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“Uh yeah, it’s your office,” I reply.
“Well, I guess technically, that’s true. But it’s your office now, too. I’m sure you will get far more use out of it than I ever will,” he says. “Are you at a place where you can take a break?”
I look down at the empty desk and the computer screen that I’ve barely touched, thanks to my wandering mind.
“I guess so,” I say.
“Come with me. I want to show you something.” He holds out his hand to me, so I walk over and place my hand in his.
He leads me downstairs. I don’t know where we are going, but we are in more of a barn-like area, unlike the office's cold walls upstairs. The smell of cattle hits me like a slap in the face.
Jonas must notice my nose wrinkle up because he laughs and says, “You’ll get used to it.”
“Doubt it,” I giggle.
“Well, maybe what I’m about to show you will make the smell a little more worth it.”
When he finally stops walking, it’s in front of a large pen with about twenty baby calves and their mothers.
“Awww!” I cry. “Look at the babies!”
Jonas smiles and walks over to pet one of the calves on the head. “Andi, I want you to remember this. Every time I am having a bad day or just need a break, I just come here. Seeing these cute little guys just reminds me that things aren’t so bad.”
“Don’t the mothers get all protective when you go to touch their babies?”
He shakes his head. “Nah, all of these girls have been here since they were babies themselves. They know that we wouldn’t hurt them, and they trust us.”
He takes my hand and replaces it on the calf’s head. I pet the little guy and tell him how cute he is for a few moments.
When I look up at Jonas, he says, “See? It makes your day a little bit brighter, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it really does.” I smile up at him. “So, why are they in here instead of out in the pastures with all of the other cows?”
“When they are this young, we tend to keep them inside. We check on the babies multiple times a day, and it’s easier to do that when they’re all in one place. We would spend all day walking around outside trying to track them down. They will be in here for a little while, and then, we will let them out to graze outside while they finish growing.”
“What do you do with them in the winter?” I don’t know where all of my questions are coming from, but suddenly, I feel very curious.
“They still spend a lot of time outside, but we have heated barns all around the ranch that they come into when they get cold. A lot of the herd gets sold off before Winter ever gets here, so we have less to worry about around that time.”
I’m silent for a moment, so he asks, “Any more questions?”
“Sorry,” I say sheepishly.
“Don’t be. I didn’t mean that to sound like an ass. I was seriously asking if you had any more questions. You’re going to be living on the ranch, and working here, so it’s good to know about how things work.”
“Well, I’m sure I will have more questions, but I just can’t think of any right now. Maybe we can talk over dinner tonight?” I ask.
“Of course, baby. Be thinking of what you want to eat.”
He walks me back up to the office I’m now working from. He shuts the door behind us as I stand in the middle of the room.
“Are you okay, Andi?” He asks, leaning up against the door.
“Yeah, I’m good. All of this is just a big adjustment.”
“You know you don’t have to work here.”
I hold up my hand to stop him. “No, I like being here. I’ve always worked, and I like having somewhere to go every day. I just need to spend some more time getting my feet wet, I guess.”
