Chapter 4
Round Rock, Texas 1861
“What do you mean, you’re Mr. Morgan?”
Conrad slightly leaned back in the large chair behind his desk as he watched the young lady before him. He decided he liked the way her raven black hair framed her face.
“Now, what can I do for you?”
“Why didn’t you tell me who you were before?” she challenged.
“What difference would it have made? I still needed to deliver you here, if anything to get you out of the sun.”
“It doesn't take that long to identify yourself.”
“I did.”
Toni bristled. “You know what I mean. You knew I was on my way to see you.”
Conrad looked through several piles of papers before finding the letter he was looking for. “The only person I’m expecting is a Mr. Logan. So, unless you are he...” he left the sentence to drift off as he laid the letter back down.
Toni’s clenched jaw relaxed. With exaggerated slowness, she rose from the chair and approached the massive desk. Leaning over, she offered her right hand.
“The name is Anthonia Logan, Mrs. Anthonia Logan.”
Toni watched Conrad’s face as he scanned the letter she had written two weeks ago. He finally laid the paper down again on his desk, rising to shake the offered hand.
“My pardon, Mrs. Logan.”
Toni gave a slight smile. “Most people make the same mistake.”
Conrad stood until Toni reclaimed her seat, then sat back down himself. “Now that that little mystery is solved, what can I do for you?”
“I’m here on behalf of my brother.”
“Brother?”
“Michael Bradley.”
Conrad’s eyes rose a fraction at the name. “Your brother,” he softly spoke as he leaned back in his chair. “And how is Michael recovering?”
“Quite well, thank you, although he’s still limping around. The doctor says he should be good as new in three or four months.”
“Tell him I’m glad he’s mending.”
Toni eyed Conrad with a hint of suspicion. “I will.”
Conrad nodded his head.
“As I said before, I’m here in behalf of Michael. He informed me of the small accident that occurred last month.”
“Small accident?” Conrad asked as he watched her open her purse and withdraw a folded bank check.
“If you would be kind enough to inform me of the damage Michael caused, I’ll write you this check, then I can be on my way back home.”
Conrad examined the woman sitting before him. If he looked real close, he could see the resemblance between brother and sister, same eyes, same nose, same cheeks. He wondered just how much Michael had told his sister about what happened.
“I told Michael not to worry about it.”
“Yes, he told me.”
Conrad watched as she flattened the check on the desk, clearly intending to write on it. “All right.” Let's just see how much Michael told her.
Conrad opened a large drawer at the bottom of his desk and pulled out an overstuffed file. In less than a minute, he located the paper he was looking for. Conrad took a quick look at her face before he rattled off the amount.
Toni began writing, “Eight hun . . .”
Conrad heard the pause and looked back up.
“I beg your pardon, how much did you say?”
He repeated the amount.
Toni just sat there for a moment and blinked. She had to have heard wrong. She had to. “Eight hundred?”
Obviously, Michael did not tell her everything. “Twenty five dollars and fifty cents,” he added.
Conrad watched eyes change from confidence to stunned disbelief to confusion to outrage, all in less than one minute.
“I really don't think this is funny, Mr. Morgan.”
Conrad looked at the file again. “Believe me, this is anything but funny.”
“Just exactly what did Michael damage?”
Conrad laid the papers back in the folder, then closed the folder shut. “The bunkhouse burnt down, injuring several men.”
“How did the fire start?”
“The day before, the men had been in town spending their pay. When they returned, obviously several of them were liquored up. Michael was tired, and he remembered leaving the kerosene lamp on the table when he fell asleep.”
“So, he knocked over the lamp?”
“It appears so. But, like I said, I told Michael to not worry about it. It was an accident.”
“Not worry about it? No wonder he asked me to come out here and settle it up with you. He’s been laying at home worrying over this debt that he created, obviously a very large one. No wonder he’s as upset as he is.”
