Kate

by Dwight W. Hunter

Chapter20 - Hard Ones or Soft Ones

  After Rita walked out of Junction Realty, it took several clicks for Buck to recover. "Now what the hell does this menopause cure stuff supposed to mean?" asked Gus, facing Buck as Rita cleared the parking lot.

  "It sounds to me like your night time activities are becoming daytime conversations. A few guys I know seem to have it, while the rest of us have to be content with thinking about the old days. Strange as it may seem, it doesn't really bother me much anymore. I seem to have reached the point where if I were to wake up some morning with a hard-on, I'd believe petrifaction had set in for sure."

  "Hell if I know what women talk about when they get together," Buck answered. "I've never been around more than one at a time and when I'm with just one I don't understand or care much about what they're talkin' about. Most times they yack about how men don't respect them for their thinkin' and only want to use their bodies or some blame thing that never makes sense to me anyway."

  "Buck, my boy, I hate to tell you this, but one of these days you had better start learning to understand women more than you claim to know now; else one of them will bend an iron skillet over your thick skull.

  You have about as much appreciation for how a woman thinks as an Angus bull in breeding season. You need to learn a woman will not suddenly come in heat like a range cow whenever you chance to look at her. Could be a woman gets receptive from time to time, but damn it all Buck, you can't expect every time you saunter up to a woman she's ready for you to throw your prod to her."

  "I sure seem to be collectin' lecture these days," Buck scowled. "Nellie dumped a feed-bucket full of words on me the other night for reasons I've not been able to figure out and now you give me a father to son talking to, like I ain't never had a woman in my life. Well, let me tell you something Gus Ol' Friend. I've satisfied more women than you've ever thought about tryin'. Sometimes I think I should've stayed back on the ranch and been content talkin' to cows. At least they don't give me a ration ah shit at the drop of a hat like most of folks I know around here like to do."

  "Apparently nothing you've been told has penetrated that case-hardened skull of yours," commented Gus. "I'll agree with you on one point. You've had too many one sided conversations with cows for you to hear anything humans try to tell you. You're one hell of a transmitter but a piss poor receiver. I have a feeling if you start your macho crap with this Blaine woman, she'll verbally skin you alive and have your hide drying on a board so fast you'll wonder why the sun stopped shining."

  "My, how you can go on," chimed in Buck. "I don't see why you have to get your blood pressure so riled up about how I view women. I know I get pretty one sided about them ever so often. But damn it, Gus. You have to admit, I ain't done all that bad so far. Here lately I've been thinkin' about bein' a little easier on them and maybe find me a wider to live with full time; one that would like to have a little lovin' more regular than either of us is getting' now."

  "So far as I've heard," Gus said. "There isn't an auction house in this part of the country specializing in selling widows. Since you can't go out and buy one, I can't imagine any rational-minded woman voluntarily subjecting herself to you full time.

  "I just might surprise you," smiled Buck. "I have qualities that haven't been used yet and the right woman could do herself right proud to discover them."

  "It's obvious this conversation is another exercise in futility," Gus declared. Let's get back to figuring out what this Blaine woman is up to, something just don't ring right with her. She didn't ask enough questions to suit me. She sat there and said more in fewer words than a Phoenix lawyer, then let fly with that comment about us not recognizing the potential of that rock pile out there. On top of everything else, she knew the property was for sale because she hired a helicopter to fly over it a few days after I did and didn't say a damn word about it. I feel we are overlooking something and the probability of us getting the shaft is growing with every move we make."

  "Ah hell! Gus." Buck soothed. "You're just looking for shadows on a cloudy day, is what's botherin' you. All she's lookin' for is a place to build a house and you know how lots of these women can get some mighty strange notions in their heads about houses that ain't all that reasonable. Now why in the world would a pretty lady like her go to all the trouble of cookin' some scheme to stick a couple good ol' boys like us. We ain't never done her any wrong."

  "This whole deal is getting down right spooky," Gus persisted. "The more I think about it the more I think this Blaine woman is up to something and knows a whole bunch more than we do about this land deal."

  "Can't see as how there's much we can do except wait and see," rattled Buck. "It ain't costin' us money to wait a bit."

  Two days later a part of Gus and Buck's answer came in a fax from Land Investment Ltd. informing them the northwest eighty acres was sold independently. They were now ready to proceed with negotiations on the in town property and asked to be advised on the payment schedule Junction Realty's client intended to use for debt retirement.

  Within minutes after reading the fax Gus was punching Buck's number on his phone pad.

  "Hello," answered Buck.

  "Better get you lazy ass down here, summoned Gus on the other end. "We have some serious talking to do, in fact, several million dollars worth of talking."

