Gentry leads us into the barn first, showing Lukas where everything is, including his makeshift office space where he handles all the paperwork. After that, he brings the side-by-side around to the front of the barn, and the three of us pile in before he drives around the property. He points out Finn’s and Hollis’s houses, the cabins, and the creek before finally driving over to the pasture the cattle are grazing in today.
“Remington mentioned your grandfather worked on a farm,” Gentry murmurs to Lukas as we stop in front of the fence. The cows aren’t so far out that we can’t see them, but they’re not close enough to talk to or pet them either.
“Yeah, he did.” Lukas nods. “It was a dairy farm. That’s not what this is, right?”
“No, son, we don’t run a dairy operation here. It’s all beef here. Angus, mostly.” Gentry hooks his thumbs in his belt, nodding toward the pasture. “Those are our mama cows. Calves are born out here in the spring. Best place for ’em. Wide open space, fresh, clean air.”
Lukas squints as he looks at the cows, the sun in his eyes. “Do you name them?”
Gentry chuckles, deep and throaty. It’s a rare sound from him, but one I love to hear. “Rule number one: if you start namin’ the cattle, you’ll never get any work done.”
“’Cause it would make it harder to slaughter them?” Lukas asks.
“That’s part of it.” Gentry nods once. “Gettin’ attached is never a good idea. This ain’t a pet; it’s a business. These cattle ensure I keep a roof over my head.”
“This ranch been yours a while?”
I can’t help but smile at Lukas’s curiosity.
“Boy, this ranch has been in my family since long before I was born,” Gentry explains to him as we climb back in the side-by-side. “My great-great-granddaddy settled here many, many years ago. Started with a big dream, a handful of cattle, and a whole lot of stubbornness. It wasn’t easy, but with each generation, we added a little more to the land—and the dream.”
Gentry keeps one hand on the wheel while he gestures to the pasture. “My granddaddy used to tell me when I was just a boy that the land doesn’t belong to us, any of us, but instead, we belong to it. We take care of it, and in turn, it takes care of us.”
I listen to the way he speaks, steady and patient, and the way he admires the land and all that occupies it. Pride radiates from him. And he has every reason to be a proud man. Not a lot of folks can do what he does, for as long as he’s done it. Living in rural Texas, we hear a lot about ranches going under, banks seizing farms. Ranching is a hell of a lot of work, and the reward isn’t always abundantly great. But Gentry didn’t get to where he’s at by a stroke of luck. He and his kids—and all the family that came before him—busted their ass, day in and day out, pouring blood, sweat, and tears over every inch of this land.
“You work with the cattle on your grandfather’s farm?” Gentry asks Lukas.
“Yeah, a little bit. Helped out around the farm too.”
“That’s great.” Gentry smiles. “I’m of the opinion that everybody ought to know where their food comes from at least once in their life. And gettin’ your hands dirty and learning the value of hard work is good for you.”
Lukas grins. It’s full and unguarded, and it hits me right in the chest.
“You’re welcome here any time. Ranch could always use a little more noise around here.”
His gaze widens. “Really?”
“Absolutely.”
We make it back to the barn right as another Moore man joins us.
“Who’s that?” Lukas quietly asks me as we climb out of the side-by-side.
“That’s Finn,” I say, pointing to the man wearing an identical scowl to Gentry. “And the guy beside him is his husband, Ash. The little boy is their son, Tucker, and the big ol’ land seal running toward us with his tongue hangin’ out of his mouth is Bubba.”
Lukas chuckles. “I’ve never heard a pitbull called a land seal before.”
“I mean…the resemblance is spot on, right?”
“Yeah, I can definitely see it.” Bubba runs right up to him like they’re old friends, and Lukas immediately kneels down, petting him while he tries to lick his face. “He’s so cute.”
“He’s really friendly,” Tucker says excitedly as he stops in front of Lukas. “Cuddly too. Sleeps with me all the time.”
“You’re lucky,” Lukas says, the widest grin I’ve ever seen him wear plastered on his face. “I’ve always wanted a dog.”
“I want another one, but my dad says no.”
“Hey, I’m workin’ on it,” Ash says as he kneels so he’s eye-level with the boys. “He’ll be convinced in no time.”
