Chapter 7
“M om!” Avery called out as he waved to his mother at the TexarkanaRegional Airport.
“Avery!” She trotted down the concourse and straight into his arms. “Oh, son! It’s so good to see you!”
“You too, Mom! Come on. Let’s get going. I put stuff on to cook while I was gone.”
She wrinkled her brow in disbelief. “You? Cooking?”
That made Avery laugh out loud. “Yeah! I’ve got a couple of friends who’ve been teaching me. You’ll be surprised, I promise!”
Two hours later, BeverlyHolcomb sat back in the kitchen chair. “Oh, lordy, I’m stuffed! That was delicious, Avery. You did a great job.”
“Thanks. I actually enjoy cooking. And with Arlene teaching me to use the slow cooker, I can put a lot of things on to cook, go on about my business, and they’re done by dinnertime. Danette taught me how to make stroganoff in that thing, and it’s awesome,” he said, loading the dishwasher as he spoke. A knock on the door forced his head up, and he made his way there.
And once again, it was Lydia. He hadn’t heard a peep out of her since the night she’d brought the cupcakes, and just like before, she had a box in her hands. He opened the door and stood there. “Hi, Lydia.”
“Hi. I was experimenting again and tried this recipe. It’s really good. I thought maybe you’d like some.” She opened the box and there was a paper plate of something there that looked like brownies.
“What are these?”
She gave him a shy grin. “They’re fudgie brownie delights. I found the recipe in an old church cookbook. I thought they came out pretty good, but I can’t eat them all.”
Avery gave her a sideways glare. “What’s your game, Lydia?” The minute the words came out of his mouth, he was sorry as he remembered the look on her face that afternoon in the deputy’s cruiser.
She sighed. “I don’t have one. You can throw them away if you want,” she said just like before. “I just wanted to give them to someone who might like them and I thought of you. I’ve been giving baked goods away all over town and I think people are sick of seeing me, but I’m just trying to make people smile if I can and keep my mind off… stuff. I hadn’t brought you any in a while so I thought… Well, anyway, hope you enjoy them,” she said, turning to go.
“Well, who do we have here?” a voice called out from behind Avery and he fought the urge to roll his eyes.
“This is LydiaKinsey. Lydia, this is my mother, Beverly. Lydia was just leaving, Mom,” Avery said, intending for Lydia to keep walking.
“Oh! Well, invite her in! What have you got there?” Beverly asked.
“Just some baked goods she dropped by. But she’s got to get on home, don’t you, Lydia?” Avery said.
“Yes. I should, I suppose. Nice to meet you, Mrs.Holcomb,” Lydia called back.
“Nonsense! You come on in here. Avery, start a pot of coffee and we can all sit down and enjoy some of whatever you’ve got in that box. Come on in here, missy!” Beverly called after Lydia.
Avery rolled his eyes. That was not how he’d intended his mother’s first evening there to go. Beverly hurried off into the kitchen to get plates and forks as Lydia brushed past Avery.
Sorry, she mouthed when she looked up into his face as she passed.
Not your fault, he mouthed back.
“There wasn’t an extra car here. I had no idea there was anyone here,” she whispered.
He whispered back, “It’s okay. Really.” Avery swept his hand toward the living room to invite Lydia in and she took a few hesitant steps forward. When she did, her eyes lit up and she turned to Avery. “Oh my god,” she whispered. “This place looks great!”
“Thanks. I’ve worked hard on it.” Now Avery was concerned. She’d really start to bug him about the farm since she’d seen the work he’d done.
“It shows.” Lydia stepped into the kitchen area and asked Beverly, “What can I do to help?”
“Oh, no you don’t! You’re a guest. Have a seat,” Beverly sang out without turning to look at Lydia. The younger woman turned back to Avery and shrugged, and he gave her a half-hearted grin.
“So, what do you do?” Beverly asked Lydia when they were all settled with a plate and a cup of coffee.
“I’m a real estate agent here,” Lydia explained. Avery could tell she was trying to use as few words as she could, and he appreciated that.
“Real estate! That’s nice. Is the market good here?”
Lydia shrugged. “It’s okay. Not like in a big city. I’m not getting rich by any means, but I do earn myself a living.”
“That’s good! Where did you go to college?”
“I went to TuckerCounty Community College. Then on to TexasA&M,” she said, taking a bite of one of the brownies.
