“I done some work up here. Come on. I'll show you the property. You can see how the poor folks live.”

Spence had built a solid cabin out of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. It was small but tight, and Charlie admired the hand that had put it together so well. There was also a garden and wire pens for the goats. Charlie saw how easy the fences were for goats anxious to get at the vegetables. All in all, it seemed a waste of fence. To the north of the cabin was a long, cleared field where Spence had taken the lumber for his cabin.

“I've always had a mind to plant trees in that field. Apples would be good, I think. Of course, then I'd have to pick ’em and tote ’em down to the store or, even worse, to Safford or Willcox. And I ain't anxious to travel.”

“It's a nice spot you got here, that's for sure. I can see why a man would want to hang around. My family's never stayed in one spot long enough to pick a grape we had planted.”

“Well, make me an offer. It could be yours.”

“I'm not sure I could,” Charlie said. “I don't know where I would begin.”

“I wouldn't begin no lower than a thousand dollars, if I was you.”

“I might not be able to come up with a thousand dollars.”

“Well, if I was you, I would begin there. Though that wouldn't necessarily be where it would all end up.”

“Not sure I could go beyond that. I would have a hell of a time coming up with the starting sum.”

“Well, then,” Spence said, “if I was you, I would make an offer of seven hundred and fifty dollars, because negotiations can travel both front and back. But that's just what I would do.”

“That's a better figure,” Charlie said. “Not sure I could scrape up even that much, though.”

“Do you want to name a figure, or would you just prefer I do the negotiating for both of us?”

“Well, I haven't been around here very long. I don't know the area very well. I'm not sure what would be a fair price for something like this.”

Spence shook his head and scuffed at the sand with the toe of his shoe. “I don't know ‘fair,’ either. Seems to me, ‘fair’ ain't real. It's just something people talk on. I wouldn't offer a man anything less than six hundred dollars for fear he might shoot me for being a jackass.”

“Six hundred dollars.” Charlie nodded his head and chewed his lip. “Six hundred dollars.”

“Next figure I mention goes back in the other direction,” Spence said.

“Well, I would think that would be a fair price.”

“Especially since it includes two mining claims about a half a mile down canyon.”

“Mining claims?”