The Daughter's Walk - Jane Kirkpatrick [109]
“I thought I should look after the dog,” she said, turning from the window. “He can be a handful for Louise. His tail could break her hip, I believe.”
“You could have done that while you were at the house,” I said. “Neither of you would have been disrupted that way.”
“I could have.”
Would she not say anything about why she’d moved out, bought another house to live in? She took the binoculars from around her neck and set them on a round table. All these furnishings were things I’d never seen before, probably imports she and her sister had acquired. She obviously intended to remain.
“So what did you think of the silver fox operation?” she asked. “The one in Norway.”
“How did you know about that?” I asked.
“Franklin wired me. After I’d wired him.”
I hadn’t been aware they’d corresponded while we traveled, but that wasn’t anything strange. Except that Franklin hadn’t mentioned it.
“Both ranching operations were … good.” If she doesn’t want to talk about what happened to make her move, maybe I won’t either. “It requires a great deal of work, paying attention to the animals’ environment and food in order to have a good reproductive rate. They feed the foxes mountains of fish as they’re so close to the sea. The owner in Finland offered me a good price on a pair of silver foxes if I decide to start breeding them.”
“It would be better to import Arctic foxes from Alaska if you intend to do that,” she said.
“I agree. I didn’t take him up on it, but I’ll either livetrap foxes here or risk my interest in mink. I think the markets will change. There’ll be a greater demand for shorter-hair pelts.”
“You’ve come to such a projection after so short a time in the trade?”
“I’ve had good teachers.”
“And Franklin’s thoughts?”
“He didn’t express an opinion one way or the other. He said I could do what I wanted, that I’m strong-willed enough to make things happen. The Norwegian in me I guess.”
“Did he tell you that I sent him a telegram releasing him from working for us?”
Franklin, let go? What was Olea thinking? “No! I mean why? He’s worked so well for us for years.”
“He worked well for us,” she said. “Louise and me.”
I wasn’t one of them; I wasn’t. We were not partners and certainly not a family. I found I was short of breath.
My thoughts turned to Franklin. He’d be devastated. I certainly couldn’t afford to keep him on at the contracted level he’d had with Olea and Louise. Maybe that was why he’d suggested that the two of us … partner more closely. Maybe he was thinking only of a business operation and nothing personal at all.
Except that we’d spoken of love.
“But why did you do that? You knew this was a temporary trip, so I could learn. You wanted me to go.”
“That was before. I’ve had time to think about a few things these past months. I decided it was time I fully retired. Louise too. We’d almost done so, and then we got caught up again with your youthful interest.”
My fault. I’ve caused the change. I took a deep breath. I can do this all on my own.
“Louise isn’t well, you know, Clara. Or maybe you haven’t noticed.”
“She seemed tired,” I said, “from taking care of the boarders.”
“You have no boarders. Didn’t you notice?”
“No. I mean it was quiet last night. I thought they might be on the travel schedule, with both of them working for the railroad.”
“The boarders moved out. She doesn’t remember things. She’s—”
“But then how could you leave her there and move here? Why leave her unprotected, at the mercy of someone like … me?”
“I had no intention of leaving you high and dry with unhappy boarders. I waited until they found other places. But then she wouldn’t believe that they weren’t coming back, and she wouldn’t move. I spent every day with her. Perhaps now that you’re here, she’ll join me. You’ll encourage her, won’t you? It would be best.”
A distant ache began in my heart, a piercing starting like a pinprick, then spreading out as wide as the coulee. She invites Louise to live with her but isn’t asking me? I hadn’t thought I’d care.
“What