“What was your major?” Beverly asked.
“Um,” Lydia mumbled, obviously stalling. They waited. “Uh, agricultural sciences.”
Well, that was a surprise to Avery. All he could think of to say was, “I had no idea.”
“Yeah. I thought I’d, well, maybe it would come in handy in this area,” she said by way of explanation, but Avery knew full well what she wanted to say. The blond never looked up as she spoke, just stared at the brownie on her plate. This has to be extraordinarily painful for her , Avery thought.
“That was probably good thinking,” Beverly said, “because I’d think the chances of you becoming a farmer’s wife would be pretty good around here.”
Lydia’s discomfort was obvious. “Uh, yeah, no. Probably not.”
“Oh. That’s a shame,” Beverly groaned out. “Especially since you bake so divinely!”
“Thanks,” Lydia mumbled, still not looking up.
“Well, I guess I should get up from here and go feed the cattle for the evening. They’re probably wondering why I’m late. I usually feed them long before now. Lydia, it’s been good seeing you, but I’m sure you need to go,” Avery said, hoping she’d take the hint.
“Yeah, I should probably?—”
“Why don’t you accompany Avery to see about the cows? I’m sure you’d like some company, son, now wouldn’t you?” Beverly grinned. Oh, god, please, make this stop , Avery’s mind groaned.
“I don’t think he’d want—” Lydia started.
“Oh, rubbish! Go on! I’ll clean up here. You two have fun with the cows,” Beverly laughed as she picked up plates and forks.
“Okay then, let’s go,” Avery told Lydia, trying to figure out a way to get rid of her.
Just as they walked out the door, Beverly called out, “And when you get back, we can have another brownie!”
“Shit,” Avery mumbled. He knew Beverly was watching them from the back door so he didn’t dare tell Lydia to go.
They were out of earshot of the house when Lydia said, “I’m sorry, Avery. If I’d known your mother was here, I would’ve taken the brownies to BrotherAdams from over at the Baptist church. He’s always glad to get my baking,” Lydia said, her voice sad.
Avery chuckled. “No, it’s okay. You couldn’t have known. But I just don’t understand. Why are you trying to be nice to me?”
“Because I wasn’t very nice to you. Getting arrested can make a girl rethink her behavior,” Lydia told him without a hint of malice or sarcasm in her voice.
Avery was a little sad. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”
“Not your fault. I didn’t give you much choice,” Lydia admitted.
“Yeah, you just don’t know when to back off.”
Lydia glared up at him. “Hey, Holcomb, don’t press your luck.” Then she grinned.
Avery stopped and grabbed Lydia’s arm to spin her facing him. “Can I assume we’ve turned a corner?”
Lydia shrugged. “Maybe. But, Avery, I don’t think you’ll ever understand. You didn’t grow up here. There’s no way you can understand.”
“But I’m trying. I feel attached to the land here and I haven’t been here that long. I can’t imagine what it would be like for someone who grew up here.”
“It’s painful,” Lydia almost whispered, and Avery felt desperate to redirect the conversation.
They’d reached the barn, and Avery started pulling out buckets. He’d fill one and hand it to Lydia, and she’d put it on the trailer. They kept it up, working in silence, until all the buckets were filled. When they were done, Avery looked back at her. “Coming?”
“Do you want me to ride on the trailer?” Lydia asked, and Avery could tell she was dead serious.
“No. There’s room up here if you don’t mind riding behind me.” Avery climbed aboard the ATV and waited.
Lydia walked up to the four-wheeler and stood there. “Sure you don’t mind?”
Avery gave her a lazy smile. “No. I don’t mind. Hop on.” Lydia climbed aboard and sat there waiting. “Hold on,” he ordered.
“To what?”
Avery laughed. “Me!” he called out as he gunned the four-wheeler. Lydia gave a little squeal, pitched backward, and then grabbed Avery around his midsection and hung on. As he powered out across the pasture, he smiled. Lydia’s arms felt good around his waist, and he found himself glad she’d stayed. He knew he shouldn’t feel that way, but he did. It was there again, that weird connectedness he’d felt when he’d powered up against her that day in a rage, but this time none of those negative emotions existed. It was just quiet and gentle.
