Chapter Twelve
Despite the nagging feeling to get the additional room built onto the house, Garrett awoke in the barn the next morning and saddled his horse straight away; not even having the presence of mind to stop into the house real quick to tell Hannah or the children where he was going.
After speaking with Logan the night before, he was kept up most of the night thinking about how his friend had caught Frank Ashton and the other man acting suspicious behind the courthouse.
He rode into town at a brisk pace, barely noticing the morning sun’s bright rays illuminating his path.
Something about what Logan had told him had caused a gnawing feeling in his gut, and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to relax until he went to the courthouse himself and saw the paperwork for Diamond W Ranch for himself.
Garrett arrived at the courthouse before it was open, and paced the long, white-washed front porch restlessly until finally, the county clerk, Kenneth Harper, came walking his way.
Kenneth raised his bushy brows as he spotted Garrett, but he quickly drew on a smile as the two men walked toward one another.
“Why, good morning, Garrett. What brings you by the courthouse so early? Is it your wedding license? Because Preacher Thompson brought it by yesterday. Everything is in order there in the eyes of the law. Congratulations, by the way! I heard she’s a real beauty,” Kenneth greeted pleasantly.
Garrett shuffled on his feet, suddenly feeling foolish for his intense worry.
“Thank you, Kenneth,” he answered awkwardly, “But that’s not why I’m here.
Um, I got a strange visit from a couple of fellas claiming to be from the Southern Pacific Railroad, and they said there was a problem with my deed to Diamond W Ranch.
I have the original deed from Mr. Dawson at home, but I was hoping to see the copy you have on file here?
I think, I hope, there has just been some big misunderstanding. ”
Kenneth raised a curious brow, but nodded.
“Well, sure, we can do that, Garrett. No harm in taking a look, right?” Kenneth replied.
Garrett let out a small sigh of relief as Kenneth unlocked the courthouse and led him inside.
“Do give me a moment, would you?” Kenneth implored, “It’s part of my duties to open up for the day and close down for the night. You can take a seat right there on the bench.”
Garrett looked down at the uncomfortable-looking wooden bench in the courthouse hallway.
In truth, he didn’t want to wait. He just needed a few seconds to see the deed, to get the closure he wanted, and then he’d be on his way and both he and Kenneth would go back to their work.
Still, he didn’t want to be rude or seem pushy, so he agreed.
Garrett’s anxiety slowly ticked toward impatience as Kenneth took his time unlocking doors to all of the other offices and the courtroom, opening up the shutters or curtains, and lighting the oil lamps in the hallway.
By the time he was finished, Garrett’s leg was bouncing anxiously, and he felt just about ready to yank his hair out.
“Alright,” Kenneth sighed, gesturing to Garrett to follow him into the clerk’s office, “Let’s see. It’s under D, right? Diamond W?”
“Yessir,” Garrett quickly replied, all but shooting out of his seat.
Kenneth hummed a happy tune as he started looking through the large wooden filing cabinet, then said ‘aha!’ as he pulled out the Diamond W file.
“Here you are, Garrett,” Kenneth said pleasantly, opening the file and handing it to him.
Garrett murmured his thanks as he quickly snatched the file and unfolded the copy of the deed, telling himself he was anxious over nothing again and again, until he read the name of the bequeathed.
Where his name should have been, where it had been on the deed he had at home, the letters spelling out Southern Pacific Railroad were now written in bold, black letters.
“No,” he whispered, feeling his anxiety shift to anger as he read down the deed. “No!” He shouted, shoving the file away from him, “No, it’s not possible!”
Kenneth looked at him, shocked.
“Garrett?” He said calmly, “What is-?”
“What did they do?” Garrett demanded, thumping his fist on the counter. “Did you do this for them? Did they pay you? How much did it cost to stab your neighbor in the back?”
Kenneth’s mouth gaped open in apparent shock, then he vehemently shook his head.
“ME!? No, no, Garrett, I did nothing of the sort!” Kenneth insisted, turning the file around so he could read it. “I would never do something like that!”
“Then who did?” Garrett’s voice boomed through the courthouse.
“Hey now,” Logan’s voice interjected.
Garrett swiveled around and saw his friend stride swiftly into the room, placing himself in front of the counter between Garrett and Kenneth.
“What are you doing causing a ruckus, Garrett?” Logan asked, “It’s still early morning! Folks are still asleep!”
“Ask him!” Garrett shouted, pointing at Kenneth over Logan’s broad shoulder. “Why’d you do it, Kenneth? Were you that desperate to make an extra buck?”
“Easy,” Logan warned, placing a hand on Garrett’s shoulder. “This isn’t like you! Take a breath and a step back for me, bud.”
Garrett’s boiling temper downgraded to a simmer as he took in Logan’s disappointed expression, and he obeyed. This wasn’t like him, but the ranch was too important to him to just sit back and let it be taken away.
“Kenneth,” Logan said, turning to the clerk, “What does that deed say?”
Kenneth looked pale and shaken as he peered down at the deed to Diamond W Ranch. He shook his head and swallowed.
