“Abison herd.”
Jayce didn’t sound as pleased as Malika expected.
She had yet to figure out what his problem was, even though she’d determined his father’s.She sat on an empty oil drum in one of the sheds and watched with envy as he worked on a lawn mower tractor tire that had gone flat.He had so many more useful skills than she did.Imagine being able to fix something rather than having to buy a replacement.
The dimly lit shed with the dirt floor smelled of grease and dust.She knew it was grease because it was smudged on the heel of her hand and the leg of her jeans.Jayce had a streak on his forearm.The black goo was impossible to avoid, as was the dust, because the dust clung to the goo.
“He’s going to pasture them with the ferrets, which will keep the predators away, which will make both your parents happy,” she said, wiping her greasy hand on her jeans, which were already dirty, so a little more wouldn’t matter.
“They’ll be happy.I’m the one who’ll have to keep bison separated from the cattle, so the gene pools don’t mix.Otherwise, it defeats the purpose of conservation.That means new fencing.And bison fencing is complicated.It involves steel posts and electrical wiring, and the fences need to be six to eight feet high to be effective, because bison can jump more than six feet, and they’ll walk through anything that’s not reinforced.”
All of which reassured her that his father had made a wise choice.Nothing would harm them.
“You need to work on your optimism,” Malika said.“Bison are a much better investment than pheasants or ferrets.”
“Bison might be a better investment in the long term, in the right market, but the potential for failure, and market fluctuations, means significantly more risk.The financial outlay to buy an entire herd can be problematic, too.The ferrets were free.”
She didn’t understand a word he’d just said.“How much does a bison herd cost?”
“It depends on the size of the herd.Let’s say it’s fifty breeding cows and one bull.We’re looking at one hundred and fifty to two hundred thousand dollars.Minimum.Fencing for a herd of that size is going to set us back another fifty to seventy-five thousand dollars.”
“Is that a lot of money?”
She’d never given money much thought before Adeel arranged a second-class marriage for her.Now it was continuously being brought to her attention that she knew nothing about it, other than that two hundred thousand in cash was very heavy.Which reminded her.
She needed to make that call to Aisha.
Jayce looked up from his task.An unexpected smile brought the sun into his eyes and a thrill to her heart.He didn’t need to know how to flirt when he smiled at her that way.
“Yes.That’s a lot of money,” he said.
“Will the coyotes eat bison?”
“Not even a grizzly will take on a healthy bison if there’s easier food to be had.”
“There you have it,” Malika said, triumphant.“Your father is right.Their chances of survival are higher, making them the better investment.”
“Possibly.In the right market.”
“And your mother will be very happy,” Malika added.She hopped off the empty oil drum.“Speaking of your mother, I think I’ll go see what she’s doing.”
“Great idea.Let her know we’re heading back to Burning Scrub this afternoon, will you?”
This afternoon.
Malika had stalled long enough and now she was out of time.
Vanessa was shelling peas and snapping beans at the kitchen table.
She sang softly under her breath as she worked.She always had small chores to entertain herself with, much like Mavis.Montana women knew how to age.
Vanessa aged especially well.
Malika joined her at the table.Vanessa pushed the bowl of beans toward her and showed her how to snap them into small pieces for cooking.
“Do you mind not having servants?”Malika asked.
Vanessa dropped a handful of shelled peas into a pot.“Not in the least.What would I do with myself if I had servants?”
