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  "When someone in town is sick I like to stop in regularly and see if there's anything I can do for them. Sometimes I can fetch some water for them, or come to one of the stores and get a few supplies for them, or sometimes they just enjoy a visit, someone to talk with or play a game of checkers with. I didn't know your father hadn't been feeling well, but now that I do, I'd like to visit him occasionally and offer whatever help I can provide. I want to let him know I care. If he wasn't feeling well last night, maybe he's napping. Would it be okay to stop by later?"

  Theodore's tone changed. He smiled at the sheriff. "That's nice of you, Sheriff. It's been rather slow today. If you don't mind watching the store for a few minutes, I'll run over and see if he's perhaps taking a nap."

  "Sure, I can watch the store for you. If he's napping, don't wake him. I can stop by later today or tomorrow."

  "Thank you, Sheriff. I'll be back shortly." Theodore put his hat on his head and dashed out the door. The sheriff stood by the window, looking out. As sheriff, he often did the same thing from his office. He enjoyed watching the people of Sherman going about their business. This was a friendly little town, and he liked seeing them stop and talk with neighbors and friends. He also learned a lot by simply watching. He could tell who was friends with whom, and often times picked up on a problem in the making by watching people and how they interact.

  As he was watching out the window now, though, he was alarmed. He could see the Wilson home from where he was standing, and he watched Theodore go into the house. He was only inside a few minutes before he ran back out and straight to the doctor's office. Sheriff Fitch watched as both of them ran back to and inside the Wilson home. Ralph must not be feeling well at all today. It looked like he may have to put his talk off for a day or two.

  The sheriff kept watching, and it wasn't too long before both men emerged again, both looking grim. The doctor went back to his office, while Theodore made his way back to the store. The sheriff met him outside on the boardwalk. "Theodore?"

  Theodore dropped his head. "Father is gone, Sheriff. Doc Wallace said I found him too late. He had already passed.

  "I'm so sorry. I wish I had come this morning. Maybe we could have found him in time to save him."

  "No," Theodore said. "Don't think that way. His heart has been getting weaker and weaker for the past four and a half years. There was nothing anyone could do to help him any more. Today was just his time to go. I do wish I would have been with him, though."

  "So his heart is why he's been ill?" Theodore nodded. "Has he been seeing a doctor for it? You said there was nothing anyone could do. Are you sure?"

  "Yes. Four years ago he was visiting a cousin of his in Cincinnati and he got sick. He had a spell, he said, where he couldn't talk or control his hands. His cousin took him to the doctor. They put him in the hospital there. There was some big shot doctor from Boston who just moved to Cincinnati, and they said he was some kind of special doctor who knew all about hearts. He looked at him and told him it was his heart. He treated him, and by the time he left the hospital he was better. The doctor told him not to be doing much lifting or heavy work from then on, though."

  "That's about the time he stopped coming to the store, wasn't it; about four years ago?"

  "Yes. That doctor out there told him about a doctor in Laramie who knows about hearts, too. He said he's the only one around Wyoming or close. We made an appointment and took him over there to see him once a year. The last time we went over to see him, Father was getting quite a bit weaker. The doctor said the pills he'd given him weren't helping like they had been, and there wasn't anything else he could do, that his heart was just getting too weak. He told him he would have good days where he felt better, and bad days, and to enjoy as many good days as he could."

  The two men talked a few more minutes. Sheriff Fitch helped Theodore close his shop for the day. Theodore went to talk to the undertaker and a preacher to make the arrangements for a funeral. The sheriff told Theodore to let him know if there was anything at all he could do, and went back to his office. This day certainly hadn't turned out the way he planned. He had some more thinking to do now.

  Sheriff Fitch was back out at the ranch the next morning, arriving right after breakfast. Cade directed him to the sitting room, while he carried his wife in, who started asking questions the minute Cade sat her down on the couch. "So, is Ralph in jail right now? Did he confess to anything?"