“Well?” Logan urged.
“I-It’s impossible,” Kenneth stammered out, raising his hands hopelessly. “I drafted the copy of Mr. Dawson’s deed and filed it myself. It was left to Garrett.”
Garrett scowled and looked down at the floor as Logan asked, “What’s impossible, Kenneth?”
“This deed… it says the land and title to the Diamond W Ranch belong to the Southern Pacific Railroad,” Kenneth replied, his voice suddenly hoarse.
He looked over Logan’s shoulder to Garrett, his eyes pleading.
“Garrett, please. You have to know I didn’t have anything to do with this! I was a friend to Mr. Dawson; I’ve been a friend to you for nearly eight years!”
Garrett’s temper cooled a little more, if only slightly, and he took a deep breath.
“I believe you, Kenneth,” he replied solemnly. “I’m sorry I accused you, I’m just… I’m just upset.”
He looked up at Kenneth again, and found the man giving him a nod of forgiveness.
“This is most serious, Sheriff,” Kenneth said, turning his gaze to Logan. “It has to be fraudulent. I’m afraid you’re going to have to open up an investigation. If this goes uncontested, Garrett could lose his ranch.”
Kenneth’s words had Garrett’s stomach tying in knots, and he walked out of the clerk’s office, needing fresh air. As he got back onto the porch, he put his hands on his knees and drew in a deep breath, willing his nerves to calm down so he could think about what he was going to do about it all.
A moment later, Logan walked out onto the porch with him, and Garrett straightened to his full height.
“I swear, if it’s not one thing it’s the other,” Garrett said, shaking his head. “First Mr. Walker tries to take the ranch from me. Now these fellas at the Southern Pacific Railroad.”
“I know it’s hard but I’m going to need you to try to calm down about this,” Logan insisted, placing a hand on Garrett’s shoulder.
Garrett shook his friend’s hand off, unable to accept the comfort.
“You don’t understand, Logan,” he replied, “After how I grew up? After spending so much time fighting tooth and nail for every little thing? This ranch was supposed to be rightfully mine. It is rightfully mine, and now I got to fight for it? I spent years, Mr. Dawson spent years getting me away from the fighting spirit, and now I got to find a way to bring it back?”
Garrett grabbed his cowboy hat and threw it on the porch floor.
“Mr. Dawson entrusted me with his land,” he said, his voice growing thick with emotion, “Now before I even get a chance to turn things around, someone’s trying to steal it away from me? I can’t lose this ranch, Logan. I got to do right by Mr. Dawson.”
“I know you do,” Logan replied, his green eyes shining with understanding.
Garrett’s raised shoulders dropped suddenly, and he bowed his head.
“And you will,” Logan quickly added.
He put his hand on Garrett’s shoulder again, but this time he didn’t shake his friend off. Instead, he accepted the small comfort.
“We’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise. You’re not alone, Garrett. You haven’t been in a very long time.”
Guilt settled like silt over Garrett’s heart; ashamed that he’d lost himself to his temper so quickly.
“I’m sorry about before,” he rasped, “I’m—I’m just-”
“You’re scared,” Logan finished for him, his deep tone gentle. “You have every right to be.”
Garrett chuckled, though there was no mirth behind the sound.
“Men aren’t supposed to be scared, remember? Mr. Walker taught us that,” he replied wryly.
Logan chuffed.
“Yeah. Well, Mr. Walker has proven himself a fool over and over again. I never took his advice and neither have you. Don’t start now.”
“Right,” Garrett rasped, nodding his head. He reached down and picked up his cowboy hat, and put it back on his head.
“You’re right. But what am I going to do, Logan?” He sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted despite it still being early morning.
“You, my friend. You are going to go home to the beautiful new bride of yours and new cluster of little sibling-in-laws,” Logan answered, and Garrett let out another dry laugh.
“You’re going to keep your eyes open for those surveyors you told me about, and if you see ‘em, you’re going to send someone into town to come get me straightaway,” Logan went on.
“I thought what I saw last night was someone trying to break in. But now I think I saw someone escaping. So I’m going to put a deputy on the courthouse lawn, just in case, and then I’m going to send a notice to this Southern Pacific Railroad company.
See what the head of their business has to say about all of this.
In the meantime, you’re going to figure out how to tell Hannah what’s going on. ”
Garrett’s head shot up, his eyes wide. How could he tell her about this now? She and the children hadn’t even gotten a chance to settle in yet. They’d been in Texas less than a week and now he had to tell her that the home he promised her might be stolen away?
He couldn’t tell her. Not yet. She was worried about enough. Still, he told Logan he would, and told himself as he walked away from his friend that it wasn’t a lie. He just needed time, and God willing, he’d get the whole mess sorted out without ever having to worry Hannah.
“I just have to have faith,” he said aloud to himself as he mounted his horse again. “Just have to have faith. God will work it out. He always does.”
Yet as he rode toward home, for the first time in over twelve years, a seed of doubt began to take root in the bed of his faith in God, and suddenly, he wasn’t so sure.