Raylene walked into Nugget Realty and Associates. The office had been there since before she was born, but she’d never been inside. It had a professional appearance—new carpeting, taupe walls, a few plants, and a television screen that played a loop of house listings. She stood in front of it for a few minutes, watching. There were a couple she recognized, homes of kids she’d grown up with who had since moved away. Their parents probably wanted to be closer to them and the grandkids.
After Ray was busted, her own mother had relocated to Denver, just a few minutes from Raylene. Why, she never knew. It wasn’t as if they were close. When Raylene left Butch, it was Logan and Gabe who came to help her put all her things in storage. Her mother had been too busy pretending that everything was fine. Raylene supposed that’s what weak women did when they were married to cheating, abusive husbands. She ought to know, having been married to one and the daughter of another.
“Raylene?”
Raylene recognized the woman from the dinner party the previous night, though they hadn’t been introduced. She wasn’t much older than Raylene. Maybe in her mid-thirties. Very polished in a black pantsuit and a red silk scarf.
“Yes. Are you Dana?” Raylene had hired Dana over the phone to sell her property.
“That would be me,” Dana said, then stood up to shake her hand. “I meant to introduce myself last night but the time got away from me. I’m glad to finally meet you in the flesh.”
Dana was a newcomer, otherwise she wouldn’t have been so friendly. Then again, she stood to make a great deal of money from Raylene.
“Come sit down. Can I get you a cup of coffee…a soda?”
“I’m fine, thank you. I figured your message to meet you here was because you want to lower the price.” They’d listed the land last summer and hadn’t gotten so much as a bite.
“No.” Dana grinned. “We actually have an offer. Apparently, the interested party talked to your dad about buying the parcel before he…”
“Went to prison,” Raylene finished. There was no need to protect her delicate sensibilities, because she had none. The ranch, the Rosser legacy, had to be sold to pay Ray’s legal bills. And, to be fair, the leftover money had made them all wealthy. Raylene hadn’t been too smart with her share, though, and now it was gone.
“Right,” Dana said. “But he wouldn’t sell.”
No, because he’d promised the two hundred-acre parcel to her and Butch along, with Levi’s Gold—if they could find it. “How much are they offering?” she asked and took a deep breath.
“Full price, as long as the environmental impact report is approved and the well is still good.”
“How long will those tests take?” She desperately needed the money, but she also needed time to search the place, something she should’ve done when Ray died. But she’d been too busy fighting Butch for full ownership of the land in the divorce.
Now he wasn’t entitled to one red cent of it, though she’d paid dearly to win that battle.
“They want to do this quickly. And I suspect you do, too,” Dana said, but she didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about the deal. Or maybe, like everyone else, the real estate agent was unenthusiastic about Raylene. She’d like the big fat commission she got, though.
“They’d like a thirty-day escrow,” Dana continued in the same dour tone that was starting to annoy Raylene. “They’re willing to lift their inspection contingency in ten working days. It’s an all-cash deal so nothing’s hinging on the financing.”
An all-cash full offer sounded a little too good to be true. But the price of the land was nothing compared to Levi’s Gold. If the legend was true, she’d never have to worry about money again.
“Ten days. Does that mean they’d start with their inspections right away?” She didn’t want anyone mucking around on the land until she’d examined every acre with a magnifying glass.
“As soon as you accept their offer.”
Raylene didn’t want to lose the deal, but she needed a few days. “Can I sleep on it?”
Dana seemed surprised. “Of course.”
“It’s the only thing I have left of my daddy,” Raylene said by way of an excuse, deciding that she’d start digging first thing in the morning. Ray had sworn by the legend and had considered the gold his secret reserve, telling her and Butch that when the crash came and the banks failed, like they had during the Great Depression, he’d have Levi’s buried treasure to save him.
It’s safer in the ground than it is in a savings account.
Her father had always harbored a distrust of financial institutions. Still, Raylene suspected he simply hadn’t wanted to turn over a big chunk of the gold to the IRS. And it wasn’t as if Ray had needed the money. Growing up, Raylene had never wanted for anything other than her parents’ hard-won affection. Her mother was too caught up in her own misery to give Raylene a second thought, and her father was difficult to please, always pushing her to meet his ever-increasing expectations. She’d convinced herself that making him proud was synonymous with love. Only now did she realize that a parent’s love should be unconditional.
“Are you interested in who the buyers are?” Dana asked, and Raylene got the sense she was being tested.
Her mind had been spinning so fast she hadn’t thought to ask. She assumed it was a cattle rancher. It was just bare land, after all. Albeit prime usable land with Feather River frontage, but little else to recommend it other than an excellent well that would support an agricultural venture and a good road close to the highway. There was already one of those golf course communities in town. From what she’d heard, the owner was having trouble unloading the homes. She doubted a developer wanted her land for the same purpose. Or any purpose, for that matter.
