Page 85 of Silver Lining
He gave her a long steady look. "Can't a man do anything in this family without every damned person knowing about it?"
"Well, this damned person wants to know why you didn't tell her about it your own damned self."
"There was nothing to tell. I asked Howard to drop the restrictions so I could hire on some men, and he refused. That's all there was to it. Nothing new."
"That's not what I heard."
"Well, I don't know what… oh. You mean the part about foreclosing my ranch and burning it to the ground?"
She rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. "You didn't think that part was important enough to mention? Why didn't you tell me?"
"What's the point? Houser is going to make sure I can't find a buyer for my cattle, so I won't be able to pay my mortgage. He knows Wally needs to hang on to his money for a house in town, and Ma and Dave are cash poor. Even if I were willing to drag the family further into my problems, which I'm not, they don't have the ready money to loan."
"How much do you owe?"
"That's the frustrating part. It's a small mortgage."
"How small?"
"About three thousand dollars. Makes you want to laugh, doesn't it? You and I knew men who panned that much out of Piney Creek in a day."
"I'll give you the money for the mortgage."
"No!"
The answer came so quickly and with such vehemence that Louise drew back against the pillows.
"Max, please listen. I have the money. It's in a bank in Denver . I've got three thousand and more. I never told you about the money because …"It seemed ridiculous now that she had once worried that he might take her money.
"Stop. Don't say another word." His chin came up, and his eyes narrowed into slits. "We aren't going to talk about your money. Not now, not ever again."
"But how are you going—?"
"Howard is a force in Fort Houser . But he may not have as much influence in Denver as he thinks he does. But if no one in Denver will buy my cattle, then I'll drive them all the way to Chicago myself if that's what I have to do."
No man could drive a herd by himself. He knew it, and she knew it.
"Max—"
"I won't take a cent from you, Louise. Not under any circumstances. If you don't drop this subject, I'll leave the house and sleep in the bunkhouse. That's how strongly I feel about this. I mean it. I won't listen to another word."
By now she knew when she could roll by him and when she couldn't. Knew when he'd dug in his heels and wouldn't be budged.
In tense silence, they sat side by side in bed, pretending to read for another twenty minutes before they blew out their lamps.
Tonight was the first time in weeks that Max had not kissed her before extinguishing his lamp. The first time in weeks that he'd turned his back instead of spooning around her body.
Wide awake, Louise stared at the dark ceiling and reviewed every word they had spoken since she climbed into bed, looking for the moment when things had gone sour. Offering him money had been the kicker. That's when everything went drastically wrong.
As she thought about it, she began to understand.
Max had never intended to tell her about the house mortgage or Houser's threat to foreclose. Losing the ranch was his problem; it had nothing to do with her. Besides, she might be gone before June when the mortgage came due. And if he had accepted her offer, he would have insisted that the money be a loan not a gift. But he couldn't do that because a loan would mean an ongoing tie between them, and they wouldn't be able to make a clean break when she left.
For a woman who had always prided herself on not being a crier, she had sure shed a lot of tears since Christmas. Pulling a hand out from under the blankets, she wiped her eyes and her nose.
Maybe Max had guessed the other thing she had to tell him, and that's why he was so adamant about not taking the money. No, if Max had guessed, he'd let the beeves starve before he'd allow her to work as hard as she did twice a day.
That's why she hadn't told him that she was two months pregnant.
