No Mercy Read Online Free PDF Page B

“real” country livin’ with their stockbrokers. Then in the fall, they’d invite their buddies with purebred Labrador retrievers for a week of roughing it out West to do some real hunting.
    God. Maybe I was channeling my friend John-John’s abilities to see visions. A shudder ran through me. I actually felt my dad spinning in his grave.
    What bothered me more than Kit’s offer was Hope discussing our private family business with this big mouth. No wonder everyone in the county gossiped about my intentions. No wonder Dad left the final decision about the fate of the ranch to me and not my flaky sister.
    “Whatcha think? Would you be willing to sit down and talk to the investors?”
    “Sure.”
    Kit looked so happy I was afraid he’d lay a big honking kiss on me. Eww. I’d pop him one first, and not necessarily with my fist.
    “When?”
    “That’s the thing, Kit. A group from Florida has asked to come and check the place out.”
    His white eyebrows rose clear to his hairline. “Florida? How’d they hear about it? Why would you even be talking to them kinda folk?”
    I shrugged. “Don’t know how they heard, but they offered to buy the whole property, sight unseen, as an investment.” I grinned nastily and lied, “In cash.”
    Now old Kit looked like I had plugged him in the heart with my trusty gun. “B-but. You ain’t seriously thinking about it, are ya?”
    “Yes. Seems these other folks really do have the Gunderson family’s best interests at heart.”
    Kit’s sagging shoulders snapped straight with indignation. “You saying I don’t?”
    “I’m saying none of the people who have contacted me are pretending they want this chunk of land for any altruistic reasons.”
    “But—”
    “You think I’m stupid, Kit? You think I don’t know what this land is worth? You think because you paid me a personal visit I’ll be inclined to sell it to you? Or will you bring up my daddy and your great friendship with him and lie about what he would’ve wanted?”
    His brown eyes turned as cold and hard as frozen cow chips. “For years your daddy hoped you’d come back here and take over. Except we all know he was delusional when it comes to you and your crazy sister.”
    It was on the tip of my tongue to defend Hope. No one had the right to call her crazy but me.
    But Kit wasn’t finished. “You always thought you was too good to stick around these parts. You couldn’t even be bothered to show up before your daddy passed on. No big surprise you’re finally back here, now that you don’t have to look him in the eye as he was wasting away to nothing. I’m glad he ain’t around to see the heartless creature you’ve become, God rest his soul.”
    Wind rustled through the elm leaves. A drawn-out, high-pitched hawk’s screech made me twitchy.
    Hiram moved in. “He don’t mean it, Mercy.”
    I stared at Kit. Revulsion stared back at me. “Yes, he does. So now that I know how you really feel, Kit, don’t hold back.”
    “Fine. Here it is: you don’t know all the problems you’d be causing if you sell out to someone who ain’t local. Who’s it gonna hurt? Your neighbors. Remember them? The ones who helped out your family when your mama died? When your daddy’s diabetes got so bad they chopped off his leg and he couldn’t take care of this place? When your granddad nearly lost everything in the dirty ’30s? Oh, and let’s not forget way back when your great-grandma Grace nearly lost her mind.”
    Seemed old Kit knew my family history better than I did.
    When he spit a wad of tobacco out the side of his mouth, I expected to see a forked tongue.
    “Think those fellers from Florida give a rip that your daddy’s been letting the Marshall family hunt here off-season so they don’t starve in the winter? Them rich snobs will close the land off to all hunting except for their bigwig buddies.
    “Sure, they’re willing to pay you top dollar. They don’t have to worry about some damn conglomerate