CHAPTER 1
When the sale of his house finalized almost a year after cancer claimed the life of his wife Wendy, Dino Geddes was left with few worldly possessions.
Sam and Alyson, his two married children, had come and been given things they'd desired and garage sales over two weekends, some sales via newspaper ads and three trips to the city refuse dump had taken care of everything else Dino didn't require.
The 51-year old had resigned from his job as project manager of a prominent housing construction company and had used his severance pay plus a handsome gratuity from the company to buy at book value his year-old work vehicle, a white 4-seat pickup.
Dino stayed his last night in the city with friends and next morning hit the road, heading north without a destination in mind except it would have to be appealing. What he had in mind was to start a new life and with a bit of luck he had another twenty-five to thirty years left to enjoy it.
His best mate Phil had argued he shouldn't just hit the road hoping to find something and of course his wife Eva supported Phil's urgings. Yeah well they were pretty conservative people and now that Dino was free of the shackles of responsibility with the company where he'd worked for twenty-seven years, he wished to grab his freedom with both hands.
Four days of pleasant driving up the East Coast, stopping where and when he wished, Dino came to a big town called Jutland just before 4:00 and decided to stay a week, perhaps less, to get the feel of the place.
The receptionist at the mid-grade hotel studied the unshaven Dino who carried only a small carry bag and said, as if surprised, "You want a room for a week?"
"Yes about a week," he said and handed her a Gold Card and that appeared to dispel the woman's thoughts that he might be a penniless drifter.
The room turned out better than expected. He shaved five days of hair growth off his face and showered and on the way to a restaurant to eat grabbed the local newspaper, the Coastal Gazette.
Only one job vacancy appealed to him. Dino switched from beer to wine and ordered his meal.
Next evening he was about to open the door of a restaurant, the door closed because of the on-shore wind, when a woman arrived beside him and, taught by his mom to be polite, Dino said, "Allow me ma'am."
"Thanks. Someone taught your good manners."
Dino looked at the woman, who was about his age, as they entered and grinned.
"Then if I have impressed, would you eat with me? This place looks near empty."
"I'm married," she said almost crossly.
"It wasn't an invitation for sex."
She laughed and said she was sorry for her reaction. "My husband and I are having a trial separation and the situation has made me overly sensitive. You choose the table."
Her name was Caroline Walsh and he told Caroline his name and added he wasn't married and was looking at Rutland as a possible place to relocate.
"Then you are looking for work?"
"Yes but nothing too strenuous and a place to live of course."
"Have you found anything?"
"I was interviewed for the position of gardener at a home on two acres today but was told by the woman I was considered too old for the position."
"Oh that will be Sally Shanks. She's a widow who aims to get more than gardening each time she employs a new young gardener."
They laughed.
"Perhaps I can get you placed doing nothing strenuous. My brother has a farm inland where they milk 1300 cows. He has his replacement cattle on what is called a run-off, meaning subsidiary land to the main farm, a mile beyond the southern boundary of this town. The guy stationed there to keep an eye on the cattle has left."
"I grew up on a dairy farm and worked on it till dad sold out when I was twenty-two and found work in the city as a builder."
"Then I'll tell David about you. Let me note your phone number and where you are staying."
David came into town next day to have lunch with Dino and Caroline, a public accountant, joined them.
There was a house on the run-off, two dogs, a quad farm bike (four-wheel all-terrain motor bike) with trailer and two-vehicle garage/workshop.
David became very interested in Dino when he said firmly he was interested in the job.
"Right, my daughter Harriet will collect you at your hotel in at 9:00 in the morning and take you out to inspect the place and to assess you."
"Assess me?"
"She's my farm manager and employs our staff. What Harriet doesn't know about dairy farming hasn't been invented."
Dino thought Harriet would probably have the appearance not unlike a cow in gumboots and wearing and old blue felt hat with a daisy hanging from it.
He watched a sexy-looking 35-year old approached reception and the receptionist pointed to Dino.
Jesus, what was this? The woman was in a business suit, was blonde with her hair pinned up. She looked to be as tall at Dino but was very trim with two nice humps.
He stood and she smiled, showing great teeth, and said, "Hi Mr Geddes. I was expecting an older looking man. You look as fit as I am. Call me Harriet. "
Well this was off to a good start, Dino thought, as he smiled and had his hand shaken firmly and he said, "I thought we were going to the run-off. You look ready for a meeting with your bank manager."
"I do have other meetings in town this afternoon."
Her car was a small Mercedes, in need of a wash but with no dents. She didn't suggest he drive. And then she was all business.
"My job is to assess your suitability for caring for our 800 weaned and year-old heifers."
Dino said in surprise, "You replace your milkers on rotation in a three-year cycle?"
"Yes and no and the culled cows and surplus in-calf heifers are on-sold. We manage to produce a surplus in every income area."
"Yes quite. Um you'll find me somewhat dated in farming practice but over the years I've keep up a general interest in reading about dairying."
"And how do you feel about this job prospect? The pay is $40,000 with a house provided and a farm vehicle. No car is provided and you are not paid car-running expenses unless they are a mileage payment for journeys relating directly to your farm work."
"I'm comfortable about that offer."
"Excellent and tell me what you know grass management, strip feeding over winter, cow care, herding instinct and feeding out hay."
"What about drenching, hay-making, AI (artificial insemination), weighing...?"
"Gary and his team will come over and do drenching and weighting and hay-making and technicians will call for AI but yes I'll need to check you out about which heifers to have ready for the technicians."
They talked on and arrived at the old farm house clearly in need of a lick of paint.
"Do you want me to paint the house?"
"Oh so you already have the job?"
"Um if I get the job."
"Yes, we'd supply the paint and equipment. That offer gets you a big tick for attitude."
They stood at the trunk of the Mercedes while Harriet removed her jacket and skirt.
"I'll go off."
"No stay, I'm a farm girl, not a prissy city girl."
She removed her shirt and standing in bra, panties and stockings asked Dino for pull out her overalls and gumboots, a move that brought them face to face.
"Thanks," she said. "I hadn't expected you to be shy."
"But I am discreet," he said. "You have a great body."
