Off the Beaten Path

Read Off the Beaten Path for Free Online

Book: Read Off the Beaten Path for Free Online
Authors: Unknown
buffalo, buffalo bring higher prices than beef, they cost less to raise than cattle, they require less care during calving season, buffalo do less damage to the pasture than cattle, buffalo start breeding earlier than and cattle do, in a nutshell, buffalo are more profitable than cattle.
    She laughed and suggested,
    “You have given that speech before, haven’t you?”
    “Only to about twenty or thirty vocational agricultural classes, twelve chambers of commerce, and two annual meetings of the buffalo breeders association.”
    They sat on the porch for another hour after they finished eating breakfast talking and watching the animals graze. They talked about their friends and family without talking too much about themselves. They talked about the places they had lived and what they loved about living there without telling why they had moved there in the first place. They conspicuously avoided discussing their spouses both for the same reason, to painful. Jack’s pain was from loss; Kristin’s pain was not as simple.
    Jack ask casually, “How long has it been since you last modeled?”
    Kristin started to answer him without even thinking and then realized that she had not told him that she had been a fashion model.
    “How do you know that I used to model?’ she asked with a tone of utter fascination.
    Jack responded, “Well first, you still have the look and the poise of a model, second I think there is an old copy of Vogue Magazine lying around here with your picture on the cover.”
    She snarled at him, “that’s cheating.”
    “I know” was all he said in response.
    “So, what do you do now?” He asked.
    “I run a modeling agency.” She responded without going into too much detail.
    “Okay Mr. Wise guy, your turn, what did you do before you moved to this valley.”
    “I was raised in this valley but I did have a short career as a lawyer.” He answered and saw her flinch. She gathered her composure and asked,
    “Why did you leave it?” She asked.
    Jack took a deep breath and explained, Kristin, there is a story they tell around here about these two brothers that go into the hay hauling business together. They bought a flatbed truck and found a farmer that would sell them hay for fifty dollars a ton. They loaded up the truck with the hay and drove down the road knocking on doors asking the local ranchers if they need some hay. The fifth ranch they come to the rancher just happens to need some hay for his cattle. He asks the two brothers how much they are selling their hay for. The brother’s looked at each other, they had not thought about what price they would sell the hay for.
    The rancher spoke up and told them that hay in these parts usually sells for around fifty bucks a ton. The two brothers agree that fifty bucks sounded like a fair price. After they unload the hay the rancher paid them. They filled up the truck with gas and discover they had less money than when they started. The one brother looks at the other and asks, “What do you think we should do?” The other brother said,
    “I think we need a bigger truck.’

    Jack waited for the story to sink me in then he looked at her very intently and said,
    “Kristin, in my previous profession I was always buying a bigger truck.”
    Jack looked at his watch and reminded his house guest that if she wanted to get that tire fixed they had better head into town he thought that most of the tire shops closed early on Saturday.
    Kristin suddenly looked very tired and vulnerable; she took a deep breath and blurted out before she could talk herself out of what she wanted to say,
    “Jack, would you mind if I stayed another night, I’m just not in a big hurry to get back.”
    Jack smiled at her in complete understanding and said,
    “Kristin, do you need a bigger truck?”
    She threw her napkin at his face...
    Jack leaned back in his chair and said, "Kristin, Sam and I would be honored if you would spend another day with us in the middle of

Similar Books

Wolves at the Door

Veronica Blade

Pow!

Mo Yan

Amulet

Roberto Bolaño

A Feast For Crows

George R. R. Martin

Frames Per Second

Bill Eidson

Lifeline Echoes

Kay Springsteen

The Road to Hell

Gillian Galbraith