"The northern meadow?"
The young woman nodded.
"Yes."
The clerk removed his spectacles.
"Your mother was very particular about that land."
The young woman leaned forward.
"Why?"
"Because she purchased it with money from her own family."
He opened a large ledger.
"She wanted to ensure it remained separate from your father's ranch."
The young woman stared.
The clerk continued.
"She also made arrangements for you to receive full control when you reached twenty-five."
He found the relevant entry.
Then turned the book toward her.
Her mother's name appeared.
The property description followed.
A separate recorded arrangement identified the young woman as the intended beneficiary, with her father serving in a limited management capacity until she reached the specified age.
The clerk traced a line with his finger.
"Your father was responsible for maintaining the land and preserving its value."
The young woman swallowed.
"But he wasn't allowed to sell it?"
"Not without proper authority."
The clerk looked toward her.
"And once you reached the age specified in the documents, his management role was supposed to end."
The mountain man leaned forward.
"There's a payment in his accounts involving a timber syndicate."
The clerk frowned.
"Do you have the details?"
The young woman opened her notebook.
She showed him the entry.
He examined it.
Then turned toward a filing cabinet.
Several minutes later, he returned with another document.
It concerned a proposed easement granting water access to a company seeking to expand freight operations through the northern valley.
The young woman stared at the signature near the bottom.
It was supposed to be hers.
But she'd never seen the document.
She had never signed it.
The clerk looked at her.
"Do you recognize this?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"Is that your signature?"
She stared again.
The handwriting resembled hers.
But the final letters curved differently.
And the first capital was formed in a way she'd never used.
"No."
Her voice was stronger now.
"I did not sign that."
The clerk remained silent.
The mountain man looked toward her.
The widow leaned forward.
"Then somebody has a serious problem."
The clerk nodded.
He wasn't prepared to declare the document forged simply because the young woman denied signing it.
But the circumstances warranted formal review.
He explained that the matter should be presented to the appropriate court with supporting records, witnesses, and professional advice.
The widow offered to help locate the attorney who had managed the estate arrangements.
The mountain man volunteered to provide transportation.
And the young woman made a decision.
She would challenge the transaction.
Not because she wanted revenge.
But because the land belonged to her.