"Now, I do appreciate your difficult position. Jude is no kind of man for you. But, the situation with the lawyer and the will is mighty unusual, I"m sure you"d agree," he said.
Eva"s eyes were even narrower now. A nervous flutter started in Aaron"s stomach. It was a sensation he"d come to recognize when he was making a mess of things. And, that was how it felt right now.
"Don"t get me wrong, Eva. I am mighty flattered that you considered me as your...husband," Aaron said forcing out the last word, but enjoying how it sounded once he had said it.
Eva"s eyes were as narrow as her lips were tight. "I"m pleased you were flattered by my offer," she said. Her voice sounded tight and Aaron felt a knot of concern as he recognized a familiar look on Eva"s face.
Aaron quickly reached a hand across the table, but Eva just as rapidly withdrew her hand.
"I had a word with Zack when he visited the other day. I mentioned about our situation and he said..."
Eva stiffened and her eyes widened. A flush of bright red colored her face. "You did what!"
"Zack knows your father"s old lawyer. John McRae. He offered to help out. Get in touch. Check things out," Aaron said.
"What are you talking about, Aaron Stewart? Are you seriously telling me that you told one of your rancher friends that I"d asked you to marry me?"
Eva stood up quickly and the wooden chair made a harsh rasping sound as it slid across the floor.
"Eva. Let me explain," Aaron said reaching out a hand.
"What gave you the right to share that with one of your friends?" she demanded.
"Zack"s more than a friend, Eva. He and I go way back," Aaron said.
"I"m sure you do," she answered. "What else have you shared about me?"
Aaron stood and started to move around the table, but Eva gave him a look that made him pause before going any nearer to her.
"Nothing else, Eva. Please, believe me. I"ve got faith in Zack. He"s a good man. If anyone can help you out of this lawyer mess, he can," Aaron tried to explain.
"I don"t need anyone to help me," Eva shouted. She took a step back and thrust her fists down by her side. "I can look after myself, Aaron Stewart. If you don"t know that about me by now, then you don"t know me at all," she yelled.
Aaron felt a rush of panic at the sight of Eva standing on the other side of the table. She was shaking, and her breathing was getting faster by the moment. She looked like she might pa.s.s out any time now. Aaron knew he had to stop that from happening.
"Eva, I"m sorry. You don"t understand. I need to tell you something," he said.
"I don"t want to hear it, Aaron," she said taking another step away from him and waving a dismissive hand. Every step she took away from Aaron made something tighten in his gut. He knew he didn"t have much time. It was now or never.
"But, I have to give you my answer, Eva," Aaron insisted moving quickly to her, reaching out to take Eva"s quivering hand.
Eva waved him away with a violence that took Aaron by surprise. "No! I will not listen. I"m going back to my ranch. Right now. I know where I"m needed. I"ll sort that mess out myself," she declared.
Aaron took a final step closer. He almost managed to take her arm, hold her back from doing the one thing he didn"t want her to do. Leave.
But, within an instant, Eva Gillespie whirled and with a noisy swish of her dress and firm steps of her boots on the wooden floor, she strode out of the dining room leaving Aaron standing there inhaling the swiftly vanishing scent of her perfume.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
Only minutes later, upstairs in the bedroom, Eva threw the dress she had just taken off into the wardrobe and picked up the gown she had been wearing when they"d brought her to the ranch.
The day Aaron had rescued her.
She bit her lower lip as she shrugged herself into the dress. It had been cleaned, although a hint of smoke still clung to the fabric. It was the only thing she had brought to Aaron"s ranch, and it would be the only thing she would take back to her own place.
Her own place. Or at least it would be, until she married Jude, and then it would belong to them both. That thought made her throat tighten, and she had to fight back the wave of emotion that rose up inside her chest.
Eva looked at the dresses Aaron had bought her. The contents of the boxes had been unpacked and hung in the wardrobe. It wouldn"t matter any more. She would never be wearing of those outfits.
What had possessed her to ask Aaron to marry her? He"d made her wait, forced her to hold her tongue time and time again. She"d avoided demanding an answer she knew she had every right to expect. And now, downstairs in the dining room, he had shown her just how unsure he was of a life with her, how little he really thought of her. He hadn"t even had the decency to come out and give her a straight answer. If he"d wanted her, he would have already told her so. Of that much Eva was absolutely sure.
