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After tossing and turning most of the night, he fell into a restless sleep, only to wake the next morning with a blinding light burning right in his eyes. He winced, realizing he had forgotten to shut the curtains in his bedroom, which allowed him to take in the early morning city.
It was alive with the sounds of horns and the movement of metal. The sounds of the city. He scowled, pulling himself out of bed. He had a big day ahead of him.
Not long after sunup, he headed home to find the cattle already moving about for the day. Pride stirred in his chest. They were still alive, and that was what mattered.
He walked up to Reyla and smiled at him. The beast allowed him to rub his head, and he patted him softly. Chuckling, he teased, “You survived another day. Now, let’s figure out what’s going on around here. I’m getting tired of watching you all struggle.”
Deimos turned and headed inside. He, however, wasn’t ready to find Hope standing in the kitchen half-naked. Or at least, that was how he saw her.
Hope was stretched out, trying to reach a mug on the top shelf. Her shirt showed her entire stomach, and her shorts were very short, to the point that he could see half of her ass. His eyes widened as he took her in.
Her auburn hair looked almost red under the sunlight, and her skin looked darker than he remembered. The door creaked, and she turned, looking over her shoulder. Her eyes seemed to stare deep into his soul.
The mug tilted and slammed to the ground, shattering. He swallowed.
“Shit!” she cursed, stepping back. “I’m sorry. I thought I had it. I’ll buy you a new one. I swear. God, I’m sorry. This isn’t a good impression.”
He couldn’t help but smile, and he suddenly wanted that kind of entrance every day. He would have been more than happy to see her like that every morning.
“It’s fine. It’s just a mug. Watch your step.” He shut the door and walked toward her after he grabbed the broom. “Where’s Gerri? She’s normally the one to get up early for the coffee. If anyone is going to break anything, I’d see it being her.”
She shrugged. “She left early. She said she had a lot of things to get done back on Earth, and she couldn’t stick around. She figured you’d be back early and that I’d be fine for a while.”
Hope watched him clean up the mug. “Sorry about the mug. I just wanted some coffee. I’m not even properly dressed.”
“It’s fine,” he said again, giving her a smile. “Honestly.”
“I’m going to change. Do you mind starting some coffee?” She looked at the coffeemaker. “I’m pretty sure I couldn’t figure it out if I tried.”
He chuckled, giving her a nod. He was more than open to making her coffee. While Hope changed, he heard another car pulling in. He looked out the window, figuring it was Paxton. He was a scientist coming in to inspect the land.
He pulled himself up and stepped outside, giving him a wave. “Morning, Paxton.”
“Morning, Deimos. The cattle look good today. That’s something.”
“Martha looked a little under the weather. I’m hoping it isn’t anything serious. Hopefully, you find some answers to my problem.”
Just then, he heard the door open, and Hope stepped out, holding her mug of coffee. She had changed into jeans and a long sleeve shirt, along with a pair of boots. She looked from him to Paxton and smiled. “You must be the scientist that Gerri told me about. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You must be the veterinarian Gerri brought. I’m here to do whatever you want me to do. Hopefully, between the two of us, we can find solutions.”
Hope smiled, nodding. “Great, I’ll have you start with testing the pH in the drinking water and the soil. I also want to run a test on the grass. See if it’s got all the nutrition that Earth’s grass has. Wouldn’t want to miss something simple.”
He watched Hope as she talked, and he smiled. She knew what she was talking about, and the more she talked, the more he felt like his cattle were in the best hands he could find.
After Hope talked with Paxton for a while, they headed back inside, and he ordered lunch for them. He ordered simple sandwiches, not wanting to get her something she wouldn’t be able to eat. Hope smiled when the food arrived.
“This looks amazing, but you didn’t have to order in.”
He waved a hand. “It’s easier. You were so focused on Paxton that the time was clicking by. Speaking of which, how do you think that’s going?”
She gave him a half-shrug. “I gave him some samples to test and to let me know when the results come back so we can go over them and talk about the next steps.”
She took a bite of her sandwich and looked at him.
“Would you mind telling me how you came up with the idea of having cattle here? Why did you think of it?”
“There were many reasons, but one being I wanted to find a way for people from Earth to become more comfortable living here. I figured animals, and I know that cows are rather calming creatures. People seemed to love the idea. That, and the meat and airy were nice.”