“Look, Mrs. Bradley,”
“Logan,” she corrected.
Conrad looked up. “Mrs. Logan,” he corrected. “As much as it cost me when Michael had his accident, replacing the money value is not that important right now.” He rose and walked around the desk, leaning his hip on the edge while facing her.
“Then what is important right now?”
Conrad watched his boot swing in the air. “As I mentioned before, I lost several men when the herd stampeded last month. Michael’s accident took out another three of my men, men I am still trying to replace.”
Toni knitted her brows together. “Then why not just hire extra men?”
“Easier said than done.”
“I don't understand.”
“This is the busiest season of the year. We have the yearly round up, branding, castrating, not to mention delivering over three thousand head to various army posts. Then I also have the horses to round up and break for the army, which I am already behind on as well. If I don’t deliver the promised cattle and horses to the army on time, I will lose the contract, a contract that will ensure a profit for the next five years. My problem is that I am not the only ranch around here. Many of the young men are off fighting the war in the south. Others are in California or Utah panning for either gold or silver. The men who are available have already hired on to other ranches. There are far too few men left to choose from to hire.”
“Oh, I see.” And she did. One year, her father did not have enough men to work, and he ended up losing a lot of money. While other ranches were shipping their cattle or herding them on cattle drives, her father was still working on rounding them up. By the time he was ready, the buyers had already bought what they needed, so her father only received a fraction of the worth of the herd.
And Conrad was in the same situation. Obviously money was not as important as manpower was right now.
The study door opened and a middle aged man came through with coffee and biscuits.
“Thanks, Sam.”
Sam nodded his head to Conrad. “Miss,” he tipped his head as he walked out, shutting the door behind him.
“Why isn't he out on the range?”
“Most of these men drift from town to town, year after year. They don't know about loyalty to a ranch, only what they get in return for their work. And there are only two things a good hand works for, his pay and his food.”
Toni turned back to the closed door. “And Sam cooks?”
“He’s the best I have right now.”
Toni turned back around. “Why not hire a woman in town?”
“Believe me, I've searched all over.”
Toni looked again at the closed door, a plan forming.
“But if you found someone, then Sam could return to his work?”
“If I hinted that I found someone, he would be back in the saddle in a heartbeat.”
“Well then, maybe there is some way I can repay our debt.”
Conrad looked at Toni, a frown crossing his face. “No.”
“No? You haven’t even heard my idea yet.”
“I already know what it is, and the answer is still NO.”
“And why not?”
“Because, I don't need someone like you around here.”
Toni stood up, her hands on her hips. “What do you mean, someone like me?”
Conrad took a moment to let his eyes travel up and down her figure, taking the time to appreciate the womanly curves she possessed in all the right places. “My men don't need any distractions right now. We have enough work without losing time to hold your hand.”
Toni kept herself from bristling. “I don't need anyone to hold my hand, as you so politely put it, Mr. Morgan. I can do a job that you need done, freeing one of your men to do another job that you need done. You win both ways.”
Conrad narrowed his eyes. “What does your husband think of you traveling all alone out here?”
“My husband is no concern of yours.”
“I beg to differ. I don’t want some irate, jealous husband causing more problems I don’t need to deal with.”
Toni gave a heavy sigh. “I am a widow. You have nothing to worry in that regard.”
She noticed Conrad’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you, but it’s been several years, and I’m used to taking care of myself.”
“I can believe that. Still, the answer is no.”
Toni took her time as she slowly placed the check back into her small purse. “Mr. Morgan, my grandfather instilled into his family that no matter what, the family supported each other, stood together, fought together. Many generations before him lived by that creed. If one of us owes you, you may as well accept that one of us will pay it.”
Conrad shook his head. “The answer is still no.”
Toni crossed her arms across her chest. “You obviously don't know the Bradley family very well, Mr. Morgan.”
Cold gray eyes clashed with steel hazel blue eyes. “Obviously not!”