“Who are they?” she asked.
“Moto Entertainment. They develop motocross parks.” Dana let that sink in for a second.
“They want to turn the land into a racetrack?” What the hell did she care? As soon as Raylene got her gold, she was leaving. The land was far enough away from Logan and Annie’s place that it wouldn’t impact them. As far as the others…not her problem. “Isn’t it zoned for agricultural use only?”
“Nope. Your father got a variance after he annexed the parcel from the rest of Rosser Ranch.” Dana rolled a pen back and forth on her desk. “It’s my job to represent you and get you the best price possible but…I’m glad you’re sleeping on it.”
Several seconds of silence stretched between them. Raylene needed this deal—she’d promised a sizeable chunk of the sale to Lucy’s House—and told herself that a motocross park would be good for Nugget. It would bring people and money. Progress. And who was she to stand in the way of progress?
Raylene put the sale out of her mind and took her time driving back to the farm, wanting to give Logan and Annie some private time before the hordes descended. Today, Logan’s mom and stepdad were due in. They were driving their Winnebago from Las Vegas. Raylene was nervous about the meeting. Even though she hadn’t been born when Maisy and Ray had had their affair, coming face-to-face with the “other woman” would be weird and awkward.
She thought about Gabe a few times and wondered what he was doing today. He seemed to keep his own hours and didn’t talk much about work. Most of what he and her brother did wasn’t for public consumption. And because she didn’t pay much attention to the news, she probably wouldn’t have understood it anyway.
As much as she gave him a hard time about being her constant shadow, a secret part of her was thankful. He’d become her security blanket through this whole ordeal. Unlike most men she knew, he didn’t demand anything from her. And even when he was trying to keep her in line for Logan’s sake, she felt in control. Which was a first.
And for a guy who could have any woman he wanted, he was pretty self-deprecating. More importantly, that New Jersey accent kept her entertained for hours.
She got off the highway and made her way to Rosser Ranch like a homing pigeon. It’s someone else’s now, she thought as she passed the large iron gates and felt a wave of melancholy settle over her. The ranch had been her hell and her haven and her family’s pride and joy since the Gold Rush. Her great-great-grandfather had built the house with his own two hands after making his fortune, selling beef to the miners. Her grandfather had brought the house into the twentieth century, and her father had turned it into a showstopper. Ray Rosser had always lived large, and the ranch exemplified his excesses. The Olympic-size swimming pool, the two-story stable fit for the best horseflesh money could buy, the wraparound porch with its sixteen ceiling fans. Ray never did care much for the heat.
She continued to drive, taking the paved road toward the mountains, past McCreedy Ranch and Lucky’s burgeoning cowboy camp. Ray must be rolling in his grave knowing how well Lucky Rodriguez had done for himself. Even in Los Angeles, she’d kept up with his progress. Sports Illustrated had done a spread when he’d hung up his bull riding spurs. And God bless Facebook, where you could stalk a person from the comfort of your own living room.
When she got to her destination, she pulled off to the side of the road. Nothing but fields and trees and mountains for as far as the eye could see. At night you could hear faint sounds of the highway. But in the light of day, only the birds and the breeze and the river.
A motocross track, huh? Her gut told her Clay, Lucky, and their neighbors would fight it tooth and nail. Both men held a lot of sway in this town. They’d get the variance undone.
See, not my problem.
But finding the gold was. Ray had left detailed instructions, but Raylene had never been good at reading maps. And the only person she trusted enough with the information was Logan. But the timing was bad. If she signed off on the deal—and she’d be crazy not to—Moto Entertainment would send their environmental engineers to examine the land just as Logan was going on his honeymoon. She wouldn’t ruin it for Annie. Her soon-to-be sister-in-law had made enough concessions by accepting the dangers of Logan’s profession and the frequency in which he’d have to leave the country. No way would she ask them to put their Hawaii trip on hold.
And, hopefully, they’d return to a big pile of money. Annie could get that new living room set she wanted, and Logan that stupid hot tub he kept talking about. Best of all, the new baby would have a college fund.
She zipped her jacket up to her neck and scanned the land. It was a lot of earth to cover in a short amount of time. And God help her if it snowed. But she’d power through. What choice did she have? The money from the property wouldn’t be enough to get her business off the ground and honor her commitments. And she’d be damned if she let a motocross company find the gold after losing everything else to Butch. Just the image of her slimy ex-husband made her whack a tree with her handbag.
“Hey, ma’am, are you okay?”
Raylene spun around, startled, and found a young girl standing there, staring at her as if she were a lunatic. “You scared me.”
“Sorry.”
“Who are you?” The closest neighbors were the McCreedys, and Raylene had a sneaking suspicion who the girl was.
