Chapter Fifteen
Malika
“A bison herd.”
Jayce didn’t sound as pleased as Malika expected.
She had yet to figure out what his problem was, even though she’d determined his father’s.
She sat on an empty oil drum in one of the sheds and watched with envy as he worked on a lawn mower tractor tire that had gone flat.
He had so many more useful skills than she did.
Imagine being able to fix something rather than having to buy a replacement.
The dimly lit shed with the dirt floor smelled of grease and dust. She knew it was grease because it was smudged on the heel of her hand and the leg of her jeans. Jayce had a streak on his forearm. The black goo was impossible to avoid, as was the dust, because the dust clung to the goo.
“He’s going to pasture them with the ferrets, which will keep the predators away, which will make both your parents happy,” she said, wiping her greasy hand on her jeans, which were already dirty, so a little more wouldn’t matter.
“They’ll be happy. I’m the one who’ll have to keep bison separated from the cattle, so the gene pools don’t mix.
Otherwise, it defeats the purpose of conservation.
That means new fencing. And bison fencing is complicated.
It involves steel posts and electrical wiring, and the fences need to be six to eight feet high to be effective, because bison can jump more than six feet, and they’ll walk through anything that’s not reinforced. ”
All of which reassured her that his father had made a wise choice. Nothing would harm them.
“You need to work on your optimism,” Malika said. “Bison are a much better investment than pheasants or ferrets.”
“Bison might be a better investment in the long term, in the right market, but the potential for failure, and market fluctuations, means significantly more risk. The financial outlay to buy an entire herd can be problematic, too. The ferrets were free.”
She didn’t understand a word he’d just said. “How much does a bison herd cost?”
“It depends on the size of the herd. Let’s say it’s fifty breeding cows and one bull. We’re looking at one hundred and fifty to two hundred thousand dollars. Minimum. Fencing for a herd of that size is going to set us back another fifty to seventy-five thousand dollars.”
“Is that a lot of money?”
She’d never given money much thought before Adeel arranged a second-class marriage for her. Now it was continuously being brought to her attention that she knew nothing about it, other than that two hundred thousand in cash was very heavy. Which reminded her.
She needed to make that call to Aisha.
Jayce looked up from his task. An unexpected smile brought the sun into his eyes and a thrill to her heart. He didn’t need to know how to flirt when he smiled at her that way.
“Yes. That’s a lot of money,” he said.
“Will the coyotes eat bison?”
“Not even a grizzly will take on a healthy bison if there’s easier food to be had.”
“There you have it,” Malika said, triumphant. “Your father is right. Their chances of survival are higher, making them the better investment.”
“Possibly. In the right market.”
“And your mother will be very happy,” Malika added. She hopped off the empty oil drum. “Speaking of your mother, I think I’ll go see what she’s doing.”
“Great idea. Let her know we’re heading back to Burning Scrub this afternoon, will you?”
This afternoon.
Malika had stalled long enough and now she was out of time.
Vanessa was shelling peas and snapping beans at the kitchen table.
She sang softly under her breath as she worked. She always had small chores to entertain herself with, much like Mavis. Montana women knew how to age.
Vanessa aged especially well.
Malika joined her at the table. Vanessa pushed the bowl of beans toward her and showed her how to snap them into small pieces for cooking.
“Do you mind not having servants?” Malika asked.
Vanessa dropped a handful of shelled peas into a pot. “Not in the least. What would I do with myself if I had servants?”
Shop, attend parties, go to concerts, see city sights…
Those were all things Malika liked doing, but she didn’t miss them, because she also enjoyed sitting with other women and keeping her hands busy, which was how Mavis described knitting.
Burning Scrub organized all kinds of community activities to keep the townspeople busy, and everyone helped, so no servants were needed. Card parties were Malika’s favorite.
The thought of leaving Jayce and the ranch, and Burning Scrub, made her sad. Knowing she was leaving because if she didn’t, she’d be forced to marry Eli Chamas made her angry.
“Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Certainly,” Vanessa said.
“I don’t have my banking cards with me and Adeel didn’t leave me any money. Would you mind terribly if I had my sister send money to me through you at your bank?”
Vanessa didn’t appear to find it an odd request. “Let me get you the information.”
A few minutes later, she passed Malika a piece of paper with the information she needed.