They drove up to the feed trough and Avery shut off the motor of the ATV. The cattle started moving toward them immediately, hungry and seemingly wondering where Avery had been. One by one, Avery and Lydia took the buckets from the trailer and poured the contents into the trough, watching as the cattle came up and took a spot, some of them jostling others to get to the feed. They’d reloaded all the empty buckets onto the trailer and were ready to go when Avery yelled, “Look!”
One heifer lay in the pasture several hundred yards out, trying to stand but unable to, and Avery’s heart clutched. He took off at a dead run and slid to a stop beside her, staring down, touching her here and there. It took a few seconds for Lydia to catch up, and she did the same, looking the cow over. Before Avery could ask, Lydia wheezed out, “Oh, no.”
“What? What’s wrong with her?”
Lydia shook her head. “Blackleg. You need to get Dr.Tompkins out here ASAP.”
“What’s blackleg?”
“Do you have your gun with you?”
“What?”
“Gun! Do you have a gun with you?” Lydia barked out.
“No! Why would I have a?—”
Lydia glared at him. “A rancher should ALWAYS carry a gun! You never know when you’ll need to put an animal down! Don’t you know anything?” she bellowed.
Avery was bewildered. “I don’t understand?—”
“Get the vet out here now! Tell him he needs to bring inoculations for blackleg. And he needs to bring a rifle or pistol.” Lydia stroked the cow’s head as the animal moaned and groaned. “Oh, poor baby. It’s okay. It’ll be okay, cow.” She stared back at Avery, who was frozen in place. “AVERY! DO IT! NOW!”
“O-o-o-kay!” Snatching his phone from his pocket, he hit the vet’s contact and was assured by the answering service that Dr.Tompkins would be on his way in minutes. As soon as he hung up, he dropped to his knees beside the cow. “What do I do?”
“There’s nothing we can do. She’ll die, and it’ll be a horrible death if she’s not put out of her misery. And more of them will too.”
Avery was horrified. “It’s contagious?”
“No, but it’s probably either in the soil or your hay. A carcass can contaminate the soil too. And if they’re not vaccinated, they’ll get it and die just like her. There’s no cure for blackleg. See this swollen place on her leg?” Avery nodded. “Feel it.”
“It’s like a balloon.”
“Yeah. There’s gas trapped in there. It’s all over her. See? There’s a spot here on her neck that’s swollen, and one here on her chest. And there’s no cure. They die quickly, and sometimes no one notices that they’re sick until they’re dead.”
“Should I go and get my gun?” Avery asked, horrified that the cow was in pain.
“The vet’ll be here any minute, I’m sure. He’ll have a rifle. Hey,” she said, catching his eyes, “it’s okay. I’m sorry I yelled at you that way. You didn’t know.”
“I didn’t. I feel so stupid,” Avery whispered.
“Don’t. Most people around here have never seen it. I only know about it because of my college courses. The vet probably didn’t even vaccinate them because it’s not that common. But he’ll vaccinate all of them now.”
“Good.”
“And wherever you got that hay, you need to let them know about this. It may be an isolated case, but they need to alert their other customers of the possibility. The faster they can diagnose and vaccinate, the fewer animals they’ll lose.”
“I will. I’ll call them first thing tomorrow.” Avery sat down near the cow’s head, stroking her neck. It was the least he could do. The other cattle had finished eating and were milling around, some of them nosing at the buckets on the trailer and knocking them off, but neither of the people in the field cared. All they could do was sit there and try to comfort a suffering animal. She was all that mattered in that moment.
It was almost dark when the vet arrived. He’d opened the gates and driven straight out into the pasture, and the cows scattered when they saw the vehicle coming. He drove right up to the little group, his headlights offering plenty of illumination. “So what do we have here?” he asked.
“I’m certain it’s blackleg,” Lydia offered, pointing to the swollen spots on the cow’s body.
“Yep. Sure is. Y’all stand back.” Lydia and Avery stood and moved away, and a wave of nausea swept over Avery as the vet pulled out his rifle and ended the cow’s suffering. “We’re going to vaccinate the rest right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you lost another couple. Not surprised at all.”
“You just tell me what to do and I’ll do it,” Avery choked out, a cold sweat rolling down his back.