Eva sat down on the bed and lowered her head down onto her knees, feeling a sob rise in her chest. Eva fought it back. She had been so sure he would say yes. Had even taken it for granted. Was that her fault? She"d always had an inkling that Aaron Stewart held a candle for her. But, she"d never had a chance to test him. Not until now. And he had shown her, in no uncertain terms, that all along she had been deluding herself. He was merely the rancher next door, the neighbour who could be counted on to argue over petty grievances. If she did end up with Jude then one thing was for sure. Aaron Stewart would always be a figure from her past. And only that.
Eva"s sat for a while on the bed. Her mind raced with visions of the future. Her own future. And, she didn"t like what she saw.
Eva heard the sound of a horse from the yard below. She stood and went to the window. She clutched a hand to her middle, and an involuntary cry emerged from her when she saw what was waiting for her below.
Aaron sat on the seat of a buckboard. He was holding the reins of the single horse hitched to it. He wasn"t even looking up at her window. Instead he was staring determinedly ahead. It looked like nothing on earth would induce him to look up at her room.
Eva clutched her fists tight. He was already prepared to drive her back to her ranch. Aaron was going to take her personally back to her fate. Now that he had done what he so obviously felt obligated to do in taking care of his neighbour in trouble, he was simply delivering her to a future that he knew full well filled her with revulsion.
Eva turned and quickly left the room, slamming the door behind her. At the bottom of the stairs she met Mrs. Lang and Mrs. Bell. Both women looked pale and worried.
"Are you feeling well, Eva?" Mrs. Bell asked.
Eva couldn"t bring herself to reveal the depth of her feeling to her kindly housekeeper. She composed herself as quickly as she could but she knew there was no fooling someone who"d known her so intimately for so many years.
"I"m fine, Mrs. Bell," she said.
"Would you like me to come with you? I"ve got a few things I"ll need to get together first, though," the housekeeper explained.
"I"m going over to the ranch to take a look first. Thought I"d like to see it for myself. I"m sure Aaron can bring you later," she said.
Eva saw Mrs. Bell"s features set rigid with concern. Eva glanced out through the open door. Aaron was seated there, gazing straight ahead. He must have heard what had been said, but there had been no reaction from him.
Mrs. Bell glanced out at Aaron. "I understand," she said with a quiet, measured voice.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Lang," Eva said to the other woman, who looked every bit as concerned as Mrs. Bell.
"It"s been a pleasure getting you back to full health, Eva," Mrs. Lang said.
Eva said no more and turned, striding out onto the porch. When Aaron heard her footsteps he turned and looked at Eva. She felt her heart sink when she saw the look in his eyes. It wasn"t indifference she saw there. It was more like pain, confusion, consternation. What had she done?
"You ready?" Aaron said softly.
Eva nodded and strode over to the buckboard.
Aaron looked down at her. "You sure this is what you want?" he asked her. It was all she could do to contain the urge to tell him that it was the last thing she wanted. But she didn"t tell him that. Couldn"t say that to him.
In the end she merely nodded. Aaron held out a hand and, when he grasped her fingers with such a gentle touch, Eva hesitated.
"What is it, Eva?" he asked.
Eva gazed up at Aaron, peering into his eyes. She opened her mouth and was about to say the only true thing which was in her heart at this moment, when her attention was caught by the sounds of horses. She turned and saw two riders pulling up to a halt in the yard.
"What in tarnation! Zack?" she heard Aaron e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.e.
Eva saw the two men get off their horses and tie them up in front of the house.
Aaron got down off the buckboard and went around to greet his friend. Eva looked at the other man. Her ears filled with a roaring sound, her heart started to race, her throat went tight and all of a sudden breathing became almost impossible.
It was John McRae. Her father"s lawyer of so many years standing.
"Eva. So good to see you at last," McRae said coming to her. The tall, grey haired, elegant looking man took her hand and shook it in the friendly manner she remembered from so many previous visits.
"May I offer my condolences on the pa.s.sing of your dear father," McRae said. His voice was filled with deep and genuine sincerity. "A sad loss. You know that your father and I had our differences, but he was always straight with me, even if I didn"t usually agree with what he wanted."
"It"s so lovely to see you John," Eva said to him.
"I only heard about your father"s pa.s.sing when this fine fellow came and gave me the sad news," McRae said gesturing toward Zack.
