Chapter Three #2
“Well, on the cattle side of the business, we watch for pinkeye and anaplasmosis problems that arise because of biting insects. We monitor the cattle’s body condition and adjust their nutritional programs. Bored yet?”
She took a sip of her wine. “Nope, go on.”
“We begin to plan the winter grazing and future feeding programs and rotate the cattle to different pastures.”
“Why would you move them around?”
He laid his fork and knife down and took a long drink of his water. “The cattle might have eaten all the grass in the pasture they are in, so we move them to one that hasn’t been grazed.”
“What is Turbo’s job in all that?” she asked.
“A good cow dog is as valuable as gold on a ranch. They help keep the herd together and moving forward,” he told her. “Now, let’s talk about you. How was your day?”
“Great!” she said with enthusiasm. “I love to cook, so I got to spend the day in the kitchen.”
“Do you get a lot of days like that?”
Lula Ann shook her head. “Nope. I’m on vacation this week. That’s why I get to sleep late, cook when I want to, and watch sunsets every evening.”
“What do you do when you aren’t on vacation?” Miles asked.
Her mind went into overtime. She had not laid her hand on the Bible and sworn in a court of law to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, but he deserved at least a version of the real facts. After all, he had been honest with her with all that information about cows.
“I play with dirt and rocks and go into the office a couple of days a week,” she answered, hoping that was enough to satisfy him.
He was quiet for so long that the silence began to get awkward. Her hands began to sweat, and she couldn’t grasp a single thought racing through her mind. “I’m a geologist, so I’m out in the field a lot. Then I go into the office and work on plans for drilling oil,” she blurted out.
“You told me that you were a landscaper when we first met,” he reminded her.
“No, I told you that I like to play with dirt and rocks,” she countered. “As a geologist, that’s what I do a lot of the time. You asked me if that meant I was a landscaper, and I just said that was as good a title as any.”
He cocked his head to one side and studied her for a long time. “I would have never guessed that. That’s amazing. How many years did you have to go to college for that?”
“Seven years, but I went summers and took extra hours. Plus, I graduated from high school a year early, so I had my master’s degree when I was twenty-four.” She told the truth for that part, and then tried to shift the conversation away from herself and to him. “Did you go to college?”
“Two years, and hated every bit of it, but I got an associate’s degree in Agricultural Science, which has helped me on the ranch,” he answered. “Hypothetically, if a ranch owner has the mineral rights, what would he look for if he wanted someone to see if there was oil on his land?”
“He would hire someone like me to evaluate the land and then hire a specialist to conduct seismic surveys,” she answered. “After that there would be contracts and lawyers involved.”
“That’s a far jump from a landscaper …” he hesitated.
“Are you disappointed?” she asked.
“No, not in the least. I just have to wrap my mind around the fact.”
“Did you think that because my name is Lula Ann that I couldn’t be intelligent enough to be a geologist?”
He threw up both palms in a defensive gesture. “Hey, now! With a name like Bubba, would you have thought I had some higher education or knew a damn thing about ranching?”
Her frown turned into a grin, and she giggled. “I guess we both made unfair judgments.”
“Looks like it.” He smiled and finished off the last bite of roast on his plate. “Now, did I hear something about cinnamon rolls for dessert?”
She pushed her plate back and stood up. “With or without ice cream?”
“With, please,” Miles said. “And since you like sunsets so much, maybe we could take it to the porch and watch whatever the sky has to offer us tonight. Then I’ll help you get the kitchen cleaned up.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said as she got the vanilla bean ice cream from the freezer, and put a scoop on each sweet roll.
“Anytime you put a meal like this on the table, you can bet your bottom dollar I’m going to help with the dishes. My mama would take a wooden spoon to me if I didn’t.”
“Like I said before, your mother raised you right.” Lula Ann stuck a spoon in each bowl and set them on a cookie sheet since she didn’t have a proper tray. Then she poured white wine into two jelly glasses and added a long-neck bottle of Coors to the tray.
Miles pushed back his chair and picked up the tray. “Looks like the sun is sinking fast, so if we’re going to see the pretty colors, we’d better get moving.”
Miles set the makeshift tray on the small round table between two rocking chairs and waited until Lula Ann sat down before he eased down in the other one. “A gentleman waits for the lady to get her food first, but I’m having to discipline myself right now.”
Lula Ann picked up one of the bowls and scooped up a big bite of the sweet roll and ice cream. “There now. I’ve started eating, so you are free to get after it.”
“This is every bit as good as Mama makes,” he said. “I’ve taken the job up near Katy, so I’m driving up to Ringgold to get my horse, saddle, and personal things to bring down here,” he said. “Maybe we can see each other again when I get back.”
“Just give me a call.” Lula Ann blinked back tears at the very thought of him living so close, and yet when the whole truth surfaced, the relationship—if that’s what she could call it—would be over, and then the stupid tears could fall.