“Let’s set it up so we can move them one at a time. We can keep up with who’s been inoculated that way.” The vet handed Avery one halter and lead and Lydia another. They each caught a cow and brought them up. When he’d inoculated one, Lydia would lead it out to the gate, move it through into the other pasture, take the halter, and go and get another, then Avery would do the same. It took them the better part of four hours to inoculate all the cattle, but they got it done.
When they were finished, Avery was exhausted, his spirit battered. Lydia stood and talked to Dr.Tompkins, but Avery returned to the dead cow and stood over her. I shouldn’t be doing this. I don’t know how to take care of them properly , he thought to himself, shame and guilt landing squarely on his shoulders. I should sell them all, give Lydia back this farm. I don’t deserve to be here. Her voice pulled him out of his self-imposed shaming session. “Avery?” He just stood, head hung. How could he face either of them? “Avery? Come here. Dr.Tompkins wants to talk to you.”
Totally spent, Avery stepped up to the two of them. He didn’t get a chance to say a word before Dr.Tompkins said, “Before you say what I think you’re going to say, know that most of the cattle ranchers around here have never seen a case of blackleg.”
“That’s no excuse…” Avery started.
“Yes. It is. You did good, noticing her out there. She’s black and it’s getting dark. She might’ve laid there all night and died, and you wouldn’t have found her until morning. I’m telling you, you did good, son,” the old vet told him, clapping him on the shoulder. Then he turned to Lydia. “I’m proud of you, young’un. I’m surprised you knew, given you’d never seen a live case.”
“I kinda am too. But I’m glad I was here.” To Avery’s surprise, Lydia’s hand came up and stroked down his back between his shoulder blades. “You did good, Avery. I’m sorry I yelled at you a. while ago. I was just upset.”
“I know. But I still feel bad. Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this. Maybe I?—”
“Nonsense!” Dr.Tompkins announced. “You’re doing fine. These cattle are putting on weight at a good rate and they look great. No rain rot, no foot rot. You’re taking good care of them, and I can see you care about them too. You’re the kind of rancher we need these days, not somebody who’s so intent on turning a buck that they let the cattle suffer. Good job. Now, keep them over in the other pasture and watch them over the next few days. If you see another one go down, don’t hesitate to put it down, but bring it over here first, away from the others. There’s nothing we can do for them once they get it, but by inoculating them, they have a fighting chance to keep it at bay. Check three times a day. I’ll be back in four days to do booster shots. If you don’t see anything for two weeks, you’re in the clear and the vaccine will do the rest. Got it?”
“Got it,” Avery said with a nod. “And thanks for coming out so quickly.”
“Not a problem. It’s my job. And I do love my job,” Dr.Tompkins said with a wink. “Y’all have a nice night. Go get plenty of lime to put in with the carcass and I’ll have WadeSimpson call you tomorrow. He’s got a backhoe and he can come bury the cow for you.”
“Thanks, sir. Thanks so much,” Avery told the vet with a handshake. They watched him drive away in his truck until he was out of sight.
“Guess we’re going to have to leave the rest of the cattle there, huh?” Lydia asked, pointing toward the other pasture.
“Yeah. They can’t be out here with the dead one. I’ll move them to another pasture farther away in the morning. Right now, I think I just need to go back to the house and have a beer.”
Lydia nodded. “I think that’s a good plan.” She started back to the four-wheeler, but Avery stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, and she turned and smiled. “What?”
“Thanks. Thanks for being here with me. And thanks for staying.” Avery had never felt so helpless in his life, his heart in tatters and his head spinning.
“I’m glad I was here. I know you didn’t want me around, but…”
Avery smiled, and he hoped she could see that smile in the near darkness. “You know, you’re good company when you’re not yelling at me.”
She chuckled. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He swallowed hard. “So thanks again.”
“You’re welcome. I’d say my pleasure, but I don’t think it’s ever anyone’s pleasure to watch suffering like that.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
“So I’ll just say I’m glad I could be here for a… friend.”
“Yeah. I’m glad a friend could be here for me too,” Avery said. “Your shoulder doing okay?”
“Eh. Some days better than others. But it’ll be fine. Think you’ve got time for me to have another brownie?” she chuckled.
“I’m sure I do.”
“Where in the world have you two been?” Beverly asked as soon as they opened the back door. “And who was that in the truck that went sailing past here?”
“The vet. I had to have a cow put down and all the others vaccinated,” Avery explained, all the while not really wanting to talk about it anymore.
