Chapter Twenty-Nine
Anna’s ankle wasn’t sprained, but it was very swollen. Travis noted how she managed to get around the next day. She was limping a little, but she was carrying on as if nothing had happened, a look of grim determination on her face. He wanted to tell her to rest, but she wouldn’t listen to him.
Given the situation, he couldn’t blame her.
The sight of the ruined buildings was gut-wrenching once the smoke had cleared. It looked like a shell that was on the cusp of crumbling to dust. Connor had said there was no hope of rebuilding it from what they had, so they would have to knock it all down and start over.
And that would require money. Which Anna didn’t seem to have. Travis had gone over the accounts with her, and what was in the books didn't match what was in the account. They were close to bankruptcy.
Someone was stealing money from them, and Travis was certain it was Edwin.
He was also certain that Edwin set the fire and almost destroyed the ranch, but there wasn’t any proof.
For a start, Edwin was in full view of Connor when it happened, and Connor swore he didn’t see Edwin leave his sight in the paddock.
So, either it was someone else completely, or Edwin had a friend or had hired someone to set the fire. Either possibility left Travis feeling nervous.
“Travis?” Anna had hobbled over as he finished fixing the well, which had been vandalized again. “I’m going to the bank to see what’s going on. Emily’s going with me.”
“All right.” Travis pushed his Stetson off his forehead. He was sweating so much that his Stetson slid back down almost immediately. “Do you want me to come with you, or will you be all right?”
“We’ll be fine. Emily and I will see what we can do.” Anna gave him a tiny smile. “Besides, someone needs to be here for our potential investor. We can’t both be away.”
Travis grimaced, placing the bucket on the ground and unwinding the rope from the axle.
“I already sent a message to him. I told him that we’ve had an emergency come up, and if we could possibly postpone it for the next few days while we get everything sorted.”
Anna frowned.
“Do you think that’s going to work? Or will that put him off?”
“We’ve got to try. He also said he was looking to buy a couple of horses. You said you had a couple you wanted to sell.”
“Yes. Connor knows which ones.” Anna bit her lip. “But they’ve not been seen yet. I’m not sure of their condition.”
“By the time he comes to visit, they’ll be fit again.” Travis approached her. “You don’t need to worry about anything, Anna. We’ve got this.”
Anna nodded, but something like uncertainty passed across her face. She didn’t look comfortable at all. Travis put an arm around her and hugged her.
“You go with Emily and focus on finding out what happened to the money. I’ll take care of things here.” He kissed her forehead before he could stop himself. “We can get through this.”
Anna stared at him with her mouth open, as if she wasn’t sure of what had just happened. Their faces were inches apart, and Travis knew it wouldn’t take much to lean in and kiss her properly. But he stopped himself, mostly because he could hear Emily calling.
“Anna! Are you coming?”
Anna jumped, her face turning bright red, and she absently dusted herself down.
Then, mumbling to herself, she hurried away to join Emily, limping so prominently that Travis thought she was going to fall again.
As she reached Emily, Anna glanced back at him, and gave him a small smile.
Emily gave Travis a sly smile and winked before they walked away.
Sighing, Travis got back to work. He had to figure out what they were going to do. Someone had to come and make sure the animals were healthy.
He thought about what was happening, and it scared him that this was collapsing on top of them. Anna had proven that she was resolute and a good boss, but someone clearly didn’t think the same thing. Edwin was the obvious choice, but with him in view a lot of the time…
“What’s on your mind?”
Connor had approached. Travis took off his Stetson and wiped his forehead with his wrist.
“I’m just so confused. Things were fine before I arrived, weren’t they?”
“Yes. The only bump was immediately before, with Edwin walking around as if he thought he was in charge, but that was it. Nothing else changed.”
“So, where is all of this coming from? Is someone that jealous of a woman owning a wealthy business that they’re willing to ruin it for her?”
Connor gave him a grim look, sweat sticking his shirt to him and streaming down his face. He hadn’t cleaned his face of most of the soot, either, so it was turning into grim on his forehead. “You do realize that you’re describing Edwin, don’t you?”
“I do, and it seems obvious to look straight at him. But there isn’t any proof that he’s done anything.”
Connor grunted. They looked over at one of the barns, where Edwin was talking to one of the other workers. He seemed to be smiling and laughing as if nothing bad had happened.
“I don’t understand how he can stand there laughing after what happened yesterday,” Connor grumbled. “It’s like he doesn’t care.”
“If this is his doing, he’s going to leave himself with nothing,” Travis remarked. “Or maybe that’s the point.”
“What do you mean?”
“If he can’t have it, then nobody else can. So he’ll simply destroy it.”
Connor shuddered. “You’re very good at making things sound ominous, Travis. Let’s hope that we get this stopped before anyone gets seriously hurt.”
Travis was hoping the same thing. Then he caught sight of movement at the gate, just out of sight around the feed shed.
He moved, and what he saw made his heart sink.
A large, burly man wearing a Stetson and a smart suit, his paunch straining at his belt, was coming through the gate, striding confidently across the front yard.
