“How big do you want to go?” Jethro asked.
“Maybe forty or fifty acres. I’d like to run a hundred head or less. Not sure how much land I’ll need here to do that.”
“I’ve got thirty-six workable acres for cattle and crops, and another ten that are rugged and hard for livestock. It’s where the land heads toward the mountains. I usually run about seventy head, occasionally up to eighty if the Lord’s been good enough to give me a nice herd of calves.”
“I’d love to see your operation, if you can spare the time to show me.”
Jethro leaned over and spit another wad into his can. “Happy to.”
“You can show Rob around, and I’ll look at this tractor. See if I can do any good with it,” offered Tyler.
“That’d be right nice of you.” Jethro nodded and quickly abandoned the tractor repairs. “C’mon, son. Lemme give you the nickel tour of this place.”
“Sounds great.” Rob nodded to his host, and raised his chin at Tyler to say “thanks.”
Jethro took him through the outbuildings first, explaining the purpose of each. Some housed livestock, including several pregnant cows in need of veterinary monitoring, four horses, and assorted barn cats that wandered in and out of the structure, leaping up to rafters to study the humans below.
They stepped into a penned area used to move the cattle through a maze of steel-fenced corridors to inoculate, brand, or load them for transport.
There were eight pastures, two filled with Black Angus mothers, and calves in various stages of development. Another pasture held a mixture of Red Angus and Hereford’s. Jethro explained the Red Angus were better adapted to hotter climates than the Black Angus. Three other fields held mature adult cattle, nearly ready to go to a feedlot. The smallest field held bulls that lay sleeping in the sun. The largest field was empty, and Jethro explained that he moved his herd around as needed.
“How long have you been doing this?” Rob asked.
“Lordy, must be nearly sixty years. I’m seventy-eight, and I’ve been doing this since I was a teenager. I worked on a neighbor’s farm. They had a mixture of dairy cows and beef cattle. Learned a lot from the old man who owned it. That was down near Ten Mile. I met my wife at a dance, and she was from Ridgeview. I looked around here and found this place. I worked for the guy who owned it and then bought it from him.”
“That sounds like a good way to move into it,” Rob said.
“Yep. That’s what I’d like to do. I’ve been thinkin I ought to look for somebody younger to buy this place from me so I can retire before I keel over some summer afternoon and lie out in the fields till the vultures pick my bones clean.”
That sentiment was a bit too graphic for Rob, but he could understand wanting to choose the time to leave ranching behind, instead of it being forced on you.
“Are you looking to hire somebody to help you out? I could use a job while I find a place of my own to buy. I’d like to settle in Ridgeview. My girlfriend grew up here and wants to stay. She’s the librarian.”
“Oh, really? She ain’t that sweet Mary Jane Van Buren, is she?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“Hell, this is a small town. My Catherine grew up with her. Sweet girl. She always has a smile for folks and loves kids. I hope you aren’t against having a big family, because that one will want a passel of them.”
Rob laughed. “Yes, sir, we haven’t talk numbers yet, but no matter how many kids she wants, I’m happy to give them to her.”
Jethro winked, and spit into a nearby bush. He studied Rob silently for several minutes. “So you’re interested in maybe working for me, eh? I could use a strong guy like you. You can throw and stack hay bales, and feed and water cattle? Help birth calves? Brand and give shots? String wire, and mend fences?”
“Yeah. I’ve done all that.”
A crafty look came over the older man’s face. “How about fixing equipment? Can you do that?”
“Like that tractor? Sure. I’m good at fixing machinery. That’s as much a part of ranching as dealing with livestock.”
Jethro looked thoughtful. “Well, hell, boy. Why don’t we try it? I’ll hire you for the next six months. That’ll take us through the winter and spring. We can both see how it works.” He mentioned the salary he could pay.
“That sounds acceptable, sir. When do you want me to start?”
“How about tomorrow? Saturday. You’ll work six days a week, but you can take either Saturday or Sunday off.”
“That’s great, sir, because I want to take my girl out sometimes during the day on Saturday. I’m willing to be available in case of emergencies, too. There’s one thing, though. I go to the VA for counseling for PTSD on Thursday mornings. I need to have time off for that, but I’ll make up the hours by working late the night before.”
“That sounds all right. Can’t rightly complain about a man who got injured in service to his country. And the emergency stuff? That ought to make up for the time you take off. Handling emergencies is part of ranching, ain’t it? You always have to be available when the shit hits the fan.” He guffawed, and slapped his knee, as if he’d said the funniest thing.
“Do you need references?”
“Nah. If Mathews thinks you’re okay, I’ll take his word. Besides, if I’m not happy with your work, I’ll fire your