“Put down? As in killed?”
“Yes, Mom. Can we just not discuss it? I’m trying to stop thinking about it for a while,” he said, unable to keep the exasperation out of his voice.
Beverly gave him a sympathetic smile. “Well, uh, sure, honey. Lydia, would you like another brownie and more coffee?”
When Avery took a glance at Lydia, her eyes met his and she smiled. “You know, I think I’m gonna, um, go on. But thanks for offering.”
“You’re welcome! Hope you’ll come back while I’m here. It was a pleasure meeting you,” Beverly gushed.
“Same here. Goodnight. Bye, Avery,” Lydia said, turning to the door.
“Wait! I’ll walk you out,” he offered.
“You don’t have to…” she started.
“No. But I want to,” he insisted, and he closed the door behind them as they stepped out onto the porch.
Down the stairs and into the darkness, Avery walked silently behind Lydia as she made her way to her BMW. She turned and smiled. “Well, I’d say I’ve enjoyed it, but I’m sad.”
“Me too. Otherwise, thanks. It was a good evening until that.”
“Yeah.” Lydia opened her car door. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Lydia. I’m glad we… Thanks. For the brownies and, you know,” he said, scraping the toe of his boot back and forth in the dirt and gravel.
“You’re welcome. Bye.” She started the car and drove away, her taillights growing dimmer in the distance until they were gone.
For reasons he couldn’t explain, Avery missed her as soon as she was out of sight. That seemed weird, and yet he’d seen a kinder, gentler side of her that evening than he’d ever seen before. As soon as the front door closed behind him on his return, his mother turned and smiled. “She’s a delightful young woman.”
“Yes. She is.” Avery’s brain was humming. Of all the horrible events that evening, the one thing that kept coming back to him was that brief time spent driving across the fields on the four-wheeler, her arms wrapped around him, her body pressed against his back. It had given him something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
Peace.
* * *
He’d taken his mom to dinner in Texarkana the next evening when his phone rang, and he was surprised to see it was Lydia. “Hello!”
“Hi! How’re you doing?”
“I’m okay.” His mother stared at him until he finally excused himself from the table. “Sorry. Mom was staring at me. I had to excuse myself.”
“Oh, god, I’m sorry! Are you busy? We should hang up.”
“Oh, no! It’s okay. I brought her to Texarkana for dinner. Thought I’d show her a good time. What’s up?”
“I just wondered if the rest of the cows were okay?”
Avery hesitated for just a second. “Actually, no. I had to put two more down this morning and another one late this afternoon.”
“Oh, god, Avery, I’m so sorry!” He could tell from the tone of her voice that she was being sincere. “That’s horrible. Any signs of any of the rest of them being infected?”
“Not yet. I’m hoping that’s all. But he said two weeks. I could lose more yet.”
“Did you have them insured?”
He shook his head as though she could see it. “What? No. Didn’t know I could.”
“I’m surprised Cletus didn’t suggest that to you. Just like crop insurance. Get sixteen days out and then talk to someone about insuring the rest of them.”
“Thanks. I had no idea I could do that. All I’m hoping right now is that I don’t lose more than your great-grandpa left here when he sold me the place. As long as I can keep that balance, I’ll feel like it’s more than I could’ve asked for,” he explained, wishing he hadn’t mentioned her great-grandfather or the purchase of the farm.
But it didn’t seem to faze her. “I get your rationale there. Maybe those are the last three. I hope so, for their sake and for yours.”
Avery couldn’t stand it anymore. “Lydia, is this for real? You’re really not gunning for me anymore?”
There was a long pause, and when she spoke again, Avery was sorry for what he’d said. “I’m not gunning for you anymore, Avery. I’d hoped my actions would show you that.” Avery could hear the grief in her voice. “One of the things I had to agree to was counseling, and I’m going like I’m supposed to. And the counselor’s really helping me. I’m trying hard to accept that the thing I thought was my legacy, the one thing I wanted more than anything in the whole world, was stripped away from me. And that wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know any of that when you paid crazy old Sirus that money. It was just the last in a long list of things that have gone wrong in my life, and I was tired of always losing out on anything that looked like happiness.”
Avery was stunned. There was nothing but sincerity in her voice, and he could just picture the hangdog expression on her face. “I never wanted to be anything but your friend. Never. I don’t want to fight with you, and I don’t want you upset and hurt all the time. And I certainly didn’t mean for you to fall off the porch,” he added.
