"I suppose I owe you an apology."
Claire remained silent.
He sighed.
"What I said at the auction wasn't right."
"No," she replied. "It wasn't."
He nodded.
"I was cruel."
Claire looked directly at him.
"Yes."
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Wade continued.
"Your grandfather was a good rancher."
Claire felt her chest tighten.
"He was."
"I didn't always appreciate how he did things."
She smiled faintly.
"I know."
Wade looked toward the old photograph.
"He believed in that breeding line."
Claire nodded.
"He did."
Wade swallowed.
"I should have paid closer attention to what happened after the partnership changed hands."
Claire studied him.
"That's something you need to address with the people investigating it."
"I know."
He looked at her.
"I never thought you'd bring that animal back."
Claire glanced toward the photograph.
"Neither did I."
Wade smiled sadly.
Then he looked at her.
"For what it's worth, I was wrong about you."
Claire considered his words.
A year earlier, she would have given almost anything to hear him say that.
She had spent countless nights worrying that he'd been right.
That she'd risked too much.
That she'd bought a dying animal out of stubbornness.
That her grandfather's lessons no longer belonged in the modern cattle business.
Now, standing in front of the man who had laughed at her, she realized she no longer needed his approval.
She nodded.
"Thank you for saying that."
Wade looked relieved.
Then she added.
"But I didn't save Cedar to prove you wrong."
He studied her.
"Then why?"
Claire looked down at the photograph.
"Because I believed he deserved a chance."
Wade remained quiet.
She continued.
"And because my grandfather taught me not to judge an animal's entire future by the worst day of its life."
Wade lowered his eyes.
For a moment, he seemed unable to speak.
Then he placed his hat on his head.
"Your grandfather would be proud."
Claire smiled.
"I hope so."
Wade turned and walked away.
She watched him disappear through the crowded hall.
She didn't know whether he would truly change.
She didn't know what the ongoing reviews would conclude about his business decisions.
And she didn't need to know that afternoon.
Some questions belonged to investigators.
Some belonged to time.
Her responsibility was waiting at the ranch.
Two years after the auction, the Garza ranch was no longer on the verge of closing.
It was not a large commercial empire.