Chapter Twenty-Four
Anna looked through the books and saw that the numbers were beginning to decline.
After inputting everything she needed to get the new bags of feed, along with the fresh supplies to fix the fences, the financial strain on the ranch was going to be more prominent now.
She could’ve ignored it if the sabotage hadn’t happened, but now money was fading away.
It wouldn’t matter how quickly they got the money back in; it would go out again just as fast.
It was going to be months, if not years, to fix it all again. Anna knew this was going to make life incredibly tough for a while.
Shutting the account books, she sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. Her head hurt from filling in all the columns, totting up the numbers, and she felt like they were whirling around in her head.
Maybe that was what the saboteur wanted. To make the ranch not as prosperous, she would be forced to sell when she couldn’t do it any longer. Pa would be disappointed knowing that someone was jeopardizing her future, and furious that anyone would think it was a good idea.
She was going to get through this. But Anna couldn’t see how.
Leaving the study, she was crossing the hall when Mrs. Mason came out of the sitting room. The cook slowed when she saw her.
“Anything the matter, my dear?”
“Just everything.” Anna walked to the door. “I’m going to go for a walk. I need to clear my head.”
“Of course.” Mrs. Mason gave her a smile. “I’ll let Travis and Connor know. They’ll have everything under control.”
Anna knew that. After Travis’s impassioned speech, she knew he could cope. Connor would easily manage, but Travis had shown that he was more than prepared to step up when needed. She definitely needed that right now.
As it was, she was feeling the pressure on her shoulders. Travis was right that she needed to rest, or it would make her ill, but she couldn’t help herself. The thought of sitting down when her ranch was going through problems made her nauseous and guilty.
She needed to apologize to him for snapping back. He wasn’t being malicious; his heart was in the right place. She shouldn’t be so harsh toward him.
Leaving the house, Anna made her way to a track that started just outside the gate and turned left, heading up the slope into the woods.
It was a quiet, pleasant walk that went through trees until it broke through to see a sudden drop of the valley to one side.
It was serene up there, and Anna could see how still life was around her.
There were no sounds from town, nothing except the sound from the woods.
She needed that tranquility to get her head on straight.
There was a rock on the path facing the valley, and Anna sat down, smoothing her skirts over her knees before leaning back on her hands.
There was a gentle breeze that cooled her down.
The walk had warmed her up, and the sun was shining.
At least it was better weather than the day before.
There didn’t seem to be any indication that there had been a tornado.
She was relieved that things weren’t as bad as they could’ve been, but it was still troubling.
Especially with the repairs that were needed.
Anna had thought they would be fine, and yet when she checked the books, there was something not right.
She was sure there was more money than she saw, but a quick trip to the bank told her there was a lot less in the account.
They didn’t have any paperwork showing who withdrew all the money, which was frustrating.
It was like they were professing ignorance.
At this point, Anna wouldn’t be surprised if they were skimming off the top for themselves; Pa had said they were not people to be fully trusted.
She needed to find out where that missing money was. She was scared that this had been happening under her nose, and she didn’t even know when it started. Had it happened before Pa died? Or was it since? If only someone could give her answers.
Maybe she should talk to Connor about it. He had a few friends in unsavory places who owed him a couple of favors, so maybe he could find out about that.
The sound of footsteps made her tense, and Anna felt her heart miss a few beats. Then she told herself not to be so stupid.
It was silly to be frightened of everything.
Then Edwin appeared through the trees, his face slightly red and breathless. He managed a smile at her, his hands on his knees.
“Hey, Anna. I thought I’d never catch up with you.”
“What are you doing up here, Edwin?” Anna demanded. “I thought you were busy.”
“I was, but I saw you leave, and I wanted to talk to you.”
“About what?”
Edwin straightened up, and then he gestured at the grass beside the rock.
“May I sit?”
Anna tried to think of an excuse, but she couldn’t. She nodded briskly, and Edwin collapsed with a heavy sigh onto the grass. He stretched his legs out in front of him.
“It’s obvious you’re overwhelmed with everything going on. Don’t you think it’s time to step down?”
“Edwin, this ranch is mine. I’ll step down when they put me in the ground,” Anna said.
“You’re being reckless, Anna.”
“Reckless?
Edwin got to his feet, standing a little too close. He looked like he was trying to tower over her. Anna felt a flicker of fear, but she didn’t back up. She stared him down, refusing to be bullied.
“How can I trust a woman who is letting her ranch be run into the ground?” Edwin asked. “It’s clear that you can’t handle everything. I thought this would happen. It’s why I protested so much. I knew you were going to struggle.”
“Only because someone is trying to ruin it,” Anna shot back. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you were doing it just to undermine me.”
Edwin let out a soft chuckle and shook his head.
“You’re full of ideas, Anna. They’re just not very good ones.”
Anna could feel her anger boiling over. She wasn’t going to let him get the better of her. Stepping back, she took a deep breath, directing her anger at Edwin while trying to remain calm. It wasn’t easy, especially when it came to him.
“You need to stay out of my business,” she said sternly. “Maybe you should go and live elsewhere. Get out of the cottage and find your own place to live. You should be able to afford it.”
His mouth dropped open.
“What? But I was promised the cottage for life if you were able to find yourself a husband!”
“And there is a stipulation that it’s at my discretion.
You didn’t read the entire will, did you?
And if I deem it necessary that you should leave because of your actions, then I will throw you out.
” She lifted her chin defiantly. “If you’re going to stick your nose into MY business and how I’m doing things, you can consider yourself unemployed and homeless.
It’s up to you. If you don’t like it, then you can shut up and keep out of my way. Otherwise, you can leave.”
She turned and stomped away, aware of Edwin staring after her. He was clearly not expecting her to push back. He should’ve kept his mouth shut.
She was going to have to arrange for him to be thrown out sooner rather than later.