Chapter Thirty
Anna sat slumped on the porch, staring at what had once been her thriving home. Now it looked like a shadow of its former self.
The money was missing. Despite what the account balance said, the actual amount was completely different. It was as if someone had walked in, robbed the bank, and walked out again without anyone noticing. Nobody knew what was going on, but they assured her they would look into it.
It made Anna want to cry. She couldn’t believe this was happening. When Pa died, he’d been prosperous, and the ranch had been wealthy. Now they were on the cusp of collapse.
And Anna felt like it was her fault. She’d failed her father and the people who worked on the ranch.
Most of all, she’d failed herself. Anna had believed she could manage this on her own, that she’d been taught enough to know how to handle the place, and it wasn’t working.
“Take this.” Emily sat beside her, holding out a mug of coffee. “You haven’t had any breakfast, have you? You need to have something.”
“I’m fine.”
Emily scoffed, shaking her head. “No, you’re not. You’ve got to pick yourself up and carry on. You’re tougher than this, and you’re not going to crumble and let whoever is sabotaging you walk all over you.”
“What other choice do I have? We don’t know who’s doing it, and unless we can prove it, this will carry on until you’re down to nothing. You’re not the sort of person to give up, Anna.”
“I know…”
“Then stop being so defeatist, and you’ll get back to how things were.
We’re all here to help you.” Emily gestured at the house behind her.
“I’ll come over and do what I can for you, maybe even help Mrs. Mason as well.
Connor can handle the ranch's day-to-day labor, and Travis said he would be the one to fix everything and take charge of rebuilding the barn. We’ve got it sorted for you. ”
Anna knew that, and she was grateful for the way everyone had rallied around her, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She could see the end in sight. She would lose her home, her livelihood, and then she would be on her own.
There was Travis, of course, and Anna really hoped that he would stick with her.
Because, deep down, she was scared that he was going to walk away from her.
Words were one thing, but actions were another, and Anna knew it might happen.
But if it was going to happen, she just wanted it to happen sooner rather than later, so she could get over it quickly.
That was unfair to Travis, and Anna knew she needed to stop being so flat with her thoughts. That was easier said than done, though.
She found someone who actually listened to her, who understood her, and made her feel like things were going well. He was supportive and kind, and he knew what to do to help her.
She needed that right now, more than anything else.
“Oh, Anna.” Emily rubbed Anna’s shoulders. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. But we’ll make sure that you don’t lose anything.”
“I appreciate it, Emily.” Anna leaned into her. “But I don’t think we’ll be able to save it. Not with the way things are going.”
“If only we knew where the money was going. If we did, then we would be able to find out who is sabotaging the ranch. They’ve got to be the same person.”
Anna scowled. She still recalled the meeting with the bank manager, who was just as confused as she was when he saw the amount actually in the account.
He couldn’t understand it, either. Someone had definitely been messing around with the paperwork, and they had to be working with whoever had stolen from her.
It would be a while to figure out what was going on, though.
It didn’t make things any easier, certainly. But Anna was sure she knew who was behind it. There was only one person she could think of who would do something as despicable as this. There was no proof, but she was positive of it.
She just needed to find proof that Edwin had done it. Which was going to be easier said than done, given that her cousin was very slick.
Was he working with someone? Anna was beginning to see Travis’s point of view. He’d suggested it before, and initially Anna had dismissed it, not thinking that Edwin could find someone who was just as cruel as he was to ruin the ranch.
Her headache was getting worse.
“We’re not going to back down on this,” Emily continued. “We’ll make sure to turn it around. I promise.”
“I hope so,” Anna managed.
Emily squeezed Anna’s shoulders and leaned against her.
Anna wished she had Emily’s confidence. She looked across the yard at Travis, who was helping Connor with one of the horses.
The animal was limping as it was walked around the enclosure, Connor checking closely as Travis led the horse by the reins.
She recalled what Travis had told her earlier about the investor backing out. She had wanted to cry.
“Aren’t you going to do anything?”
She looked up. Edwin was walking toward them, his boots clattering loudly on the porch. He looked bemused by her, a slight smug smile tugging at his mouth. Anna straightened up.
“I would say the same about you. You’re supposed to be working, Edwin.”
“I don’t think so. Not when there’s nothing to work for.” Folding his arms, Edwin leaned against a post. “This place is going to collapse in the next few days. You’re going to have nothing to your name, and you’ll be humiliated for the way you ran this place.”
“Anna has been doing absolutely fine with the ranch,” Emily pointed out. “The sabotage has nothing to do with her.”
“Really? Someone doesn’t like it.”
“Like you?” Emily shot back.
Edwin rolled his eyes.
“You’re going to accuse me of doing that to a place I call my home?”
“Why not? You’re not in charge, and you want to be. You’re jealous of Anna, so that’s why you did it.”
“At least I’d be able to keep a closer eye on the money in my account,” Edwin sneered. “I would know exactly what was in there instead of letting someone siphon money out of my pockets.”
That made Anna sit up. A prickling had started on the back of her neck, and she couldn’t get it to ease off. She put her coffee mug down and stood up, facing her cousin.
