Heart of Eden (Colorado Hearts #1)(10)

Blake looked over. Now all five sisters were crying. Some wiped at wet cheeks with snowy-white hankies adorned with their initials. The teary faces finally softened his mood.

Henry continued reading.

“There’s Brinkman blood flowing in your veins, even if you don’t recognize it yet. You’re fighters. Fortitude is each of your middle names. Now I smile, thinking of all the beauty your presence will bring to my beloved Eden. It’s almost as if the whole town has been holding its breath, waiting for your return.

“I must sign off, as I have other letters that need writing. I remain your loving father . . .”

Henry stared at the back wall for several long moments, then stood. He moved to his sideboard and began pouring water from his blue-and-white porcelain pitcher into tumblers. He brought two to Mavis and Belle first.

“Please, have a little water. You’ve had a shock.”

Mavis reached out and took the glass.

“Miss Brinkman?” he said to Belle, but she shook her head, her face clouded. The two eldest had scooted around the youngest three like protective hens.

Henry handed the water to Emma and went back for more. “I say we finish up later. You’ve had enough for one day. So much more than what you were expecting—any of us, actually.”

“I think that’s wise,” Mavis said. She stood and straightened her black mourning dress, and the others followed her lead.

Henry nodded. “Good. But tonight, after you’ve rested, please join me for supper as my guests.”

Blake breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as they were gone, he’d head to the saloon for a beer. Or whiskey.

“B-but, we couldn’t eat, Mr.—” Belle began, wiping away a stream of tears.

“No buts. You have to eat. As difficult as this is, life goes on. It’s what your father wanted. I’ve reserved a table at Mademoiselle de Sells for seven tonight. We can get better acquainted.” He cut his gaze to Blake.

“Me too?” I didn’t hear anything in the will about having to socialize.

“All of us. Does the time work for everyone?” He looked at the women.

“Seven will be fine,” Belle said, and the others nodded.

Henry clapped his hands together. “Wonderful. Anything you need, just ask Mr. Simon at the hotel.”

Blake went to the door and pulled it open to a gust of warm, dry air. He reconsidered the whiskey. The day would be hot. The ranch might have problems with the river sooner than they’d planned. As much as the Five Sisters had been his life before, it was all the more so now.

One by one, the women thanked Henry and Blake and left, youngest to oldest. Mr. Atkins was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

Henry released a deep sigh after they were out of earshot. “That wasn’t so bad.”

But Blake hardly heard him. Below, Mr. Atkins offered one arm to Belle and another to Lavinia, the other three sisters latching together at various points.

Not so bad?

The surprise that accompanied the news that he was now half owner of the ranch had made him overlook the other half of the equation: that he was now a business partner with the women he’d been disparaging in his mind for years.

“Blake?”

“Yeah? I’m just thinkin’, Henry.”

“I bet you are. Congratulations. You’ve worked hard to get where you are today. I know John would be pleased. You and his girls finally getting together again after all these years.”

After the Brinkman sisters had crossed the street and disappeared through the door of the hotel, Blake turned to face his old friend. He wished he could be as happy as Henry looked at that moment, but trouble was brewing. He felt it in his bones. One of those women was going to want to develop the land, every meeting would turn into a sparring match—or worse, one of them would marry some fellow who wanted to bring in sheep.

He thought of Ann, his wife, dead four years. Marcia, his infant daughter, living only half an hour after her birth. His brother. John. He’d lost so much—and now he’d gained a lot too.

Life in Eden had just taken a sharp turn. In which direction still remained to be seen.





CHAPTER FIVE



The girls filed into the hotel room in stunned silence. Even though they’d only been gone an hour, the bed had been nicely made, the floor swept, and the windows opened to welcome the fresh, clean air. The room was cheery, albeit simple. Everything about Eden was simple. The complete opposite of what Belle was feeling inside.

When they’d left the lawyer’s office, sights Belle hadn’t seen before jumped out before her eyes. Their father had adored Eden—a father who had, in all reality, loved them as well. That revelation was still so razor sharp she wanted to fall to her knees and weep. At the end of Main Street, near the hotel, an enormous rock face jutted several hundred feet to the sky. No fortress she’d ever seen in a book looked as strong, as impenetrable. In the other direction was a line of businesses flanked in the distance by lofty mountain peaks. Grassy plateaus of sunlit emerald preceded the gorgeous snowcapped heights. Fatigued from the long trip and anguished over finally confronting their father, even in his death, she’d missed all this grandeur earlier. She turned back to the door, where Lesley waited.

“Thank you for walking us back,” Belle said, clasping his hands. So much was running through her head, she’d barely been able to explain to Lesley what the lawyer had said. She’d said nothing about Vernon and Velma. That bit of gossip would send his straitlaced parents into hysteria, and they needed no more ammunition to think her beneath their beloved Lesley. Perhaps her inheritance would soften them. One could hope.