“I’d like that, to go to the States,” Elsa said softly.
“There’s an easy way to have that happen, without Mattingly. Let me arrange it.”
“How in the world could you do that?”
“You ever hear that money is grease?”
“No. And I have no idea what it means.”
“With money, anything is possible.”
“I’ve heard that.”
“I’ve got a lot of money.”
She looked at him.
He went on: “There are four sections of land on the F-Bar-Z. A section is a square mile, or six hundred forty acres. One of the sections is mine—my grandfather put it in my name when I was born. When I came here, I was curious about how that would match up with your land measurement. I found out. Six hundred forty acres is two hundred fifty-eight point nine nine eight eight hectares. Call it two hundred fifty-nine hectares.”
“That’s enormous. I don’t think there was that much land around Schloss Wachtstein. And your family owns four of these sections?”
She believes me. So far.
“Yeah, and I’m an only child, so presumably one day all four sections will be mine. But right now, I own just the one.”
He let that sink in, then added: “But what’s important, Elsa, is that on the section I own there are fifty-one horsehead pumps sucking West Texas sweet crude oil out of the ground and, after the Texas Railroad Board takes its cut, into my bank account.”
“What are you saying, Jimmy?”
“That you’re sitting here in your transparent underwear with a rich guy who’s in love with you. You don’t need this Colonel Mattingly. I can take care of you. I will take care of you.”
“Oh, Jimmy!” she said, and touched her fingertips to his face again.
“Okay?”
“I want you to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“I want you to promise me you’ll never tell what you just told me to another German girl, German woman, after I’m gone.”
“Why should I? And what do you mean, after you’re gone?”
“I’m going with Colonel Mattingly, wherever he takes me. Understand that. And after I’ve gone, the next time you’re with a German girl, or a German woman, I don’t want you to say one word about your ranch. My God, my sweet Jimmy, don’t you have any idea how many thousands of women there are in Germany even worse off than I am? I at least have my engagement ring and the necklace. And my brother-in-law survived, and apparently has some connection with Colonel Mattingly.
“These women have nothing. No husbands. No families. Many of them have children to support. If they’ll go to bed with an American soldier for a Hershey bar, to stay alive, what do you think they’d do to get an American officer to take care of them? A rich, young, foolish American officer?”
“I’m not a fool, Elsa!”
“Oh, my sweet Jimmy, you are! My God, what have I done to you?”
“Aside from making me fall in love with you, you mean?”
She took a deep breath.
“Now listen to me very carefully, Jimmy. Unless you promise me right now—and mean it—that y
ou stop this nonsense about being in love with me, and never bring it up again, I’m going to call Major Connell and tell him that you’re making unwanted advances to me.”