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eroded away and washed by rain down into streams."
     "Is that what you think Mad Jack's mine is?" Luke persisted. "A big strike of jewelry rock?"
     "I wasn't sure. Except for the chunk you gave me—" Cash flicked his thumbnail against the cylinder "—the poke was filled with flakes and big, angular grains, the kind of thing that would come from a crude crushing process of really high-grade ore." Thoughtfully Cash stirred the chain with a blunt fingertip. Reflected light shifted and gleamed in. shades of metallic gold. "But if these nuggets all came from Mad Jack's mine, it was God's own jewelry box, as close to digging pure gold as you can get this side of Fort Knox."
     Luke said something unhappy and succinct beneath his breath.
     Mariah looked at her brother in disbelief. "What's wrong with that? I think it's fantastic!"
     "Ever read about Sutter's Mill?" he asked laconically.
     "Sure. That was the one that set off the California gold rush in 1849. It was one of the richest strikes in history."
     "Yeah. Remember what happened to the mill."
     "Er, no."
     "It was trampled to death in the rush. So was a lot of other land. I don't need that kind of grief. We have enough trouble keeping pot-hunters out of the Anasazi ruins on Wind Mesa and in September Canyon."
     "What ruins?" Mariah asked.
     "They're all over the place. Would you like to see them?" Luke asked hopefully, trying to sidetrack her from the prospect of gold.
     "Thanks, but I'd rather look for Mad Jack's mine."
     Cash laughed ruefully. When he spoke, his voice was rich with certainty. "Forget it, Luke. Once the gold bug bites you, you're hooked for life. Not one damn thing is as bright as the shine of undiscovered gold. It's a fever that burns out everything else."
     Luke looked surprised but Mariah nodded vigorously, making dark brown hair fly. She knew exactly what Cash meant.
     Looking from Cash to Mariah, Nevada raised a single black eyebrow, shrugged, and returned his attention to the paper he was very gently unfolding on the table's surface.
     "Smile," Mariah coaxed Luke. "You'd think we were talking about the Black Death."
     "That can be cured by antibiotics," he shot back. "What do you think will happen if word gets out that there's a fabulous lost mine somewhere up beyond MacKenzie Ridge? A lot of our summer grazing is leased from the government, but the mineral rights aren't leased. There are rules and restrictions and bureaucratic papers to chase, but basically, when it comes to prospecting, it's come one, come all. Worst of all, mineral rights take precedence over other rights."
     Mariah looked to Cash, who nodded.
     "So we get a bunch of weekend warriors making campfires that are too big," Luke continued, "carrying guns they don't know how to use, drinking booze they can't hold, and generally being jackasses. I can live with that if I have to. What I can't live with is when they start tearing up the fences and creeks and watersheds. This is a cattle ranch, not a mining complex. I want to keep it that way."
     "But…" Mariah's voice faded. She began worrying her lower lip between her teeth. "Does this mean I can't look for Mad Jack's mine?"
     Luke swiped his fingers through his hair in a gesture of frustration. "No. But I want you to promise me two things. First, I don't want you telling anyone about Mad Jack's damned missing mine. That goes for Nevada, too. And I mean no one. Cash didn't even tell Carla."
     "No problem," Nevada said. He looked at Cash with blunt approval. "You've been looking for nine years, huh? I like a man who can keep his mouth shut."
     Cash's lips made a wry line and he said not one word.
     "No problem for me, either," Mariah said, shrugging. "I don't have anyone to tell but you and you already know. What's the second thing?"
     "I don't want you going out alone and looking for that damned mine," Luke said. "That's wild, rough country out there."
     Mariah was on the verge of agreeing when she stopped. "Wait