Another had buried a wagon road.
The lead engineer read quietly.
Silas said, “Those records are old.”
“So are mountains,” Maeve replied.
Callaway coughed to hide a laugh.
The railroad delayed the decision.
For three weeks, survey crews examined both routes.
In the end, Maeve and Callaway won.
Not because they were richer.
Not because they intimidated anyone.
Because the alternative route was dangerous.
The railroad agreed to build the trestle.
The spring would be protected by contract.
Blasting would be limited.
The ranch would receive annual access payments rather than a single purchase.
Maeve insisted on one additional clause.
Ownership remained separate.
Her share remained hers.
Callaway’s remained his.
Marriage, if it happened, would not alter that without new written agreement.
The railroad lawyer looked surprised.
Callaway did not.
He signed beneath her.
Silas watched from across the room.
The defeat finally reached his face.
Before leaving, he approached Maeve.
“You could have taken fifty thousand.”
Maeve smiled.
“I remember.”
“You’ll spend years managing this place.”
“Yes.”
“You could have lived comfortably anywhere.”
“Yes.”
He frowned.
“Then why?”
Maeve looked through the courthouse window toward the wagon where Callaway waited.
“Because comfort and belonging are not the same thing.”
Silas said nothing.
Maeve added, “And because I grew tired of men assuming everything has a price.”
She walked away.
The railroad money changed the ranch slowly.
Maeve refused to turn it into something she no longer recognized.
They repaired fences.
Built a larger barn.
Bought better breeding stock.
Installed a proper pump near the kitchen.
Maeve hired a widowed woman from Red Hollow to help during calving season and paid her the same wage offered to male ranch hands.
Callaway raised an eyebrow when he saw the figure.
Maeve looked at him.
“Problem?”
“No.”
“Good.”
He smiled.
“I enjoy surviving.”
Their relationship changed too.
Callaway still had a habit of deciding things before discussing them.
Maeve became extremely talented at noticing.
Once he ordered lumber for a new bedroom without telling her.
Maeve found the invoice.
“What is this?”
Callaway glanced up.
“Lumber.”
“I can see that.”
“For an addition.”
“What addition?”
He looked suddenly cautious.
Maeve put both hands on the table.
“Callaway.”
“Our room.”
She stared.
“Our what?”
“The cabin needs another room.”
“Why?”
He seemed embarrassed.
“Because the old bed squeaks.”
Maeve’s mouth opened.
Callaway continued very seriously.
“A lot.”
Maeve’s face became red.
“Callaway.”
“You asked.”
“I absolutely did not.”
He smiled.
She threw the invoice at him.
Later she approved the addition.
But only after changing the window placement.
The cot remained beside the fireplace.