every buck
and doe they owned.
And each night when she’d gotten home, she broke out the
textbooks to refresh her knowledge, pouring over pages until words blurred and
she nodded off to sleep at the kitchen table.
Her body ached for a long, hot, well-deserved soak, but
first she’d earned herself a different sort of treat before she left town for
home.
She eased the truck into a parking spot in front of
Homegrown at Carters’ Corner, the cartoonish sign over the front door making
her smile like it always did. She kept meaning to ask Kai if the waving farmer
on the green tractor was meant to be Fritz, as she suspected. Hand on the door
latch, she lifted the front of her shirt to her nose for a deep whiff. Deciding
she didn’t reek of eau de goat, she checked the soles of her boots for poop.
Good there too, so she climbed out of the truck and walked inside.
Kai was bagging up a customer’s purchases at the register.
When she saw Bellamy she waved, smiling brightly, then pointed toward the café
tables near the front window of the store. Bellamy sank down in a chair, stretching
her tired legs out in front of her.
“Hard day?” Kai asked while she busied herself with
something else behind the counter once her customer left.
“Hard week.” She sat up straight, rubbed the back of her
neck with both hands then retightened her ponytail. “I think you’ve inspired
another local to try their hand at artisan production.”
“Oh yeah?”
“The Millers are going to start making goat cheese.”
“Ooh, nice,” Kai said as she breezed around the counter, a
large wooden cutting board balanced on her palm with an assortment of small,
food-filled cups atop it. She placed it on the table in front of Bellamy and
myriad delicious smells wafted up her nostrils, making her belly stir with
interest. “I’m not currently carrying any goat cheeses, but I’d like to. I wonder
if they’ll do specialty flavors.”
“Mrs. Miller said they would once they got the ball rolling.
She’s not a novice cheese maker, but they’ve never tackled production for
resale.”
Kai sat down opposite Bellamy. “Tell them I’m interested
when they’re ready.”
She nodded absently, her mind and empty stomach now focused
on the samples. “What do we have here?”
Kai went into full-on demonstration-girl mode—spine stiff,
hand sweeping over the cups, adopting a true pitchwoman’s voice. “What we have
for you today, Miss Haile , are four delicious new items to tempt your
refined southern palate. First, we have a rich, creamy pimento cheese. Not too
sharp, not too bland and boring. Next, we have a freshly made tomatillo salsa,
but fair warning, it’s spicy—thus the reason for the sampler of sweet peach
wine. And last, a smooth, decadent apple butter.”
Bellamy grinned, cocking an eyebrow. “Did you rehearse that
spiel, or was it totally off the cuff?”
“A little of both. Dig in.”
She’d scrubbed her hands before leaving the Millers’ place,
so Bellamy had no qualms about being germy. She shoved a chip full of pimento
cheese into her mouth. No surprise, it was indeed delicious. While she loaded
another chip, she decided to broach the subject of Eli. “Eli paid me a visit last
Saturday morning.”
Kai winced. “I hope you don’t mind that I mentioned to Fritz
where you were living. He must’ve relayed that information to Eli.”
“Of course I don’t mind. It’s not like it was some big
secret.” Bellamy tried the salsa on a tortilla chip then gulped down a swallow
of the wine to cool the fiery sting on her tongue. Both of those items were
good as well. “He used the excuse of bringing me my fee for pulling the calf.”
“Why would he need an excuse to come see you?”
Bellamy sighed, feeling in her gut that she could trust Kai.
“We slept together a little over a month ago during the rodeo in Perry.”
A sheepish look from Kai. “I already know. Eli told Fritz.
Fritz told me. But please don’t be upset
and doe they owned.
And each night when she’d gotten home, she broke out the
textbooks to refresh her knowledge, pouring over pages until words blurred and
she nodded off to sleep at the kitchen table.
Her body ached for a long, hot, well-deserved soak, but
first she’d earned herself a different sort of treat before she left town for
home.
She eased the truck into a parking spot in front of
Homegrown at Carters’ Corner, the cartoonish sign over the front door making
her smile like it always did. She kept meaning to ask Kai if the waving farmer
on the green tractor was meant to be Fritz, as she suspected. Hand on the door
latch, she lifted the front of her shirt to her nose for a deep whiff. Deciding
she didn’t reek of eau de goat, she checked the soles of her boots for poop.
Good there too, so she climbed out of the truck and walked inside.
Kai was bagging up a customer’s purchases at the register.
When she saw Bellamy she waved, smiling brightly, then pointed toward the café
tables near the front window of the store. Bellamy sank down in a chair, stretching
her tired legs out in front of her.
“Hard day?” Kai asked while she busied herself with
something else behind the counter once her customer left.
“Hard week.” She sat up straight, rubbed the back of her
neck with both hands then retightened her ponytail. “I think you’ve inspired
another local to try their hand at artisan production.”
“Oh yeah?”
“The Millers are going to start making goat cheese.”
“Ooh, nice,” Kai said as she breezed around the counter, a
large wooden cutting board balanced on her palm with an assortment of small,
food-filled cups atop it. She placed it on the table in front of Bellamy and
myriad delicious smells wafted up her nostrils, making her belly stir with
interest. “I’m not currently carrying any goat cheeses, but I’d like to. I wonder
if they’ll do specialty flavors.”
“Mrs. Miller said they would once they got the ball rolling.
She’s not a novice cheese maker, but they’ve never tackled production for
resale.”
Kai sat down opposite Bellamy. “Tell them I’m interested
when they’re ready.”
She nodded absently, her mind and empty stomach now focused
on the samples. “What do we have here?”
Kai went into full-on demonstration-girl mode—spine stiff,
hand sweeping over the cups, adopting a true pitchwoman’s voice. “What we have
for you today, Miss Haile , are four delicious new items to tempt your
refined southern palate. First, we have a rich, creamy pimento cheese. Not too
sharp, not too bland and boring. Next, we have a freshly made tomatillo salsa,
but fair warning, it’s spicy—thus the reason for the sampler of sweet peach
wine. And last, a smooth, decadent apple butter.”
Bellamy grinned, cocking an eyebrow. “Did you rehearse that
spiel, or was it totally off the cuff?”
“A little of both. Dig in.”
She’d scrubbed her hands before leaving the Millers’ place,
so Bellamy had no qualms about being germy. She shoved a chip full of pimento
cheese into her mouth. No surprise, it was indeed delicious. While she loaded
another chip, she decided to broach the subject of Eli. “Eli paid me a visit last
Saturday morning.”
Kai winced. “I hope you don’t mind that I mentioned to Fritz
where you were living. He must’ve relayed that information to Eli.”
“Of course I don’t mind. It’s not like it was some big
secret.” Bellamy tried the salsa on a tortilla chip then gulped down a swallow
of the wine to cool the fiery sting on her tongue. Both of those items were
good as well. “He used the excuse of bringing me my fee for pulling the calf.”
“Why would he need an excuse to come see you?”
Bellamy sighed, feeling in her gut that she could trust Kai.
“We slept together a little over a month ago during the rodeo in Perry.”
A sheepish look from Kai. “I already know. Eli told Fritz.
Fritz told me. But please don’t be upset
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