He put up his hand. “Okay, here’s the deal. Today you get ten minutes. Fire away. Use your time wisely. I’ll be as honest as I can.”
She nodded her understanding.
“Yes, I grew up on a ranch in Montana outside Kalispell.”
“With Brett, Kitty, and Cheyenne.” She chuckled. “Not sure why I find that so funny.”
“Me neither.” But he was smiling.
“So, then what?”
“Mom required us all to go to college.”
Bingo, that was one of the pieces that Molly was looking for and the one that confirmed her suspicions. Her mountain man had a college education. Very unusual.
“Where’d you go and what’d you study?”
“We all went to Montana State in Bozeman. I majored in English.”
“English, really?” That surprised her.
“Yeah, Dad ran the ranch, but Mom taught high school English. We grew up reading and writing papers. Mom was a fierce editor. Very important that her ranch kids got a proper education.”
“Why Montana State?”
“In Montana, you’re either a Grizzly or a Bobcat. Mom grew up Bobcat. She went to Montana State and pushed us all to go there. Academically, admission standards are supposedly higher. I just went there because, if you were a McKinnon, you were a Bobcat.”
“Did your dad go to college?”
“No, he grew up on the ranch and inherited it from his folks.”
“So a second generation ranch?”
“Third.”
“Would you have gone to college if your mother had not insisted?”
“No way.”
“Who’s going to run the ranch when your mom and dad retire?”
“Dad won’t be retiring. But when he can’t manage it any longer, most likely Kitty.”
“Will you go home to help?”
“I’ll go home to see family, but I’ll let Kitty run the ranch. She and her husband Brad love the place. They’re made for it, and I want her to have it.”
“But you’ll be a part owner.”
“Not important to me. I’ll give Kitty my share.”
“What’s Brett doing?”
“He has a metal working business.”
“And Cheyenne?”
“Raising babies. Four of them. Her husband Chet runs a hardware store in Kalispell.”
