Page 29 of The Earl’s Wrangler (Cowboy Nobility #3)

“Yes. And the ticket office. This building also houses some of the management offices. We can go inside later, but this end has something I want to show you.” He led the way down the long row of what had once been stalls and unlocked a door toward the end.

“People are watching you and pointing,” Sawyer whispered.

Randall sighed. “It happens all the time. I can’t go anywhere on my own land without someone seeing me. It’s like living in a fishbowl a lot of the time.” He pulled open the door and stepped inside. Sawyer followed him and closed the door before latching it closed.

“Oh my god,” Sawyer whispered. “Is that a coach?”

“Yes. I’ve been working on it for a few years in my spare time.

I found it, this carriage, and this buggy where the horses are now.

I moved them into this section of the old stables.

The store managers would like to expand, and they have their eye on this part of the building.

I’ve been thinking of fixing up the estate manager’s house and moving the offices there to give them extra room, but I don’t want to give up this space. ”

“No,” Sawyer agreed. “It’s still really rough, and this is a workspace.” He carefully opened the door to the coach and peered inside. The seats were lush and heavily padded. “Is that the same crest as on the glasses in the dining room?”

“Yes. The queen, after her visit, sent this to my ancestor as a thank-you for showing her such amazing hospitality. It even has her crest on the door. I want to finish it and the others and open this as a carriage display. I think that would be really fun.”

Sawyer was already shaking his head. “Screw that. Finish this one and show it off, but the others, use them. Get the horses you need and use them on the property. God, I would love to drive a team of horses.” He grinned as he ran his hands over some of the smooth wood.

“Can you imagine taking a ride in this on a summer afternoon, or adding bells to the horses and using them at Christmas?” It was mind-blowing.

“I wouldn’t want to try to drive this one.

It’s too fancy and way too valuable, given its history, but the others?

” He could just see riding in them. It would be like a dream come true.

“A ride in any of them would be amazing.” Every nook and cranny of this place seemed to harbor something special.

He peered inside the coach and then walked all around it.

“Do you know what you’re looking for?”

Sawyer laughed. “Not really. It just is really amazing. You’ve done a really good job with it.”

“The thing was in pieces when I found it. The seats had been pulled out, and I found them in the attic of the house. They had been put away in storage. The wheels had been taken off, and the whole coach sat on the ground. It took a while to get everything back together. The biggest issue I had was with the suspension, but I managed to fix that too. The last thing I need to do is replace the hitching system. The wood is too weak to actually use, so I need to fabricate new parts.”

“Where do you do that?” Sawyer asked.

“I have a small shop through that door.” Randall opened it, and Sawyer peered in. All the tools were almost as old as the coach.

“You make everything by hand?” Sawyer asked, very impressed. He had no idea. “How did I not know this?” Randall had been able to help him with a lot of things, but he’d never let on that he knew how to create such beautiful things with his hands.

“I just use the old parts as a model and create new ones. I have a few modern tools over on the bench, because they save a lot of time, but I do all the final finishing with the hand tools. I really want the coach to appear as it did when it was gifted to the family.”

Sawyer could understand that. “And the others?”

“They are going to take more work. A lot of the wood has rotted out in places and will need to be replaced. On the carriage, I’m going to need to have new wheels made. What’s there isn’t strong enough for actual use, even if they are in one piece.”

“I’ve never made carriage wheels,” Sawyer said.

“I’ve made lot of other things. At the ranch we have to fix a lot of things, and sometimes that means making specific parts.

The old stable needs a lot of care, and the horses take a toll on the wooden stalls, so I repair them all the time.

” But this was something completely different.

“This is close to making furniture,” Randall said.

“I know it sounds kind of dumb, but it is. These coaches and carriages were the chief mode of transportation in the day. This is what they had until the trains were developed. Can you imagine an entire network of horse-drawn conveyances all over the country? That’s what we had.

Then the trains came along, and that began to change.

