“But you wouldn’t leave yours either,” Kate reminded her.
“I don’t think any of us know what that kind of poverty is like, total hopelessness and no money to feed your kids or go to a doctor. People steal in situations like that, and kill people. They’re lucky they both got out. Most people don’t,” Gemma said with compassion. “It must have been frightening for both of them.”
“But he had us. I think Dad was terrified of ever being poor again,” Kate said, and they all knew that about him. It was why he was so proud of Gemma and her luxurious lifestyle. To him that was the pinnacle of achievement, but in fact a lot of it had been smoke and mirrors, and his was by far the greatest accomplishment to save his money, and own a ten-thousand-acre ranch to pass on to his children. Gemma was well aware of it and the hollow victories of her success, no matter how glamorous they appeared.
She was looking extremely stressed as she continued to get calls from her creditors, demanding that she pay her bills. Several were threatening to sue her. She was still waiting for her severance from the show, and they promised it would arrive any day. It hadn’t yet. Her tenant was covering her mortgage payments, but there were countless other bills that were continuing to arrive, and her maid in L.A. was forwarding them to the ranch. She looked unhappy every time the mail came.
She told Kate that she wanted to get out from under the crushing weight of what she owed. She was going to sell the house at the end of the summer lease, even though she loved it. She wanted to pay off her debts and start fresh. And she had decided to cash out her share of the ranch and start investing money. She could stay there at her little cottage anyway, even if she was no longer a part owner.
“Do you think Thad is really serious about buying my third? Or is it just talk?” she asked Kate one night after dinner. “Or do you want to?”
“It’s not a great time for me to come up with the money, and I know you need it right away.” Some of the people she owed money to were threatening to sue her. “I’m sure Thad means it. He loves this place as much as Dad did. I haven’t figured out what part I would sell him yet. I think the pastures at the north end. I’ve got to get an assessor out here to figure it out, and then we need to set a price on it. I’ll start the wheels turning.”
“Do you hate me for it?” Gemma asked her.
“No. I understand, you need to get on your feet, and have money in the bank. I just hope Caroline doesn’t decide to cash out too, and that Peter doesn’t talk her into it. I hate to start chopping up what Dad worked so hard to build.” But with ten thousand acres, they knew that a third of it on the far side of the land wouldn’t make too much difference, and Thad would be a good neighbor and an ally they could trust, which was important too if they were going to sell. They didn’t want someone spoiling the area, or building a hotel, or some commercial venture. Thad would never do that, he wanted to set up a small ranch, and continue to run theirs, which was an ideal arrangement, and Kate needed his help.
They had a meeting with him two days later, where he confirmed his interest to Gemma, and Kate called in an assessor after that. They found a perfect piece of land, which wouldn’t have an impact on their main areas of operation, and Thad liked the location that Kate had picked. The size was almost exactly a third of the land they owned, but in an area they wouldn’t miss. Thad was going to have a narrow road built to connect it to the ranch, for only his use and theirs. Both the realtor and the assessor helped them come up with a fair price, which Gemma was pleased with, and Thad could afford, at fair market value.
Gemma was greatly relieved that that money was coming, and Thad made a good faith down payment, which gave her some relief from her debts. But she still wanted to sell her L.A. house. She had made the