A younger rancher replied, "I heard she already had the vet out there."
Wade snorted.
"Well, at least she's got one sensible idea."
The younger man continued.
"She also thinks the bull might have come from her grandfather's old breeding operation."
Wade's hand stopped halfway toward his coffee.
"What?"
The man shrugged.
"Something about an old brand."
Wade stared at him.
"What brand?"
"Didn't say."
Wade slowly set down his cup.
"Who told you?"
"One of the ranch hands."
Wade leaned back.
He tried to appear indifferent.
But he remembered something.
Years earlier, Southline Range Partnership had acquired a promising young bull from the Garza ranch.
Wade had been involved in discussions about expanding the partnership's breeding program.
The animal had been described as a strong prospect from an old regional bloodline known for working under difficult South Texas conditions.
Wade hadn't thought much about him at the time.
He had more valuable animals.
Larger investments.
Bigger plans.
But he remembered seeing a photograph of the young bull in a marketing packet.
A reddish-brown animal.
Broad shoulders.
Distinctive horns.
And a brand that looked like two angled strokes joined to a curved line.
Wade stared toward the feed store window.
He began mentally tracing the partnership's history.
Southline had struggled financially.
A larger livestock company acquired its assets.
Some cattle were sold.
Others moved between commercial operations.
Wade's own investment group later became involved in managing part of the remaining inventory.
He had signed dozens of documents during that period.
Most were routine.
But he remembered one particular dispute.
The old Garza ranch had retained certain contractual rights connected to breeding stock.
There had been questions about whether those rights survived subsequent transfers.
Wade had dismissed the issue as unimportant.
The bull was simply one animal among hundreds.
Then the market weakened.
The animal was moved again.
Eventually, its records became fragmented.
Wade had assumed the matter was finished.
Now that same bull might be standing on the Garza ranch.
Purchased for one thousand dollars.
And someone was apparently checking the old identification.
Wade stood abruptly.
The cattleman beside him looked surprised.
"Something wrong?"
Wade forced a smile.
"No."
He picked up his hat.
"Just remembered something I need to take care of."
Then he walked toward his truck.
For the first time since the auction, he wasn't laughing.
Claire received Wade's first offer two days later.
He arrived at the ranch driving a large black pickup with polished wheels and tinted windows.