smiled as he followed her command. When he finished wiping his hands on a towel, she handed him a bowl. The steam from the chili tickled her nose but smelled delicious. “What sort of horses are you looking for?”
“Brood mares, maybe even a stud. I want to hire you to do a purchase exam.”
“You’re serious about raising horses?”
“Dead serious.”
John McCray shuffled into the kitchen, one hand on his cane. “What are you dead set on now? Don’t tell me you’re going back to football?”
“Nope, my playing days are over.” Gil took his father a bowl of chili and placed it on the table. “If that’s too spicy, let me know, and I’ll make you something else.”
John scratched his bristly chin and sat down. After a respectable amount of grumbling, he blew on a spoonful and took a bite. He seemed to enjoy it, or at least he didn’t complain.
Gil hunched over the counter and attacked his meal with fervor. “I’m going to buy a ranch in California,” he said between mouthfuls. “Got it picked out and everything. Beautiful estate, giant barn with an indoor arena. It’s not as wide-open as this place, but it’s a nice spread.”
Mattie dipped a cracker into her chili and pulled it out before it turned soggy. Gil seemed so intent on California. What was he running from? She munched on the cracker and enjoyed the zesty flavor.
“How many acres?” John leaned his elbow on the table with interest.
“Two hundred. Considering the population of the area, that’s a lot of land.”
Mattie’s gaze swung from John to Gil. Populated or not, two hundred acres wasn’t enough land to spit on and certainly couldn’t compare to the Lightning M. City life had dulled Gil’s senses, made him forget the exhilaration of riding on untainted ground. A few weeks in the Flint Hills ought to renew his love for the land and convince him of his mistake. At least, she hoped it would. She ate a spoonful of chili. Within seconds, the fiery seasoning permeated her mouth and radiated from her pores.
John mopped his forehead with a red handkerchief.
“Maybe you ought to fix your dad something else,” she said. “You need an iron stomach to eat this stuff.”
Apprehension skidded across Gil’s face.
John waved off their worry and stared at his son. “Sounds like you got your life all figured out. Seeing as how you’re set on owning land in California, I don’t guess you have any need for the home place. That’s a shame — kind of hoped you’d changed your mind about living here.” He rubbed his chest and pushed the half-eaten bowl of chili away.
Mattie lost her appetite too.
“I suppose my niece in Council Grove might be interested in having it, though she’s married and has her own home.” John’s eyes settled on Mattie. “Or maybe I’ll hand the ranch over to our good veterinarian here. She’s been like a daughter to me these last few years — closer to me than my own kin.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and rose from the table on unsteady legs.
The air in the room was so thick with tension the hair on Mattie’s neck prickled beneath her flannel collar. She wanted to diffuse the dynamite sure to explode any minute, but John’s statement held such a shock, her words jumbled inside her head.
A daughter to him? Land of her own?
“I never figured you’d give the place to me, anyway.” Gil spoke without a hint of offense.
Mattie studied him, suspecting the hurt went so deep it didn’t show. Wasn’t this exactly what Gil predicted? But John couldn’t be so cruel as to deny his only son his rightful inheritance. That would be worse than bankruptcy.
She stepped between the two men. “Now hold on a minute. You don’t want to say anything you’ll regret later.” Her lips twitched as she shot a warning glance at John. “You’re not dying, so there’s plenty of time to work out this misunderstanding. I know deep down you want Gil to have this place, so don’t try to tell me otherwise.”
Bunching her hands into fists, she shifted to Gil, prepared to tell him her mind. “And you, standing there as though you could care less. It would kill you if someone else owned this property. Even if you buy your land in California, this will always be your home, the place you grew up with Frank, where you have memories of your mom and dad. How could you let that slip from your