Curtis nodded, looking at his wife to continue.
“You’ll have to agree not to sell it for one hundred years. That goes for your children, too. And when the time comes that it is sold, the Walkers and Jamesons’ll have first option to buy at market value.”
“Makes sense.” Stone wasn’t sure who he was supposed to look at, so he directed his question at both of them. “How much’re we talkin’, though?”
Lorrie looked at Curtis.
“I paid nothin’ for it,” he said. “It’s been in my family for generations. I want it to stay there. One thing people forget is that it’s not about the money.”
That was generally what people with money said, but Stone didn’t mention it.
“It’ll be a gift.”
Stone choked down his surprise.
Curtis pinned him with that blue-gray stare. “Just keep in mind, gifts like that don’t come free. You incur responsibility for others when you get handed a gift like that. It’s your job to help those who need help.”
Stone swallowed. Was that why Curtis was the way he was? Because he saw good fortune as a reason to help others? It explained a lot. Stone had always admired his aunt and uncle for the things they did for this town. He’d never met anyone as generous as them.
But he still had one question. “Why me?”
“Whynotyou?” Curtis countered instantly.
“You’ve got a couple dozen nieces and nephews. Why not one of them?”
Not to mention seven sons and all those grandkids.
“Fifty-seven,” Lorrie said with pride. “We’ve got fifty-seven nieces and nephews.”
It was a big number, but not so big when you considered Curtis and Lorrie each had seven siblings. Big families produced big families. At least that was what his mother always said.
“Out of those fifty-seven,” Curtis said, meeting Stone’s stare. “One of ‘em has been chasin’ a dream and gettin’ in his own way at every turn. “
“Yeah.” Stone looked down at the table. “I’ve gotten good at that.”
“You have,” Curtis agreed. “But sometimes, it’s that one who’s capable of holdin’ everything together. Even if he doesn’t know it yet.”
Lorrie reached over and touched his hand. “I think if you look close enough, you might see that everything you’ve ever wanted has been here all along.”
Stone wouldn’t dispute that. He’d thought the same thing when he saw Stevie again. He’d felt an echo of what he’d felt for her as though not a single day had passed. He had his work cut out for him, that was for sure.
“Are you interested, boy?” Curtis asked, his eyes warm.
“Yes, sir.”
He smiled. “I guess you’ll have to figure out if you’re interested in countin’ bushels and bales or heads and tails.”
In other words, farm versus ranch.
“We’ll expect a business proposal in fourteen days,” Lorrie stated. “Plus, you’ll need to talk to the boys.”
“In person,” Curtis tacked on. “Don’t do that whole textin’ or emailin’ nonsense. Face to face. Tell ’em your plans. Get their buy-in. You’ll need it.”
“Yes, sir. I can do that.”
His uncle smiled. “Good. I’m lookin’ forward to the next time we meet.”
Stone was, too.
