Page 38 of Moonlight Over Montana

“You can always count on me.”

She stood up. “Tell Susie dinner will be ready in an hour.”

Since Maggie hadn’t extended the invitation to him, Jed said, “Sure, I’ll let her know.” He continued to sit on the bench as she walked away.

19

After dinner Maggie was checking her bank account on line. Cora had told her the withdrawals were still under investigation but now she did a triple take. There was two hundred and fifty thousand dollars as a new deposit from earlier today and she had no idea where it had come from. It was obviously a mistake and she had to wait until the bank was open in the morning before calling to have them reverse it out. It was nice to see a healthy balance. Just for a moment, she dreamed of what it would be like to have that kind of money just sitting around, gathering a tiny bit of interest.

Susie came out of the bathroom, bundled up in a thick bathrobe and towel-drying her long hair. “What are you looking at?” She stopped at the thermostat and inched it up. “It’s cold in here so I just put the heat on sixty-eight, okay?”

“That sounds good. I was paying some bills.” She closed the laptop and patted the table where Susie had been sitting at dinner. “Take a seat. I’d like to talk to you for a minute.”

As she slid into the chair, she gave Maggie a look that asked, am I in trouble?

Maggie placed a reassuring hand on Susie’s. “Don’t worry, its nothing bad. I just wanted to talk about something. Well, a couple of somethings actually.”

“Alright.”

Waiting half a second, she gave Susie a wide smile. “I was talking with Jed earlier and Tate has agreed to work with you as you learn barrel racing.”

“Yeah, I bumped into Tate and he said the same thing.” She frowned. “But there isn’t a horse on the ranch I can ride while I’m learning.”

“Well, that’s the second thing I wanted to talk to you about. Jed spoke to a friend of his, Ford Shepard, who has agreed to look for a horse. Once he finds a couple that he thinks are suitable we’ll take a look and get the horse that is perfect for you.”

Susie’s eyes widened, and her words came out in a rush. “Do you mean I’ll have my own horse? But what about the cost and where will we keep it after we move back to town?”

“I’ve already talked with Annie, and you can board your horse right here which is perfect since we’ll more than likely be living at the ranch until April or May.” Maggie waited for her to get all pouty again about not being in town with her friends, but in a nice change, her daughter got up and hugged her tight.

“You mean it? After all this time, my dream of owning a horse will be a reality?”

Maggie couldn’t contain her smile. “Yes, but the care of the horse will reside with you—water, feeding, exercise, mucking the stall, and you’ll need to get a part-time job to help offset the tack that needs to be purchased.”

“This is so, so great. Wait until I tell…” Her words trailed off and she hugged Maggie again. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best!” She hurried from the kitchen and her bedroom door closed with a thud.

Maggie could only guess she wanted to call her girlfriends right away and tell them everything. It had been a long time that Susie had actually been excited about something. Teenage girls were tough, and she often wondered how her own mother had survived the years between being the best mommy in the world to the dumbest. But eventually like all females, daughters came back around to loving and respecting their moms. It was just a matter of time.

Two days later, Maggie was in the ranch kitchen baking under the watchful eye of Quinn. Even though they had arranged specific times for Maggie to bake, he always seemed to be hovering in the background. She wasn’t sure if he was afraid she wouldn’t clean up after herself or maybe he was waiting for the inevitable tasting opportunity. Either way, it was satisfying just to be working and making money.

Her cell rang and it was Cora Davis from the bank. She was hoping this would answer the question about the money in her account.

She wiped her flour-covered hands on a towel she had tossed onto the worktable. “Hi, Cora.” The women exchanged pleasantries even though Maggie was anxious to hear that the money had been returned to the rightful owner.

“Well, Maggie, I know your curious about that sizeable deposit in your account and lucky for you, it is your money.”

She slumped to a stool next to the table. “Cora, I don’t have that kind of money, nor does anyone I know except Annie Grace. And I’m certain she wouldn’t make a deposit into my account.”

“It wasn’t Annie. Apparently, you have an anonymous benefactor out there who wants to remain that way. But it is legitimate with no strings or funny business attached.”

“That’s not possible.” She felt as if all the air had whooshed from her lungs. “Do you know and just can’t tell me?”

“All I know for certain is the money is legitimate. It seems someone out there thinks you have a big heart and after helping others, it was time someone helped you.”

“How did you learn that?”

Cora laughed softly. “Leave it to you to keep asking questions. We were able to trace the deposit back to a lawyer’s office, and they have assured me there is nothing to worry about. But if it would make you feel better, I could have you talk with someone to put the money in a separate investment account just in case.”

She nodded and then said, “Yes. I’m not comfortable until I know who was behind the deposit and why. For now, I think it should be held separately. I would appreciate it if you could email me a person I can talk with.”

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