“I had no idea, Herbert. I knew she never wanted the marriage to begin with, but she convinced all of us that she was a dutiful and at least cooperative wife.”
Herbert shook his head. “There was never a moment’s peace between us. She hated her father for forcing her to marry me for money and decided that if money was all that mattered, then she would spend as much of it as possible. Do you know, the other day she actually offered all of her jewelry to me, suggesting we sell it and pay Susanna back for what she’s spent on us?”
“That is transformation,” Harrison said, looking amazed.
“I had to confess to her that much of what she thought to be valuable gemstones were nothing more than paste. I had already sold many of the jewels when I made some of my final investments. I’m so ashamed of the deception, but you know what? She told me it was immaterial—that she could not hold it against me when I had so much I could lay at her doorstep.” Herbert looked at his brother. “It’s like the scales have fallen from our eyes. How could I have been so blind—so caught up in risking everything? How does a man get that lost?”
Harrison looked at the cup of coffee Herbert had served him earlier. It had no doubt gone cold, but it didn’t seem important. “I went through a time when making money was all that mattered to me,” Harrison admitted. “I’ve never faulted you for wanting to make your own fortune. Only that you wouldn’t listen to wiser men. The love of money has definitely been the cause of many troubles in our family. Thankfully, my dear wife has always been a sensible woman. She took me aside and told me that nothing mattered to her as much as our life together. She told me she would follow me to a shack in the mountains if it meant we could live together in peace and harmony. She said my constant worry about the financial world—the stocks and investments, the madness of it all—was what worried her. She didn’t care if we lost it all tomorrow as long as we had each other. That truly amazed me, and I started to see that the money was changing me.
“I wanted so much for my family. It wasn’t about doing better than my neighbors or impressing the world,” Harrison said in a thoughtful manner. “It was always about impressing her. And to learn that she didn’t care one whit about any of it made me realize my priorities were skewed.”
“And now I see that for myself,” Herbert replied.
“But it wasn’t all your fault,” Harrison surprised him by saying. “You were a pawn in our father’s game. His desire for political power made him forget the importance of marrying for love. He didn’t even remember that his own marriage was a love match—not an arrangement. He should have known better. What he created in you, because of his desire for power, was his own fault. I never quite saw it myself until now.”
Herbert nodded and poured himself another cup of coffee. “Do you suppose he figured that out, and that’s why he tolerated so much of my nonsense?”
“It could be. I suppose that makes more sense than believing him to be unreasonably tolerant. Maybe guilt is why he allowed you so much leeway, while at the same time safeguarding a portion of your inheritance.”
“I wish I could have done well—impressed him as you did.” Herbert felt a rush of regret. “That’s really all I wanted to do. Impress the two of you. You were both so competent, so good at what you did. People respected you and looked to you for help. How I envied that. With every success you made, I envied it all the more. Then I would try my hand at something and fail and feel all the worse.” He shook his head. “Frankly, I’m glad to let it all go.”
“What are you saying?”
“My plan is to be a successful innkeeper. I will manage this hotel for you and live modestly and make a new start in my marriage. I am forsaking all of my interests elsewhere. Even the investment I made with the hotel money, which, of course, is failing miserably after what looked to be a tremendous start.”
“So you plan to stay on and run the hotel?” Harrison’s tone betrayed his disbelief.
“I do.” Herbert looked his brother in the eye. “I can do this. I can make you proud and make this hotel a success.”
“I must say, I never expected this. I figured you’d tell me how you’d changed and expect me to move you to California and set you up in a grand home with servants and luxury.”
“No. Not at all. I want you to take whatever is left of my inheritance and invest it wisely. I place my trust in your abilities. I wouldn’t mind discussing what’s happening from time to time, but for now, I know you are far more knowledgeable and will do right by me.”
Harrison just stared at him, and Herbert refocused on his coffee. He had never thought he could come to this point himself. It was little wonder that his brother was stunned into silence by his declaration.
A smile touched his lips. He had managed to render Harrison speechless. That had never happened before. All this time, it just took telling the truth and acknowledging his brother’s abilities. Who knew?
The move the next day went off without a hitch. Susanna was surprised when Lia and LeRoy came to the house with several crates of tiles. Her uncle and father had arranged for them, along with the labor to install them, as a wedding gift. Susanna was so touched that she couldn’t help but weep.
“It’s perfect timing,” Lia pointed out. “You and Owen will be heading to the mountains right after the wedding, so the house will be empty. They’ll have everything set in place and ready for you when you return in a week.”
Susanna hugged Lia, dampening her friend’s blouse with tears. “I don’t know what to say but thank you. I love those tiles. I even told Owen that I wanted to spend some money and replace the tile floor in the house.”
“There are also tiles for the kitchen. We will be able to cover the counters and part of the wall. I think you’ll be more than pleased when you return. Oh, and John wants you to know that he helped decorate some of the tiles that will be put in your kitchen.”
“How wonderful. I’ll be sure to thank him tomorrow after the wedding. And I’ll write a letter of gratitude to your family right away.”
“Or just thank them in person when we go to the ranch for Thanksgiving,” Owen said.
“Yes. Won’t that be wonderful? And Mother and Father and Gary have all agreed to come as well. I think it will do them a world of good. They’re only going for the day, but I know they’ll enjoy themselves immensely.”
“They can always come back for visits,” Lia said, smiling. “My family loves to have visitors at the ranch. My father always says, ‘Cuanto más mejor.’ The more the better.”
“The more the merrier,” LeRoy added.
25
Amen,” Pastor Lewis said, ending the Sunday morning service. He raised his head and smiled at the congregation. “Most of you are aware that we are now going to have a wedding ceremony for Susanna Ragsdale Jenkins and Owen Turner. Afterwards there will be a covered-dish luncheon, and if you forgot to bring something, don’t worry about it. There’s plenty to go around. The ladies of the church always seem to know what to make and how much,” he said with a chuckle. “Susanna and Owen, if you would come forward now with your witnesses, we will begin.”