I could understand that. “What would I do here?”
“Take over the farm. It’s what your dad keeps hoping you’ll do.”
I rolled my eyes. “I swear. If I came back here and moved onto the farm permanently, I’d probably end up murdering my father.”
“Oh, come on. Your dad isn’t that bad, and it’s a big house.” Dell paused. “He needs help and can’t manage the farm any longer. His foot injury is only part of it.” I couldn’t deny that Dell was right by the state of things when I’d arrived. “Farming is a young man’s game. It’s not for guys like your father any longer. He’s working as hard as he can and he still can’t keep up. Then he arranged to buy more land, and now it’s more than he could ever handle.”
I knew that was true, but this wasn’t my life any longer. Still, I didn’t want Dad to lose the farm. It was all he had of Mom, and it was everything he had built through his life. “I don’t know what I could do.”
Dell patted my hand. “At least think about it. You have a chance to put down some real roots here. You said yourself that you don’t go out and you don’t have a great life in Chicago. So at least think about returning here.”
He seemed to earnest and genuine. It was almost tempting, and Dell was an enticement. But hell, what was I thinking? My father and I barely got along and kept from killing each other. Sure, Dell was a great guy, but we had just reconnected, and that didn’t mean that anything was going last between us. What I needed to do was get my head on straight and be realistic, and that meant returning to Chicago.
“How long are you going to stay?” Dell asked quietly.
When I answered, I could almost see the wheels behind Dell’s eyes turning a mile a minute.
Chapter Five
God, I was exhausted, but grateful as hell that the rain held off. Days spent in the cabs of trucks as they filled with corn, then driving them to the grain elevator. Load after load, deposit after deposit. With each passing hour, I could feel the pressure on Dad being lifted. I signed for each load and made sure I had copies of all the paperwork, including exact weights and amounts. Dad had really stepped up and gotten himself an amazing price, and now all we had to do was deliver the last of the harvest. With Dad’s deal, time was of the essence.
“There’s only these two areas left.” Dell pointed to the map before climbing into the harvester and starting the engine on the massive beast. I got the catch truck in place, and he extended the boom, starting the process again, and we slowly made our way down the exacting rows.
Hours passed, and the first truck filled. I parked it, and we did the same with the second, then drove them both to the elevator before returning and repeating the process.
“We need to hurry,” I told Dell as I showed him the radar on my phone. “That line of rain is two hours off at most.”
We got into position, and Dell put the harvester into high gear. It ate up swath after swath of corn, and once the first truck was full, I took the time to pull the built-in cover over the harvested corn to keep it dry, then jumped into the second truck. Dell had kept the harvester running and primed, so as soon as I was in place, the process started once again. We went as fast as we dared as I watched the rain get closer.
We have maybe half an hour, I sent to Dell. It wasn’t going to be enough. There was an hour of work left at least. As soon as it rains, we stop, cover what we have, and get it to the elevator, I added, and received a thumbs-up in reply. It had to be dry, and that meant covering the truck.
We could keep the harvester, but that also meant that Dad would have to pay the lease rate for the days it rained, which would only eat into his profits. I was well aware that farming was sometimes a love/hate relationship with the elements. In the spring, you prayed for breaks in the rain so the fields could dry and your crops could be planted. In the summer, you prayed for rain to water the growing crops. In fall, you prayed again for dry days so the fields would be firm enough and you could harvest. In between, there was a lot of praying for a million other things. Fuck, as a farmer, there was a lot of time spent on your knees. It was the way of life and had been for centuries, regardless of the advancements made in seed, fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. They made a difference, but Mother Nature still reigned supreme.
I checked the radar and called Dell. “We might have caught a break. The rain seems to have parted around us.” I watched as the animation on my screen sent the green blotches of rain heading north and south of us in a weird wedge, with us in the blank middle, at least for now.
“Fifteen minutes,” he answered.
We continued forward, eating up the last of the corn to be harvested. Rex slid closer on the seat, and I petted him, his tail thumping as though he were just as relieved as we were.
The flow of corn trickled to nothing. Then the drone and rumble of the harvester grew silent. We had made it. I brought the truck to a halt, and both Dell and I climbed out of our vehicles. “Let’s get this covered and on its way to the elevator.”
“I called Bill, and he’s on his way to pick up the harvester. He agreed to deliver it to the next farm.”
My legs were shaking from driving for day and with relief that we were done. I raced to Dell and hugged him tight. We had done it. It was tempting to hold him and, hell, maybe celebrate in one of the cabs, but there was still work to do, even if I was so on edge for him. Everything in me said to hold on to Dell while I could, but my logical brain had other ideas. I needed to keep my attention on getting this job done and going home. But, damn, Dell felt so good. Still, he held me tight, and it had been a long time since I’d felt warm and safe like this. I knew he would be there for me, and other than Alan, there was no one else I could count on like that.
“Let’s get the cover on,” Dell said, and I pulled away, nodded, and hurried to the truck.
Bill arrived with his ride and took charge of the harvester, waving as he pulled out of the field with his ride following him away. I climbed into the truck with Rex and started the drive to town, with Dell behind me.
The rain began as the second truck was being off-loaded. We had gotten finished just in time, and Dad was in for one hell of a payday. My heart still pounded, and I was wrung out.
Dell took the catch truck he had secured back, and I drove the other to Bill’s and then got a ride home.
“You two make quite a team,” Bill said as Rex and I sat in the truck with him. He glanced over at me. “Yes, I heard the rumors, and you boys didn’t leave much to the imagination with that display at the bar.” He made the turn onto the road with the farm. “I didn’t think it would be possible to get all that corn in like you did.”
“Thanks,” I said with a sigh. It had been rough, sunup to sundown, without taking many breaks.
“You know I don’t care one way or another about who you love. Most folks around here don’t either.” His choice of words surprised me. “I got a granddaughter who’s married to a woman. Lovely doctor who works with children in Guatemala for part of the year. I understand.” Bill pulled to a stop at the sign. “It’s none of my business, but we got ourselves a good life here. Everyone helps each other and works together. You don’t get that in big cities.”