“You’re paying me to raise crops for you?”
“Yep.”
“Do you expect me to give them to you for free, even though you’re paying me to do it?”
Mary laughed and rocked in her chair. “I don’t do sharecropping. You’ll be paid market price for all your produce. I believe in treating everyone fairly and like family. There’s a lot of hard work involved in this farming and because you grew up on a farm, you understand that better than most.”
“I do.” Dana was relieved that she would be paid for the produce; she would need the income.
“For me, you’re a very valuable resource for our valley and my grocery store. But I want you to sign a contract with me, agreeing that no chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, or GMO seeds will ever be used.”
“I’m right there with you,” Dana said, trying to take all of this unexpected news in and digest it.
“I figured you were, but we’ll put that in writing because the people who come to my grocery store trust me. I’m not gonna let them down. Also, I’m assuming you’re aware of companion planting and utilizing certain flowers, like marigolds, among others, to plant along with the crops. They’re natural pesticides from nature, and that’s all you can use.”
“Yes, my parents never used anything other than what you’re talking about. They produced alfalfa for cube manufacturers and they wanted ‘clean,’ non-GMO alfalfa for the animals that would eat it. My mother always used alfalfa cubes in her garden as mulch, as well as the benefits from it because it’s a wonderful source of natural nitrogen in the right mix, for garden plants.”
“Good to know! I’m pleased.” Mary stood up and offered her long, thin hand across the desk to Dana. “Let’s shake on it. Around here, in most cases, a person’s word is her or his bond.”
Dana stood, smiled a little unsurely, still dizzied by what had just happened, and gently closed her hand around Mary’s. “You’ve got a deal, Mary. Thank you for this opportunity. I won’t let you down. I promise.” She released the woman’s hand. Mary’s face beamed, her eyes sparkling as she sat back down.
“Take my business card there,” she said, pointing toward it. “My personal cell phone number is on there. The people who work to make my grocery store what it is, can call me anytime they want. Welcome to our family.”
* * *
Colin Gallagher felt a huge, dark burden lift off his shoulders as he double-checked his flatbed load. The antique John Deere tractor was on board, the disc and other plows, plus a metal box filled with farm tools that this woman, Dana Scott, would need.
Earlier, Chase had come and gotten him out of one of the barns and told him his wish had been granted: He was assigning him to a small valley farm that had just been bought by a woman, that would be low stress compared to being around Three Bars. Mary had hired her to become her produce resource for the grocery store, and she asked that he assign a wrangler to help her. Colin jumped at the chance. He hated waking up at night, screaming, and then startling the other wranglers awake, as well. His PTSD was severe, and he was desperate to stop what was happening, but he couldn’t.
Fortunately, Chase had been in the military and understood. They were working on ten houses that would start to be built for the wranglers with families and after those were completed, for the single wranglers.. Until then, the single male wranglers all slept in the bunkhouse. The women wranglers had a separate bunkhouse.
He had been ready to quit because he was causing major sleep deprivation for the rest of the hands, until Chase had come by with this new assignment.
It felt as if life were being breathed back into him as he slowly walked around the flatbed, one more time checking the chains that held the tractor in place on it, as well as the wide, thick nylon straps across the other items.
“Colin,” Chase said, coming out of his office to see him. “My mother says there is no livable place on that ranch.”
Frowning, Colin said, “You mean I have to come back here every night and sleep in the bunkhouse?” It was the last thing he wanted to do. He saw Bishop grin a little. Their military background had bonded them closely, like brothers, to one another.
“No, I have a fix for it. Mary is buying a double-wide mobile home to be put on the place. I guess Dana, the owner, knows nothing about this yet, so you can break the news to her. You’ll both have a bedroom, one at each end of it, so you’ll have full privacy. It has two bathrooms, as well.”
Relief poured through Colin. “That’s mighty nice of Mary to do that for this woman, Dana.”
“Dana Scott is her name. Mary likes her a lot. All I know about her is that she’s a farm girl from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. She’s agreed to raise produce that Mary needs for the store, but don’t be shocked by how run-down the Wildflower Ranch is. There’s a small log cabin on it that should probably be torn down and plans drawn up for a house to be built on the site, instead. Mary counseled one step at a time, here. You okay sharing a trailer with her? It’s large enough to give you both space and you can meet in the center of it where the kitchen and dining room are located.”
“I’ll make it work.”
Chase clapped him on the back as they walked toward the front of the truck. “I know you’ve been worried about waking everyone at night.”
“Yeah,” he muttered, pulling his black Stetson down a little to shade his eyes from the rising sun.
“Well, these modern-day mobile homes are pretty airtight and soundproof, so as long as you close your bedroom door at night, I’m sure Dana won’t hear you.”
“That’s a big relief.”
“This mobile home has four bedrooms. Mary’s equipping the room next to your and Dana’s bedrooms, converting them into offices for each of you with two computer terminals. That way the two spare bedrooms become offices, something you’re going to need. And she’s arranging for a wide-screen TV for the living room.”
“I don’t watch much TV,” Colin admitted, halting and opening the door to the truck.
“You also have my permission to come back here for any tools or other machinery you need. Mary wants to make this as easy as possible on Dana, so she can make the planting this season, on June 1. You just leave a list of items you need in my office, and I’ll have someone drive it out to the Wildflower Ranch for you.”
Nodding, he climbed into the cab after pulling on his elk-skin gloves. “Sounds good, boss. I’ll let her know.”
“And get me her cell phone number, will you? Mary’s already called the utility companies, and she’s going to put in electric, telephone, and another construction contractor is coming out to dig out a septic tank for the mobile home. She’s got a plumber and an electrician set up to put in what’s necessary before it arrives. Mary says about a week. It’s going to be busy and hectic the first week or so, Colin.”
“I guess so,” he said, shutting the door and rolling down the window. “I’ll be in touch. As soon as I unload all this gear and machinery, I’m going to assess what else she needs out there and I’ll talk it over with you by cell.”
Chase raised his hand. “Sounds good. Adios, compadre.”