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her. He finally chose an iron four-poster painted a pristine white.
As Bob wrote up the order for a mattress, he paused long enough to point to a thick book on a
far counter. "That catalogue's got any other furniture you might need."
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Lord, Hawk didn't know where he was gonna put all the stuff he'd already bought. "Guess I'll
wait 'til Victoria decides what she wants. There is one other thing I gotta get today, though." He
pointed to a tin hip tub sitting in the corner.
Victoria lightly touched his arm. "Don't buy one of those just for me." She held her head down
and spoke softly so the Swanson's wouldn't hear.
Not wanting them to hear that he bathed in a horse trough, Hawk ignored her. Bob totaled up
the bill and Hawk paid it--all of it--at one time. Then Bob helped him load the larger pieces into the
wagon. They barely got everything in the available space.
Both of the Swanson's stood on the walkway in front of the store and waved farewell as Hawk
snapped the reins over the mules' backs. He guessed his purchases had made their day.
Victoria twisted uncomfortably on the wagon seat, wishing she'd put on one of her new dresses
before they checked out of the hotel. She glanced back at the bedstead that had been placed on end
and stood higher than her head. It glowed like a beacon in the bright sunshine, and she saw more
than one person on the street look at it and smile.
She felt awful about all the money Hawk had spent in the store. He'd done it for her, to make
her stay in his home more pleasant, not knowing that she didn't intend to stay there any longer than
The Silver Heiress Sarah Winn 289
she absolutely had to. As closely as he watched his expenditures, discovering that he'd wasted
money would surely make him angry.
Unless, he'd been spending the money her mother left her. "Has the money my father's
transferring from San Francisco arrived, yet?"
Hawk became very interested in the trail ahead, although Victoria couldn't see that it differed in
any way from what they'd just passed over. "Uh-huh," he finally grunted.
"How much is it?"
Hawk stared ahead with such a faraway expression, that Victoria wondered if he'd heard her.
She was about to repeat the question when he shifted the reins to one hand, and reached into his shirt
pocket. Pulling out a small blue booklet, he held it toward her.
Victoria flipped to the first page. Her heart plummeted as she saw the amount written there.
Three hundred and forty-nine dollars! And she'd thought there'd be enough for her to live in San
Francisco. She should have known better. Her father had never trusted her with money of her own.
He'd undoubtedly treated her mother the same way.
She handed the booklet back to Hawk, not daring to meet his eyes. He must think her a fool.
"There's enough to get by on--if we're careful," he said softly.
The Silver Heiress Sarah Winn 290
Her shoulders slumped, and she exhaled sharply. What would she do now?
The wagon topped a hill overlooking a twisting valley. Hawk reined in the mules and pointed to
a cluster of buildings. "There it is."
Victoria stared expectantly as the wagon started downhill. Dismay grew when she realized the
largest building on the ranch was a barn with an attached corral. The other structures were little
more than sheds. She wondered which one would be her new home.
A small man of indeterminate age stepped from a stone hut near the barn and waved a battered
sombrero in greeting.
Hawk called out, "Hola! Carlos!" He stopped the wagon in front of a square, log building.
Clumps of grass jutted from the foot of sod that covered its flat roof.
The Mexican approached the wagon, and he and Hawk held a brief conversation in Spanish.
Finally, Hawk nodded toward Victoria. "This is my wife, Victoria."
Carlos' face didn't register the slightest surprise. He tipped his sombrero to her and mumbled,
"Senora."
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Hawk helped her down from the wagon, then began carrying parcels into the unlocked house.
As he and Carlos struggled to get one of the trunks off the wagon, Victoria slowly walked into her
new home.
The one room contained a black iron stove with pipes that were streaked with rust, an eating
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