  "Yesterday didn't go anything at all like I planned," the sheriff said, looking down. His tone got both Cade and Elsie's attention.

  "What happened?" Cade asked.

  "Ralph died." He looked up and explained a little further. "I knocked on the door, but got no answer. I went to the store, and Theodore went to see if his father was napping, and he found him dead."

  "Oh, no," Elsie said. "I'll help Maria make some food to take over to Theodore."

  Both men looked at her, eyebrows raised. The sheriff looked at Cade, eyebrows still raised in question.

  "My wife has a heart of gold," Cade explained to the sheriff. "It doesn't matter if the Wilsons are suspected of have been trying to hurt the store. She's going to try to do something to help him now."

  "Of course I will. If I find out they had anything to do with my parents being killed, that will change things. But until then, I feel sorry for Theodore. It's very hard to lose a parent."

  After several moments of quiet, Cade looked at Sheriff Fitch. "So what does that do to this investigation?"

  "I've given this a lot of thought. As I'm seeing it, it pretty much stops the investigation, unless you want me to pursue Theodore and his part in it. We don't have anything to prove he did anything yet, other than his relationship to Ralph, who sent the telegram. What are your thoughts on it?"

  Both gave it some thought before Cade answered. "I think maybe we should suspend the investigation, at least for now. Even if they were in on it together, I hate to do anything about it right now. Hopefully, if they were equal partners, since his father has passed, maybe Theodore will let it drop. My thinking, and I haven't talked to my wife yet about this, so this is just my feeling, but if he stops doing things to hurt the store, I don't care so much about making him pay for what he's done in the past. The store is still a store, it didn't close it down, so if he stops now, I would be happy."

  He looked at his wife, who was nodding her head. "I agree. He lost his father. If the two of them were plotting against the store, he may feel bad now. Either way, if he stops trying to sabotage the store, I can let bygones be bygones."

  "I was hoping you two would feel that way," Sheriff Fitch said with a sigh of relief. "I really don't have any evidence against Theodore, and I wasn't looking forward to approaching him to tell him, I know your father did some dishonest things. My question to you is were you involved in them, as well."

  Cade had to chuckle at the thought of that happening. "I don't blame you there. I certainly wouldn't want to have that conversation, either. So we're done then? Hopefully nothing else will happen with the store, and we're good there." He squeezed his wife's hand a little. "The only problem is they were basically our only possible lead to Henry and Velma's death, so that pretty much brings that investigation to an end, too, doesn't it?"

  The sheriff sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "I really don't want that to end. I want to find out who did this awful thing, and I'm going to keep thinking about it and asking around, but unfortunately, I don't really have anything else to go on right now. I'll be looking for some kind of evidence, but for now, that's about it. I'm very sorry, Miss Elsie."

  "I know you are, and thank you for that. There just isn't much to go on. But we'll all keep our eyes and ears open, and you never know when something will pop up. I think it will some day."

  "I hope so. I hate having a murder in my town go unsolved, especially when it was two of the nicest people you'll meet."

  * * *

  That evening, as Cade was cleaning up at the pump outside after a long
afternoon, he saw Doc Wallace coming up his driveway. He hurried to clean up so he could welcome the doctor. "Boy, is Elsie going to be glad to see you, Doc."

  Doc Wallace chuckled. "I'm a day or two early, but I had a feeling Miss Elsie would have a hard time staying down. Am I wrong about that?"

  "You are absolutely right about that. I've had my hands full trying to keep her off that ankle."

  Doc smiled and nodded his head. "I was afraid of that. I was going to tell you the other day before I left, some warm milk sometimes helps a person fall asleep, but a warm bottom might help her stay down and off that ankle."

  "I appreciate the thought," Cade said with a smile of his own for the doctor, "but it didn't help that much. Actually, neither of them did."

  "Oh, my," the doctor said. "She is a persistent one."

  "Persistent?" Cade laughed. "What a nice word for stubborn." After the men had their laugh, Cade pointed toward the house. "Come on in. I'm sure my wife will be extremely anxious to see you."

