“Something to be proud of.”
“My CO wanted me to go to Marine sniper school. They were just opening it up to women.”
“That’s quite a coup,” Reese said, pushing the papers aside. “Did you take him up on it?”
Shaking her head, she said, “No. First off, I couldn’t kill like that. I could defend myself and my team and kill to protect them, but I don’t have a sniper’s mentality. I also knew I didn’t have the patience it required.” Her lips curved. “You’ve lived with me long enough to see I can’t stand still for more than a minute or two.”
“Were you always like that?” He saw her eyes grow pained and then she hid the reaction from him.
“Sort of . . .”
Reese didn’t want to drag up a lot of bad memories for Shay. “Hey, I went through all the ledgers and there’s nothing on your father’s savings and retirement accounts in any of them. Not a trace.”
“Right. Remember, I told you he kept the ledger? He has his own set of checks for the nursing home.”
“Yes, I remember. Why wouldn’t he trust you to do that?” Reese saw sadness come to her expression. He wished he could dig deeper to get more information on what Crawford was up to, but every time he asked about her dad, it hurt her. Reese didn’t like doing that to her, but he had no choice.
“Because of the amount of money, I guess,” she said. “He thinks I’m stupid when it comes to math. Why would he ever entrust me with his personal savings account or the ledger?”
Rubbing his stubbled jaw, Reese said, “He’s like that even after the stroke?”
Her lips thinned. “Worse. He’s more angry now than ever before because he can’t get out of bed and walk. He won’t use a wheelchair. He’s so nasty to the nurses that even when he rings the buzzer for someone to help him, they won’t come.”
His gut tightened. “It has to be hard on you.” He searched her eyes, which were shadowed with so many unspoken emotions.
“It’s never easy with my father, Reese. He’s . . . well . . . he’s just who he is. If anything, as he’s gotten older, he’s gotten angrier and more bitter.”
There was so much he wanted to say, but Reese clenched his jaw instead. “What’s the possibility of me sitting down with him to discuss the savings ledger in relation to the ranch finances?”
“I don’t think he would. He’d be angry because you’re a stranger and he wouldn’t trust you with anything financial.”
“And then he’d take it out on you?” The words were spoken before he could stop them. Cursing to himself, Reese saw her shift in the chair, look away for a moment, touching her throat with her fingers. Finally, her hand dropped and she looked at him.
“Most likely.”
“Can you ask him, then? I could write you a list of questions.”
“I could try. No promises, though. I’ve tried to get him to help me with the accounting books before, but he refuses. He thinks he owns the Bar C and that he’s still in charge. When he had the stroke, it reset his memory to a single time in his life when he ran the Bar C. He has no memory of my mother’s family owning the ranch, her leaving the ranch to me, or of me going into the Marine Corps at eighteen. I haven’t had the nerve to remind him of all that. He’d fly into a rage that would probably kill him, and I’ve got enough guilt about him, without him dying on me. I let him think he still owns the ranch, Reese. I just don’t have the personal strength to go there with him right now.”
Reese sat up and dragged in a deep breath. Releasing it, he said, “I understand, Shay. Life’s been hard and unrelenting on you since you had to come home to take over the running of the ranch. I looked over your parents’ will. Now, I’m not a lawyer, but from what I read, that savings account does not belong to him. It belongs as part of the ranch finances.” He saw her eyes widen.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Is the lawyer who wrote up this will here in Wind River?”
“Yes. Eddy Dobbins has a small office in town. He’s been the family lawyer forever. He wrote up the will for them.”
“Would Eddy see me so I can ask him some questions about the will?”
“I don’t see why not. Going to my father isn’t going to get you anything but a temper tantrum. Eddy’s a nice guy and easy to get along with. I’ll call him and tell him that I gave you permission to speak to him about all ranch business. I’ll let him know you’re our ranch accountant now. He’ll want me to put the permission in writing, and that’s fine. You can give him the signed paper when you see him.”
“Sounds good. Thanks. When you came home from the Marine Corps, did you read the will?”
“I went to Eddy and asked him what the will meant.”