Page 11 of Earning Tia’s Trust

ELEVEN

Robert entered the house, always careful now that he knew the structure wasn’t solid. Billy and Jenny ran to him, and he set the two sacks of supplies on the dry sink before picking up the children for a hug. Putting them back down on their feet, he squatted and pulled a small bag of candy from his pocket. “Two pieces only,” he warned. “I don’t want you ruining your appetites.”

“I’ll take that,” Mrs. Putney said, holding her hand out to Billy. She whispered as the children returned to the corner where they had been playing. “Something has upset Tia. She’s in Hayward’s office, and it sounds like she’s tearing the room apart.”

“Thanks for the heads-up,” Robert said. He went straight to the office, opened the door, and ducked as a whiskey bottle crashed against the wall. By the look of the wall and the broken glass on the floor, it wasn’t the first that had been shattered.

“Sorry, that wasn’t meant for you,” Tia exclaimed.

“I’m glad,” Robert said. “What has brought on this temper tantrum?”

“I’m not having a tantrum,” Tia denied, but then she looked around the room and took a deep breath. “It does look a lot like the tornado damage. I’m clearing out the lies and the deceit. I would have set this place on fire if we didn’t need a place to sleep until the new house is built. Frankly, I’d rather sleep in the barn!”

Robert leaned against the desk. “Settle down for a minute and tell me why you’re upset.”

Tia went to a pile of ledgers stacked in front of the fireplace. She stacked a few ledgers and dumped them into his arms. “Read it for yourself,” she exclaimed, stomping from the office.

Sitting down with the ledgers at the desk, Robert opened one, found a year date, and then organized them by date. Turning the pages, it was the typical entries of a ranch. By the time he’d leafed through the fifth year, it finally dawned on him that Tia’s name never appeared. The wranglers, the cook, and the housekeeper’s salaries were logged, but Tia’s name never appeared.

Tia and Hank had been running the Kingston ranch for the last decade, as Hayward progressively became unable to run the ranch because of his illness, and drinking problems. If his daughter had been paid for her efforts, there was no record of it.

Slamming the ledgers closed, Robert went to find Tia. He located Hank in one of the barns and was told that she’d taken her favorite horse, and the last he’d seen of her was heading toward Pedernales Creek, a branch of the river of the same name.

Saddling his horse, Robert followed the directions and found her. Following the winding creek wasn’t difficult. Neither was following the hoof prints. Seeing Tia in the distance, he was surprised to see her cast a fishing rod into the water. Tying his horse beside her’s, he walked to where she was sitting on the trunk of a downed tree. Sitting down beside her, he gave his wife a kiss. “Catching anything?”

“Tomorrow’s supper, if I catch enough,” Tia said, nodding toward a net in the creek.

“Did you ever receive compensation for your work on the ranch?” Robert asked.

“A dollar here, a dollar there, but I realize now they were always from Hank,” Tia said, never taking her eyes off her fishing rod. She handed him the rod and washed her hands in the creek water. “You didn’t read his daily diaries and can’t now because I burned them. They pissed me off and because I don’t want Sammy to ever find out what was written in them. I’m not finished with going through Hayward’s records. It’s hard to understand that the man I thought for years was my father hated me. His hatred was because I was born a girl.

“My mother’s diaries are just as eye-opening. I am Harriet Davenport’s bastard child, and I haven’t found any reference to my father’s name. Her involvement with my real father took place in Albuquerque, and she became pregnant. Hayward was visiting there, although I haven’t found out why. Harriet’s parents promised Hayward her inheritance if he would marry her so she wouldn’t bring shame to the family name.

“Hayward courted Harriet, and she agreed to marry him. That was before she figured out their scheme. There was a lot of money at stake. The same money that I have now inherited. The men of her family have married into wealth for decades. Hayward played the gallant savior at first, and he brought her here to the ranch, planning to marry her locally. When my mother discovered his plot with her parents, she refused to marry him. She also refused to return to her family.

“Hayward thought she would change her mind for a long time... years. But she didn’t, and since everyone assumed they were married, they continued the charade. Hayward hated her for refusing him and that she was carrying another man’s child. His ego couldn’t stand anyone knowing the truth. I read his written words! He tried several times to convince Rainer’s father to ignore Harriet’s instructions on her account. Mr. Bishop wouldn’t because he knew the truth. He knew they weren’t married.

