“Jimbo.” Silas took the hand held out to him. “Brought some company with me today. You know Greer and my brother, and this is a friend of ours, Alanna.”
“Nice to meet you.” Alanna took the hand extended to her, quickly pulling back after a second. The man might be friendly, but she recognized a familiar meanness in his eyes.
Shivering, she edged closer to Matthew, who wrapped his arm around her waist and gave a brief glance in her direction.
The friendly façade began to fade when Jimbo’s ruddy face turned in Greer’s direction. “I thought I told you not to come here anymore.”
“He’s here with me,” Silas interjected smoothly. “I’m paying for his order today.”
Alanna looked at Matthew. Now she understood how Silas had gained permission to leave the Colemans’ property.
“In that case, let’s get your orders written up.” He pulled up what looked like a handheld computer dangling from his jeans. “I have several you can look over. I have a real beauty over here.”
Jimbo started walking to a stall that had a metal gate, and they all followed him
“I hoped she would be a prize-winning milking cow. She’s been dry as a bone, so I’ve been fattening her up.”
Alanna instinctively stepped forward, unable to resist the big soulful eyes.
“Aw … She’s so sweet.” She reached out to touch the nose that was trying to get through the gate.
“Nuh-uh. Let’s not chance it,” Matthew warned, pulling her hand away.
“I’ll take her,” Greer spoke up right away.
Jimbo pressed the keys on a machine.
“How do want the meat parceled out?”
“Parceled out?” Alanna whispered, horrorstricken.
“Give me out forty percent in a variety of roasts, ground me up around thirty percent—the youngins like their hamburgers — and the rest in steaks.”
Alanna reached into her pocket for another piece of ginger candy.
“I’ll get as many out of her as I can.” Jimbo let the machine go to hang back as his side and nodded at another stall, one over. “Now, this one over here is a little smaller, but she’s grass fed.”
Alanna didn’t move away with the men, feeling the cow staring at her pleadingly.
“What’s wrong?” Matthew asked, coming back.
“They’re going to kill her,” she said starkly.
“Yeah, that’s why we came here—to replace the meat we ate.”
Her hand went to her stomach. “She looks so sweet.”
Matthew looked at the cow. She could tell he wasn’t as taken with her as she was.
“Is Alanna okay?” Silas asked, coming back.
“Alanna doesn’t want the cow killed.” Matthew gave Silas a helpless glance.
“Too bad. She’s gonna be on my dinner table,” Greer said unsympathetically. “Going to feed us for at least six months.”
“You’ll make it last three months,” Matthew retorted.
“Don’t matter. It’ll be three months of pure pleasure I don’t have to pay for.” Greer grinned.