“Harper Matthews. You probably know me as Hope.”
Raylene didn’t know her at all, but she was Emily’s daughter, the one who had been kidnapped and rescued.
“Who are you?”
“Raylene Rosser. Does your mom and stepdad know you’re out here?” When she was the girl’s age, she used to run wild through these fields. But it was ten degrees out, and frankly the child looked lost. And dirty, like she’d been dragged through a mud puddle.
“No. I fell off my horse.”
Raylene looked past her but didn’t see a horse. “Where?”
Harper hunched her shoulders. “Back there somewhere.” She waved at a copse of trees near the McCreedy property line. “You’re not going to tell anyone, are you?”
“That you fell off your horse?” Raylene’s father, who’d been born in the saddle, had been a tyrant when it came to riding and having the perfect seat. But even he accepted that a person could get thrown from time to time.
Harper’s gaze fell to her pink cowboy boots, and Raylene instantly knew she was hiding something.
“You’re not supposed to be riding alone, are you?”
“My mother doesn’t let me do anything, not even walk to the mailbox by myself.”
Raylene could understand why.
“I just want to get better at it, and no one has time to help me. Justin’s always with Cynthia and Cody would rather play a video game. Clay’s got the ranch to run and my mother is afraid of horses.”
Raylene laughed. Last time she’d seen the boys was a few years ago. By now, they were young men. “How are your brothers?”
“They’re not my real brothers.”
“Are they nice?” Raylene asked.
“Very.”
“Then claim them, they come in handy.” Logan had been her savior.
“I have a half sister, too. Paige. She’s a baby.”
Raylene nodded. “Should we try to find your horse?” More than likely it had headed home.
“Yes, or I’m gonna be in big trouble.”
“How long have you been gone?” Raylene needed to call Clay, but she felt for the kid.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t keeping track of the time.”
“Five minutes and then we call home, okay?” Harper didn’t look too happy about that, but she tacitly agreed. “What’s your horse’s name?”
“Ginger.”
Raylene put two fingers in her mouth and let out a loud whistle.
“How’d you learn how to do that?”
“Practice.” She called “Ginger” and clicked her tongue. It was a long shot, but worth trying.
Nothing.
“Were you riding bareback?”
“With a saddle. But I didn’t do the thing right and it slid off.”
“The cinch?” The girl was lucky she didn’t get hurt.
Harper nodded.
“You have to learn how to do that properly before you can ride. We should look for your saddle.” The McCreedys had always had nice tack. “It’ll be faster in the truck.” Raylene helped Harper in, and it struck her that the girl hadn’t thought twice about talking to or taking a ride with a stranger.
She started the engine, cranked up the heat, and drove in the direction of the trees. “Keep your eyes peeled.”
When they got to the grove Raylene stopped, got out of the truck, and looked around. She could see her own breath and rubbed her gloved hands together to keep warm. “Which way from here?”
Harper pointed south, where the land turned to McCreedy property. There was a split-rail fence separating the two parcels. “You sure?”
“No.”
Raylene didn’t think so. She stared out over the pasture, trying to think how she would’ve gone. There was a time when she knew every square inch of these fields and had ridden the backcountry for hours at a time.
“Let’s get back in the truck before we freeze.”
Harper scrambled in and Raylene turned around. On a hunch, she followed the fence line.
“How come you were beating that tree with your purse? Did something bad happen?”
Raylene slid Harper a sideways glance, not wanting to get into the details of her messy divorce with a thirteen-year-old. “My dad died. But it was months ago.”
Harper nodded, her lips pursed like a sage old woman, which made Raylene smile. “It’s okay to still be sad,” she said, acting all grown-up. “My…the woman who stole me…died before Christmas. It’s been really hard.”
Raylene didn’t want to pry or ask anything that was inappropriate, but she was beyond curious. “Did you care for her?”
“Yeah,” Harper said. “Her and my dad. But he wasn’t really my dad. He died in a car crash a long time ago.”
“I’m sorry. You didn’t know that they had kid—taken you?”
“They said my parents had died. I guess I was stupid to believe them.”
“Nah, you were just a little kid. No way you could’ve known. Do you see what I see?”
Harper gasped. “Ginger!”
Raylene applied the brakes and slowly got out of the cab. “Come here, girl.” She clicked her tongue and held out her hand, and the mare stretched her neck to see what Raylene had. That’s when she reached for the reins and tugged her in. “Good girl. You’re such a good girl.” Raylene pointed a few feet behind Ginger. “There’s your saddle. Go get it and throw it in the back.”
Harper hefted it off the ground with both hands and Raylene helped her toss it in the bed of her truck.
“You ready to face the music?”
“What does that mean?”
