Commitment

Part 58

It was three weeks later when they met up again. 

Regan opted for a local café who offered free refills. So Regan was sitting drinking her coffee and had her farm statements in front of her. With a frown on her forehead, she was reading them. She was trying to work out whether she needed to sell the beef cattle and just keep the dairy herd until she got on her feet. The sale of the sheep three weeks ago meant that the bank was off her case for the moment. But in the long term, if she couldn't find a manager, she knew she would not be able to manage the farm on her own. Currently, she juggles her work as a doctor and do what she can do on her farm when she is free. Working as a doctor is a necessity, and the sale of the sheep brought her loan to a more manageable payment schedule. The sale of the milk was enough to service her loan for the farm, but she was still paying off her parents' and grandparents' debts. She couldn't afford to give up being a doctor as she had bills to pay, and while the farm was bring in profits, most of that cash goes to the clearance of the debts. So from her position, it might be better to put the beef cattle on sale, pay off the debts, and use her salary and the profit from the sale of the milk to get a decent worker. That would help her. She studied the spread sheet, bit her lips, and in her brain she reached a decision. Yes, that was the best idea: sell the beef cattle, get help for the farm, keep working as a doctor and there would be enough money to pay utilities, food costs, and she could sleep!

Gray and Caro came into the café and they had to make their way past Regan's table to get to a free table. He was surprised when his heart hammered when he saw her from the front door. "Dr Calhoun." Gray acknowledged as he came up to her table.

Startled, Regan blinked, "Oh Gray." Regan corrected herself and said,"er, Mr Cardozo", looking up and seeing he was with Caro. "Ms Hanley." Seeing Gray and Caro together, still hurt. One day, Regan told herself, one day she'd see them together and it would not slice into her. No chance her heart corrected. She thought about him, every day! Which was not a good thing. Little things, reminded her of him: Especially when she was in the milking shed, or the paddock, the kitchen, the lounge, ok, practically every place on the farm her brain acknowledged."Hi. I saw you selling your sheep." Caro announced and her tone suggested she was not surprised. "Must be about three week ago." Caro looked over at Gray. He nodded.

Regan did her best not to squirm. She knew this was a small town, so word would no doubt be out.  "Yes. I saw you at the auction." Regan nodded.

Caro said as if she was an expert, "I couldn't believe you were there, to sell your sheep. Your sheep were ready to be shorn." That is what Barry said while they watched the interaction between Regan and Gray at the pens.

"Yes. That is why they sold well!" Regan said quietly and looked over at Gray, and she smirked.

"Well, no offence, even I, someone who doesn't work in the field, no pun, would know that you would have the double profit, if you kept them, sheared them and then sold them!"

Regan shrugged. "True."

"So the farm is doing well." Gray watched her eyes. 

She saw his gleam of anticipation, as he waited for her to engage."Thought I'd concentrate on cattle." She shrugged again and tried for nonchalance as she tacked on, "Just establish a reputation for good quality beef in this area." If only that were the case. At this rate, she'd be lucky to have one cow on the farm by the end of the year.

"So the farm is doing well." Gray restated.

 She kept the smile and said, "As can be expected." She hedged, and her smile faltered a bit.

It is now nearly two months since he left her farm. This was a small farming community, people talked. He knew from what he'd heard that she was running her farm on her own. That had surprised him. He was sure that she wouldn't survive a week running her farm on her own. But that was two months ago. Of course he knew she didn't have a manager at her farm. But he challenged her. "You've got a manager?"