Page 34 of Grit
Cary grunted. “Okay. I’m going over to Oxfords.”
Phil grinned. “Yeah, you said that.”
“What are you smiling at?”
“Nothing.” The old man wouldn’t stop grinning. He’d been hired by Cary’s dad, so in Cary’s mind, he was a fixture. No one could fire Phil. Not that they’d want to. He was a nice person and his wife made excellent brownies.
Cary glared at Phil as he walked out the door. “Just shut up.”
“Wasn’t saying anything!”
“Yeah, well… stop smiling.”
“Say hi to Melissa!”
Cary turned and flipped the man off before he opened his truck door. He drove the three miles from his farm office over to the ranch, taking his time to survey his groves along the way. His father’s original five-hundred-acre orange farm had been expanded over the years. Cary had bought pieces of property here and there. This one was good for Valencias. That one for lemons. Another had both his current office, a greenhouse, and was certified organic, which gave him a bridge to that market while he transitioned his other groves to more sustainable practices.
His property was scattered, but the original farm still surrounded his mother’s house, which sat in a grove of oaks and sycamores that ran along Halsey Creek.
Cary drove past his family home and turned left on Jordan Valley Road to get to the Oxfords’ ranch. He glanced at his watch. If he was correct, she’d be gone this time of day and he might be able to talk to Stu on his own.
He was driving past the house when he saw Abby waving from the porch. The smile was automatic. He might be a cranky bastard at times, but that child was pure sunshine and he’d do anything for her. He stopped and got out of the truck.
“Hey, kid.”
“Hey, adult.”
He put his hands on his hips. “Don’t you have school today?”
“Nope.” She climbed up on the porch railing and swung her legs. “Teacher work day. Mom’s not here. Grandma’s in the house.”
He leaned against the post near the front step. “I came to talk to Stu.”
“Oh.” She hopped down. “Stu’s nice. I like him and Leigh. Want to see my new goat?”
“You got a new goat?” He followed Abby as she skipped to the goat shed behind the house. “Yeah, I want to see it. I thought your mom said no more goats.”
“We didn’t buy it.” Her cheeks turned red. “Aslan got Princess kind of pregnant and so Princess had a kid.”
“That does happen sometimes when you put goats together.”
Abby’s cheeks were still a little red. “You have no idea.”
Cary muffled a laugh and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“I’m just glad this one made it,” Abby continued. “Rosie had a kid last year, but it didn’t live for very long.”
“I’m sorry.” He hadn’t heard about that. “That’s sad.”
She shrugged. “It happens. Generally speaking, goats are very hardy animals.”
“I don’t know much about them. I never had any when I was a kid.”
Her eyes went wide. “Really?”
“I told you before. No animals.”
She looked at him with eyes of sincere pity. “Well, goats are very fascinating creatures. Did you know they were some of the first animals humans ever tamed? People have probably had goats longer than they’ve had dogs.”
