Part 14 (2/2)

”I didn't mean to be eavesdropping, ma'am.”Cynthie was momentarily startled but shrugged. ”It's a small house,”she said.”Ma'am?” He stepped forward.”Louie was talking about stolen cattle. I didn't realize that you were having any trouble. I'd like to help.”

”I appreciate that, but I don't know what you can do,” Cynthie said, returning to her desk.

”If you'd let me, I could go through the books. I mean I could help you

understand them, maybe.” He paused for a moment then went on in a hurry as if he

were afraid she would answer before she understood.

”I.

may be leaving soon, and I've got no way to repay you for loo king after me

unless you'll let me try to help. ”The urgency in his voice was not lost on Cynthie. He was offering somethingthat he wasn't at all sure he would be able to give. Cynthie felt a tug at her heart that she hesitated to identify. She knew she could no more denyhim a chance to try than she could have denied Betts his chance as boss.”I'm open to any suggestion,” she said. She slapped the chair she had moved for Betts and watched him come toward it, nervous but smiling.

When he was seated safely in the chair, he leaned back and said, ”Go back

about three years and read me all the entries.” He listened for the sound ofpages turning. There was none.”Go ahead,” he urged. ”I'm good at this.”The tension in his body contradicted the confidence in his voice.Cynthie watched him for a moment then hastily flipped the pages to the beginning of the book. ”Here. June, 1867. We had just moved out here.”

She began reading the entries, numbers, prices, sellers and buyers.

Winn interrupted occasionally to ask a question or interpret something.

He could figure in his head and kept a running total of how many calves there

should be and how many yearlings. In the end, he came to the same conclusion Louie had.

Cynthie tossed the pencil onto the ledger and sighed.”I guess I knew Louie was right. Even without adding up the numbers, he knewwhat he could expect. I was just hoping we'd discover that Victor had soldmore than Louie realized.”

”I guess I haven't been much help.”

Cynthie smiled.

”Why, because you came up with bad news?”

The humor in her voice surprised him.

”No. I mean, I didn't really tell you anything you didn't already know.”

”Well, the answer to our next question doesn't lie in these books. Do youthink Louie will find anything?”

”That depends. It could be someone around here taking advantage of yourhusband's death and systematically taking a few head at a time.

But it might be one outfit that came through, took them at once and is long gone. Did any of your neighbors lose cattle? ”

”Not that I've heard about.” Cynthie found herself having trouble keepingher mind on business. Winn looked so earnest. She decided it was good forhim to have something to think about.

”Your men check the herd, don't they?”

Cynthie smiled but tried to keep it out of her voice. ”Louie takes care of all that.” She realized that she was more interested in Winn than in what he had to say about her ranch.

Winn hated to think that Louie might be anything but trustworthy, so hedidn't even suggest it. Another thought he didn't mention was that, whileMr. Franklin had kept good records, he hadn't made money. Even before the recent loss, he had needed to build up his herd but he hadn't made mucheffort to do that.

Cynthie watched Winn's face and wondered what was going on behind thosesightless eyes. Was he really going to leave her soon? Would everything go back to the way it had been before he came? She knew it was too late for that. She had already fallen in love with him. The voice that should have scolded her for such thoughts was blissfully silent.

Chapter Seven.

q^ztqts^q L^ynthie smiled to herself and closed the book that

contained the cattle records.”Since you're so good at this,” she began, trying to sound worded, ”maybe youcould help me with these other ledgers.” Setting the cattle records aside,she lifted two ledgers out of a drawer and opened the top one. She explainedthat it was the record of the loans her husband had made to small farmers inthe area. She began with the first name.

”Ididn't even know he was doing this,” she added.It had sounded almost like an apology.”How long has there been a bank in Wichita?” he asked.”It just opened this year.”' ”There, you see? Your husband was just filling a gap. There's no thing wrong with loaning money if you're honest.”

Cynthie read on, grateful for the rea.s.surance and grateful again when he

commented that the interest charged had been fair. She wondered why she hadthought it might be otherwise. The entries were in order of transaction, loans to one individual followed by a payment by another. Suddenly she read a name and stopped. ”Merlin,” she repeated.

”Willard Merlin?”

Winn felt as if he were doing a fairly good job of keeping track of each individual's payments and hoped that the distraction wouldn't make him lose it. ”Who's Merlin?” he asked.

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