking over and running a spread the size of the Lazy S.Of course, he wasn't sure Jenny could do it, but the ranch obviously meant a lot to her and she was going to fight for it. She was proving to be every bit as stubborn as Paul had told him she was.
Cole decided that he would make a weekly visit to the ranch to check on things. He would also continue with the plans that he and Paul had made to rebuild the Lazy S's herd. He wasn't looking forward to the next few years of being in charge there, but with any luck at all, the time would pass quickly.
