Heart of Eden (Colorado Hearts #1)(5)
Henry let go a long-suffering sigh. “You’ve been running the ranch with John for years. Now, just because he’s passed on, you’re going to hand over the reins to five city slickers wearing dresses? I know you better than that. You love that ranch. I don’t think anything could ever make you ride out of Eden—or off the Five Sisters Ranch.”
“Maybe not, but I should. If I knew what was good for me, I’d go right now, will reading be damned. All the years together with John are payment enough. When I was a boy, he gave me stability, sustenance, and care when I thought I’d be better off rolling up in a ditch to die.”
“You’re not the only fella to feel like that after the Civil War.” Henry rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
John Brinkman’s longtime lawyer was one of the smartest men Blake knew. He’d been representing the Five Sisters Ranch for years, knew the operation better than anyone besides him and John. Henry’s desk was an orderly display of dedication. Blake doubted the man ever let anything get under his skin, let alone his business notes and ledgers. Before Blake had arrived that morning, the attorney had placed six straight-back chairs in a single line a few feet in front of his desk so everyone would have the same vantage point. Several large racks of antlers decorated the walls or were in use as coat-and hat racks, displaying the man’s love of hunting. Even though Henry had a perfectly good clock on the wall, he withdrew his pocket watch from his snappy-looking black vest and flicked it open.
“It’s eight ten,” he said. “They’ll be arriving anytime.”
“And you won’t give me any hint before they do? I’ve never been good with surprises.”
A smile played at the corners of his lips. “As you’ve said about one hundred times this morning, and as I’ve replied one hundred times, you know I can’t. That would be breaking the law . . . and my word.”
“Thought as much. But even if you could, I don’t think you would. You like watching me sweat.”
The middle-aged bachelor walked over and grasped Blake’s shoulder. His brown hair was combed, and his mustache, which rivaled any gambler’s, was neatly trimmed. Henry might be working, but even John’s lawyer wasn’t immune to the idea of five young, unattached women. Eden had a limited supply of those.
Henry dropped his hand and patted down his vest. “Let me get you a cup of coffee.”
“Only if you add a couple of shots of whiskey.”
The outside stairs reverberated. John’s daughters were on their way. After all these years, he was about to see them again . . .
Henry went to the door before they had a chance to knock. “Welcome!” he said in a sincere voice as the first black-frocked young woman moved over the threshold. Blake noticed that she wore gloves—of all things—and a shawl draped her shoulders. The gloves looked out of place in Eden, a town composed mostly of stockmen, miners, and farmers.
Mavis. Blake recognized her instantly—the oldest, and the one who’d liked to direct him, the orphan boy, around like he was a puppy. She’d grown tall and slim. Nothing like the pudgy girl who’d sought him out and tried to make him play dolls with her. One time, telling him she’d been sent out to the meadow to gather flowers and needed his help, they’d spent more than an hour exploring the hills and dales around the ranch. When they’d returned, Mrs. Brinkman had been frantic with worry. Blake suffered the scolding of a lifetime, as well as censorious looks for a week from Celeste, their mother, for endangering her daughter. Mavis never let on that the whole thing had been her idea in the first place.
“Blake?” Her mouth dropped open. “Is that you?”
Of course the scar answered for him. He nodded as her sisters followed her inside. The heavy silence in the room made Blake swallow.
“May I?” Henry asked, gathering their shawls.
To Blake’s surprise, the sisters weren’t alone. A man stepped into the room behind them. He quietly closed the door and took up position near one of the windows. He was tall and wore expensive clothing. Blake thought he caught a whiff of a spicy aftershave. The fellow tried to catch Blake’s eye, but Blake wasn’t in a mood to be friendly—even though he knew Henry would be sorely put out if he wasn’t.
Which has married? Just another fact John didn’t get to know about his daughters.
With no correspondence to speak of, the facts of their lives had been a mystery to Blake until that very moment.
“Thank you for coming,” Henry said to the women. “I’m Henry Glass, your father’s attorney.” He held out his hand to them one by one. “I’ve represented your father’s ranch for many years. Some of you might remember Blake Harding, your father’s right-hand man and foreman.”
When they glanced his way, Blake expected them to flinch at the sight of his scar, but they didn’t. “Pleased to see you again,” he mumbled.
They all nodded, their smiles tight.
Seems everyone’s on edge.
Henry seemed to know what Blake was waiting for. “Could I ask you please to introduce yourselves, perhaps beginning with Mavis, who I know to be the eldest?”
Mavis smiled. “Of course. I’m Mavis Brinkman Applebee.”
Ah, so she married the man standing by the window.
These women had almost broken John’s spirit. And they broke his heart more than a time or two. Blake wasn’t going to let them off the hook just because they finally decided to show up.