Page 61 of Willing to Wed the Rancher
She hadn’t told anyone yet why she was at the ranch. First, she didn’t want to say too much about the counterfeiting operation until Mr. Bliss had the chance to accomplish his mission.
Second, she wasn’t sure she wanted to admit she’d lost everything when she’d said one tiny word earlier. She’d not only lost Franz but also given up the children and essentially the farm too. Because she didn’t want to live there without Franz or the children.
The longer she stalled, the deeper Maverick’s frown grew, until at last he pushed away from the door and began to stalk toward her. “Reckon you best tell me everything without holding back.”
“Oh, Maverick. I made a mess of things.”
He halted beside her. “Are you talking about the bickering between you and Clem?”
She nodded. She supposed everyone on the ranch knew Clementine was mad at her.
“C’mon. I have a feeling this is a long story.” He guided her to the paddock fence, and they climbed up and sat side by side as they’d done many times in the past.
Maverick had always been easy to talk to, and she knew she could trust him with the whole truth about everything that had transpired over recent days. She started by telling him how she and Clementine had both fallen for Franz and that Clementine was upset because she’d been dishonest about her feelings for Franz.
Then she shared about the Pinkerton agent arriving last night and the information Franz and Mr. Bliss had uncoveredin Eric’s safe. She told Maverick all about the counterfeit money operation and how Eric had gotten involved in it against his will. She explained how Eric had tried to stop it and that, hopefully, the information he’d left in the safe would prove useful to Mr. Bliss.
“That’s a lot to take in.” Maverick had hooked his boot heels on one of the fence rungs and was leaning forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “But seems like the situation between you and Clem is pretty cut and dried.”
“How so?”
“Reckon anyone who’s ever seen Franz around you can tell he’s got Cupid’s cramp something awful.”
Franz’s last words to her had been filtering through her mind since she’d left him.“I love you as I have no other and want to spend the rest of my earthly life showing you my love.”
Maverick was peering at her sideways. “He told you he loved you, didn’t he?”
What harm could come from admitting it now? “Yes.”
“And you love him back.” It wasn’t a question.
She hesitated. Was there any doubt that she loved Franz in return? After the misery she’d felt since leaving him, how could she keep denying her love? “I do love him, Maverick. More than anyone or anything.” More than her family, more than her dreams of becoming a teacher, more than the ranch where she’d grown up, more than even Dieter and Bianca.
Maverick grinned and sat up. “Then what exactly is the problem here? If you love him, then go back home and tell him that.”
“I can’t. Clementine is still upset with me, and I don’t want to ruin our relationship over our disagreement about a man.”
Maverick bumped up the brim of his hat so that the full force of his blue eyes was upon her. “Someone very wise once told methat friendship is a gift and I should be a good friend, but the person I love needs to take priority over anyone else.”
Clarabelle couldn’t hold back a smile in return. She’d told Maverick that very thing when he’d had relationship trouble with Hazel earlier in the spring.
“Can you honestly tell me,” Maverick continued, “that you’re willing to give up the one you love because you don’t want to upset Clem?”
Again, Maverick was turning her advice around and pointing it right at her. And coming from him, her excuses for not staying with Franz sounded silly. Was that what she was doing, rejecting Franz’s love so that she didn’t hurt Clementine’s feelings?
“You know Clementine.” Maverick had turned his gaze to Clementine, who was now exiting the house. Even hatless, with her hair in disarray and with a shawl hanging half off her shoulder, she radiated life and beauty like no one else. “She’ll be upset for a week or two, but then she’ll get over whatever it is and forget all about it.”
“We’ve never fought like this before, though.”
“That’s because you always give in to her. And this time you didn’t. You hung on to Franz.”
“I guess I did.” Wordlessly, she had told Clementine no, that she couldn’t have Franz.
“Now that you hung on to what you wanted, she’s pouting that she didn’t get her way for once.”
“It’s more than pouting.”
“By giving in to her being upset, you’re just teaching her that she can pout and get what she wants after all.”