“Hayward continued with the charade, and my mother gave birth to me in her room upstairs. That room became her sanctuary. When she lost her parents to scarlet fever, she became even wealthier. Hayward went along with the travesty that they were married because he believed she would eventually change her mind, or she would die, and he would have access to her fortune. He didn’t know she had written a will that excluded him from her money. To protect my inheritance, Mr. Bishop told Hayward that she’d lost her money on bad investments.

“When Harriet got sick, the symptoms were of consumption, and she was isolated in her room. But later, Doctor Phillip changed his diagnosis. My mother’s symptoms continued to get worse, and he changed his diagnosis to having a weak heart. The truth was he didn’t know what was killing her.”

“That was probably when Hayward wrote his own will. In retribution,” Robert agreed, and then he stood and pulled a trout from the stream.

Tia unhooked the fish, added it to the net, and rewashed her hands. “Good catch.”

Robert baited the hook and set the rod in a depression of a branch. He put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and hugged her. “That’s a lot of history to take in.”

Tia nodded. “As it turns out, Raymond really does have more rights to the ranch than me or Sammy.”

“I wouldn’t agree with that,” Robert said, pulling in the fishing rod, removing a fish, and baiting the hook. “You shouldn’t either. He claimed you and Sammy were his children to the public. Both you and Sammy were cited to inherit in his will, along with a few other demands. You’ve worked on this ranch most of your life, and you were mistreated for years. I can’t change that, but once you get over being rightfully angry, we need to start working together as a team to rebuild the ranch. What you discovered about your heritage doesn’t change anything. The same thing applies to Sammy. You have destroyed any evidence to the contrary and should continue to do so if you find more. Who cares what a hateful man believed? I don’t. Sammy won’t when he becomes old enough to accept his inheritance. Neither will Billy, Jenny, and any other children we have because I’ve already spoken to Clifford Harris about buying his property.”

“All of it?” Tia exclaimed.

“Well, if we’re going to run this ranch together, I have to provide my share,” Robert said.

“The Harrises decided to sell? When? I didn’t hear anything about it.”

Robert nodded. “Recently. They owe back taxes, and they’ve been struggling for years. They have a son, but he lives in Minnesota and has no interest in the ranch. I offered Clifford Harris a fair price, and he took it. I also offered to let them live in their home for as long as they wanted. Both Clifford and Kay are in their late sixties. They have no interest in moving to Minnesota, and their son has made it clear that he’s not willing to return to Texas.”

Tia smiled and tilted her face to look at her husband. “You’re a good and decent man, Robert Grayson.”

Robert pulled in another fish, added it to the net, and smiled. “It’s about time you realized it, although I have my share of faults.” He pulled the net from the creek. “I think we have enough fish.”

Tia picked up the fishing rod. “Fishing always calms me down. I still have a lot of documents to go through from my mother and Hayward.”

“Most of which you should burn,” Robert suggested. “If you find something that needs advice, pass it on to me. You can trust me.”

“I realize that now,” Tia admitted. “I reckon you have reason enough to set my backside on fire again.”

“Maybe later tonight, but just because I’m growing real fond of your bottom,” Robert said teasingly. “But not for anything you’ve done wrong. It’s difficult to understand why people can be cruel and stupid. You have good reasons to be upset. Your whole life has been based on lies and deception. I’ll help you go through the rest of the documents if you want.”

“I don’t want Sammy to know he’s not my brother by blood. He is my brother in every way that counts, and I love him,” Tia exclaimed. “The only other person who probably knows the truth is Hank, and he won’t tell anyone, but I’ll talk to him anyway.”

“We’ll talk to him together,” Robert corrected. “You’re not alone anymore. We are married, and we make decisions together. I know you’re not used to that idea, but that’s how a good marriage works. I’m lucky to have grown up with parents who made decisions together. When my father died, my older brothers tried to take his place. My siblings run their households the same. My brothers aren’t dictators. In fact, I think their wives have them wrapped around their little fingers. My sisters are the same and don’t allow their husbands to run over them.”

“I would like to meet your family someday,” Tia agreed.

“You will,” Robert promised. “Although, it might have to wait awhile. We’ve got a lot to do before winter sets in.”

* * *

Tia closed the door to Hayward’s office and turned the key in the lock. The room looked like it had been hit by a somewhat neat tornado. Stacks of books, journals, maps, and documents were in piles. The stacks were the overflow of emptying several large furniture pieces and bookshelves. Hayward hadn’t thrown anything away in two decades. They had discovered a wall safe but not the combination to open it. It would take Robert’s legal brain a while to determine the importance of some of the documents. He’d already carried a sack of old receipts and documents to the burn pile behind the house.

