Water.
Someone shouting.
He touched his temple.
And a child crying.
I looked at him.
“There was another child?”
Gideon nodded.
Then he wrote:
I have dreamed about that crying for twenty-nine years.
The following morning, Nell arrived with news that made our situation considerably worse.
Harlan Vane had filed a petition with the county court.
He claimed Gideon was mentally unfit to manage his property.
The petition cited violent episodes, confused behavior, and dangerous neglect of livestock.
Dr.
Pryce had provided a supporting medical statement.
So had my father.
Under the petition, Vane requested that a temporary guardian be appointed to supervise Gideon’s estate.
The guardian would have authority to negotiate contracts involving the ranch while the court considered Gideon’s condition.
And the name Vane proposed for that role was his own.
I read the document three times.
They were not merely trying to make my husband sick.