She laughed. “Oh, I know that! That was me, all me. I have no one to blame for that but myself.”
Avery smiled there in the parking lot of the seafood restaurant. “So I’ve got an idea, but it’ll have to wait until my mom’s gone.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“You’ll see. Just wait.”
“Okay. Just don’t forget or I’ll go crazy wondering what’s going on!” she said with a laugh.
“I won’t―I promise! Now, I’d better get back inside before she gets mad at me. I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“I bet! Okay. Sorry I bothered you.”
“No bother. I’m glad to hear from you. Talk to you soon.”
“Okay… friend!” she laughed out.
“You got it, friend!” Avery laughed back. “Bye!”
“Bye.”
Avery listened to the phone go silent and held it in his hand, staring at it. What was happening? He was afraid he knew, and he was terrified.
And overwhelmingly happy and excited.
* * *
Avery started making calls before his mother had even left town, and he made arrangements to go to the neighboring farm late on the afternoon of her departure, after she’d left. Then he set about trying to figure out how to make it all work while still spending time with her.
On the morning she was leaving, she packed up everything and Avery loaded it in his car, then took her to the local breakfast restaurant for waffles and eggs. They’d gotten their food and started to eat when, out of the blue, Beverly said, “You really should call your brother.”
It was work to keep the fury tamped down, but he tried. “Okay. So what do you want me to call him?”
“Avery, stop it. You know what I mean,” she cajoled, then took a big bite of chocolate chip waffle.
“I know exactly what you mean, and I’ll have to decline, thanks,” he said, still chewing a bite of his pecan waffle.
Beverly shook her head. “You two were close when you were growing up.”
“No. He was close to Caleb. I think he’s been mad at me our whole lives because it was Caleb who drowned and not me.”
Her eyes were sad. “That’s a horrible thing to say about your brother.”
“And if it’s true, it’s true.”
She shook her head. “Well, if you really believe that’s true, you should most definitely talk to him.”
“Why? So he can lie to me? ‘Do you love me, Ben?’ ‘Yes, Avery, I love you.’ ‘Are you fucking my wife, Ben?’ ‘No, Avery, I’m not fucking your wife.’ So if he answers the first one yes and the second one no, what am I supposed to believe, hmmm?”
Beverly set her jaw and glared at Avery. “Stop it. Apparently it was over between you and Shannon before that happened or she wouldn’t have slept with Ben.”
“No, Mom.” Avery shook his head and tried to keep his temper under control, but it was getting harder by the second. “She’d just asked me to buy her a new car and we were looking at bigger houses. Houses, Mom. You don’t look for houses with a husband you’re getting ready to fuck over with his brother. What kind of person does that?”
“Shannon’s a sweetheart. I don’t believe she…”
“Shannon’s an opportunistic whore. You don’t believe she’d what? Lie? Cheat? Betray? Because that’s what she does best. Oh, and for the record, the fact that my brother’s taking sloppy seconds from me is one of the grossest things I’ve ever had to consider,” Avery whisper-growled at his mother.
“That’s just about the crudest thing I’ve ever heard you say, AveryAidan Holcomb.”
“Oh, those are just about the nicest things I can think of to say about Shannon. And my brother? Don’t even get me started there. It takes a special kind of low-life asshole to steal his brother’s wife,” Avery snarled. Then he straightened and stared at his mother. “You know what? This conversation is too undignified for me. I love you, Mom, but don’t mention either of them in my presence again, ever. As far as I’m concerned, they’re both dead.”
Her face contorted, and he knew she was thinking about Caleb. “Oh, Avery! Don’t say that!”
“Too late. I’ve said it and I mean it. As far as I’m concerned, I have no siblings. I’m an only child. And if you can’t accept that, maybe we shouldn’t spend time together.” With that, he went back to eating his waffles with gusto. He’d had enough of that conversation. No more.
It took her about five minutes to compose herself enough to say, “So what are you doing from here? More cows?” It was obvious she was trying to make some kind of conversation in which he’d actually engage, and he decided he’d grab the carrot she was dangling.
“Maybe. I’m not sure. But I’ve got a couple of acquisitions to make in the very near future.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
Avery grinned. “Can’t say yet, but you’ll find out.”