It was Saturday afternoon, and Tia was helping Mrs. Putney set the table for their guests. She would place their guests to sit beside each other on one side of the table. Robert would be at the head, and Sammy on the other end. She would sit beside Robert, flanking Billy and Jenny.

Rainer Bishop drove a buggy to the front porch with Francine sharing the ride.

Robert met them outside with a warning. “Be careful where you step. The new boards are safer.”

The dinner went well, with the adults discussing what was happening in town. Horace Skinner had come into the bank with a handwritten message for Robert. A homesteader by the name of Gregg Carter needed a lawyer. Someone was trying to run him off his property.

“I’ll have to locate him,” Robert said, adding the note to the correspondence he’d received in the mail.

“When does the building start?” Rainer asked.

“As soon as we agree on the drawings,” Robert said.

The chit-chat during the evening was comfortable among the friends. At one point, Francine joined Tia, and they took the children upstairs to bed while Mrs. Putney cleared the table.

“Well, what do you think of Rainer Bishop?” Tia asked her friend.

“We had some interesting conversation on the way here,” Francine said. “Rainer asked about my teaching job. I told him I love teaching, but I was thinking of leaving it permanently. When he asked me why, I told him. Low pay and the ridiculous restrictions in the contract they expect me to sign. I’m little more than a slave to the school board with all their restrictions. The rules only apply to single women. Those same rules do not apply to male teachers.

“Rainer asked me if I had ever worked in a bank and said if I could prove to him that I was good at math, he would hire me as a clerk.”

“That’s terrific! Will he pay better?” Tia demanded.

“He’s paying twelve dollars a week for a six-day week. I earn nine dollars a week as a teacher, and the school board charges me a dollar for living in the upstairs rooms of the schoolhouse. I don’t earn anything during the school breaks and holidays, but I still have to pay rent,” Francine said with a huff.

“Are you going to take the job?” Tia asked.

“Do I look stupid?” Francine asked. “Yes! If I pass his test, I will accept the job. I’ll have to move back into Momma’s house, but she’s been after me to move back home for ages.”

“That’s wonderful,” Tia exclaimed.

“How are you and Robert getting along?” Francine asked.

“We had a few bumps, but we’re settling in.”

“Have you found the little ones’ family yet?”

Tia shook her head. “He’s mailed some of his friends in Austin and asked them to put notices in several newspapers. There haven’t been any responses. I’m praying that no one claims them. I want to keep them!”

“They are sweet children,” Francine agreed.

Standing beside Robert with his arm around her, Tia waved off her friend. She’d given Francine another bag of her mother’s dresses to use the fabrics as she saw fit. Francine’s mother was a good seamstress, and her friend would need to expand her wardrobe if she was going to work in the bank.

“Did Rainer tell you he’s offered Francine a job in his bank?” Tia asked.

“He did, and I have no doubt she’ll do a good job,” Robert agreed. “She’s a smart lady.”

“I’d like to be a fly on the wall when Mrs. Higgins receives Francine’s resignation. The school board is going to have a fit,” Tia exclaimed.

“I’m sure they’ll miss her.”

“They’ll also miss the books, the encyclopedia, and the teaching supplies because Francine has been buying them from her salary for the last two years. They will also need to furnish the upstairs rooms for the next teacher, as everything from the bed to the rugs on the floor belongs to her and her mother. Mrs. Higgins is going to have a fit!”

“I haven’t met the formidable Mrs. Higgins yet,” Robert said. “Tomorrow, I need to locate Gregg Carter and find out what he wants.”

“He’ll be at church,” Tia said. “It might not be proper to talk to him on a Sunday, but someone can point him out to you.”

“Why haven’t we been going to church?” Robert asked.

“I haven’t been to church since Raymond rode into town with his henchmen,” Tia admitted. “I never liked going to church because Preacher Niken’s sermons are always about sending our souls to hell if we didn’t obey him.

“Mrs. Putney always insisted, and she didn’t like driving the buggy. After Raymond showed up, Nikens told me to obey Raymond and seek his forgiveness for doubting his word and intentions. I told Niken what he could stick up his ass!”

Robert opened the front door laughing. He turned Tia around and gave her a light smack to her bottom. “If I hear one of the children swearing, you will pay for it with a sore bottom!”

“Everyone swears on a ranch!” Tia protested.

“Not my wife, nor my children, unless they want their mouths washed with soap,” Robert threatened. “I’ve finally got you dressing like a woman, and you shouldn’t ruin that image by having a foul mouth. I’ve already warned the wranglers to stop swearing.”

