mother. My mother gave it to me before she died.
Rosalie wiped at her cheek and discovered she was crying.
Why didn’t you tell me?
His answer came slowly.
You already looked frightened enough.
That hurt more than accusation would have.
He believed she had been afraid of him.
And she had.
Not because of anything Gideon had done.
Because everyone else had told her she should be.
She touched the faded letter.
Then how did the marriage happen?
Gideon hesitated.
Your brother came to my ranch.
“Merrick?”
Gideon nodded.
He said you needed a husband.
Rosalie’s stomach tightened.
And fifty dollars?
Gideon’s eyes narrowed.
He wrote:
He asked me to forgive fifty dollars he owed me.
Rosalie stared.
Everything rearranged itself.
Merrick had borrowed money from half the valley during the previous winter.
He had gambled, drunk, and lost horses that did not belong to him.
