A Rancher Found Her Hiding in His Wagon — “Pretend I’m Your Wife Until We’re Out of Town”

PART 2:

‘ Stitching holds. ‘ It should $1.25 was fair. ‘ I know. Morning, Caleb. Warren, Miss Whitfield, ‘ Deputy ‘ Harlon Voss reported financial papers missing. He also says you were taken from Red Willow against your will. ‘ I left willingly. The papers are my mother’s receipts. ‘ I need that first part without Caleb standing beside you.

Are you here by choice? ‘ Yes. ‘ He has not kept your money, your money, your papers, or the road from you? ‘ No. ‘ Good. Show me what Voss says is his. ‘ Silus Trent. ‘ You know the name. ‘ Kept Vos’s books until last year. Lives near Lander now. Lives Then he can tell me how these payments were entered.

‘ If he remembers, if he is willing. ‘ That is more than I had yesterday. ‘ Voss also says his office ledger is missing. ‘ I never had it. ‘ Then keep saying exactly that he is coming here. Does he have a warrant? ‘ Not one I have seen. ‘ Then I’ll wait. ‘ I thought you might. ‘ You’re staying until Voss gets here.

‘ Yes. ‘ Yesterday you wanted the county seat. ‘ I still do after I answer him where Warren can hear it. And if he brings more men than Warren. ‘ No gunfight. ‘ Wasn’t planning one. ‘ Good. Six men watching two men draw only turns me into something they fought over. ‘ You answer him.

 I stay out of the way unless he stops listening. ‘ Then we agree. Nora. ‘ Mr. Voss, ‘ you’ve made this unnecessarily difficult. ‘ Unnecessarily difficult for you. ‘ I kept your mother’s shop supplied through two winters when no bank when no bank in Red Willow would touch it. ‘ And she paid you? Not in full. ‘ Then show me how you reached the balance.

‘ Mr. Ror, I appreciate that you believed you were helping. Talk to her. Her estate owes nearly $4,000. The creek parcel is the only asset sufficient to satisfy it. ‘ I found payments missing from your balance. you. ‘ Those records were mixed with papers prepared by my office. ‘ They were in my mother’s desk.

‘ Did she take your office ledger? Not that we can prove. Not that we can prove. Then leave the ledger out of it. The debt still exists. ‘ Maybe your number still does not. Three payments, $1,200, ‘ all marked against principal. How they were later applied. ‘ Silus Trent might. Deputy Cole recognized his signature.

‘ Trent to nature. Trent has not worked for me in a year. ‘ He worked for you when he signed these. Nora, you are 27, alone and now responsible for an estate tied up in debt. I offered a way to keep the land from being sold out from under you. ‘ You offered marriage if I put the land into both our names. ‘ I offered stability ‘ with your name on my property.

And what is Ror offering? Ask her. Ask her. ‘ A room with a bolt, work with agreed wages, a wagon to the county seat when the road opens. ‘ And you believe that makes you that makes you free? ‘ No. Saying no to you does, ‘ Mr. Voss. Do you have a warrant for Miss Whitfield? No. Any court order given you these receipts? No.

Then she is not getting into your carriage because you asked me to bring her. This is a civil debt. A few receipts will not make the estate solvent. ‘ Maybe not. ‘ Then what exactly do you think you’ve won? A few receipts will not make the estate solvent. ‘ Maybe not. ‘ Then what exactly do you Then what exactly do you think you’ve won? ‘ Time to have the books examined by someone you don’t by someone you don’t pay.

‘ You have involved yourself in something expensive. That’s my concern. There is nothing more for me to do here. This is not finished. ‘ Then I’ll see you in court. Then I’ll see you in court. ‘ Warren says the county clerk can copy the receipts and take my statement. ‘ And Trent, ‘ I’ll write him from the county seat.

 An attorney first if I can afford one. ‘ You can. ‘ You don’t know what attorneys cost. ‘ No, ‘ I know what I paid you. ‘ This some knock can come through your parent who has shown her back. ‘ Osmation ‘ and hope you and Tekken are added. ‘ Mrs. Belle’s boarding house is still your plan. ‘ Yes. ‘ Then you have money, a room, and your papers.

‘ I do. ‘ You still want to go? ‘ Yes. ‘ All right. ‘ You’re not going to ask when I’m coming back. ‘ You haven’t promised you are. Would you want would you want me to? ‘ Yes. Not enough to ask you to stay. ‘ Good answer. ‘ Good answer. Wasn’t meant to be one. ‘ Caleb. ‘ Yes. ‘ Back in Red Willow when you called me your wife.

‘ You told me to. ‘ I know. If that word ever comes up again, ask first. ‘ I will. Trouble follow you this time? No, the clerk copied everything. Trent answered my letter and I have an attorney now. ‘ This is land. ‘ Hair is a men in land and land. ‘ Examined. ‘ So why are you here? I rented the shop through winter and I wanted to know what this place

feels like when no one is chasing me. ‘ You could have written. ‘ I thought I’d rather find out in person. I thought I’d rather find out in person. ‘ There’s work if you want it. ‘ Same wages. ‘ We can argue about that inside. Room still empty. ‘ Yes, same bolt. ‘ May I? ‘ Yes, ‘ Nora. ‘ Yes. When you’ve had a day to decide you’re really here, may I court you? ‘ You waited 3 weeks to ask that? ‘ I waited until you came back. Until you

came back. ‘ Then yes.