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?"
She shook her head. "Not yet." She licked her lips, let her low lip caught up between her teeth. If she sold the beef cattle perhaps she would have enough money to engage someone on a part-time contract to help her with the farm. Any help would be appreciated. Anyone. She nearly giggled in hysteria.
"They aren't interested in slave labour?" He murmured. "Or working for peanuts. Surprising that." He narrowed his gaze.
Regan hackles were up, but as she had learnt, the hard way, during her childhood, the best way to deal with these types of situations, was just smile. It would convince the other person that their insults had no consequences. She feigned a grin. She tipped her head back and stared at him, "So how's the new job going?" She decided that the best way to cope was to appear blasé.
Caro replied on Gray's behalf, "Barry thinks Gray is the best thing to have happened to them. The operation is going from strength to strength. Gray made such a difference to the place within two months."
Regan smiled. "As expected."
"Yes. I know. Do you know that Barry raised Gray's salary!" Caro in a conspiratorially tone, "Barry was worried that Gray might be poached! Or he would set up his own farm!" Caro gushed. "Gray is a fantastic manager. But you'd know that, after what he did for your place. He turned your farm around. You were lucky to have him as a manager. And so cheap!"
He could not work out why he was so cross with her. And why his heart was still hammering. "Caro, you're mistaken." Gray interrupted his eyes still on Regan.
"I am? Really?" Caro was puzzled. "You were amazing at her place. You took her farm from a real shambles to a working farm. From nothing to real profit. She was lucky to have you."
"Perhaps. But I was never a manager at Dr Calhoun's place."
"Really?" Caro frowned.
"Yes. I was just a low paid labourer." He made sure he kept his tone firm, his eyes cool. "Or should I say she barely paid the labourer minimum wage?"
Regan told him with fake lightness in her voice, "I saw taking you on, as a kind of apprenticeship!"
"You saw it as an opportunity to get something for nothing." He snapped, rising to her statement. "I worked. You did nothing. That is not my idea of an apprenticeship. Nothing at all, really."
Regan pretended to sigh, "Oh dear." She shrugged, then said coolly, "It worked, didn't it?" Gray's straightened his shoulders. Regan boasted, "I am running the farm." Albeit badly she reminded herself.
His jaw tightened. "Yeah." His tone was practically ice. "So, no one willing to work for you, for free?" He pushed and watched her countenance and expression.
She feigned a giggle. "Hard to believe, isn't it?" She maintained her demeanour. "What is the world coming to?"
"No workers, at all." Gray folded his arms and shrugged as if it didn't matter to him. But he was worried about her. She looked wan and tired. "I guess word is out that you want something for nothing."
Apprehensive washed through her. She swallowed the lump in her throat as his words rattled through her brain. She said with worry lacing her question, "Sorry?" She knew her smile was teetering. She hoped he hadn't gone around telling people about her financial predicament. "Word is out?"
"This is a small town." Caro said bluntly. "Word travels fast." She smirked.
"I see." Well that would explain why no one, not even transients had applied to work on the farm despite the fact her advertisement in the local shops and newspaper which was advertised for nearly two months.
"I guess people wondered why someone like Gray, who is doing such a great job at his new job, left your place." She beamed at Gray, "Of course we had to explain the situation. The financial implications. You know, the fact that you barely paid him the minimum wage when he was the manager at your place! And his grandfather was working for you but was not paid at all. Nothing! Some might label it slave labour. Taking advantage of their situation."
A few minutes ago she thought she had away out of her predicament. She would sell her cattle, she could be thrifty with her own expense, she could be frugally with her food, pay her utilities bills, find a part-time worker and match the wages offered by local farms. But now, Caro's statements scuppered Regan's intentions. No one will apply if she re-advertise.
Her hope was dashed as their statements rattled through her brain. "What would we do without the local grapevine?" Regan pinned a smile to her lips. She'd have to rethink her plans. There was no way she was going to be able to attract a local to work at the farm if word was out about the working conditions.
"You could pay a decent wage." Gray announced with frostiness. "Or is that too radical an option."
If she had the money to do that back then, she would have. And now, even if she did sell her cattle, and she could pay a decent wage, she doubt that anyone would apply now.
"But I guess your wardrobe would suffer." Gray challenged. His eyes scanned her clothes.
Regan sighed with dramatics, "Next season's clothes are just out."
"You really are a piece of work, aren't you?" Than he wished he hadn't said anything. He couldn't believe talking to her was so difficult. Every time he looked at her his pulse raced. Whenever their gazes met that spark ignited. How could he still find this woman attractive? Surely by now he would have forgotten her. But she was here, in his thoughts. Even at the new farm whenever he did anything he remember her. Working in his employer's modern technology-milking shed, it resurrected the memory of their near kiss. When he discussed the moving of the sheep, or gave instructions to the workers on farm, all of it brought her to the front of his mind. Her videoing him, the way she bit her lips just before she asked him questions, the way her brows furrowed when she made notes. Remembered her chuckles when she did something wrong. Why remember that? What was the matter with him?
Caro smirked at Regan, now she knew Gray did not break up with her because of Regan. Hewas definitely not happy with Regan
"Guess so." Regan feigned a smile and got to her feet. "On that happy note, I have to go." She gathered her belongings. "It's been lovely chatting. Good to hear that you are doing well, Gray. Please pass my best to your family." She looked around to make sure she had picked up her stuff. Gray narrowed his eyes. "Bye." Regan sauntered off.
He ran a hand through his hair and watched Regan exiting the café. Watching his reaction, Caro corrected her conclusion. Caro was not sure whether her earlier interpretationwas accurate: Observing Gray watching Regan, seeing theemotion in his eyes suggested he was not happy with him, not Regan.
Gray tracked Regan as she walked past the floor to ceiling windows and he stored her image in his head.
"Everything ok?" Caro asked when she saw the spark in his eyes. She had never seen that spark before. And he definitely didn't have it when they dated.
Caro's question snapped him out of his trance. "Yeah."