Kyle saw him coming and raised his hand in a wave.
‘Hey, Cruz. How was your first night at home?’
Cruz almost responded withThis place will never be homebefore saying, ‘Not bad. I keep late hours in the city so I’m a lousy sleeper at the best of times, but I’m not used to the quiet out here anymore.’
Yeah, like the country silence kept him up.
‘How was your date?’
Kyle shrugged. ‘Do you remember Rosie, the prefect from our year?’
Cruz had done his best to forget everything and everyone associated with this town when he left, but he had a vague memory. ‘Was she the one with the ponytail on top of her head like a fountain?’
Kyle laughed. ‘Yeah, that’s the one. She’s divorced, recently returned to town, and asked me out.’
‘And?’
Kyle made a thumbs down sign. ‘She’s still bossy and opinionated, with too much bad mouthing of her ex thrown in.’
‘Yikes.’
‘Yeah, I’d rather stay in, have a beer and watch footy replays than be subjected to that.’
They shared a conspiratorial grin, but Kyle’s faded too quickly when he said, ‘Time to discuss business?’
Cruz nodded, his stomach bunching with nerves. ‘I had a quick look over the accounts this morning. Looks like there’s not much margin for error with the next crop, and if we don’t find new buyers, we’re screwed.’
‘Something like that. I’ve just finished the latest round of fertilisation, with a complete NPK blend containing higher potassium levels, so that should boost our yield.’ He paused, worry crinkling his forehead. ‘But the last crop of workers we had botched the soil drainage on the first row of trees, so there’s a bit of a problem with Phytophthora.’
‘Damn.’ Cruz knew the potential issues of root rot. Mac had drummed the importance of taking preventative measures, like maintaining good drainage, into him.
‘I’m on top of it now, but the crop from that batch of trees might be lower than expected.’
‘Have you done much cross-pollination over the last few years? That can improve yields.’
Kyle nodded. ‘We’ve done complementary flowering types, but those trees are still too young, so by the time they produce …’ He trailed off, not needing to elaborate because Cruz understood the implication all too well.
By the time they produce, the farm would be sold. Probably at a rock-bottom price.
‘I had a quick look around yesterday. Want to take me through now?’
‘Sure. Quads or walk?’
‘I could do with the walk,’ Cruz said.
As they paced the rows of avocado trees, Kyle updated him on everything from the number of pickers they’d hired for the last season to the new irrigation system. Cruz admired the manager’s matter-of-fact way of outlining the farm’s progress and highlighting areas for improvement. His obvious enthusiasm gave Cruz hope, despite the figures he’d seen on Ferne’s computer this morning.
As they returned to the main shed, Kyle said, ‘Bottom line, if you don’t find at least two new buyers to offload our next crop to, the farm won’t be worth anything when you sell in twelve months. Everyone in the industry will know you’re struggling and you’ll have to practically give the place away at a bargain price.’
Cruz’s heart sank, but he put on a brave face. ‘We can’t let that happen.’
‘I’ll put in the hard yards as usual.’ But Kyle’s sideways glance implied that he didn’t think Cruz had a clue when it came to saving the farm.
As if on cue, Elora slipped out the back door of the homestead carrying a toiletry bag and a damp towel. She hadn’t caught sight of them yet, but Cruz couldn’t tear his eyes from her. It had little to do with her white capri pants and orange halter top with a jagged hemline, and more to do with her hair streaming behind her like a silken beacon as she practically skipped to the clothesline.
‘She’s a stunner,’ Kyle said, sounding a tad awed. ‘I don’t dally with transients, but I’d make an exception for her.’
‘She’s off limits,’ Cruz snapped.
