She'd spent years believing her father might have concealed financial problems out of pride.
Now she wondered why Victor seemed so determined to prevent her from examining his records.
Caleb worked as Willow Creek's senior foreman.
He supervised the cattle hands, organized winter feed, maintained fences, and made most of the practical decisions required to keep the ranch operating.
Victor trusted him with livestock.
Not with paperwork.
Caleb rarely entered the main house.
He lived in a small cabin near the western pasture, where he kept a few books, a battered table, and a rifle above the fireplace.
He was respected by the ranch hands.
Feared by men who mistook his silence for weakness.
And considered unsociable by almost everyone.
Evelyn saw him first from the study window.
He was standing beside a chestnut horse, checking a damaged section of harness.
Snow covered his shoulders.
His sleeves were rolled up despite the cold, revealing powerful forearms marked by old scars.
He moved carefully around the horse.
Spoke quietly.
And waited until the animal relaxed before adjusting the strap.
Evelyn watched for several moments.
Then she returned to her ledger.
She didn't know he was about to become the most important person in her life.
Nor did she know he'd recognized her name long before she arrived.
Caleb had known Henry Hart for sixteen years.
Their friendship began when Caleb was twenty-three and working as a hired hand on a ranch farther north.
He was already strong.
Already scarred.
And already convinced that the only dependable things in life were a good horse, a sharp knife, and enough work to keep his mind occupied.
He had grown up without much affection.
His father died when Caleb was young, and his mother remarried a man who considered children an inconvenience.
By thirteen, Caleb was working wherever he could find employment.
He learned to mend fences.
Break horses.
Repair wagons.
And survive on whatever wages remained after buying food and boots.
He rarely stayed in one place for long.
Then a winter storm changed everything.
Caleb was traveling near Willow Creek with a small cattle drive when the weather turned suddenly.
The men became separated.
A frightened horse threw him near a ravine.
He struck the rocks, injured his leg, and lost consciousness.