Inherit A Dream (Sons Of A Gun Book 4)
INHERIT A DREAM
SONS OF A GUN SERIES
BOOK 4
Brenda Sinclair
Kindle Edition
ISBN 978-1-926474-24-3
Copyright 2020 by Brenda Sinclair
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. Except for use in any review, the reproduction of this work in whole or in part in any form now known or hereafter invented is forbidden without the written permission of the author.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names.
In spring 1887 after the worst Montana winter in decades, Violet Campbell discovers most of the family’s herd of cattle has perished in the relentless blizzards and frigid temperatures, one of which took her father’s life. Already heartbroken, Violet is further devastated when her brother takes their remaining funds and returns east to complete veterinary school, instructing her to sell out to their neighbors. Violet refuses to sell but soon realizes her handsome, interfering neighbor is the least of her troubles.
Simon McLennon dreams of winning Violet’s heart. But she refuses to sell to him, convinced she’ll arrange a loan from the bank. Not long after Violet is left alone, Simon discovers his help is desperately needed. All will be fine if she never learns what he’s done.
Will Simon and Violet admit their feelings for each other? Or will one crushing defeat after another prevent Violet from having her ranch and forever love?
DEDICATION
To every woman who never quit when faced with adversity,
but drew from a strength she hadn’t known she possessed
and succeeded.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title
Blurb
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Acknowledgements
Books by Brenda Sinclair
About the Author
Find Brenda At
Chapter 1
Milestone, Montana
March 1887
Violet Campbell glared at the one remaining man in her life, concerned she might throttle her brother for his outlandish suggestion. “I don’t care what difficulties lie ahead, I will never sell Father’s ranch.”
“The way I see it, you haven’t a choice,” Roland insisted.
Violet blinked away the tears blurring her vision. Hadn’t she shed enough of them already? She’d been heartbroken after losing their father when he’d become disoriented and unable to find his way back to the house—he’d frozen to death in minus thirty temperatures less than twenty feet from the front steps—during the blizzard in January. Then following the March thaw, Violet had been further disheartened to discover the family lost almost all of their herd of shorthorns and Herefords ill-prepared for the almost non-existent grazing, relentless snowstorms, and plummeting temperatures this past winter.
The Triple C Ranch had been her father’s dream; the sentiment he’d voiced since she’d been a child still echoed in her ears. Someday, I’ll own a successful cattle ranch, a legacy for my children. Despite the steep road ahead, Violet vowed to finish what he’d started.
“But there are still a few funds in the bank,” she argued. “We’ll build up the remaining herd and sell them. Surely, the profits will be sufficient to cover the final two payments at the bank. Then the ranch will be ours.”
Roland shook his head. “You know perfectly well, Pa set aside that money years ago for my education. I’m a few months away from completing my veterinary training, and I intend to finish what I’ve worked so hard for.”
Violet gasped. “You can’t take that money and just leave.”
“I most certainly can, and I will.”
“Then how will I save the remaining herd?”
“You won’t.” Roland leaned back in the kitchen chair. “Sell to the McLennons. We weren’t the only ranchers suffering losses. The Double M herd decreased also, but the McLennons have the resources to survive this. We don’t.”
“But we could.” Violet paced the floor. “I cannot believe how selfish you’re being right now. You’re essentially leaving me destitute. Father must be rolling in his grave.”
Roland shifted forward on his seat, eyes blazing. “Don’t speak of Pa that way.”
“I’m sorry. But he would not approve of what you’re planning.”
“I disagree. Pa allocated the funds for my vet training and I’ve only enough money left to finish. Then I’ll be returning to Milestone to set up my own practice. If you sell to the McLennons, you’ll have plenty of your own money to start again, doing whatever you fancy.”
“While the ranch flourished, completing your schooling was an admirable goal,” Violet conceded. “But no one could have predicted the devastation resulting from this past winter. Now, everything has changed, especially with Father gone.”
“Not for me. Aside from coming home for Pa’s burial.” Roland shook his head. “I’ve dreamed of the day when I completed my schooling, imagining the expression on Pa’s face when I showed him written proof I was Doctor Roland Campbell, Veterinarian. Pa had his dream and I had mine. With his sudden passing, I needed to say goodbye and accept that Pa was truly gone and that he’d never see me graduate.”
