a problem,” Joe had said. “I can go into Miles City first thing tomorrow, transfer the cash from my account, and have it in your hands before you leave.”
Florence had sighed. “I’d be happy to sell you this ranch, Joe, but as I said, it’s not that simple. There’s another buyer ahead of you. Benteen Calder came by yesterday and made an offer on the place.”
So, the bastard hadn’t even waited until Blaise was in the ground. That was Benteen for you—and he hadn’t even shown up at the funeral service.
“Did you sign anything?” Joe asked.
“No. I told Benteen that I’d left everything in the hands of the bank. Whoever got there first, with an acceptable offer and ready cash, could buy the ranch.”
“How much did Benteen offer you?”
She’d told him. The offer was fair but not generous.
“I can raise that by ten percent.”
“Fine, Joe. But it’s out of my hands. If Benteen makes it to the bank before you submit your offer, you’ll be too late.”
“Won’t the bank wait for other offers to come in?” Joe had asked.
“I told them I needed a quick sale. They’ll take the first offer that’s over my asking price.”
“Then I’ll plan to be at the bank as soon as the doors open. Wish me luck.”
“Either way, I need the money, but I’d rather see the ranch in your hands than in Benteen’s.” Florence had squeezed Joe’s arm before turning away to greet other friends.
By the time the sun’s first rays streaked the eastern sky, Joe was passing through Blue Moon. The snow in the road was undisturbed except for where the biting wind had blown ripples in the surface. The only sign of life was the young married man who taught at the school, clearing a path to the classroom door. Apart from the wind, the scrape of his shovel was the only sound. Even the sleigh moved in silence. Frozen breath coated the whiskers of the big bay horses.
As Joe estimated the time to Miles City, he was aware of one advantage he might have. Unless someone had told him, Benteen wouldn’t know about the second offer on the ranch. With luck, he would take his time getting on the road and getting to the bank—only to discover that the property had been snatched away from him. That was the victory Joe hoped for—the kind of victory he’d been craving since the day Benteen had ridden off and left him to die in that wash.
He was coming up on the boundary of the Calder ranch now. Beyond the fence line, the pastures were a vast sea of glistening white. Cattle, their bodies dark smudges against the winter landscape, bunched together for warmth. They’d be hungry, but soon the Calder ranch hands would be out hauling loads of hay to feed them. Back on Joe’s land, his own cowboys would be doing the same. By this time of year, most of the mature animals had been rounded up, sold off, and loaded into railroad cars for the long ride to Chicago. Those left to winter over on the land were calves, yearlings, and breeding stock, all vital to the future.
Joe found himself wondering how Amelia was faring with the snow on her ranch—probably fine, he told himself. He’d expected to see her at the funeral, since the Ransoms were her neighbors. She hadn’t shown up, but then Amelia had never been much for sympathy.
Loren had died a few weeks after her divorce from Joe, leaving her as sole heir to the Hollister ranch. With the help of her foreman, she’d done a competent job of running the place. In an odd sort of way, Joe was proud of the woman his former wife had become. True to her intent, she’d never remarried. He suspected that she and Ralph Tomlinson were lovers, but that was none of his business. As long as Mason was growing into a strong, active, keen-minded boy, and Joe was allowed to spend time with him, nothing else mattered.
Joe passed the gate to the Calder ranch. In the distance, the grand house crowned the bluff like an alabaster carving, bright in the morning sun. The gate was closed, with no tracks of any kind leading out to the main road. Either Benteen hadn’t left yet, or he’d braved the storm and gone last night, to be there for the Monday morning opening of the bank.
If Benteen was already in Miles City, and if he made it to the bank first,