Page 5 of Married By Midnight
Suddenly the ground on the side of the road gave way and Ian fell into the ditch. It carried him several feet before he felt the impact of his head against a solid object. He felt himself drifting before everything went black.
Chapter 2
Spring 1894, Creede, Colorado
Sarah Abrahams looked at the papers Mr. Mathews handed to her. The words blurred on the page between her tears. One fat tear fell from her eye and onto the paper, smearing the ink. She waited for Mr. Mathews to speak.
“It is all outlined, Miss Abrahams.”
Sarah nodded and dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. Could it become any more real?
She stiffened her spine and sat straight in her chair. She knew it wasn’t a social call when she received word that Mr. Mathews wanted to see her. She just didn’t realize he wanted to see her so the bank could take her home.
“Is there anything I can do?” Sarah asked. She saw the way he looked at her. He held a pen in his hand, pointing it towards her. One signature and life as she knew it would be over.
Her hand hovered as if accepting her fate. She took the pen from Mr. Mathews and placed both it and the papers down on the table in front of her. “I need some time.”
“There is no more time, Miss Abrahams. Your father was late on the taxes…”
“How much do I owe?”
“Miss Abrahams, I realize…”
“I’ll ask again, Mr. Mathews. How much do I owe?”
“Fifty dollars.”
Sarah wanted to sink to the floor. Only the arms of the Windsor chair held her in place. “Fifty dollars?” she repeated, hoping she misheard him.
“Yes ma’am.” Mr. Mathews leaned forward in his chair, his elbows resting on the table.
If Momma could see this,Sarah thought.She would take a wooden spoon to Mr. Mathews!Momma didn’t allow anyone to put their elbows on the table. Sarah cleared her throat.
“And there is nothing left in my father’s account?”
Mr. Mathews shook his head. “Jacob pulled his money out of the bank long before I arrived.”
“So, I have nothing.”
“You can sell this farm, pay the back taxes and have a nice sum to live for the rest of your days.”
“Because I’m not married.” Mr. Mathews looked away. He was a nice man. He had been very kind to her so far. “How did the tax assessor come up with this figure? Is it just for this year, or is it owed for years prior?”
“Just last year. Taxes are two-percent of the land value, plus crops.”
“Father should have paid it when the crops came through last fall.”
“I can check into that for you, but I doubt that I would have gotten this notice if they had a record of payment.”
“What about this year’s crops?”
“The state isn’t concerned about that. They need payment for last year.” Mr. Mathews took a deep breath. “I know this isn’t easy on you, Miss Abrahams. And I’m not doing this personally, I’m just a representative of the tax collector for Colorado.”
“My parents just died, Mr. Mathews.”
“I’m aware of that, Miss Abrahams. I’m extremely sorry about your loss. And that of your sister, too.”
Sarah bit her lip. “I wouldn’t be able to pay until the harvest this year.” She looked out the window at the rain pelting the glass. Even the sky reflected her somber mood. Snow was still covering parts of the ground even though it was early April. “I can’t afford to keep on any help, so I don’t have any idea how I would even harvest them.” Sarah said. It was true. The wheat was just starting to peek through the cold ground. She returned her gaze to Mr. Mathews. “What happens if I can’t harvest the crop this year?”
