***
Next morning, after she had completed all her chores, Miranda rode into town. She had been tempted to wear a dress, then decided not to bother. Clem had always turned his nose up at her tomboy tendencies, and she had no great desire to impress him. She would just be glad to get everything over and done with so she could concentrate on running the ranch.
She stepped through the door and waved at one of the bank tellers she had gone to school with. Heading over to Clem’s office, she knocked and waited.
“Who is it?”
“Miranda Kingston.”
“Come in.”
She walked in. He was sitting with his hands folded on the desk, his face set in uncompromising lines. When she was younger, she had been frightened of him because he always looked so stern, now it didn’t bother her as she could stand up for herself and did so when necessary.
“Good morning, Clem.”
“Good morning, Miranda.”
“Jacob said you wanted to see me.”
“Yes. He wanted you to have his share of the ranch.”
“I know, he told me.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible now, Miranda.”
“What!” The word shot out of her mouth with the speed of a bullet.
“He took out a loan, using his share of the ranch as collateral.”
“I know, but I can repay his loan back.”
“You would need to take out a loan of your own to pay out what he still owes.” His voice was cold, his expression frigid.
“All right, I’ll do that if it’s the only way.”
“It is bank policy not to loan single women money.”
“You mean your policy, Clem.”
“Exactly, and I own the bank, remember? So, I make the rules. And I consider lending money to an unmarried woman is too big a financial risk.”
The breath caught in her throat and her stomach muscles contracted. “What do you mean?”
“It means.” He enunciated the words clearly, as if she were slow witted and unable to comprehend what he was saying. “You don’t have a husband.”
“What’s that got to do with it?”
“Everything, you don’t have a man’s support. Were you married it would be different, you would have a man’s help to pay the money back. As it is, on your own I consider you too big a risk.”
“You can’t do this. It isn’t fair. You know I can pay off a loan.”
“The only sensible thing is for you to sell the ranch.”
“Sell it? Never.”
“Now don’t be foolish. After the loan money has been paid back, you will still walk away with a nice sum of money.”
“I don’t want to sell the ranch.” She wrung her hands. “What do I have to do to keep it? Please, Clem you know the place means a lot to me.”
“I told you. Get yourself a husband to help you pay the loan that you’ll need to take out to cover what Jacob borrowed. I’ll fix up all the legal paperwork to transfer Jacob’s share of the ranch to you, which is what he wanted. Once the debt is paid, of course.”
“A husband! Where would I get a husband from?”
“That is your problem, Miranda.” His smile was more like a sneer. “You have a month to resolve the issue, or the bank will reluctantly have to sell the ranch to recoup their money.”
“Reluctantly,” she yelled. “You would enjoy it. You’ve always hated me.”
“I don’t think there is anything more for us to discuss. Close the door on your way out.”
“You can’t do this to me. It isn’t fair.” She felt like stamping her foot. “Where can I get a husband from at such short notice? At least give me more time.”
She was so shocked she could barely get the words out. This was her worst nightmare. Had Jacob known something like this would happen? He probably planned the whole thing with Clem to punish her for disliking his choice of a wife. How could Helen have turned him against her in such a short time?
“Two months, please.”
“A month, Miranda. It is all the time I’m prepared to give you.”
“All right. Let me get this clear. If I walk through the door within a month with a husband in tow, you will loan me the money to pay back what Jacob borrowed? Then I get to keep the ranch, provided I keep the loan repayments up?”
“Correct.”
“Very well, I will be back before the month is up dragging a husband behind me.” She stormed out of the office. The man was an arrogant pig.
Out in the street, she took several deep breaths, trying to get herself under control. Where could she get a husband from in such a short time? Rowan Carstairs, of course. He was a dirty skunk for letting her down like he did. If she explained her position, to expunge his guilt for leading her along with the promise of marriage and not following through with it, he just might. That’s if he hadn’t married someone else in the meantime.
A marriage of convenience would be perfect. Rowan wouldn’t need to stay away from his ranch once Clem did the paperwork and loaned her the money. After twelve months or so they could quietly have the marriage annulled and they could both get on with their lives.
It wasn’t as if she couldn’t pay a loan off on her own if she had to. It was just that Clem was so bigoted against unmarried women borrowing money from his bank. Once everything was signed over to her, she figured there was nothing he could do about it unless she fell behind on her repayments.
Marriage to Rowan was the only plan she could come up with.
Chapter Six
“What did you say?” Rowan was sure his ears were paying tricks on him.
Edward stood with a calculating expression on