The ranch had a landline in the kitchen. It was quaint and old-fashioned and was attached to the wall.
“May I use your phone?” Malika asked.
Aisha’s number was stored in Malika’s cell phone, which she’d left it in her hotel room in Butte on the morning she’d gone to see the ghost town with Adeel. She punched the numbers into the landline three times from memory before getting them right.
It took a long time for Aisha to answer the phone.
“Malika!” she exclaimed. “Adeel has told us the good news. Eli Chamas is an excellent match for you. You couldn’t hope to do better. We’re all so excited for you.”
Malika’s pulse began to beat against the top of her head. Her favorite sister believed becoming a second wife was the best she could do.
She let Aisha talk about the wedding plans—plans that were already in progress—because she could think of nothing to say that wouldn’t reveal how badly her sister had hurt her. Aisha finally caught on that her enthusiasm over the wedding wasn’t being returned.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you happy?”
Malika couldn’t pretend an excitement she didn’t feel. “I need money,” she blurted out.
Aisha became very quiet for a long moment. “What do you need money for? Adeel said you are staying at an isolated, all-inclusive resort in the mountains. He is paying for your accommodations.”
Malika gripped the receiver tighter. This call was her last chance to escape an unwanted marriage. If Aisha said no, she didn’t know what else to do.
“He left me with nothing but the clothes I had on when I was kidnapped.”
“Malika,” her sister scolded. “Kidnapped. There’s no need to be so dramatic. Still, that was very thoughtless of Adeel. Men don’t understand such things. I’ll speak to him and have him transfer funds to the resort. I’m sure the resort will be happy to provide anything extra you need.”
“There’s no reason to bother Adeel. I have the bank information for the account you can transfer money to right here,” she said quickly.
More silence.
“I’m sorry, Malika. I promised Adeel I wouldn’t send you money, anymore. Give your bank information to him.”
Aisha hung up.
Malika’s stomach swirled. She had nothing left. No money. No friends. No backup plans. No options.
She had lost.
She hated to lose.
She returned the piece of paper with the banking information to Vanessa. Even though the older woman wouldn’t have captured the details of a conversation carried out in Malika’s native language, the outcome of the phone call would be glaringly obvious.
Smiling made Malika’s cheeks hurt, but she had her pride to consider.
“Thank you, but I won’t need you to accept the money for me, after all. My sister will arrange for my brother to send me the funds.”
Vanessa didn’t smile, but her pride wasn’t at stake, so she didn’t need to.
“Let me know if you change your mind,” she said.
*
Jayce
Jayce’s mother walked into his bedroom while he was packing his bag for the return trip.
She stood against the closed door and folded her arms, as if blocking his exit. “Why did Malika ask me to accept a money transfer for her?”
That was a good question.
Jayce spun possibilities around in his head, because he had no idea. “Did she say where the money was coming from?” he asked.
That was a good place to start.
“Her sister in Djitania.” His mom’s eyes were worried. “I don’t think her sister agreed to send her any money, though. When she hung up the phone, she thanked me and said she didn’t need my help, after all. She looked upset.”
His mom must have misunderstood. Nothing upset Malika. She was fearless. A little out of touch with reality too.
“I’ll see if I can find out what’s going on,” he said.
“Thank you. Now maybe you can explain why you’re in such a bad mood.”
“I’m not in a bad mood,” he said, surprised. “What makes you think that?”
“You’ve got something big on your mind. A mother can tell.”
Twenty-five million dollars was pretty big.
If he said anything, she’d want to know why he was worried about it.
Then she’d be more worried about shotgun weddings, and he didn’t want to go there, because he hadn’t asked Malika to marry him, yet.
Then, he’d have to ask her brother. If Ali demanded his money back, he’d have Benny and Mavis to contend with, as well.
He had to tell his mother something, however. “Burning Scrub is planning a bank robbery for the new client. Adam wants to use nitroglycerin to open the safe.” Adam and nitroglycerin were a problem the whole state of Montana should be worried about.
“Tell him to be extra careful. Dave and his crew dropped in a few days ago on their way by. He’s very proud of the renovations they made to the bank, especially the new floor they installed. He showed me pictures. It’s gorgeous. They won’t be pleased if Adam damages it.”
Jayce picked up his backpack. “Are you really okay with Dad buying a bison herd? Can the ranch afford it?”