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Her eyes shifted to the old man and felt a twinge of guilt. “No, but we do have other stops.”
Angus Layman slowly got out of his chair. “I was going to have Jay hoist some hay bales down from the barn loft before he left.”
Erika gave a silent sigh. Surely the man wasn’t that weak? “Perhaps Ryan could quickly do it for you.”
“Nonsense,” the older woman said and quickly put her hand out to stall Ryan as if he were about to move. “Jay is plenty big and strong, he doesn’t need any help. Besides, we rarely get such wonderful and entertaining company as Ryan.”
Taken aback, Erika looked at the trio with something akin to disbelief. Ryan relaxed back in his seat and picked up the harmonica once again while the old couple stomped their feet to his sweet playing melody.
Something tugged at her subconscious. Not fully able to recognize it, she turned to look out the window and watch Jay continue to chop away at the wood.
Chapter 4
A half an hour later, after Jay had completed all the chores the old couple had requested, they were finally able to get on their way. Offering her politest smile, Erika bid goodbye before hurriedly climbing up onto the wagon seat. The elderly pair reluctantly said their farewells to the Colby boys and as they pulled out of the homestead, Erika couldn’t ignore the fact her presence however would not be missed.
“What exactly do the Layman’s have against my grandfather?”
Jay turned to look at her before bringing his attention back to the trail. “He holds their mortgage.”
“And that is a bad thing?” She shook her head. “Seems to me they should be grateful someone was willing to loan them some money.”
He didn’t reply immediately, and she thought perhaps he was going to ignore her again, but then, “The Layman’s came to this part of the country forty years ago. Like so many of the settlers at that time, they bought a plot of land and began farming on it. It wasn’t easy. Nothing but trees covered the entire area. They spent many years trying to clear what little bit of land they owned so they could start planting crops and making a decent living. It was a hell of a lot of work and left little time or energy for anything else. Those first few years they lived in makeshift lean-to’s or even their chuckwagon.”
“Very interesting, but what has that got to do with my grandfather?”
“They eventually did get their farm productive, and did very well in the early years,” he told her. “Until time and old age caught up. Angus wasn’t able to produce a year’s crop like he used to, money began to dwindle away until they basically had nothing left but the farm.”
She waited for him to continue and when he didn’t, she arched her brows and asked, “So?”
“So?” He glanced over at her as if she were a dunce. “When they ran out of funds they went to your grandfather’s bank and asked for a loan. He agreed with the condition they use the farm as collateral. Unfortunately, times didn’t get better for the Layman’s and your grandfather demanded repayment.”
“What are you implying? That my grandfather is demanding they sell him their farm?”
“Sell? More like steal.”
“My grandfather wouldn’t do that.” She told him with conviction.
“Sorry to inform you, but he did. I’ve been speaking to him on their behalf for the past few weeks and have been able to swindle them one more month that is until the cold winter is finally behind us.”
“My grandfather would never have allowed someone to be homeless in the winter.”
“Well, then I guess you’re right this time, princess,” he said, but his expression did not match his words.
“You may want to play the hero here, Jay Colby, but I know my grandfather.” She stiffened her spine and looked him squarely in the eye. “No matter what you may have implied to that poor old couple, my grandfather would never allow any harm to them. He’s a good and decent man. Yes, he may also be a businessman and unfortunately with that comes a reputation of being ruthless. But my grandfather has a heart and he cares about the people of this community. This is his community. His baby and the citizens of it are just as much a part of him as I am.”
His head turned and he tilted his chin so that his eyes looked sideways at her. “You truly believe that, don’t you?”
“Of course!” Erika held his gaze. “And I will no longer have you spreading any more slanderous words against him in the future.”
He actually smiled that time. “You really can be quite the dictator.”
“If you mean by standing up against those intending to do harm against myself or my loved ones, then I proudly bear the title.”
Jay’s eyes twinkled, but he didn’t say anything else, simply clicked his tongue and gave the reins a flick of his wrist. Erika sat taller in her seat, convinced she had made some impact on him. She would be damned if she knowingly allowed him to soil her grandfather and her family’s good name.
* * *
Three quarters of an hour later, they reached the next farm and it wasn’t until then that Erika understood why Jay felt the Layman’s closest neighbor wouldn’t be of any physical use to them. A man around the age of eighty came out of the little house that looked in far better shape than the previous homestead. A woman around the same age accompanied him. They looked like a modest couple with simple but humble attire. It was the man, whoever, who caught Erika’s eye immediately as he hobbled out to the road to greet them with the use of a crutch. She had never seen anyone before in her life with a missing limb.