  "Oh, my gawd," croaked Buck. "Guess I better wander down your way sure enough."

  Entering Junction Realty, Buck could see Gus bent over his desk punching numbers into a hand calculator.

  "Sort of sounds like the shit done hit the fan," greeted Buck. "What happened? Did our Blaine lady go and buy the rock pile levin'us with a clear shot at the town property?"

  "That's exactly the news I received," answered Gus still working his calculator with a worried frown etched on his brow. Looking up to face Buck he offered a question.

  "Remember my telling you I thought there was something spooky about that Blaine Woman?

  "Ya, sort of," Buck mumbled. Not fully getting the drift of Gus' question.

  "To further refresh your chicken wire memory,' Gus began. "She was looking for property in the twenty-five hundred to thirty-five hundred dollar per acre range. The sixty-four dollar question now becomes, why didn't she just go ahead and buy the land for the two grand as it was offered to us right after she rented the helicopter? Instead she waits around until I called to ask about her joining us. She shows up, asks some good questions without a hint of knowing anything about the land before and two days later I get word she bought it.

  I'm still convinced we're dealing with some smoke and mirror stuff here we don't know about and it's starting to get the hair on the back of my neck to feeling funny."

  "It does sound a little on the strange side sure enough. Main thing is she bought the land and we got the rock pile off our necks so we're free to go for the big piece with no attached baggage."

  "If you say so," shrugged Gus. "There's no need for me to get worked up about something that's not really my problem. It's your money that's at risk, which brings us back to reality. Are you ready to write a check for the down payment or do you have to sell some cows to come up with the cash?

  "Hey Gus, ain't you forgettin' somethin'? Like how much do they want for the big hunk of ground now the rock pile is gone? All they ever told us was one price for the whole spread."

  "I guess you're right. It is kind of hard to make a down payment on land without it having a price. O.K. Buck I'll get back to them about a price."

  A day later Nellie and Rita were having lunch when Nellie posed the question about how she should price the land Buck was planning on making his fortune by reselling it to U. S. Resorts.

  "Gus was quoted $6.7-million for both pieces, right?" Rita asked.

  "Right." Nellie confirmed. "Yesterday afternoon Gus faxed Land Investment asking for a price on the big piece."

  "How about dropping the price to get Buck drooling over the profit he plan
s to make, then stall him along with a buy option for six months or so and jerk the rug."

  "Rita, you have a vile streak in your blood. It must be inherited from some of your ancestors being caught by the inquisition making it possible for you to think up ways to torture men. If your idea doesn't break Buck to lead with a short rope, I seriously doubt if anything will. I'll figure out some numbers this afternoon that will get his juices to flowing."

  "Hello," said Buck answering his phone.

  "O. K. Buck. You had better get a hold of yourself and mosey on down. A price came through on the land from Land Investment Ltd." Gus said.

  "How much do they want?"

  "I think it ought to wait until you get here. It maybe too much for you to take while you're alone, it may cause you to have a stroke."

  "Ah come on Gus you can at least." Buck stopped talking when he heard the click of Gus's phone hanging up.

  "Damn. Gus sure is gettin' testy these days. Guess he must be getting crabby in his old age. Then maybe I've been pushin' him kind of hard lately."

  When Buck walked into Gus's office, Gus wore a look of don't mess with me.

  "May as well sit down," Gus said without any greeting. I received a fax from Land Development about an hour ago, which I'm not completely sure about. I still believe there are some spooks messing around, the likes of which doesn't set well with my suspicious nature. With my immediate concerns being said, I'll get to the news. It's short and sweet. Land Investments wants $5.5-million with ten percent down and four point one percent interest for ten years in nine equal payments with first payment one year from date of sale."

  "How come they dropped the price or else Rita Blaine paid a bunch for the rock pile?"

  "Fax didn't include any explanation. The question now becomes. Do you have five hundred and fifty thousands to make a down payment?"

  "I hadn't really thought much about the money part of the deal yet. I was sort of thinkin' maybe we could get some earnest money from the hotel outfit and jawbone the rest. We could have the hotel make payments higher than the payments would be to the land company and bank the difference."

  "You do have a simple mind, Buck. And where do you get this 'we' stuff? Are you including a turd in your pocket? So far you've contributed absolutely nothing to this deal and now you come up with a far-fetched idea of WE can pull all this off without putting any money on the line. The question now becomes, why do I need you? Going on your idea of letting the hotel pay off the land with banking a difference is even better than perpetual motion."

  "Naturally I thought we'd split the profits," Buck replied.

  "I don't recall us ever discussing this as a partnership. Just to refresh you memory, I'm a broker and I take a commission every time land is bought or sold. I've also been spending a lot of time and my money trying to make this deal work that you fail to get through your granite skull.

