Seven Brides: Daisy Part 41

"I didn't give it up. You took it."

"No, you gave it."

Daisy wanted to argue the point further, but he didn't give her a chance. He tied to saddle bags and bedroll to the saddle, gave Rio and the newly arrived Jesus a string of orders, helped her into the saddle, and they headed for Albuquerque.

All the way to town Tyler talked about the weather, the prospects for grazing for the coming summer, the number of cows she could expect to calve, the number of unbranded calves to look for in the fall, the number of years she would have to wait before she would have a full crop of steers for sale, the prices she could expect, the best markets, how to get the cattle there, the number and kind of hands she ought to hire, the traits to look for in a good foreman, the kind of house that would work best, where she ought to place some dams to control runoff and help irrigate. The topics he covered seemed as endless as the miles that rolled by.

All the while Daisy racked her mind for ways to prove to Tyler she wanted to be truly free of all men. She was still trying to come up with a solution when they reached town and dismounted in front of Post's Exchange Hotel. She had hardly stepped into the lobby when the clerk announced, "I was just about to send somebody out to your place, Miss Singleton. Your uncle and cousin from New York are here."

Daisy stood rooted to the floor in disbelief as Guy came to meet her, accompanied by two strange men. Without ever having seen him before, she knew the older man was her uncle. His resemblance to her father was striking. The handsome young man with him was just as clearly his son. Apparently good looks ran in at least one branch of the Singleton family.

"I was about to go out to the ranch to fetch you," Guy said, a wide smile plastered across his features. "Your uncle arrived just like you said they would."

Daisy's tongue cleaved to the roof of her mouth. She had never expected to hear from her family much less have them come all the way to New Mexico.

"I regret it took us so long to get here," her uncle said. "We didn't see the announcement. A friend told us of it."

"We had the greatest difficulty finding you," her cousin added.

"Walter cut himself off from his family," her uncle explained. "We hadn't heard from him in years. I'm sorry to say we didn't even know your mother had died."

"I didn't expect you to come," Daisy managed to say. She thought she must be acting like an idiot, but she was too stunned to act normally.

"Of course we came," her uncle said. "You didn't think we'd leave our only niece in a place like this, did you? Your fiance tells me you have been living on a burned-out ranch for the last month. My dear, you can't do that."

Learning Guy had told her uncle they were still engaged restored Daisy's mental powers. "I broke my engagement weeks ago," she told her uncle. "Since the ranch is the only property I own, I had no other choice. I've been trying to make up for some of Daddy's neglect. I have a crew to help me. I've come to town to see about getting someone to build me a new house."

"You don't have to live on the ranch," Guy said. "They want to take you back to New York. You're rich. Your grandfather left you his money."

"Only a part of it," her uncle corrected. His gaze settled on Tyler. "Maybe we'd better retire to a parlor, away from the ears of strangers."

"This is Tyler Randolph," Daisy said. "He's been helping me with the ranch."

Her uncle's frown disappeared. "Young Mr. Cochrane here told me you rescued my niece from the men who tried to kill her. I can't express my appreciation enough. I will see that you're suitably rewarded."

Daisy flushed with embarra.s.sment.

"Tyler doesn't want a reward."

"It's very correct of him not to press, but I'm sure he would appreciate the money."

"Miss Singleton is right," Tyler said. "Now I'll leave you to get acquainted with your niece." He walked over to the clerk. "Is my brother in?" he asked.

"He came in with the boys a short while ago."

Tyler came back to the waiting gathering. "Daisy is staying with my sister-in-law. We will expect her in an hour."

"I have already made provisions for my niece's lodgings."

"That was very thoughtful. You had no way of knowing it was unnecessary," Tyler said. His lips smiled but his eyes didn't.

"She is welcome to stay with us," Guy said. "It would be much more suitable than a hotel."

Daisy felt like she was at the center of a three ring circus. "I prefer to say with Laurel," she said. "All my things are here." She had had everything sent to the hotel when she broke her engagement. She hadn't wanted Guy to think she might change her mind.

"My dear, should you be staying with a stranger?" her uncle asked.

"If it comes to that," Daisy said, beginning to feel irritated by the pressures all around her, "you're the strangers. Laurel and I are friends."

"But only a recent friend," Guy interjected. "You've known Adora for years. She's been hoping you'd stay with her."

"Well, I'm not," Daisy said. "Now why don't you go tell Adora I'd love to see her this evening. My uncle and I have a lot to talk about."

She could see Guy didn't want to be excluded from the conversation and was casting about for a reason to remain.

"My mother will want you all to come to dinner."

"Another night," Daisy said. "After the ride in, I'm too tired."

Giving in the inevitable, Guy retreated.

"Now," Daisy said turning to her uncle, "what is this about my grandfather leaving me money?"

"He said he struck gold within an hour after you left," Hen told Tyler. "He found it exactly where you told him to dig."

