Twenty thousand dollars.
More money than she had seen in one place for years.
Enough to repair the barn roof.
Enough to pay overdue bills.
Enough to replace her truck's transmission.
Enough to give the old woman a little breathing room.
The rancher saw her hesitation.
He smiled.
“There you go. Now you're thinking.”
The girl looked toward the calves.
Then she looked back at him.
“No.”
His smile disappeared.
“Thirty thousand.”
“No.”
“Forty.”
The old woman slowly descended the porch steps.
The rancher glanced toward her.
“Maybe you can talk some sense into your niece.”
The old woman rested both hands on her walking stick.
“About what?”
“I'm offering forty thousand dollars for cattle she paid seven dollars for.”
The old woman looked at the girl.
Then at the animals.
Then at the rancher.
“Sounds like you should have bid eight.”
The young woman burst out laughing.
The rancher's face reddened.
“This isn't a joke.”
“No,” the old woman agreed. “It isn't.”
He pointed toward the herd.
“Those animals aren't worth that much on their own.”
“Then why are you offering it?” the young woman asked.
The question stopped him.
For a moment, he had no answer.
Then he adjusted his hat.
“I'm trying to help you.”
She looked straight at him.
“No. You're trying to buy something you laughed at because now you think it has value.”
His jaw tightened.
“You don't understand how this business works.”
“Maybe not everything.”
She rested one hand on the fence.
“But I know the difference between an offer and respect.”
The rancher stepped closer.
“You're making a mistake.”
She did not move.
“You said that before.”
He stared at her.
Then he turned and walked back toward his truck.
As he opened the door, the old woman called out.
“Sir?”
He looked back.
She smiled pleasantly.
“Next time, call before coming. This is private property.”
The rancher climbed into his truck and slammed the door.
Gravel scattered beneath his tires as he drove away.
The young woman stood beside the fence for a long time.
Then she turned to her great-aunt.
“Forty thousand dollars.”
The old woman nodded.
“That's a lot of money.”
“More than we have.”
“Sure is.”
“Did I make a mistake?”
The old woman considered her.
“Maybe.”
The girl looked alarmed.
Then the old woman continued.
“But if you sell something because somebody makes you afraid you'll never get another chance, you'll spend your whole life being controlled by people who have more money than you.”