Read Online Ride the Rainbow Home by Susan Aylworth - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Susan Aylworth
Tags: Romance, Love Story, Marriage, American Southwest, native american culture, debbie macomber, committment, navajo culture, wholesome romance, overcoming fears
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I'll show you." Jim led her into a hospital-clean room and opened the freezer in a small refrigerator. "Here," he said, pointing to a large, odd-shaped container.
She raised her eyebrows. "I don't get it."
"We're strictly A.I. around here, boar in a bottle."
Her look was befuddled.
"You don't speak much farmer, do you?"
She shook her head.
Jim closed the freezer. "We don't do any live breeding here. Our sows are all bred by artificial insemination. We keep the semen frozen in liquid nitrogen until we need it."
"Oh," Meg answered, feeling generally embarrassed and mildly queasy.
"It's much more practical than keeping a bad-tempered boar around. Cleaner too. And we can use different boars so inbreeding is never a problem."
"I understand. Can we move on now?"
Jim smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to be embarrassed, Meggie."
"I'm not," she answered. "I'm just feeling sorry for the pigs!"
Jim chuckled and his eyes went soft. "You're adorable, you know that?"
The moment stretched as their eyes asked and answered. Jim ran his free hand through her hair, then caressed her jawline and drew his thumb across her lips. He leaned forward—
"Oh, here you are!" Chris said, and then he added, "Oops! Looks like I came at a bad time." Meg noted that he didn't seem the least bit sorry.
"You always did have interesting timing," Jim said, touching Meg's mouth with a look of promise before he dropped his hands. "So what brings you?"
"I thought Meg might like to see the generator."
Jim turned to Meg. "Want to see the generator?"
Meg felt tempted to answer all she wanted was privacy. Instead she said, "Sure," her voice husky.
"I asked Mom," Chris volunteered. "She said to take all the time we want." Chris elbowed Meg. "See? I told you she likes you." The generator was even more impressive than the farm. Jim had created a system to collect animal waste in shallow canals along the back of the pens. The waste then washed through the canals into holding ponds where, covered by plastic lids, it fermented, gathering rich methane. Filtered upward through a tank of clean water, the gas was then "washed" and siphoned off the top of the tank to be piped to burners. Pure methane provided winter heat for the farrowing barn and nursery. Methane-generated electricity ran the lights and appliances for the house and farm.
"It's a fairly efficient system," Jim commented as they finished the tour. "The by-product is excellent fertilizer for our cornfields, and whatever power is left we sell to Arizona Public Service, which runs a line by here. It's nice to get checks from them, instead of bills."
"Yes, I expect it would be." Meg looked around her in warm appreciation. "You've done some amazing work here, Jim."
"Actually, it was my design," Chris chimed in, his eyes full of mischief. He leaned close.
"Dream on, little brother." Jim stepped between Meg and Chris, and then led Meg away. "It's probably time for dinner by now," he explained as Chris laughed heartily.
They entered at the back porch and found the family at the sink. In well-established ritual, children and adults alike scrubbed to the elbows before entering the dining room. Meg took her turn, drying at the appointed towel, then following Jim into the cheery room with its floral wallpaper and matching curtains of pink cabbage roses on cream-colored chintz.
Kate sat at the head of the table. While Jim held the chair on his right for Meg, Chris jockeyed with Kurt to get the chair on Meg's right. When they were all seated, Kate asked Jim to offer grace. He did so, thanking the Lord for both the delicious food "and the company of “loved family and dear friends." This was followed by a chorus of amens, and then everyone dove in, taking from the tray or bowl in front of them and passing to the right.
"Grab the potatoes, will you, Meg?" Kate encouraged. "And hurry. This family eats like a locust plague."
Meg accommodated, taking potatoes and passing to Chris. The
She raised her eyebrows. "I don't get it."
"We're strictly A.I. around here, boar in a bottle."
Her look was befuddled.
"You don't speak much farmer, do you?"
She shook her head.
Jim closed the freezer. "We don't do any live breeding here. Our sows are all bred by artificial insemination. We keep the semen frozen in liquid nitrogen until we need it."
"Oh," Meg answered, feeling generally embarrassed and mildly queasy.
"It's much more practical than keeping a bad-tempered boar around. Cleaner too. And we can use different boars so inbreeding is never a problem."
"I understand. Can we move on now?"
Jim smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to be embarrassed, Meggie."
"I'm not," she answered. "I'm just feeling sorry for the pigs!"
Jim chuckled and his eyes went soft. "You're adorable, you know that?"
The moment stretched as their eyes asked and answered. Jim ran his free hand through her hair, then caressed her jawline and drew his thumb across her lips. He leaned forward—
"Oh, here you are!" Chris said, and then he added, "Oops! Looks like I came at a bad time." Meg noted that he didn't seem the least bit sorry.
"You always did have interesting timing," Jim said, touching Meg's mouth with a look of promise before he dropped his hands. "So what brings you?"
"I thought Meg might like to see the generator."
Jim turned to Meg. "Want to see the generator?"
Meg felt tempted to answer all she wanted was privacy. Instead she said, "Sure," her voice husky.
"I asked Mom," Chris volunteered. "She said to take all the time we want." Chris elbowed Meg. "See? I told you she likes you." The generator was even more impressive than the farm. Jim had created a system to collect animal waste in shallow canals along the back of the pens. The waste then washed through the canals into holding ponds where, covered by plastic lids, it fermented, gathering rich methane. Filtered upward through a tank of clean water, the gas was then "washed" and siphoned off the top of the tank to be piped to burners. Pure methane provided winter heat for the farrowing barn and nursery. Methane-generated electricity ran the lights and appliances for the house and farm.
"It's a fairly efficient system," Jim commented as they finished the tour. "The by-product is excellent fertilizer for our cornfields, and whatever power is left we sell to Arizona Public Service, which runs a line by here. It's nice to get checks from them, instead of bills."
"Yes, I expect it would be." Meg looked around her in warm appreciation. "You've done some amazing work here, Jim."
"Actually, it was my design," Chris chimed in, his eyes full of mischief. He leaned close.
"Dream on, little brother." Jim stepped between Meg and Chris, and then led Meg away. "It's probably time for dinner by now," he explained as Chris laughed heartily.
They entered at the back porch and found the family at the sink. In well-established ritual, children and adults alike scrubbed to the elbows before entering the dining room. Meg took her turn, drying at the appointed towel, then following Jim into the cheery room with its floral wallpaper and matching curtains of pink cabbage roses on cream-colored chintz.
Kate sat at the head of the table. While Jim held the chair on his right for Meg, Chris jockeyed with Kurt to get the chair on Meg's right. When they were all seated, Kate asked Jim to offer grace. He did so, thanking the Lord for both the delicious food "and the company of “loved family and dear friends." This was followed by a chorus of amens, and then everyone dove in, taking from the tray or bowl in front of them and passing to the right.
"Grab the potatoes, will you, Meg?" Kate encouraged. "And hurry. This family eats like a locust plague."
Meg accommodated, taking potatoes and passing to Chris. The
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