love. It wasn’t just the whole thing with Linda. There had been a couple of women that came after Linda who broke his heart as well. And had come close to breaking his spirit.
The result was that he was no longer a man who fell in love easily.
He did know, though, that he enjoyed being with this woman. They clicked in every way possible. Was that the same as love? He wasn’t sure. But he damn well wasn’t going to walk into love and get hurt again. Not when there was no hurry to do so.
He looked into her eyes. He wondered if she needed the confirmation. Maybe it wasn’t the boys who needed to hear those three little words. Maybe it was her.
But if she was hoping to hear him say he loved her, she seemed to take it well when he didn’t. She smiled and went back to her work, and didn’t seem hurt or upset in any way.
Maybe he would tell her he loved her someday soon. But first he had to fight an internal battle, a debate within his own mind, that it was love he really felt. And whether or not it was smart to risk another broken heart by falling in love again.
-17 -
“Howdy, partner.”
A burley mountain of a man in a blue plaid shirt and coveralls met Scott halfway across the feed store floor.
He reached out a ham-sized fist and Scott took it. It was a firm handshake.
Scott’s father had always told him you can tell a lot from a handshake. Men who shook hands with a firm grip were confident. That confidence usually came from the knowledge that they were honest and successful. They were good men to do business with.
Men with weak handshakes, on the other hand, were usually the nervous sort. Scott’s father maintained that they were nervous because they had things to hide. They couldn’t be trusted.
And after all his years in business, Scott had seen for himself that in nearly all cases, his father was right.
This man, who looked like he stepped right out of an old western movie, was an honest man. Scott was sure of it.
“I’m Tom Haskins. What can I do for you today, sir?”
“Scott Harter. I just bought a few acres of land, and I thought I’d fulfill a boyhood dream of mine and start my own cattle ranch. Not a big one. Just a few head. Trouble is, I don’t know beans about cows or ranching. I’ll learn as I go, but I was hoping you could help me figure out what kind of feed to buy.”
“You’re gonna be a cowboy, huh? Good for you, partner. The cowboy is a dying breed. Nobody wants to work with livestock anymore. We can use a few more good cowboys in the business.
“Come on back here and I’ll give you crash course on cattle feed.
“This here’s what we call compound feed. This is made by Purina, one of the best brands, but there are several other good brands also. It comes in pellet form, it’s easy to scoop and measure, and economical. Cows are like teenage boys. They’ll eat whatever you put in front of them. You can give them two pounds a day of this stuff, and they’ll be fine. Or, you can give them ten pounds a day and they’ll get fat. This is good sustenance food, for winter and droughts and such.
“This over here is called forage. It comes in bundles and is all organic material. That means anything that comes out of the ground could be caught up in here… grass, weeds, leaves, whatever. It’s a lot cheaper than feed, but it takes a lot more to keep your cattle full. Plus, forage doesn’t have the vitamins and supplements your cows need, so if you give them a strictly forage diet you’ll have to give them vitamins to keep them healthy.
“A little more expensive than the forage, but cheaper than the compound feed, is hay bales. Hay comes in several varieties. If you have horses
The result was that he was no longer a man who fell in love easily.
He did know, though, that he enjoyed being with this woman. They clicked in every way possible. Was that the same as love? He wasn’t sure. But he damn well wasn’t going to walk into love and get hurt again. Not when there was no hurry to do so.
He looked into her eyes. He wondered if she needed the confirmation. Maybe it wasn’t the boys who needed to hear those three little words. Maybe it was her.
But if she was hoping to hear him say he loved her, she seemed to take it well when he didn’t. She smiled and went back to her work, and didn’t seem hurt or upset in any way.
Maybe he would tell her he loved her someday soon. But first he had to fight an internal battle, a debate within his own mind, that it was love he really felt. And whether or not it was smart to risk another broken heart by falling in love again.
-17 -
“Howdy, partner.”
A burley mountain of a man in a blue plaid shirt and coveralls met Scott halfway across the feed store floor.
He reached out a ham-sized fist and Scott took it. It was a firm handshake.
Scott’s father had always told him you can tell a lot from a handshake. Men who shook hands with a firm grip were confident. That confidence usually came from the knowledge that they were honest and successful. They were good men to do business with.
Men with weak handshakes, on the other hand, were usually the nervous sort. Scott’s father maintained that they were nervous because they had things to hide. They couldn’t be trusted.
And after all his years in business, Scott had seen for himself that in nearly all cases, his father was right.
This man, who looked like he stepped right out of an old western movie, was an honest man. Scott was sure of it.
“I’m Tom Haskins. What can I do for you today, sir?”
“Scott Harter. I just bought a few acres of land, and I thought I’d fulfill a boyhood dream of mine and start my own cattle ranch. Not a big one. Just a few head. Trouble is, I don’t know beans about cows or ranching. I’ll learn as I go, but I was hoping you could help me figure out what kind of feed to buy.”
“You’re gonna be a cowboy, huh? Good for you, partner. The cowboy is a dying breed. Nobody wants to work with livestock anymore. We can use a few more good cowboys in the business.
“Come on back here and I’ll give you crash course on cattle feed.
“This here’s what we call compound feed. This is made by Purina, one of the best brands, but there are several other good brands also. It comes in pellet form, it’s easy to scoop and measure, and economical. Cows are like teenage boys. They’ll eat whatever you put in front of them. You can give them two pounds a day of this stuff, and they’ll be fine. Or, you can give them ten pounds a day and they’ll get fat. This is good sustenance food, for winter and droughts and such.
“This over here is called forage. It comes in bundles and is all organic material. That means anything that comes out of the ground could be caught up in here… grass, weeds, leaves, whatever. It’s a lot cheaper than feed, but it takes a lot more to keep your cattle full. Plus, forage doesn’t have the vitamins and supplements your cows need, so if you give them a strictly forage diet you’ll have to give them vitamins to keep them healthy.
“A little more expensive than the forage, but cheaper than the compound feed, is hay bales. Hay comes in several varieties. If you have horses
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