Chapter 32

“He

lied,” Riley said. His voice was hoarse. “Dad cheated us. He gambled away

almost everything we had. What’s left is all mortgaged. It was only when he

fell ill that they managed t’ stop the haemorrhage. My brothers could lock down

what the family had left.”

“Brothers?”

“Three,

all older. Dad was married before. Good guys.” Riley’s expression was a strange

mixture of fondness and misery. “They were the ones he wanted on the ranch. He

taught them how t’ run things, worked them into the ground. They were around t’

keep it going when he died. I was always an afterthought–new wife, new son. I

was much younger. Less of a cowboy.”

“No

way.” Curtis couldn’t help himself. Not to me

Riley

smiled gently. “Curtis, you said yourself, what you know about cowboys comes

from TV and comics. I love horses, don’t get me wrong. I can even get

enthusiastic about livestock. Dammit, I’m as good at some things as my brothers.