I had looked at it skeptically. It was much too big to be a cat’s tooth and that he thought otherwise annoyed me. I said as much, pointing out that a cat’s whole head was smaller than the thing he was holding up.

He’d laughed, which rankled me even more.

“No, not a house cat,” he said. “A saber-toothed cat. They lived millions of years ago.”

“With the dinosaurs?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Riaan said. “But I’m going to find out.” He’d always had an insatiable curiosity.

“Delilah?” Riaan smiled nervously then, bringing me back to the present. “Am I boring you?”

“Not at all. Sorry, I was just remembering how much you used to love all of that stuff.”

Riaan flushed and then said, “I actually came here today to speak to you about the Coetzees.”

The abrupt change of subject was disorienting. I had thought he might segue into questions about my unexpected homecoming, but if he had any, he’d done a good job of suppressing them.

“The Coetzees?”

“Yes. Rumor has it that you’ve gotten on their bad side, and judging by the graffiti I saw outside, I’d say the rumors are true.”

“They’re terrible people,” I said. “And I refuse to pander to them.” It suddenly occurred to me that with all the time that had passed, Riaan was as foreign to me as my countrymen were. Just because he hadn’t been racist as a child didn’t mean he hadn’t grown up to be one of them. “Wait, you’re not part of their group, are you?”

“Of course not,” he said, looking affronted that I’d even ask. “But they’re a powerful family in these parts, not people you want to offend.”

“Then they should grow tougher hides so they aren’t so easily offended.”

“I heard they made an offer on the farm that you turned down. Sounds like Ruth was eager to accept it.”

“Yes, but like I said, I’m retiring here. I’m not in the market to sell.” I took a sip of my coffee, which had gotten cold. “I don’t see what the big deal is, anyway. So they don’t get our farm? So what? I’m sure there are plenty of other farms up for sale. Productive ones that will at least bring in an immediate income, unlike this one, which will need a lot of work.”

“They’re not looking for a productive farm, Delilah. They’re looking to open a canned-lion-hunting operation and have bought all of the surrounding property to that end. Yours is the one in the middle that links them all. It’s crucial that they have it for the breeding-and-hunting station they’re planning.”

“Canned-lion hunting? What’s that?”