“How do you know about that?”
“How do I know about what?”
“That someone was stealing money from our accounts.”
Edwin blinked. “You told me.”
But Anna shook her head. She knew that was a lie. “No, I didn’t. I never told you anything about it. In fact, nothing financial was ever discussed in your presence. Because I don’t trust you. There are only three people who know about this, for certain, and you’re not one of them.”
“Then maybe I overheard it.”
Emily also stood up, staring at Edwin with wide eyes. “Was it you?” she accused. “Were you the one who stole from your own family?”
“How dare you?” Edwin pushed himself upright, his eyes flashing in his annoyance. “I would never do that!”
“You’re the one who clearly doesn’t like the fact that the ranch was taken away from you, and you’ve been against Anna from the beginning. It wouldn’t be that too far of a stretch.”
Edwin looked as if he was about to lose his temper. He turned to Anna, his eyes wide in horror.
“You’re not going to let her get away with accusing me of that, are you? How could you believe that? We’re family, aren’t we?”
“You’ve never treated me as family, Edwin,” Anna reminded him. “You and I have been at odds since we were children. You were a grown man, jealous of a little girl.”
“That’s not true!” Edwin stammered.
“That’s how it was when we were growing up! Even Pa told you that it was pointless. You were cruel to me as a child just because you wanted what I had.”
Edwin’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t look happy, and Anna could feel the anger radiating off him. He stepped toward her, but Anna didn’t back away. She wasn’t going to back down to him.
“If you think I was jealous of a scrawny little brat like you, then you clearly have something wrong with your head,” Edwin hissed.
“I would never do something that would be wasting my time, and I certainly haven’t tried to sabotage the ranch for you to lose it.
Why would I do that when this is my home as well? ”
He scoffed, a harsh laugh, throwing his head back as he did so.
“You have such a fertile imagination, Anna, don’t you?
You caused all of this. The sabotage occurred while you were in charge.
The fire happened with you in charge, and this is all crumbling down because of you.
It’s nothing to do with me. Next thing you know, you’re going to blame me for planting a snake in the outer field so you would freeze up and be too terrified to run away while you get bitten. ”
Anna was about to retort back to that, but then she stopped. Something about what he said was not quite right. She frowned. “How do you know about that?”
“About what?”
“The snake in the outer field. The only person who knew that happened was Travis because he was there.”
Edwin blinked. “I… I overheard you talking about it.”
“No, I didn’t discuss it after that. Travis and I dealt with the situation, and we completely put it to the side.” Anna glared at him as realization dawned. “That was you? You planted the snake there for me?”
Edwin didn’t respond, but it was the way his face shifted a little that told her everything.
He had been the one to put the snake there.
Anna felt a wash of cold and fury cover her body, and she began to shake.
How could he even think that was a good idea?
Edwin had teased her about her fear of snakes often enough, and now he’d used it to his advantage.
With a snarl, she launched herself at Edwin and slapped him. Edwin tried to get out of the way, but the slap caught him on the cheek and knocked him sideways. He fell off the porch and landed on the ground, dust flying up around him. He lay there, gasping for breath as he rolled onto his back.
“Anna!”
Her heart pounding so hard she felt like her head was going to explode, Anna looked up to see Travis vaulting the fence and running over to them, Connor just behind him. He looked startled at Edwin on the ground before turning his eyes up to Anna. She swallowed, fighting back her anger.
“Get him out of here,” she whispered. “I don’t want him to see him again. He’s gone.”
“What?” Edwin started to sit up. “You’re firing me?”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re the one responsible for all of this, and I won’t have you ruining it any further.”
Edwin scrambled to his feet, his expression horrified.
“But I was promised the cottage and a job for the rest of my life!” he protested. “You can’t get rid of me that easily!”
“I think I’ve already told you that I can, and I will.” Anna nodded at Connor. “Escort him back to the cottage. I don’t want to see him here anymore.”
“With pleasure.” Connor took Edwin’s arm and pulled. “Come along, Edwin.”
“Let me go!”
Edwin pulled away, but Connor managed to maneuver him away. Anna watched them go, Edwin trying to fight back, but Connor didn’t seem to react. If anything, he looked like he was enjoying himself. She turned away, not wanting to witness her cousin humiliate himself further.
She would likely go after him and attack him again, and that wasn’t something she should do.
“Anna?” Travis rested his hands on her shoulders. “Are you all right?”
“No.” She stiffened. “I’m not all right.”
She was so tired. It was exhausting trying to keep herself going when all she wanted to do was hide away and not come out until everything had been done by everyone else. She could feel tears pricking at her eyes, and she blinked them back fiercely. Emily put a hand on her arm.
“Why don’t you go inside and rest?” she suggested.
“I can’t. I’ve got to get back to work.”
“You’re not in a good state at the moment. It’s best that you go and rest.”
“Emily’s right,” Travis said before Anna could protect. “You’ll feel better when you’ve rested.
Anna didn’t believe that at all. She was wound so tightly she felt like she was going to snap. But as her friend and her husband led her toward the door, she had a feeling that she was going to do more than snap if this mess continued.