“It’s all yours,” Susan had said, and when Penny only continued to gape at her, Susan elaborated.
“This house, this land, has been in your family for generations.” Susan draped an arm casually over Penny’s shoulder.
Penny had to fight an urge to shrug the arm away. This kind of casual affection was a new thing for her. “How big is it?”
“Pretty big. You own as far as the eye can see behind the house, and in front,” she pointed into the distance past the driveway, “all the way up that hill to Little Canyon Creek. The creek is the property line … everything past that belongs to the state.”
Penny nodded, trying to hide her astonishment at finding out she owned the equivalent of a couple of city blocks. She pulled her mother’s photo from her pocket and held it out to Susan. “I found this.”
