For several minutes, he stood beside her while she worked.
The air smelled of damp earth and fresh leaves.
Birds moved through the oak tree.
The creek murmured beyond the fence.
Finally, Ruth straightened.
“My knees are getting too old for this.”
Bear looked toward the flowerbed.
“Want me to finish?”
She handed him the small gardening tool.
He stared at it.
Then at his enormous hands.
Ruth began laughing.
“Oh, goodness.”
Bear smiled.
“What?”
“You look like a bear trying to hold a teaspoon.”
He laughed so loudly that a bird startled from the fence.
Ruth laughed with him.
For a moment, neither remembered the threatening letters.
Then Bear told her what Nora had discovered.
Ruth's smile slowly disappeared.
“Ninety-four thousand dollars?”
He nodded.
She stared toward the house.
“Thomas and I paid more than that for the land and renovations over the years.”
Bear looked toward her.
“That's part of what Nora's reviewing.”
Ruth's eyes filled.
“They really think I'm that foolish.”
Bear shook his head.
“They think you're alone.”
She looked toward him.
He continued.
“Those aren't the same thing.”
Ruth was silent.
Then she whispered, “Why would somebody do this?”
Bear considered the question.
“Money.”
She looked toward the blue house.
“But there are so many houses.”
He nodded.
“Maybe there's something about this particular piece of land.”
Ruth looked confused.
“What do you mean?”
Bear glanced toward the creek.
The property occupied a bend where the road curved toward several wooded parcels.
Across the water, survey flags had recently appeared near a strip of undeveloped land.
He'd noticed them the previous afternoon.
He didn't know what they meant.
But he remembered an old lesson from his years working in construction.
Sometimes a small property became extremely valuable because of what somebody wanted to build around it.
He looked toward Ruth.
“Has anyone been buying land nearby?”
She nodded slowly.
“A few places.”
“Who?”
“A development company.”
She paused.
“They've been talking about building new homes and shops near the highway.”
Bear frowned.
“Silver Creek?”
“I don't know.”
She looked toward the road.
“People say there's going to be a new access road.”
Bear nodded.
Then looked toward the house again.
Perhaps the property wasn't merely valuable because it had a pretty view of the creek.
Perhaps someone wanted the land because of where it sat.