“Nah,” Mary said, cackling, “just down the rabbit hole, Alice, is all.”
Dana laughed along with everyone else. “Call me Alice.”
“Colin will help you turn your ranch and farm into a success,” Chase reassured her. “He’s been with us several years, knows about crop rotation, soil mixture, and so much more.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” Colin deadpanned, hearing laughter erupt among the close-knit group.
“Is that ever the truth!” Mary giggled, slapping her knee.
“Is there anything on your idea plate for the future for the valley?” Dana wondered, absolutely enamored with Mary’s ideas.
“Oh”—she rolled her eyes—“of course there is. We pass out a Q and A sheet to those folks who take our workshops at the back of our grocery store. The one thing that so many of them ask for is herbal medicine.”
Dana smiled. “That’s something I know enough about to be dangerous. What are you planning?”
“Well, I’m actually going to try it out on your back fifty acres once we get you settled onto your Wildflower Ranch.” Mary wagged a finger at her. “You know? Names and words mean something. They’re symbolic on a greater playing level. Wildflowers to me translates into herbal-medicine wildflowers. The history on that ranch is long and prestigious, Dana. I’ve got an old book that was written by the son of the people who came here to make a better life for themselves. It was the son’s wife, Hilda, who worked hard to create not only a garden around their log cabin, but also, she was an herbalist. People from around the valley came to her. She was the local doctor, so to speak, because at that time, real doctors were rare as hen’s teeth. That back fifty acres you’re going to turn into crops?”
“Yes?”
“You and I sat down and went over what you would plant. You remember?”
“Sure.”
“Half your crop is devoted to medicinal herbs. My vision is to have you grow them this year and we’ll see how it goes. People want medicinal herbs. We get calls for calendula, peppermint, chamomile, comfrey, dead nettle, echinacea, and so many more. When you told me that your family raised a lot of these plants, besides the other crops, I felt you were the right person to tag and we would see what happens.”
Excited, Dana said, “Oh! I didn’t know the history behind your decision. This is so exciting! My mother dabbled in herbs just like the ones you named. I grew up on a lot of them and very rarely saw a doctor.”
Nodding sagely, Mary said, “I was completely raised on medicinal herbs. Our family was too poor and could not afford a doctor to come calling. I’m happy to hear your mother was truly an herbalist.”
Dana pushed her sadness away and rallied. “And if I can grow those crops successfully? What then? The next step in your vision?”
“Then I’ll get serious about hunting up a certified herbalist to come and live here in the valley with us. I’ve already got some ideas on that because I take several herbalist magazine subscriptions. There’s a number of young women, and a few men, who have the kind of medical background I need, because they’d have to be able to ascertain when to send their client to ER or to their primary care doctor instead of utilizing a medical herb.”
Sobering, Dana said, “We agree on that. I once stepped on a rusty nail and I asked my mother what herb she had that would help it. Instead, she took me directly to our naturopathic doctor, who gave me a tetanus shot and wrote a prescription for antibiotics. A puncture, especially with a rusty nail, can kill you because you can get tetanus from it. My mother knew those things.”
“That’s truly good,” Mary said. “Traditional medicine and surgery aren’t off my list. I’d use ’em if I needed them, but they’re always a second choice. But first, and always, I go to the medical herbs my mother raised and gave me.”
“There’s many times when you don’t need a prescription,” Dana agreed. “And with so many drugs having awful, even life-threatening adverse side effects? Why not try something natural that could do the work for you and it’s a lot cheaper, moneywise, too?”
“I’ve got a list of three individuals sitting in my file on this idea,” Mary told her. “I’m going to be out to your ranch, often, walking that acreage of yours, and if the herbs are coming along like I think they will? I’ll be interviewing those candidates to see if they meet my expectations and the vision I have for the job.”
“And then get that person to move out here to Silver Creek Valley?” Dana wondered.
“Exactly. I don’t take no for an answer.” Mary gave her an elfish grin.
Everyone nodded, giving one another knowing glances. Mary was a force of nature, and everyone knew it and gave her the respect she was due.
Colin sat on the arm of the settee, cup of coffee balanced on one knee. He hadn’t said much at all, but appeared interested and absorbed in the conversation.
The tinkle of a bell sounded.
“Time to eat!” Mary told them, getting up from her rocking chair in the corner near the fireplace. “I’m starving!”
The long trestle table made of beautiful oak could easily hold twelve people. Mary sat at one end with Cari and Chase at her elbows. To Dana’s delight, she got to sit next to Cari with Colin next to her. As always, he was pretty quiet, listening intently to the conversation around them. Opposite them were Lea and Logan. The fragrance of all the food made her mouth water and stomach growl. She looked over at Colin, who held her gaze.
“Hungry enough to eat a cow, are we?” he teased her.
She tittered and shook her head. “Never!”
“Everything sure smells good,” he said, patting his own flat, hard belly.
Louise came rolling out a huge service cart and everyone stopped talking, eyeing the steaming food coming their way.
“Oh, hurry,” Lea begged Louise, “I’m soooo hungry!”
“That’s ’cause you’re feeding two,” Mary said, smiling tenderly over at her pregnant daughter-in-law.
“Well,” Lea said, grinning, “that’s true!” and she gently caressed her swelling belly.
Louise halted, set the parking brake on the large cart and said, “Vegans are served first!”
The women cheered. The men took it with good grace, thinking of the beefsteaks that would eventually come their way.
“Guests first,” Louise pronounced. She placed an antique blue-and-white willow plate in front of Dana. “Tonight, vegetarian enchiladas and a crisp green salad!”
Dana thanked her, making happy sounds as she inhaled the spicy scents.
Mary threw up her hands. “Hallelujah, Louise! My favorite meal!”
“You’re next, Miss Mary.” She quickly brought a plate over to her. Mary took the plate, and held it close to her nose, inhaling deeply. “Ah, Louise, you are the best!” She set the plate down.
Cari was happy to get hers, as well. It had two large enchiladas on it, instead of one.
Louise brought over T-bone steaks, mashed potatoes drizzled with a rich, brown gravy, along with French beans sprinkled with almonds and tiny onions. There were growls of thanks going to Louise, who took the compliments with a wide smile.