Then her expression softened.
“So am I.”
They looked at one another across the table.
Neither spoke.
Outside, the afternoon sun touched the buildings of Red Hollow.
And for the first time, Nathaniel Carter wondered whether he might be falling in love with the woman who had come to save his ranch.
Not because she could repair a pump.
Or organize his accounts.
Or argue with a county clerk.
Because the world seemed larger when she was beside him.
And the idea of returning to an empty cabin had suddenly become unbearable.
The following week, the stream began dropping.
At first, Mateo assumed it was an ordinary seasonal change.
The weather had been dry.
The northern slopes held less runoff than usual.
And the creek often ran lower before the first significant autumn storms.
But the decline was unusually rapid.
The flow through the eastern crossing weakened.
The lower pasture began drying.
And the irrigation channel supplying the southern meadow received barely enough water to maintain the grass.
Nathaniel examined the crossing.
He frowned.
“Something's wrong.”
Mateo nodded.
“Too fast.”
Clara joined them later, examining the measurements Mateo had recorded.
She compared them to previous seasons.
Then asked a question.
“When was the upper diversion last inspected?”
Nathaniel looked toward the mountains.
“Not recently.”
“Who owns the land upstream?”
He didn't answer immediately.
Then looked toward her.
“Hawthorne.”
Clara felt her stomach tighten.
They couldn't simply ride onto his land and begin interfering with equipment.
But they could document what was happening at the Carter crossing and request an appropriate inspection through the authorities.
Nathaniel contacted a local surveyor.
Clara organized the existing measurements.
Mateo recorded the effects on the cattle and pasture.
Within days, the surveyor confirmed that the reduced flow appeared consistent with an upstream obstruction or diversion.
He couldn't determine the source without examining the relevant property.
But the evidence was enough to justify further inquiry.
Clara wrote to the county office.
Nathaniel asked the local attorney for advice.
And Mateo began arranging temporary watering measures for the livestock.
Then Hawthorne sent another letter.
The message was written on expensive paper.
It offered to purchase Carter Ranch at a reduced price.
It also warned that Nathaniel's water supply might become unreliable during the coming winter.
Clara read the letter twice.
Then looked toward Nathaniel.
He was standing beside the fireplace.