Fool's Gold Collection Volume 3: Almost Summer / Summer Days / Summer Nights / All Summer Long

“Why isn’t Athena pregnant?”

“Alpine goats breed in the fall. That’s one of the reasons I have both Nubians and Alpines—to stagger their pregnancies, so I never go without fresh goat milk. It’s less of an issue with the cheese. With the aging process, I always have cheese at various stages. But the fresh milk is important to several of the families in the area.”

“Today’s milk will be aerated by the walk.”

She smiled. “I’m not sure it works that way. I swear, Athena needs a hobby.”

“Too bad you can’t teach her to read.”

“I’d worry if she learned, she would take over the world.”

“You should put the goats with the llamas. If they really will protect the herd, then the llamas can keep the goats from getting out. Or at least alert you if Athena makes a run for it.”

“I could try. I haven’t wanted to put them together in case they get attached.”

Because one way or another, this arrangement was only temporary, and Heidi wouldn’t want her goats hurt by missing a friend.

Dante would say she was taking her goat responsibilities too seriously. A few weeks ago, Rafe would have agreed. Now he knew that Heidi was sensitive to those she considered to be on the outside. Those who didn’t belong.

They walked down the main road. About three miles from the ranch, a path cut through the trees. The branches overhead were thick enough to block direct sunlight. The temperature was a good ten or fifteen degrees cooler, and leaves and pine needles crunched underfoot.

Just when Rafe was sure she was lost, they stepped into a clearing and a whole other world.

The sound of large construction equipment echoed off the trees and the side of the mountain. From where he stood, at the west end of the site, he would guess about eighty or ninety acres had been cleared. The main building was massive—right now just poured foundation and steel beams—but he could see what it would be. Several stories, with a view of the mountains.

When he’d heard about the casino, he’d had Dante pull information and had studied it on his computer. Still, the renderings hadn’t prepared him for the sheer size of the project.

“Impressive, don’t you think?” She pointed to the far end. “That’s one of the parking lots. There will be a multilevel structure on the other side. The big building is the casino and resort. I’m not sure how many hotel rooms they’re talking about. At least a couple hundred, maybe more.”

She kept talking, explaining the layout and how the design had kept old-growth trees to line a walking path. That there would be a spa and several restaurants.

A pretty blonde woman with short hair and a ready smile joined them.

“You and your bad goats,” she said with a laugh. “What’s up with Athena?”

“I know.” Heidi gave her a quick hug. “She’d ride a motorcycle if she could get a license. Nevada, this is Rafe Stryker. Rafe, Nevada Janack.”

He shook hands with the woman, then glanced at the signs on the sides of the construction trailers. “Any relation?”

“I married into the family. Tucker’s around here somewhere. Come on. I’ll introduce you.”

Rafe went willingly. He wanted to know a lot more about the project. He and Dante hadn’t talked about what was going on here since Rafe had first discovered the casino. Now that he saw the scope of the project, he was reminded of the possibilities.

* * *

RAFE HELD THE PHONE to his ear with his left hand and made notes with his right. “I need to see everything you’ve pulled on the casino project. Not just the plans, which you sent me.”

He waited while Dante typed in his computer. “Got it,” his friend said.

“The guy in charge, Tucker Janack, says there will be over three hundred hotel rooms. There’s a casino, spa, golf course. There’s also going to be an outlet mall, but another company is developing that.”

“Too small for Janack?” Dante asked.

“Probably. Depending on time of year, staffing and events. They could have upward of five hundred employees there. No way Fool’s Gold has that kind of labor force just sitting around. Which means bringing people in. Lots of people.”

“They’re going to have to live somewhere.”

“Exactly.” Rafe pressed a few keys on his computer. “You have it?”

“Right in front of me.”

Rafe stared at the outline of the Castle Ranch. Done to scale, it showed the main house, the barn and the fence line. The main road was to the south, and several smaller roads provided natural boundaries.

Assuming a standard lot size of five thousand square feet, a modest three-bedroom house with attached garage, keeping a few acres around the ranch buildings for his mother and her animals, there was more than enough room for a hundred homes. With plenty left over for future development.

“You doing the math?” Rafe asked.

“It’s a sweet, sweet number. Considering how cheap the land is, I’m a happy guy. You’re talking serious profit levels.”

“Tell me about it. We wouldn’t have to do anything fancy. We’ll add the most popular upgrades. Some landscaping.”

“With employees coming to work for the casino, they’ll be desperate to buy. That means motivated buyers.”

Rafe wrote frantically. “We can arrange our own financing. Give people a break for going with our lender and make more money on the mortgage. We’ll have to get the town to agree.”

“I’ve done some preliminary research. The town is business-friendly. The mayor has a reputation for being easy to work with. No crazy zoning requirements. As long as we’re building up to their standards and not playing fast and loose with the rules, they’ll make it go smoothly for us.”

“Good.” Rafe wasn’t interested in building crap, he just didn’t want to waste profit when he didn’t have to. “To think this all started because my mother wanted to buy back this damned old ranch. Now this could be one of our biggest projects of the year.”

“As long as the judge rules in our favor.”

“She will. Heidi won’t be able to come up with the money.”

“Plus, we can show that our plan helps the community,” Dante added. “Your goat girl is going to find herself out on the street.”

Dante chuckled, but Rafe didn’t join in. While he still wanted to win, he found it difficult to imagine the Castle Ranch without Heidi and her goats. Where would she go?

He told himself it wasn’t his problem, but wasn’t sure he believed the words. Not anymore.

“We could give her a couple of acres. For the goats.”

Dante laughed. “Good one, Rafe. Like you’ve ever given anyone anything.”

His partner was still laughing when he hung up. Rafe set down his phone and stared out the window. Profit over anything—he’d long believed that. Money was the only way out, the only way up. He’d been poor, and it sucked.

In high school, his English teacher had made them all read Gone with the Wind and then watch the movie. In class, his friends had laughed when Scarlett O’Hara had held up the wizened turnips, declaring that, as God was her witness, she would never be hungry again. He hadn’t found the words funny. He’d lived them.

He’d taken the charity baskets the town had given, vowing that when he grew up, he would be the richest man he knew. That no one would ever take advantage of him. That he would always win.