In Raylene’s case, it usually meant a beating for hanging around with Lucky, but she didn’t think Clay was like that. His father, Tip, had been one of the nicest men she’d known. She’d openly wept at his funeral. “Probably a time-out.” Or maybe Harper was too old for that. Raylene didn’t interact with too many tweens.
She tied Ginger to her back bumper and drove at a snail’s pace to the McCreedy house. Harper kept up a steady chatter, which indicated to Raylene that she wasn’t too afraid of the consequences for sneaking out to go riding. The girl seemed healthy—and fearless, not something you displayed if you’d been abused. Then again, victims of abuse had all kinds of ways of manifesting their pain.
Raylene knew that all too well.
“Do you know a lot about horses?” Harper asked.
“Yep.” That was pretty much all Raylene knew about. She’d failed at everything else. Friendship, marriage, managing her money. “When I was a little bit older than you, I was a champion barrel racer.” Later, she’d married Butch and left the rodeo circuit. And now, living in Santa Monica, there was no place convenient to stable her gelding. She’d had to leave Gunner in Colorado.
“Really?” Harper’s face lit up, and it did something gooey to Raylene’s insides. It was nice to impress someone again, even if she was only thirteen years old. “Maybe you can show me some things.”
“It’s up to Clay and your mom.” And dad, Raylene supposed. She didn’t know anything about him, or even if he was still in the picture.
“They’ll say yes.” Harper clapped her hands and Raylene felt guilty for getting her hopes up. Clay wouldn’t let her anywhere near his stepdaughter, and she didn’t have time anyway. She had a fortune to find.
Raylene kept her eyes on the rearview mirror to make sure Ginger was okay, then took the fire trail back to the main road and headed to McCreedy Ranch. Three big dogs came nipping at her tires, barking as she crawled up the driveway. At least the mare wasn’t fazed. Clay, Emily, and a man Raylene had never seen before were standing on the front porch, watching her drive up.
She parked in front of the house and hopped out of the cab to untie Ginger. The stranger and Emily trotted up to the passenger side as Harper started to get out.
“We’ve been worried sick,” Emily said. “You can’t just go off like that.”
Clay came around to Raylene’s side and took Ginger’s reins. “Where’d you find her?”
“She found me, actually. I was up the road…on my property.” Raylene waited for Clay to ask about the land and wondered if he knew about her buyer yet. She was a little surprised that he hadn’t tried to buy the parcel himself. It bordered his ranch, and cattlemen were always looking for new grazing land.
He just grabbed the saddle from the bed of her truck. “Thanks for bringing her home.”
“No problem. She had trouble with the saddle and fell off.”
He gazed over at Harper, who was getting a good talking to, with what looked to Raylene like a great deal of relief. He appeared to have a deep affection for the girl. “I need to spend more time teaching her.” He sighed.
“Is that her father?”
“Yeah, Drew Matthews. He has a place in Sierra Heights and splits his time between here and the Bay Area.”
“She’s a good girl,” Raylene said, not that anyone would take her word for it. “I think she was trying to spread her wings, and she desperately wants to learn to ride.”
He glowered, clearly not interested in her opinion. “After what happened…we’re protective,” he said tersely.
Raylene nodded, not knowing how to respond. She could only imagine how difficult it would be to recover a daughter who’d been ripped from you, only to fear losing her again.
Harper ran over to them, and Emily and her ex followed.
“Raylene said she’ll teach me to be better on Ginger. Can she?”
Emily looked at Clay and there was a long silence. Raylene wanted desperately to extricate herself from the conversation, but Drew stuck out his hand and introduced himself. Clearly, he hadn’t gotten the memo about her.
“Thanks for helping my daughter and bringing her horse home. She’s still learning the ropes.”
“Not a problem. My brother’s rehearsal dinner is in a few hours, and I need to get home to help with the preparations.” She ruffled Harper’s blond hair. “You take care, now.”
“You’re still gonna help me ride, right?”
Clay stepped between them and squeezed Harper’s shoulder. “I’ll work with you some more, kiddo.”
“But Raylene said she would, and you don’t have time.”
“She’s busy with her brother’s wedding and then she’s going back to LA, sweetheart.” Clay shot Raylene a warning look.
Message received.
“Clay’s right, I’m leaving soon.”
“But you said you can teach me.”
“Stop.” Emily draped her arm around her daughter’s back and drew her in. “It was lovely of Raylene to offer, honey. But we don’t want to take advantage. She’s here for a short amount time, and probably wants to spend it with her family.”
Raylene pretended to check her watch. “I’ve really got to go. It was nice meeting you, Harper.”
She swung into the driver’s seat and drove down the hill without looking back, a lump in her throat. The sooner she got out of Nugget the better.
Halfway to Logan’s, her cell rang. She took one look at the caller ID and let it go to voicemail.