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last cent that these nuggets came from the same place, wherever that is."
     "You mentioned that Case kept a journal," Mariah said, her voice a husky rasp that made Cash's blood thicken.
     "Yes," Luke answered, though his sister hadn't looked at him, having eyes only for the gold in her hands – and for Cash, the man who hunted for gold.
     "Didn't he say where the mine was?" she asked.
     "No. All we know for sure was that Case had saddlebags full of gold from Mad Jack's mine."
     "Why?"
     "He was going to give it to Mad Jack's son. Instead he gave it to Mariah, Mad Jack's granddaughter."
    That caught Mariah's attention. "You mean it's really true?" she asked, turning quickly toward Luke. "You weren't just joking? We're really related to Mad Jack?"
     "Sure. Where else do you think the nuggets in that necklace came from? It used to be a man's watch chain. Mariah had it made for Case as a wedding gift. The chain came down through the family, staying with whichever son held the Rocking M. Until Mother left." Luke shrugged. "I guess she thought she had earned it. Maybe she had. God knows she hated every minute she ever spent on the ranch."
     Mariah looked at the gold heaped on her palm, shining links infused with a legacy of both love and hatred. Yet all she said was "That explains the modern clasp. I assumed the old one had fallen apart, but watch chains don't need clasps, do they?" Without hesitation she poured the long, heavy chain and bulky nuggets into a heap in front of Luke. "Here. It belongs to you."
     He looked startled. "I didn't mean—"
     "I know you didn't," she interrupted. "It's still yours. It belongs with the man who holds the Rocking M. You."
     "I've been thinking about that. Half of what I inherited should be—"
     "No." Mariah's interruption was swift and determined. "The ranch was meant to be the inheritance of whichever MacKenzie son could hold it. Mariah's letters made that quite clear."
     "That might have been fair in the past, but it sure as hell isn't fair now."
     "It wasn't fair that our parents couldn't get along or that Mother had a nervous breakdown or that Dad drank too much or that I was taken away from the only person who really loved me. You." Mariah touched Luke's hand. "Lots of life isn't fair. So what?" Her smile was a bittersweet curve of acceptance. "You offered me a home when I had none. That's all I hoped for and more than I had any right to expect. Or accept."
     "You'll by God accept it if I have to nail your feet to the floor," Luke said, squeezing Mariah's hand.
     She laughed and tried to blink away the sudden tears in her eyes. "I accept. Thank you."
     Luke picked up the gold chain and dumped it back in Mariah's hand. She tilted her palm, letting the heavy, cool gold slide back to the table.
     "Mariah," he began roughly. "Damn it, it's yours."
     "No. Make it back into a watch chain and wear it. Or give it to Logan. Or to your next child. Or to whichever child holds the Rocking M. But," Mariah added, speaking quickly, overriding the objections she saw in her brother's tawny eyes, "that doesn't mean I wouldn't like a gold necklace of my own. So, with your permission, I'll go looking for Mad Jack's mine. I've always believed I would find a lost gold mine someday."
     Luke laughed, then realized that Mariah was serious. Smiling crookedly, he said, "Muffin, Cash has been looking for that mine for – how many years?"
     "Nine."
     Startled, Mariah looked up at Cash. "You have?"
     He nodded slightly.
     "And if a certified, multi-degreed geologist, a man who makes his living finding precious metals for other people—" began Luke.
     "You do?" interrupted Mariah, still watching Cash with wide golden eyes.
     He nodded again.
     "—can't find Mad Jack's lost mine," Luke continued, talking over his sister, "then what chance do you have?"
     Mariah started to speak, then sighed, wondering how she could explain what she barely understood herself.
     "Remember how you used to