Sunday was a quiet day on the ranch. The sky was overcast, and intermittent rain was keeping the children inside. Sammy completed his chores and settled in the parlor with the new encyclopedia and a dictionary. He planned to start on page one and work his way through all the volumes.

“That may take a while,” Tia warned.

“I ‘spect it will, but I’ll be a whole lot smarter,” Sammy said with a grin.

Robert rode into town Sunday morning. He wasn’t particularly interested in attending church, but he waited until the services were over and had the grocer, James Grover, point out the homesteader Gregg Carter.

“Mr. Carter,” Robert greeted the farmer. “I apologize for not being in my office when you stopped in.”

“Go on and get in the wagon,” Carter told his wife before returning to Robert. “It ain’t right to discuss my problems on church property, but if you follow us home, we can discuss it there.”

The homesteader’s cabin was small, and the wagon was stopped in front of an equally small barn.

“I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee,” Mrs. Carter offered, and she shooed the children inside, telling them to change out of their Sunday best and then get their chores done. To Robert’s ears, it sounded reminiscent of his mother barking the same orders to his brothers and sisters.

After the wagon was unhitched and the horse turned loose in the paddock, Robert followed Mr. Carter into the house and was offered a cup of coffee. The children were told to go outside to play.

Thanking Mrs. Carter for the coffee, Robert sat at a central table. “What can I help you with, Mr. Carter?”

Mrs. Carter went outside, carrying a baby, and the homesteader pulled an envelope out of a drawer. “I got this letter in the mail from the county. My boy, Daniel, says it’s from the government people.”

Robert read over the tax assessment papers.

“I’ve still got eight months before I need to prove up my land,” Mr. Carter complained.

“Do you have the original homesteader contract?” Robert asked.

“Yes, sir,” Carter said, setting a Bible on the table and pulling out the contracts.

“I see what the problem is, sir,” Robert said, reading the documents. He understood that the homesteader couldn’t read or write as the contract was signed with an X and witnessed by the county land clerk. “You are right, sir. This note is from the county clerk, but it’s just a warning that the five years to prove up is due this September 24th. After that date, you won’t have to pay taxes until the following year when they come due in October.”

“I don’t owe the government?” Gregg Carter asked.

“No, sir. Not for another year,” Robert said with a smile. “I know it doesn’t feel right that you have to do all the work, and then the government wants part of your profits, but that’s the law in every state.”

The relief on the farmer’s face was evident. “Thank you, Mr. Grayson. What do I owe you?”

Robert laughed. “I didn’t do anything, sir, except have a nice ride in the country. You don’t know how much I appreciate getting away from my desk and giving someone good news. As long as you remember to prove up you will be fine. It might be prudent to do it a couple of weeks early. Better safe than sorry is my motto.”

“I’ll do that,” Gregg nodded.

Robert rode through town, taking his time as none of the businesses were open on a Sunday. He stopped at his office, but Horace wasn’t there. The office was clean, and a few sealed envelopes were on his desk. Then he went to visit his friend Judge William Bentley, but his housekeeper said he’d left for Moose Ridge to preside over a trial, and she didn’t know when he would be back. The housekeeper didn’t have any details.

Deciding to head home, Robert passed the schoolhouse and was surprised to see the back door open and a wagon tied to a post.

Tying his horse to a fence, he went to investigate. Halfway up the stairs, Francine appeared carrying an upside-down chair down the stairs balanced on her head.

“Hey!” Robert exclaimed. “Let me have that!”

Francine looked around the chair arm. “Back down out of the way,” she advised.

Doing as she requested, Robert helped her set the chair down.

“Why are you moving furniture?” Robert asked.

Francine beamed a smile. “I’m moving my things and returning them to my mother’s house. I start to work at the bank tomorrow morning.”

“That was quick,” Robert said. “But why the rush? The schoolhouse is empty for the summer.”

“Because when I resigned, Mrs. Higgins gave me twenty-four hours to clear the school of my belongings, and that’s what I’m doing. I borrowed the wagon from Harry at the livery.”

“Then let me help you,” Robert said. “I’m assuming that you passed Rainer’s test? Why isn’t he helping you?”

“I didn’t ask him,” Francine said. “It’s enough that he’s given me a job. If you haven’t noticed, there are very few jobs for women in Stone Falls.”

“Well, I’ll ask him,” Robert said. “You shouldn’t be doing heavy lifting by yourself. The more I hear about this Mrs. Higgins, the less I like her.”

“Join the crowd,” Francine said and laughed. “She thinks that she runs the town because her husband is the mayor. And, in some ways, she does because most people don’t have the guts to put her in her place!”