Tyler was having a difficult time keeping his mind on what Hen was saying. It seemed odd his brother should think he was so interested in gold. He'd almost forgotten it. How could he think of something like that when Daisy was downstairs becoming reacquainted with her family and discovering she was an heiress? She would truly be free now. She could go back East and live in any kind of house she wanted.

He'd be miserable.

"I've already had it a.s.sayed. It's very rich. I suggest you sell it rather than try to operate it yourself. I think you can get more than enough to build your hotels."

"What?" Tyler asked, coming out of his fog.

"Haven't you been listening to anything I said? It's the biggest gold strike in the history of New Mexico."

"I told Willie I'd give him a quarter."

"He won't take it. He said he didn't do anything but dig out a few shovels' full. He accepted a finder's fee and went off to look for a claim of his own."

"Who's at the claim?"

"It's already properly registered and guarded. In fact, I've got an offer for it already." He handed Tyler a piece of paper.

The number seemed to have too many zeros.

"I never thought you would do it," Hen said, "certainly not such a big one. Watch out. Madison will try to talk you into investing the money in railroads."

"Speaking of railroads, did Rio give you my message about Cochrane."

"Yes, but I couldn't find out much. Many people hate him, but they all have to use his bank. n.o.body will say a word against him."

"I'm convinced he ordered Daisy's father killed. It must have something to do with the railroad. I just can't figure out what. Those rustlers said he was ready to wipe out Greene and Cordova to get their land. Why is he buying up miles of grazing land, and why is he willing to kill to get it?"

"The railroad will have to buy the right of way."

"He could make a whole lot more money buying land in town around the depot."

"I don't see why he wanted to kill Daisy. She was set to marry his son. He'd have had her land automatically."

"He didn't want her killed," Tyler said, suddenly remembering. "She wasn't supposed to be home. It was an accident."

"Then who's after her?"

"The killer because she recognized him. He tried again today."

"But she's not going to marry Guy."

"So she's still in danger, from both of them now."

"But you can't prove anything."

"I know, but I will."

"Good. Now about this claim."

"Have Madison sell it to the highest bidder. He'll get a better price than I can. I've got something else to do right now."

"Does it have anything to do with Daisy?" Laurel asked. She had listened to the conversation without comment while feeding Harrison.

"Everything."

"Good," she said, smiling. "It's about time you came to your senses."

"So you're a very rich young woman," Laurel said to Daisy. They were having coffee in Laurel's sitting room. Daisy was still a little dazed from her conversation with her uncle.

"It seems my grandfather was sure Daddy would waste his money, so he left it to me instead."

"What are you going to do?"

"My uncle wants me to go back to New York. My cousin and I are his only family."

"Do you want to go?"

"I don't know. I used to think I'd give anything if I could go back East. It was a safe dream because I never thought it could come true."

"Now it has, and you're scared."

Daisy nodded. "Have you ever been to New York?"

"No. Denver was too much for me. In fact, Albuquerque's more than enough. I'll be glad to get back to the ranch." She shifted the baby who was asleep in her arms. "Hen has finally decided we're both strong enough to make the trip. Next time I'm not going to tell him until after I have the baby."

"How are you . . . oh, you're joking."

"I'm not sure. It was easier having Adam in a canyon by myself than having Harrison with every doctor Hen could find standing over me. Heaven help Iris if she ever gets pregnant. The men in this family are terribly overprotective."

Daisy knew that. It was one of the reasons she wouldn't marry Tyler. Then why did she feel jealous of Laurel?

"I want to stay here and run my ranch," Daisy said, "but everybody seems to think I have to be married no matter where I go."

"What does Tyler say?"

"He wants me to marry him."

"Would your uncle approve?"

"Of course, now that he's found out how rich the Randolphs are."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. It seems money can make everything right."

"But not for you?"

"Money has nothing to do with it. All my life I've wanted to be free. But every way I turn, there's a man telling me what to do. And that includes Tyler."

"Then if you don't want any of them, I suggest you tell them so and move out to your ranch as soon as possible." Laurel studied Daisy for a few moments. "There's more, isn't there?"

"I'm not sure Tyler will leave. I tried to order him off after we caught the rustlers, but he wouldn't go. He said he was leaving yesterday, but he camped in the hills."

"He'd go if he thought you meant it."

"I do. I don't want him trying to change for me. Just because I won't marry him doesn't mean I don't love him, stubborn, overbearing man that he is."

"I imagine he'll stay as long as you feel that way."

"He wouldn't if I went to New York."

"You'd do that to get away from him?"

"I'm not trying to get away from him. I just don't want him trying to become something he isn't because of me. It would destroy him."

Laurel put her son to bed in the other room. "He's like all the other Randolph men," she said as she closed the door to the bedroom. "He's going to do what he wants, and there's nothing you can do to change that. It's hard for them to admit it when they fall in love. But once they get used to the idea, they don't give up easily."

"Neither do I. If you want stubborn, just ask for a Singleton."