Violet was wasting her breath, attempting to get her brother to see reason. But she refused to accept that they would lose the ranch due to no fault of their own. She sighed and poured herself a cup of coffee. At times like this, being a woman didn’t suit her purposes in the least. Had she been a man, she could have forced Roland through a contest of fisticuffs to consider the best option for the ranch, as well as for the two of them. Especially him. Taking the last of their funds and returning to Ohio to complete his vet training seemed nothing short of selfish. Had their father lived and witnessed the current condition of their herd, he would have reversed the purpose of those funds in a heartbeat. He’d loved all animals as much as Violet herself, and she refused to think otherwise.
“So what do you propose I do?” Violet slumped onto the chair opposite her brother. Could it possibly be her cyphering was a bit off and there were some funds available to her? Or was such an idea fanciful thinking?
“Sell to the McLennons. Their ranch borders ours on the west. They can easily afford to buy us out, land and stock.” Roland leaned across the table and reach
ed for her hand. “Sis, I know you’ve fallen in love with this place, same as Pa did years ago. But Pa let all the ranch hands go last fall after roundup, and even if you had the money, you can’t run the ranch alone. And when I return home after I graduate, I’ll be setting up my practice in Milestone, living and working in town.”
“You could work from here. Folks would come fetch you when your services were needed, regardless of where you lived,” she reasoned.
Roland shook his head. “Milestone is more central, saving time when ranchers on the south side of town required assistance with their stock.”
“What about me? If I were to sell the ranch, where would I go? Our parents are buried in town, but I doubt I’d find work there. Not much need in Milestone for a girl who can round up strays and assist in birthing a calf when necessary.” Violet finished her coffee and set the cup aside.
“Maybe the McLennons would hire you. Willow found work on the Double M. They accepted the idea of a girl working with their horses,” Roland suggested.
“Every rancher in Montana has let a number of their ranch hands go. With so many cattle dying last winter, there’s no need to employ as many men. Hiring another worker, especially a girl, would be the last thing on their minds,” Violet scoffed.
Roland nodded. “I suppose you’re right about that.”
“Of course I’m right. Our best option is to buy feed for our stock, fatten them up, and then sell them when the time is right.” Violet smiled. “I dream of the day we hand over the final payment to the banker. Harold Watson would lend us the money for feed and hay. I know he would. He and Father respected each other immensely. Mr. Watson would want us to fulfill Father’s dream for this place.”
Roland shook his head. “Pa’s dream was never mine. I much prefer doctoring critters to raising cattle. I’ll provide the necessary care for cattle and sheep and horses. Dogs require a bit of tending if complications arise when birthing puppies. But I’m never ranching again.”
“What about my preference? I loved working alongside Father. Learning anything and everything he willingly taught me.” Violet took a deep breath. “Father never said as much, but perhaps he would have preferred two sons, since his firstborn hadn’t shown one iota of interest in taking over the ranch one day.”
“This ranch killed Pa.” Roland waved off the first sign of her intention to argue. “If he hadn’t stumbled his way out to the barn in three feet of snow during a blinding blizzard to check on the horses, he’d be alive today.”
“AJ determined that the rope came loose from the railing. He couldn’t find his way back to the house in the whiteout.” Her statement brought back the terrible memory of the day their neighbor, A. J. McLennon, had fought his way through snowdrifts higher than anyone had seen in decades to check on Violet and her father. She’d hoped her father had spent the night in the barn with the animals. But AJ made the horrendous discovery that her father perished not twenty feet from the house, sparing Violet the shock of finding her beloved parent dead.
“Pa should have taken proper care when tying the ends of that rope to the barn handle and to the veranda railing, ensuring he’d find his way to warmth and safety.” Roland shrugged his shoulders. “I never want my life dependent upon a stupid length of rope.”
“Roland Campbell, accidents happen.” Violet leapt to her feet. “Are you blaming Father for his own death?”
“I suppose I am. I’m sorry if those words hurt you, Violet. I loved Pa as much as you. But if he hadn’t been so careless, he’d be alive today. He could have built up the ranch again, but he’s not here and you cannot possibly run this place alone.” Roland dragged his hands down the back of his head. “And I refuse to give up my training to work at something that couldn’t interest me less.”
Violet gasped. “You’ve absolutely no interest in the Triple C?”
“None whatsoever.” Roland deposited his coffee cup in the washtub on the kitchen counter. “I’ve squandered enough time here already, and I can’t wait to resume my classes. I’m leaving tomorrow morning for Ohio, but I’ll return when I graduate.”
Violet straightened her back and glared at him. She wished she’d never heard of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the Ohio Agricultural College “You’ll see… by the time you return I’ll have made a go of this ranch. I’ll fulfill Father’s dream, which has now become my dream, if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Well, Pa thought the same way and look where it got him?” Roland muttered.
