Gary was finishing some toast and ham. “I see you made it back,” he said, then continued to eat.
“Yes. You look well-rested.”
Gary swallowed as he shrugged. “I spent the night at the house so Father could tend the hotel last night. I came home for breakfast because there’s nothing decent to eat over there.” He picked up his toast. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
“I did.” Susanna deposited the case once again and came to the table. She grabbed a clean coffee mug and poured herself a cup before sitting down across from her brother. “Life at the Mendoza ranch is different from anything I’ve ever known. Their concept of family is working together. They have the most amazing meals, with the women all cooking to create them, and then everyone eats and talks and laughs. After supper there was music. Lia’s family is quite musical. Several play violin and guitar. It was really wonderful to be part of a family who loves each other so much.”
She glanced up to see her father in the doorway. He looked so sad for a moment that she wished she’d said nothing. She decided not to make a big deal of it.
“Lia’s uncle makes the most amazing tiles from clay,” she continued. “It’s a huge process, and Lia’s son John is quite an artist. He can paint intricate designs on the tiles, sometimes from templates and sometimes freehand. I think he’ll go far. Emilio, on the other hand, loves horses and plans to move to the ranch when he’s finished with school so he can learn everythingabout having his own ranch. They have sheep too, but they were in a far pasture, and I didn’t see them.”
“It sounds like you had a good time,” her father said, taking a seat at the table beside her.
“I did. It was good to get away. How did things go here? Uncle Harrison was in a very good mood when I met him at the station.”
Gary tossed down the rest of his coffee and got to his feet. “I’m going to be late if I don’t get a move on.”
“Have a great day. Do you have a lunch?” Susanna asked.
“No.” He stopped and turned around, a look of frustration on his face.
She smiled. “I’ll bring you one.”
Relief washed over him. “Thanks, sis.”
He made a dash for the door and was gone. Susanna chuckled. He’d never called hersisbefore. It touched her in a way nothing else could have.
She glanced at her father, still feeling guilty for the happiness she’d felt with Lia’s family. “So, you wanted to discuss something?”
“Yes.” He picked up Gary’s coffee cup and refilled it with coffee. After a long sip, he put the cup down and drew a deep breath. “I have a confession to make to you.”
“All right.” She tried not to sound too eager.
“I stole that money from you when it looked like someone had broken in. I was desperate for money.” He paused and fixed her with a gaze she couldn’t quite read. Was it remorse? “I also set the fire and stole the hotel money.”
Her eyes widened, and she hurried to take a drink of coffee to keep from blurting out something she might regret. It had taken a lot of courage for her father to make this confession, and she didn’t want to ruin it by saying the wrong thing.
The hot liquid calmed her a bit. She set the cup down and nodded. “Did you tell this to Uncle Harrison?”
“No. But I will. I think Gary knew, and I’m sorry to have burdened him with that knowledge. I’ll apologize to him. But I felt like I owed it to you first.”
“Why?”
“Because that wasn’t all I did. Well, it wasn’t all that I considered doing.”
Susanna shook her head. “I don’t think I understand.”
“I was in a card game last night, and I nearly wagered the house.”
She blinked. “Myhouse?
He glanced downward, then back up to meet her gaze. “Yes. I was like a man possessed. Just like when I put our Topeka house in jeopardy. It’s like a sickness, I suppose. I am determined, however, to beat it. If Gary hadn’t been there, I’m not sure I could have stepped away, but I did. Because of it, I see myself in a new light, recognizing the horrible things I’ve done.”
“I have to say, I’m not completely surprised.”
“Oh, I’m sure you aren’t. I think you’ve always figured me for the fire. I honestly hoped the place would burn to the ground and free your mother and me from this prison. I don’t know what Harrison will say when I tell him. I’m hoping a few months of proving myself will soften the blow.”
“He’s gone to El Paso and will back through here in a few weeks. Maybe you can show him how much you’ve grown. Of course, he probably won’t believe it unless you and Mother both are living here at the hotel.”