  This isn't like getting a cow bred and then setting back to wait for a calf to drop nine months later. Buck, your problem is you got spoiled on the deal I worked for you on the condos. That deal was almost like taking candy from a baby. This time it's a different game, if you're still going to play in the real world game you've got to get the concept through into your mind it's a tough grownup world out there, and with Land Investment thumping on your staves, the time has come for you to realize you can lose your ass and everything else that goes with it."

  "I thought your commission paid for the work you do." Buck said, weakly.

  "That's true, but the time has come for you to put some money on the table for greasing the skids to make something happen or else I quit working and everything grinds to a screeching halt."

  "Speaking of commissions, how much are you fixin' to charge me."

  Gus leaned back in his chair with a look of exasperation written on his face deep in thought.

  "Buck, have you heard anything I've said?"

  "You've been goin' on about so many things I don't know which one to answer about."

  "All right Buck. It sure didn't take you long to get over the, 'we' stuff and back to being 'I'.

  Since you're so all fired worried about how much commission I'm going to charge you on this imagined windfall I'm supposed to make happen for you. It's time you turned those dollar signs your pea-brain mind has been seeing dancing before your eyes and tell me how much collateral you have and /or you're willing to put down to make this deal happen. When you're ready to pull your side of the load, I'll get back to work. It's your move Buck."

  Buck sat back looking like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar and not knowing quite sure how to keep the cookies without getting his butt worked over.

  "Gawd, Gus, them are hard words you're throwin' at me. I really hadn't been thinkin' about the collateral stuff you're talkin' about. How do I go about figerin' it?"

  "You're trying to make yourself out as a big time land trader. I notice you didn't have any problem figuring out how the few acres of rock and cactus Rita Blaine bought? left you free to deal on the town land. The way I'm beginning to see you; you're nothing but a lard bucket full of daydreams thinking somebody else is going to make you piles of money without you having to do anything but set around expounding on your big ideas while thinking you're the cure for female menopause.

  For the last time are you willing, no let me say it another way, are you willing to commit a substantial pile of money on this big land deal you've been planning on me making work for you?"

  "Well, yes. I guess I am. But I'll need some help getting this collateral business whipped in shape."

  "Buck. Pay attention. I'll share the risk with you and charge you twelve percent on any profits made, or the term we use in the business is 'net'. Most brokers charge a lower commission on the gross or full amount of the sale. Sometime the broker's commission eats up most or all of the profit. By charging on the net, I only make money if you do."

  Isn't twelve percent kind of high?" Buck quibbled.

  "Take it or leave it, Buck. If you didn't understand my offer, you had better think about going back to talking with cows because I sure as hell don't seem to have any luck telling you anything. If you're going to be a land tycoon you had better start learning something about how the dollars move so you can participate in the action or at least treat your broker nice and sweet if he's going to do the thinking for you. Now what's it gong to be? Either 'put up or shut up'."

  "Ah heck, Gus, don't go and get yourself all heated up. Do whatever you think is best."

  "Do I hear you saying yes?" Gus asked. If it's yes, my commission will be twelve percent of net and you'll have to sign an agreement to that effect. It has been my experience written contracts are like well-maintained fences, they tend to make better relations between neighbors. In addition this agreement will specify the amount of collateral you're willing to put up. Are you still willing to sign?"

  "O.K., go ahead and make out the papers and I'll sign 'em even if I don't understand half of the words you're throwing at me anyway. Now where do we go from here since I'm in no position to come up with over a half-million dollars? Looks like you're going to have to earn some of that commission by figgerin' out how to make the money move, if I'm goin' to be the sack holder.

  "I know about your holdings here and how much they're worth, now let's talk about the ranch. How much is your ranch worth? I suspect, when the price of beef is up it should be good for close to half a million. So from the way I figure it, you should be able come up with enough collateral for the down payment that you'll have to float a loan for. However, there are some options open to you. U.S. Resorts will have to come up with some front money and a fairly high rate of interest. If U.S. Resorts has a good credit record there is a better than fair possibility of getting an interim loan at a low rate of interest. We know the terms Land Investment want. But we are still in the dark about how far U. S. Resorts will go. Another important thing we need to watch is interest rate
s. More profits are made or lost on interest point than the difference between buying and selling prices.

  "Dammit it Gus,' expelled Buck. "All that stuff you're talkin' about is givin' me a headache."

  "Well, Bucky Old Boy that's why it takes a hard pair of balls to be in the land trading business. The few who make big money has the hard one, while the rest of the herd packing soft ones loose their shirts. Buck, Old Buddy, it looks like the time has come when have to decide on whether you carry hard ones or soft ones.