A figure was printed near the bottom.
$145,000.
Grace felt her stomach tighten.
The price was far below what Frank believed the combined land and buildings were worth, even considering their condition.
She looked toward Dale.
βFor all eighty-six acres?β
He nodded.
βHouse included.β
She stared.
βThat's not enough.β
Dale gave a sympathetic smile.
βGrace, the market has changed. The water situation is terrible, the equipment's old, and the place needs work.β
She folded the paper.
βWe're not selling.β
He sighed.
βI know you want to keep Frank's dream alive.β
Grace's expression hardened.
βThis isn't just Frank's dream. It's our home.β
Dale nodded slowly.
βOf course.β
Then he glanced toward Noah.
The boy stood near the garden with his bucket.
βMaybe think about what's best for the kid.β
Grace felt anger rise.
βWhat does that mean?β
Dale lifted one hand.
βNothing bad. Just that a young boy shouldn't grow up worrying about debt and drought.β
For a moment, Grace stared at him.
Then she handed back the offer.
βI've made my decision.β
Dale's smile disappeared.
βDon't say I didn't try to help.β
He returned to his truck.
As he drove away, Noah watched from beside the garden.
He'd heard almost everything.
That afternoon, he opened Grandpa's notebook again.
He found the drawing of six rows.
Then he found a list written beneath it.
North marker. Second rail. Six lines. Iron cap.
He didn't understand all the words.
But he knew enough to begin.
He measured the fence.
Marked the planting area.
And started clearing weeds from the narrow strip where Grandpa had once experimented with soil moisture.
He had no idea that Dale would return later with two friends simply to laugh at him.
And he didn't know that Dale had already agreed to receive a substantial referral payment if Prairie Meridian purchased the Bennett property.
Prairie Meridian Land Partners was a small private development company with a large appetite for land it could acquire cheaply.