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“Hey, Grandma,” I greet as I walk into the kitchen.
“Ethan, sweetheart.” She smiles as she takes a dish out of the oven.
“Thought I smelled your famous pecan pie.” I see half a dozen of them on the counter.
“I saved one just for you.”
“That’s why you’re my favorite.” I kiss her cheek when she wraps an arm around me.
“So what have you been up to these days? You ready to be an uncle soon?”
Elle’s due in a couple of weeks. “Well if the massive baby shower she had last month is any indication, we’re all ready.” It took Connor and me six trips to bring all the diapers and gifts she got to their house.
“And when will you be settling down?” she asks pointedly, and I know there’s no getting out of this conversation.
“I was thinkin’ of becoming a lifelong bachelor.”
Grandma immediately scowls. “Ethan Bishop, don’t you dare give me a heart attack.”
“Not everyone wants to get married and have babies,” I tell her. I don’t admit that I could only ever see myself having a family with one woman or that she’s not aware of my feelings.
“What about Harper?” she asks bluntly, and I hope my expressions don’t give me away.
“What about her?”
“Is she seeing anyone?” she asks with a raised brow as if she already knows the answer.
“No.”
“Well why don’t you take her out on a date?”
“Because we’re just friends, Grandma. Girls and boys can be friends without any relationship brewing between them,” I tell her matter-of-factly.
“Back in my day, there was no such thing as boys and girls ‘hanging out,’” she says with air quotes.
I chuckle in amusement. “No need for that…” I mimic her action. “We’ve been friends all our lives. That’s it.”
“Hmm…” she murmurs. “Your uncle Jackson said the same thing for years.”
“Yes, I know the story.”
“And because of his stubbornness, Kiera almost got married.”
“I’ve heard.”
“He nearly lost the only woman he’s ever loved.”
Before I can respond, Grandpa walks in. “Rose, leave the boy alone.”
Thank God.
“Darlin’, here’s your pie.” Grandma grabs a plate off the counter and hands it to him.
Grandpa looks down at it and frowns. “This ain’t no pie. It’s a baby slice. Where’s the rest of it?”
“That’s all you need. You have high cholesterol,” Grandma reminds him.
Grandpa groans, shaking his head in protest. “That’s why the doc put me on those pills. It lowers my numbers so I can eat more dessert.”
“I-I’m no doctor, but I don’t think that’s how it works,” I mock.
“Have a seat and eat. I’ll bring you some coffee,” Grandma directs, pointing at the kitchen table.
I follow and sit across from him as Grandma busies herself in the kitchen.
“Don’t forget the sugar,” Grandpa tells her.
“We only have Splenda,” she replies.
“Of course,” he mutters, lowering his voice so only I can hear him.
I pull the financial statements from the manila folder and give him a brief summary of how things are going with the goats. We go over numbers and profit margins as well as possible ideas for expansion.
“If we keep the billy goats, not only will they eat what the cows won’t in the pastures but we can also rent them out during breeding season,” I explain. Other goat farmers only raise the female goats for their milk and need billy goats for when they’re in heat. That way, they don’t have to deal with their bad tempers. As of now, when a male baby is weaned, we sell him, but it could be a great investment to keep some in a separate pasture.
“You’d need more employees to handle it,” he tells me, then sips his coffee. “Billy goats are known to be pains in the ass.”
“You’re right. I do. Especially since Knox and Kane are constantly juggling between helping me and working with their dad on the side.”
I leave out the part about one always being hungover and the other getting high during breaks.
“Alright, give me a day or two to figure it out. Should be plenty of room behind the barn, but you need more people soon, especially since breeding season is just a few weeks away.”
Female goats usually go into heat in the fall when the weather changes. It can vary in weeks, but we bring in the billy goat as soon as they start showing signs. One male can breed with an entire farm of females. We don’t always know if the females get pregnant and are often surprised in the spring when babies start popping out.
“Sounds good.”
Grandma hands me one of the hot pecan pies wrapped in a towel. “Here ya go. Make sure to save a piece for your mom and dad.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, right.”
Once we’re done chatting and I’ve said my goodbyes, I climb in my truck and text Harper.
Ethan: What are you doing tonight?
Harper: Working till the sweat goes into my eyes and I go blind.
