Word really does travel fast in this town.
Gray didn’t even get a chance to reply for the man blurted, “I've got a question about my squash.”
“My degree is in animal genetics, not plant genetics.”
The diner's door opened and Bonnie came in, unwinding her scarf as she said something cheerful to Rose about the weather.Gray watched her over squash man's shoulder.She glanced his way.Caught his look beseeching her to rescue him.
Smirking a little, she headed for his booth.
Squash man took one look at her, Bonnie jerked her head, and to Gray’s great surprise the man excused himself with a promise to bring Gray a sample squash next week.
Oh, goody.
“You look as if you just underwent the Grand Inquisition,” Bonnie said, sliding into the vacated seat.
“Thankfully, there were no thumb screws or hot irons involved in my interrogation,” he responded.
“Larry Cargill can be a lot.”
“Is that Squash Man's name?”he responded.“Larry?”
“It is.”Bonnie paused, looking thoughtful.“Although Squash Man fits him pretty well.Come August, he'll be hauling around grocery bags full of zucchini and giving them away to anyone who'll take a few off his hands.”
Gray leaned back, amused.
“How are you doing today?”she blurted in an abrupt change of subject.
He answered wryly, “I’m surviving.Turns out folks in this town have a lot of genetic questions.”
“Your mistake was being willing to answer them.”She wrapped both hands around her mug.“Ruth told Walter you should hang out a shingle—Genetics Doctor.”
He filed that in the category of things that were never going to happen.
His phone buzzed and he glanced at the caller ID.Sully Foster.He picked up the phone and murmured to Bonnie, “Saved by the rancher.”
“Chicken,” she muttered.
“Guilty as charged.”He answered his phone.“Hey.What's up?”
“You need to come out here,” Sully said.
“Is one of the cows in distress?”
“Not exactly.But you need to see this.Bring your spreadsheet.”
Sully was waiting for him at the pasture fence.He was a big, quiet man who ran his and Jenna's operation with steady competence.Sully pointed into the pasture without preamble.
Gray looked over the fence.And stared.
The cows were large.
Verylarge.
It had only been a couple of weeks since he’d seen them, but they’d abruptly ballooned out, their sides bulging and bellies huge.Calves put on a big burst of weight and size at the end of gestation, so it was normal for cows to have a final spurt of weight gain near the end of the pregnancy.But this.
This was not normal.
“Wow,” Gray breathed.