Violet’s eyes filled with tears. “That’s the most hurtful thing you have ever said to me.” She strode across the floor, intending to escape to the barn to cry her eyes out in privacy. She grabbed her coat and shoved her arms into the sleeves. “If you take your money and return to school leaving me destitute and forcing me to sell this ranch, I’ll never forgive you.”
She threw open the door, dashed across the threshold, and crashed into six feet of solid rancher.
* * *
Simon McLennon raised one hand to rap on his neighbors’ door when it suddenly whipped open and a female whirlwind blew outside. He braced himself for the impact or she would have knocked him on his butt.
“Whoa, Violet. Where’s the fire?” he muttered, reaching out to steady his shapely neighbor before she fell backward. She stood at least five foot eight inches tall, and despite her slim build, her curves were nicely distributed and evident to the eye.
“What are you doing here?” she blurted, her voice thick with emotion.
“I’m fine, thank you for asking. And how are you managing?” His youthful male hormones first surfaced the year he turned fifteen, and he immediately noticed Violet Campbell had become more than a childhood pain in his behind. Her long auburn hair appeared radiant in the sunshine when they rode together, often accompanied by her brother, and he itched to run his fingers through those gorgeous strands of ginger-colored perfection. She’d matured into a shapely beauty before his eyes and he knew without a shadow of a doubt she’d be his wife one day.
“I’m sorry. That sounded quite rude,” she whispered.
Simon finally noticed the tears welling in her beautiful brown eyes. Pain resided there since the passing of her father, a sadness the likes of which tore at his heart. He wished with everything in his power he could take her hurt away, but he doubted she’d ever admit the depth of her grief and suffering.
She’d put up a brave front the day his pa assured Violet that he’d arranged for a coffin and that her father would be buried in the town cemetery at the earliest date possible. With the ground frozen solid and the cemetery under three feet of snow back in January, Violet hadn’t inquired where her father would be kept until interment happened. Simon reckoned Doc Bennett would have arranged something suitable.
Simon had been happy to learn his best friend had arrived home for Mr. Campbell’s recent burial. Strong-willed and determined to present an impenetrable front at all times, Violet proved herself capable of handling every troubling situation as well or better than any man. But she would have appreciated her brother’s support that day.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Simon met her eyes.
“I’m going to the barn.”
“Is there a problem with one of your horses?”
“No. I just… it doesn’t matter.” She brushed by him and raced across the yard.
Simon watched her disappear into the barn, the family’s black and white cattle dog, Moe, dashing inside a moment before she slid the barn door closed behind both of them. Violet Campbell was a force not to be underestimated, and he’d loved her since age sixteen. For years now, he hadn’t mustered up the nerve to convince her they were destined to share a life together. But he would. One of these days.
“I’m not certain I agree,” he muttered as he stepped into the kitchen and glanced at his best friend. He removed his gloves and stuffed them into his pockets. “What’s the problem with Violet?”
Roland shrugged. “Mostly me.”
“Not much to tell. Pa’s gone and most of the herd perished in those minus forty and fifty temperatures. It’s a wonder any of them survived the winter. I’m heading back east to complete my training, and Violet will be left on her own.” Roland stood hands on hips. “I suggested the one reasonable solution remaining.”
“Which would be?”
“Sell the ranch and the last of our stock to your pa,” Roland stated.
Since Simon was a small child, he’d felt at home in the Campbells’ kitchen. The same red gingham curtains framed the large window above the preparation counter. A matching gingham tablecloth covered the familiar round oak table with the eight ladderback chairs that occupied the middle of the floor. He poured himself a cup of coffee from the enamel coffee pot warming on the woodstove in the far corner. “Well, that’s why I’m here. Pa sent me over to check on the two of you. Thought perhaps you’d might be considering putting the place up for sale.”
“Not so much ‘we’ as ‘me’.” Roland refilled his cup and seated himself across from his visitor. “I’m telling you, Simon, I won’t sacrifice all the hard work I’ve completed on my training to stay here and work at something I have no desire to do.”
“And why should you?” Simon recalled the day one of his brothers announced his dislike for ranching. Daniel left the family ranch and never looked back. Life was short and no one could blame Roland for similar thinking. Of course, Simon loved ranching, working with cattle and spending his days in the great outdoors. Rain or sun, snow or wind, he would never tire of the cowboy way of life.
“Exactly. Ranching was my pa’s dream, not mine. Now Violet has gotten into her head that she’s inherited Pa’s dream and she’s making it her own. I’m sorry, but I can’t abide it.” Roland leaned forward. “I’m so close to graduating as a vet, I can taste it. Another few months and I’ll be Doc Campbell.”