Maisie made a face as though she was thinking it over. “I dunno, honey. See, we already sold all I wanted to sell. I got my heart set on a big old mansion up on a hill in San Francisco. Why don’t you take a look in that billfold of yours and see how much you got?”

Jake was about to start counting money right on the table when Maisie grabbed his arm. “Not where everybody can see, sugar! I don’t want all those birds at the bar gettin curious.”

Maisie spread her legs a little and he counted the bills into her lap, feeling the back of his hand brush her warm thighs with every double sawbuck. She counted with him, right up to the last two dollar bills he tugged from his front pocket. It came to one thousand and seventeen dollars. Jake said he should probably hang on to the seventeen and leave himself enough money to get to Oregon. First he’d have to walk back up to the campground and check with the missus, make sure she didn’t object to him investing the money from the farm.

Maisie clucked her tongue. “Gosh, Jake. That’s a tough one. You struck me as the kind of man to wear the pants in the family. I didn’t think you’d have to get the little lady’s permission to get in on the best deal you’ll ever see.”

Cheney jumped in then. “Shoot, a name like Jake McCloskey, that’s worth somethin. People know who Jake is, smooths the way for all kinds a deals, Maisie. We could make Jake here a company director, put his name right up top with you and me and Cy Cunningham. You wouldn’t object, Maisie?”

Maisie’s fingernail traced the seam of Jake’s trousers. “I’d just love to have this big, handsome fella come along with us. It can get real dull out on that place in Nevada, just sittin around all day long waitin for lead to come outa the ground. But then he probably couldn’t come to Nevada anyway unless he gets the woman’s okeydokey.”

“Hell, yes. I’ll go where I please.”

“Well, I hope so. First you got to show me you’re a man and close this bargain on your own. Imagine how surprised she’ll be when she finds out you’re goin to be rich!”

“Tell you what, Jake,” Cheney said. “Seems Maisie has taken a shine to you. She don’t like many fellas, so I’m goin to sell you these shares for a thousand dollars, even. A man can’t say no to a deal like that, especially when your shares are likely to be worth twenty times that much by Christmas.”