“Oh, no.”
“What?” Connor asked.
“It’s the investor. What’s he doing here?” Travis turned to Connor. “I sent him a note saying we’d had an emergency and we needed to delay the meeting for a couple of days.”
“Looks like he’s going by his own schedule,” Connor commented. Then he frowned. “What’s he up to?”
Travis saw what he was looking at. Edwin had left the barn and was walking toward the investor with a friendly smile. The two men shook hands and began to talk. Connor glanced at Travis.
Connor looked worried. “I’m sure Edwin is up to something.”
Edwin was now saying something to the investor, who appeared very grim. Travis hurried over, jogging across the yard to join them.
“Mr. Whistler,” he greeted the older man. “I wasn’t expecting you here today. I thought we were going to meet later in the week.”
Teddy Whistler turned to him, giving Travis a scathing look that gave him pause. There was nothing in the man’s expression that suggested there was any warmth from what had been in their previous interactions.
“I thought I’d come in and surprise you. See how things were when you’re not on your guard. On recommendation of Edwin here.”
“What?”
Whistler clamped his hand on Edwin’s shoulder, who looked very smug.
“We’ve known each other since his father ran his own ranch years ago. I’m pleased to see that he’s taken on responsibilities here for his cousin.”
Travis frowned, glancing at Edwin. The other man simply shrugged. “Well, Anna can’t run this place, can she? Things have been going on since she’s taken over.”
“Only because someone’s been sabotaging the place. That’s not something anyone can anticipate, is it?”
“She’s still struggling financially, isn’t she?”
“And how would you know that, Edwin?”
Edwin simply smiled at him, whereas Whistler didn’t look too happy. He shook his head at Travis.
“I must admit, when Edwin told me what you were up to and the state of the place, I thought he was winding me up to begin with. But now I see he was telling the truth. The place is in shambles, the animals are clearly not well, and there doesn’t seem to be any organization.”
“We did have a bad fire set deliberately in the barn yesterday,” Travis pointed out, trying not to lose his temper. “We didn’t anticipate that happening.”
“You say deliberately?” Mr. Whistler asked.
“The sheriff was here this morning, and he and I came to the understanding that someone set the hay on fire and left it to burn down.” Edwin nodded.
Although Travis had suspected it had been deliberate, but having someone else say it made him feel like he wasn’t going mad. Whistler’s expression said he didn’t believe that.
“How do I know this hasn’t been going on for a long time?” Mr. Whistler asked. “Edwin says that he’s been doing his best, but there’s only so much he can do when nobody listens to him.”
“That’s because he’s not the one who runs the place,” Travis said, glaring at Edwin. “My wife is the owner, and she’s more than capable of handling it. She’s been her father’s assistant for years. When she’s not here, her foreman and I can take care of the place. We’ve got a good system going.”
“From what I can tell, you have no system at all.” Whistler gestured all around him. “This is an utter disaster. You tried to take advantage of me to take on something that is clearly not worth it.”
“That’s not true!” Travis said.
“Given the proximity to the town, I should’ve had a look before now, but instead I asked around in town about this place.
Everyone has been taken in by you and your wife, haven’t they?
They believe it runs well, and everything’s just how it should be.
” Whistler shook his head. “That’s not what I’m seeing right now.
Edwin was right to raise concerns with me. ”
Travis could see Edwin’s face as Whistler faced him head-on. Edwin was smirking, looking very pleased with himself.
“You shouldn’t treat Edwin’s word as gospel,” Travis said through gritted teeth. “You don’t see us at our best, yes, but this isn’t normal operations.”
“Well, if it isn’t, you’d better get on with changing it around. Because I have no intention of investing in what I can see as a ranch falling down.”
Travis’s stomach sank. He couldn’t believe the potential good fortune he’d lined up was being snatched away practically immediately.
“Mr. Whistler, if you just come back in a couple of weeks when we’ve got it…”
“I’m not planning on coming back. Not until something very drastic changes. I shouldn’t have agreed to think about it when a woman is running the place.”
“That’s not fair!” Travis said.
“It’s how it is, Mr. Cooper.” Whistler nodded at Edwin before turning away. “Good day.”
Travis watched him walk away, feeling the solid financial foundations slip away underneath him. He turned to Edwin, who looked very pleased with himself.
“I have a feeling you and Anna are going to severely struggle to get this sorted, Travis,” Edwin said smoothly. “Nobody wants to invest in something that’s practically crumbling around their ears.”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Me? Certainly not.” But Edwin was chuckling as he turned away. “Although this wouldn’t have happened if I were in charge. If I were the boss, the ranch wouldn’t be in danger of being lost.”
“You would love to make Anna bankrupt and homeless, wouldn’t you?” Travis shouted after him. “You don’t want her having what you believe is yours, so you’re going to make her lose it.”
But Edwin didn’t answer except with a wave over his shoulder. Travis kicked at a stone, sending it skittering across the ground. This was not happening right now. This had to be a bad dream.
And yet it was. This was very real.