Later, the car pretty much did this sort of thing in. ”

“I think this is pretty amazing,” Sawyer said. “And I really like that you’re doing it yourself.”

A pounding on the door made both of them jump.

Randall growled as he hurried over, yanking it open with a glare.

“This is off-limits. I suggest you rejoin your tour and stay with your guide.” He didn’t yell, but he was very clearly unhappy.

He waited about two seconds before closing and latching the door once more.

Sawyer joined him as Randall opened the door partway when the knock sounded again. “What didn’t—?”

“I’m here to speak with Sawyer Kincaid,” the man said with an eastern US accent.

Shit. All he could think about was that this was another of those damned people trying to collect on his father’s debts. “What do you want? This is an area that is off the tour. It’s a private area of the estate.”

“I’m not here for the tour, though I’m sure it’s very nice.” He smiled, leaving Sawyer very confused. “My name is Arthur Wilson.”

“Then why are you here? If this has anything to do with my father, I’m not paying his debts, and if you’re here to make more threats, they aren’t going to do you any good. I’m not paying for him. We put the last person who came to collect in jail, and I’m sure we can arrange to do that again.”

The man stepped back, and Sawyer had to admit he did not look like any sort of debt collector. An accountant maybe or an attorney, but not a bruiser. He cleared his throat. “It seems your father has disappeared.”

Sawyer shrugged. “Okay?” What else was he supposed to say?

It was likely that the people his father owed money to had finally caught up with him.

Either that or his father had managed to evade them and had somehow covered his tracks well enough that no one could follow him. “What does that have to do with me?”

“Well….” He cleared his throat again. “Do you really want to talk out here?”

“How did you find out where we were?” Sawyer asked. “I’ve been all over the estate and into the village today.”

The man blushed. “I asked around. It wasn’t hard to find a cowboy here in coastal England. I mean, no one else wears a hat like yours. I talked to a few people, and they pointed me to the estate. I just happened to be arriving when I was directed over here.”

“Fine. Let’s close up here and we can go up to the house so you can talk.” Randall closed the door, and they headed back to the car. The man got into his own and followed them around to the side of the house. Then Randall invited him into his sitting room. “I’ll leave you alone.”

“No.” Sawyer had no idea what was going on, but he had every intention of telling Randall what went on. This would save him the trouble. “Stay here.”

Randall sat next to him.

“Can I get you some tea?” Randall asked, and Sawyer snickered.

“No, thank you. I’ve never gotten used to it. Anyway, I’m an attorney for your father’s older brother. It would be your Uncle Dale.”

“I have an uncle?” Sawyer asked. “I’ve never heard of him.

” He didn’t know he had any family on his father’s side.

He knew he had cousins of some sort that were related to his mother, but he hadn’t seen any of them in many years.

Not since before she passed away. After that, it seemed they didn’t want anything to do with him and his father.

Though maybe that had more to do with his dad than him.

“I doubt you would have. Apparently Dale and your father hadn’t spoken in years.

I don’t know the details of why. But Dale passed away, and from what is in the will, it seems it had something to do with your father’s gambling.

I believe that there was some sort of incident in the past. Anyway, your uncle passed away about two months ago, and your father and you are his only family.

So I was asked to locate him and you. But judging by the stipulations in your uncle’s will, your father doesn’t qualify any longer. ”

“I don’t understand,” Sawyer said softly.

“Your uncle left a sizable estate. He was a financial advisor in Dallas and very successful. He left quite a bit of money, but there was a stipulation in the will that as long as your father was still gambling, he was not to inherit anything. Your uncle named you as his secondary beneficiary, with the same stipulation.”

“Sawyer doesn’t gamble,” Randall said flatly, “and we know for a fact that his father is still gambling because people have been after him to collect on his debts. That’s part of why Sawyer is here. We thought he would be safer if he was out of the country.”

“All right. I’m going to need statements on what both of you know about your father’s gambling and who he owes money to.” He seemed a little overwhelmed. “I was hoping you might know where your father is.”