Gideon took a seat opposite her. “I don’t think Ben’s too happy about this arrangement.”
“He’ll be fine. Lila likes him.”
“I was kind of curious about what a genetic genealogist does.”
She scoffed. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. A bit.”
She motioned to her computer. “Would you like me to google it for you?” She grimaced. “Oh wait. I can’t. No Wi-Fi.”
“I’m kidding. I know what one does. It’s a cool job. They can work with families, finding lost members, or sometimes work with law enforcement, analyzing DNA and other stuff. It’s interesting.”
“How do you know all that?”
“I read.”
“You read, huh?”
“I do.”
“Well, read this.” She pulled some papers from her bag andpushed them across the table in front of him. “What do you think about that?”
He looked down and Maya waited. When he finished, he frowned and met her gaze. “It’s an offer to buy the ranch.”
“Yes.”
“A very good offer.”
“I know. As soon as Gramps passed, the vultures started circling.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m thinking about how to make it work to my advantage. There are three more of those offers. All different amounts, but good ones. That one is the best.”
“Wow. But there’s no way you want to sell, so how do you plan to work with this?”
“That’s the big question. The fact is, I need money to fund this new adventure.” She pulled another document from her bag and spread it over the table. “This is a map of the ranch. From border to border.” She patted the stack of papers to her left. “These are the offers. If I were to sell off a portion of it, which portion would you pick and who would you offer to sell it to? The one who wants to set up a smaller ranch, the one who wants to create a touristy getaway with a horse farm, or the one who wants to turn it into a wildlife sanctuary and rehabilitation center for injured animals?”
He studied her for a moment, then lowered his gaze to the map. Minutes ticked past as he read each offer, going back and forth between them and the map. “Okay, if I were going to sell, it would be this area and to the wildlife sanctuary and rehabilitation center. It’s probably enough land to generate the funds you need, but the business will keep it relatively untouched.” He tapped the third offer she’d gotten and pointed to the area on the map that was one hundred acres at the edge of her property line. Without the water source.
She blew out a relieved breath. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For confirming what I was thinking. It’s the best deal for the least amount of land, but it will give me the capital I need to start the nonprofit part of the business. If I sell those hundred acres, it will give me almost a million and a half to start with—to build another bunkhouse, enclose pastures, plant a hayfield, a garden, and more. The ranch itself will be a for-profit business. Vets who come to stay will help with the planting and harvesting of the garden, and we’ll dig some wells, run cattle, train and board horses, and so on.”
“It all sounds amazing, Maya.”
She smiled. “It’s exciting, isn’t it? And a real answer to prayer.” She bit her lip. “But overwhelming too.”
“You’re going to need good help for sure.”
“I have people in mind and I’ve already put out feelers.” She shook her head. “You know, it’s wild how my family came to own that land. Years ago, Gramps won the ranch in a poker game.”
“Poker? Your grandfather? I didn’t take him for a gambler.”
“Oh yeah. He was a bit of a scoundrel in his younger days. Before he decided to let the Lord lead him.”