  "Only if I say her ankle's healed enough to be on it yet."

  "Good point. I hope for all our sakes it is." He walked into the kitchen right behind the doctor and led him straight to the sitting room. He was relieved when he walked in and found his mischievous wife lying on the couch. "Look who's here, honey."

  She looked up from her book and was instantly excited. "Oh, Doctor, it is so good to see you."

  The doctor laughed. "I'm a day or two early, but if you don't mind, I thought I'd check your ankle."

  "I absolutely don't mind. Please, check it and tell me I can get up again. Do you know how boring it is lying here all day?"

  "I can imagine," Doc said as he began touching and prodding her ankle.

  Wyatt was in the kitchen helping Maria set another place at the table for the doctor. When they heard an excited squeal and clapping coming from the sitting room, they both smiled. "It must be healed enough to walk on," Wyatt surmised.

  "Thank goodness," Maria said. "That poor lady has been going crazy lately."

  Wyatt nodded. "And that poor lady's poor husband has been going just as crazy lately."

  They were both laughing when Doc walked into the kitchen. "I heard that," he said, "and I can just imagine how right you both are. Maria, Cade said to tell you he's taking his wife upstairs so she can get properly dressed, and then they'll be down for supper."

  "Thank you. I've set another place for you, and the roast I put on to cook today is huge, so I sure hope you'll join us and help us eat this. Otherwise we'll be eating roast beef for a month of Sundays."

  "Well, we can't have that," the doctor said with a laugh. "Thank you very much for the invitation.

  Cade and Elsie walked in just then, and everyone turned toward them. She had the biggest smile on her face as she stood on her own, although Cade's arm was around her waist in a very supportive way. "I can walk again," she exclaimed. "Isn't it great?" Everyone was very sincere when they told her how glad they were that she was able to be up and about again.

  Chapter Twelve

  Elsie was excited to get back to working with the animals again. Cade had asked the doctor some specific questions regarding working with the animals the next couple weeks, so he went over those precautions with her again to be sure she heard them all and would remember them, before he allowed her to get into the first pen with a calf that had gotten punctured by a branch of a fallen tree.

  "I'll remember, Cade," she insisted.

  "Good. I agree with him, we're going to hold off on the larger animals until your ankle is back up to where it was, and used to having weight put on it. It's going to be a little stiff for the first week and if a heifer or another larger animal starts acting up, you may not be able to make your evasive actions as quickly as you need. A week should take care of it, though."

  "As long as I can get back to some of them, and start taking care of the chickens, I can wait another week for the bigger things. I've missed them all."

  "I know, darling. And truth be told, they've missed you, too. You do a good job with our injured animals. It's like you have a special sense, and they calm down quickly for you, and they look forward to your visits. That helps them heal faster. But remember," he said in his stern voice again now, "all the safety precautions you had earlier are still in effect. If I see you doing anything that could be dangerous, you'll be over my knee trying to explain it. Understand?"

  "I understand." She reached over and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for letting me do this again."

  "You're welcome. I'm glad we found something here at the ranch that you enjoy so much."

  "I do enjoy the animals and working with them. But I enjoy everything about living here, Cade. I told you before, ranch life is great, and I mean that."

  "I'm glad."

  "I'm glad you're going to let me start keeping the books, too. I enjoy that, as well, and I like having things to do. This ranch feels like home to me now, and I love everything about living here. It took me a bit of time to adjust to not living in town, like I have all my life, and to not having the store to go to and getting to see all the town's people on a daily basis. That was just because it was a different way of life. It was actually a pretty easy adjustment, though, because I love it out here."

  He studied her face and could easily tell she was being very truthful, and took her in his arms. "I am so glad to hear you say that, Elsie. I was afraid you'd miss all that, and I want you to feel at home here."

  "I do. I love it here, and I love you."