Zack lowered his head. "It was the least I could do," he said.
Eva realized this was the same Zack who Aaron had told about her proposal to him. "You shouldn"t have taken such trouble," Eva said to Zack. She recalled her outburst only a short while before and found it difficult to look Zack straight in the eye. This man, who she barely knew, had taken it upon himself to find the one man who might be able to offer Eva a way out of her predicament. How could she have been so mean, so callous?
Zack took a step closer to her and looked Eva straight in the eye. "I would have done anything Miss. Gillespie to aid you in your difficult situation," he said bluntly.
Eva looked at Aaron whose features were tight with concentration, hardly revealing anything about how he was really feeling. Eva could only imagine what was going on inside Aaron"s mind.
John McRae cleared his throat and addressed Eva directly.
"I came here today because our good friend here described to me what has been going on at the Gillespie spread. I have to tell you that when I heard about it, my first port of call was the sheriff in Great Falls," he said.
Eva stared at McRae. "The sheriff? Why?"
McRae glanced at Zack and tapped the black bag he was carrying. "What I have in here may be just the thing you need to clear this whole mess up, Eva" McRae said.
"Why? What have you got in the bag?" Eva asked.
McRae glanced at Aaron. Eva saw a glint of expectation in Aaron"s widening eyes.
Eva looked back at McRae who leaned in closer.
"What I"ve got in this bag is your father"s real, legally certified will. And it"s not the one you got given to you a few days ago by that useless good for nothing Dunn," McRae concluded with a sour expression.
McRae continued. "Eva. You, me and Mr. Stewart here can go inside, and I can tell you both exactly what your father wanted to happen after his pa.s.sing," McRae said with a barely disguised grin of satisfaction.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
Eva sat next to Aaron at the parlor table. Not wishing to delay matters, after the three of them had taken their seats, John McRae had quickly opened up his bag and taken out a large envelope. There was a wax seal over the edge.
Eva glanced at Aaron and saw that his attention was fixed on the envelope.
McRae tapped the envelope with his index finger. "Before I open this, I have to explain one or two things first. I know you want to know what"s in here, but it might be best if you know the rest of what"s happened," he said.
Eva wondered what the lawyer could be talking about. "Please. Go on, John," she said.
McRae"s eyes narrowed in concentration. "I"m sorry I didn"t make it to your father"s funeral, Eva. I was away on business. It was only when Zack came and told me about Gabriel"s pa.s.sing that I knew I had to come here as soon as I could," he said.
Eva gave McRae a sympathetic smile. "I understand, John."
McRae sighed heavily and composed himself. "First off, I"ll come straight to the point about the so called will that Dunn read to you. It was a forgery," he said bluntly.
Eva"s mouth dropped open and she felt the color drain from her face. "A forgery? What are you talking about. I saw it for myself. I saw my father"s handwriting."
"All faked," McRae said. "I don"t know how they did it, but it was obviously good enough to fool even Gabriel"s beloved daughter," McRae said looking at Eva, eyes filled with sympathy.
Eva looked at Aaron. There was a look of incredulity on his face.
Aaron rested an arm on the table. "Wait. Are you saying that Dunn forged that will?"
"That"s exactly what I"m saying," McRae answered.
"But, my father trusted him," Eva declared. "I know he was only new and all, but nevertheless, my father told me that Dunn was a good lawyer,"
McRae shook his head. "That"s not what I"ve been hearing. Dunn"s name is getting known about these parts. And not for the right reasons," he said.
"What do you mean?" Aaron asked.
"Let"s say there have been complaints about him. Land deals that have gone belly up, property purchases that haven"t worked out the way everyone wanted. A whole load of stuff. None of it good. Dunn"s not from around here. He came from New York. Seems like he left things behind him. Figured he could make a new start out in Montana. Maybe figured the folk out here are simple, easy prey."
Eva scowled. "He obviously doesn"t know the people out here, then. If he thought he could take anyone for a free ride out here, then he was sadly mistaken," she said.
Eva glanced at Aaron and saw that he agreed wholeheartedly with her statement.
"Why did Dunn fake the will?" Aaron McRae frowned and looked at Eva. "Dunn knew that Eva was going to inherit the Gillespie spread. So it looks like him and Jude Arabin got together and cobbled together this scheme to cheat Eva out of her true birthright," he said his voice soft, but tinged with indignation.