Ten minutes later, I was sitting at his kitchen table, a glass of iced tea in front of me, along with some cheese Ronnie had made himself. It looked safe enough but I was still hesitant to try it.
I popped a slice in my mouth, prepared to power through whatever sensory assault was coming. To my surprise, the cheese was delightful. “You made this?”
He nodded. “Imakeit. Would you like to buy some? I have some wedges for sale.”
I sat forward with my elbows on his table. “Ronnie, you ever consider taking on an investor? With a cash infusion, we could expand your operation to sell this cheese nationwide.”
Ronnie leaned back in his seat and eyed me slyly. “I suppose it depends on the cleanliness of the teat.”
An hour later, I was driving away from Ronnie’s dairy farm, a tentative deal in place. We had all the numbers worked out. I just needed the lawyers to get the paperwork drawn up. It wasmy first win in Ferris and I was flying high, barely even noticing the tragic stench in Tyler’s truck.
Having the windows open helped.
My hair fluttered in the wind and the late afternoon sun painted everything gold. Fields stretched to the horizon on either side of the farm road, and it no longer felt like I was a soldier in enemy territory.
I was finished with work for the day. It was too late to go visit another property and I doubted I would be lucky enough to find another Ronnie today.
He had been surprisingly business savvy once we started talking numbers. It was easy to forget sometimes that all these farmers were also businessmen. I needed to remember not to underestimate them.
I had been guilty of that with Shelby, assuming she didn’t have any formal education to back up her real-world experience growing up on a poultry farm. The woman knew a hell of a lot more about this world than I did. I hadn’t focused on anything farm related until I took over as CEO. The agricultural branch of Allory Enterprises was our priority these days, and I had to jump in the deep end before I had even dipped my toe in the water.
Too amped up to go back to the quiet solitude of Honeyrose House, I drove over to the feed store and pulled into the lot. The place didn’t seem terribly busy at this hour. Farmers seemed to get all their errands run early in the day. There was no one around to talk to except Jake, the owner.
He gave me a wary look as I walked up to where he was leaning against the counter. “Allory,” he said.
I nodded. “Jake.”
“Can I help you with something?” Jake asked, his voice neutral for the moment, which was better than anger.
“Actually, yes,” I said. “Is there anywhere in town a guy can get a burger and a beer?”
Jake’s eyes widened a little, looking surprised. “I figured you for a scotch and steak kind of guy.”
I shrugged. “Sometimes, sure, but I’m not allergic to a regular meal.”
“Alright, Allory, I’ll tell you what,” Jake said. “Give me a second and I’ll show you a place down Main Street.”
“You’re coming with me?” I asked, not sure yet how I felt about that. Company sounded good right about then, but I was pretty sure Jake didn’t like me either.
He nodded. “If you’re going to be sticking around, I might as well see what you’re all about. Yeah?”
“Sure,” I said with a shrug. “I’m an open book.”
Jake went to tell his other employees he was leaving early. The feed store was a ghost town, so I doubted it would be an issue. Then he slung his coat on and motioned for me to follow him.
We went out the front door and walked down the sidewalk. The sun was almost below the horizon and the air was getting chilly. Technically, it was spring in Kentucky but the evening still belonged to winter. I regretted not having a jacket like Jake.
But soon enough, he led me into the warm dining room of a place called Vittles, which seemed like a sports bar. A server walked by with a burger stacked high with onion rings and bacon.
“That,” I told Jake. “I want that.”
“Damn, good luck,” he said. “That’s farmer chow.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means it’s for someone who’s worked all day in the fields. Someone who’s worked up an appetite.”
I nodded. “Well, I walked through a field today. Does that count?”