  "I'm glad to hear that, too," he said with a smile. He held her head gently while he kissed her. That kiss made her knees suddenly weak, but Cade seemed to sense it and wrapped his strong arm around her waist, supporting her securely as he kissed her one more time, just because he wanted to. He held her several moments afterward while she regained her strength, with her arms wrapped around him.

  That was how Wyatt found them when he came looking for the boss. He smiled, and without a word, turned to leave. "What is it, Wyatt?"

  "Nothing that can't wait a couple minutes, boss. I see you're busy."

  "I am," Cade said with a grin, "but we're finishing up. What do you need?"

  "The men are ready to ride out when you are. I kept them all together so we could move the steers to the north pasture today."

  "Good. I'll be right there."

  "Take your time," Wyatt kidded his good friend and boss. "Some things you just can't rush."

  Cade grinned down at his wife. "He's right." He leaned down to give her one more kiss. "Are you all right now; got your strength back?"

  "How did you know?"

  "That's one of the things I love about you, sweetheart. You're very passionate, and passionate women wear their emotions on their sleeve. I can read your face and tell a lot about how you're feeling. I love when I can see the love in your eyes. But when I feel your knees go weak at the same time, everything feels right in my world. You make this man feel proud and lucky. Now, be careful this morning, don't overdo it your first day back with them, and I'll see you for dinner."

  He gave her a quick kiss to her forehead and left. She watched him retreat, thinking about his words. She was amazed how good he could make her feel just by what he said. Her love for her husband seemed to keep growing. She hadn't known that was possible, until now.

  She eagerly climbed into the pen with the little calf. It only took a few minutes for her to win the calf's trust, and once she had that, she set to work changing the dressing and putting new liniment on the calf's puncture wound.

  * * *

  Cade, Elsie, and Maria all went to Ralph's funeral, and the ladies took food for Theodore. He seemed a little surprised by that, but didn't say anything other than to thank them. They all thought he acted like he felt guilty, but who's to say.

  After the funeral, things settled into a normal routine again. Elsie was excited to get to go back to town again to visit with Harold and Loretta. Cade took his time doing his errands in town to g
ive her a little extra time to visit with Loretta. He could tell both ladies had missed their regular visits. He was happy to see how close their friendship had grown already. The Stones were doing well with the store, and seeing how proud they were to have a way to raise their family helped Elsie adjust to the idea that it was their store now and not hers.

  They paid their rent promptly every month, and although Elsie didn't much like the idea, Cade made her put it in a bank account in her name. She wanted to put it in the ranch's bank account, but he wasn't having it. He insisted it was important to him that he supports his own family. She went along with it, knowing if anything ever happened and either one of them needed the money for anything, it would be there.

  Almost two weeks after Ralph's funeral, Sheriff Fitch was back at the ranch, wanting to talk to Cade and Elsie again. "Were you in town today and did you hear the latest news involving the Wilsons?"

  Cade's eyebrows shot up. "The Wilsons? No. What's happening?"

  "Theodore gave Mr. Trenton, the local attorney, Ralph's will. To no one's surprise, Ralph left everything to Theodore. While Mr. Trenton was preparing the papers to have the store put solely in Theodore's name, another attorney from out of town, a Patrick Dempsey, came forward with another will. Mr. Trenton looked at both of them, and it seems the one Mr. Dempsey has is newer, so it will be the one Mr. Trenton will go by. According to it, and some accompanying paperwork, Ralph took out a loan about nine years ago, which is right about the time they left Philadelphia. It was for a rather large amount, with a high interest rate, and Ralph apparently put the store here up as collateral. He has the loan papers. The store here was to act as collateral, even though he hadn't actually acquired the store yet. Half of the money for the loan was given then, when the papers were signed. When Ralph got the store here up and running, it indeed became the collateral and the other half of the loan money was dispensed. According to this new will, if the loan isn't paid off in full, the store goes to the man who made the loan. According to Mr. Dempsey, the loan has not been repaid in full, but has a couple more years of payments still due and owing."