Lauraine Snelling - [Wild West Wind 01] Read Online Free Page A

this man, and where had her genial uncle Jason gone?
    He pulled a lockbox out from under the bed and flipped it open. After rummaging through some papers, he pulled out an envelope. “This is it.”
    “What?”
    “The deed to the show. When your father was dying, he had this will drawn up. When you reached the age of adulthood, you were to take over his half of the show.”
    “Age of adulthood, meaning what?”
    “Oh, eighteen, nineteen, I forget. You’ll find it in there.” He handed her the envelope. “I’d make sure that bank man doesn’t see that, or he’ll expect you to pay half the bills too.”
    Then what good is this to me? “Unc—” Never again would she use that word in regard to this man. “Jason Talbot, you mean I’ve owned half this company for possibly the last two years and you never told me? That’s thievery.”
    “Ah, honey, I was tryin’ to get it back to its former glory, and then I was going to tell you. You’ve had a good life here. I saved you a whole lot of heartache. Worrying about payroll, booking enough shows—ever since your pa died, it’s been too much, too hard.” He ignored her and grabbed the bottle from the table. “Sometimes I fear that he was the brains behind this. All those glory years.” He stopped and took a drink. “Now, you listen real close here. You know the company owns everything, including . . .” He shook his head and, taking a handkerchief from his back pocket, blew his nose.
    His pause gave her time to think. “Wind Dancer?”
    “No. Your pa bought him for you, but if you want that horse, you better get him out of here. Take this wagon, the team, and git.” He took another swig. “Go find that valley your pa always went on about. Somewhere down in the Black Hills. I hear there’s a road of sorts that the stagecoaches and the dray wagons use. You follow that and go find his valley.” He pulled a roll of bills out of his pocket. “You take this too. Help you get started.”
    She took it, shaking her head. “But surely all this show is worth more than the money you owe.”
    “It would be if they would give me more time. But banks are like that. Happy to loan you money, but things get tight and no matter what, they want their blood share.” He snapped the lockbox closed and tossed it on the bed. “You go get Micah and have him bring around the team. I think Chief would be glad to go with you. His reservation, Pine Ridge, is somewhere down there. He’s always talked about going back home ‘to die,’ but he’s got some more good years in those bones of his.”
    “Wouldn’t I be stealing?”
    “The wagon was your pa’s too. Got a bill of sale here somewhere.”
    “But you said they own it all.”
    “Forget what I said. Just do as I say. They’ll get plenty out of it all—call it my half. What they can’t find can’t be accounted for. You watch, most everyone will be gone in the morning, and I ain’t gonna be here to supervise who takes what. That’s just the lay of the land.” He stuffed some books and papers into the last bag and snapped both closed. “You go tell Chief I want to see him. He can take George and the Longhorns. Micah needs a horse, and he can harness up the wagon team. You get a move on, and you can be in the Black Hills before winter sets in.”
    “Would you have just gone off and not come to say good-bye?”
    “Why, a’course not. I’d never do that to you.” His whiskey breath made her cringe as he put his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. “You just do what your uncle Jason said, and all will be well.”
    Her mother’s words coming from his mouth made her tighten her jaw. She half hugged him back. “What will you do?”
    “I don’t know, darlin’. I just don’t know. But something will come along. It always does.” He paused and then forced a smile. “Do this for your pa. It’d mean a lot to him.”
    Cassie nodded and left before she burst into tears. Was what he had told her to do