Sometimes, during her first winter in Dakota, she had dreamed about him arriving penniless and begging her forgiveness.
She imagined enjoying his discomfort.
She imagined repeating the cruel things he had once said to her.
Now that he was sitting across from her, defeated and exhausted, she felt none of the satisfaction she had expected.
Only sadness.
Not because he had lost his fortune.
Because he had wasted so much of his life confusing money with worth.
Thomas looked up.
“I heard your business was doing well.”
Lara nodded.
“It is.”
“Very well, apparently.”
“We've been fortunate.”
“People say you've expanded.”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
She considered the question.
“Enough to employ people and meet our obligations.”
Thomas gave a faint smile.
“Still modest.”
Lara did not respond.
He leaned forward.
“I was hoping we might discuss an arrangement.”
Elias turned from the stove.
“What arrangement?”
Thomas glanced at him.
“I have business experience.”
Lara almost laughed.
Thomas continued quickly.
“I know accounts. Contracts. Suppliers. I understand commercial arrangements far better than most frontier men.”
Elias's expression did not change.
Thomas looked toward Lara.
“Perhaps I could help manage your operation.”
There it was.
Not an apology.
Not remorse.
An opportunity.
Lara studied him.
“You want a job?”
Thomas straightened.
“A partnership, perhaps.”
Elias gave a quiet, incredulous laugh.
Thomas ignored him.
“You're clearly skilled in the kitchen, Lara. Nobody disputes that. But a growing enterprise requires proper financial oversight.”
Lara looked at him for several seconds.
Then smiled.
Not kindly.
Not cruelly.
Just knowingly.
“Thomas, who do you think keeps the accounts now?”
He hesitated.
“Your husband, I assume.”
“I do.”
His eyebrows rose.
“All of them?”
“Yes.”
“The water agreements?”
“Yes.”
“The supply contracts?”
“Yes.”
“The payroll?”
“Yes.”
“The ranch's expansion financing?”
“Yes.”
He stared.
Lara continued.
“I also negotiate our food contracts, calculate seasonal inventory requirements, oversee purchasing, and review every major expenditure.”
Thomas looked toward Elias.
Her husband smiled slightly.
“She does.”
Thomas shifted in his chair.
“Well, perhaps you could still benefit from a more experienced—”
“No.”
The single word stopped him.
Lara leaned forward.
“You are not going to come into my home and explain my own business to me.”
Thomas opened his mouth.
She continued.
“You spent years telling me I had no useful skills. You laughed because I worked in kitchens. You called me a burden because I earned my living with my hands.”
His face reddened.
“Lara—”