Page 7 of Trickster King

“Okay. Hit me with it. What’s so special about this new cow?”

“She’s pretty, she’s from a fairly remote location, and she might be a good launching point for a new hybrid.”

Once I got my three new bulls in from overseas, I’d have the most genetically diverse cattle stock in the entire kingdom—and quite possibly in the entire world.

“I’m just going to look the other way on this one. I’m not looking the other way on the field. Take care of it, preferably without picking up yet another damned infection.”

“It really is a minor one, Your Majesty.” Randy held up his hands at my wife’s glare. “He didn’t even complain about going to see the physician, he’s been proactive about his medications, and if it wasn’t for the stress factor, he wouldn’t have gotten the infection at all.”

“Raze the field and fix it,” my wife grumbled. “You can earn it back through selling horses for a bunch of prissy elites. Randy, figure out which shows I can sell my husband at for profit to pay for his damned cows.”

“I can do that. There are always requests for him at shows and auctions. I can go through the list and pick the ones with the highest profit probability.”

“Of course. Where he goes, a bunch of idiots wanting to spend money follow, so they bribe him to show up. The problem is when he goes to an auction and falls in love with some damned horse he can’t live without. Or worse, someone brings a calf to show him. Do you know what happens when someone shows him a promising calf?”

“There is a reason we take a trailer to the auctions, Your Majesty. Six horses to sell, six spots for animals His Majesty can’t live without.” Randy managed to keep his expression neutral. “If you let him drive a trailer, you could sell twelve animals at auction.”

My wife considered Randy through narrowed eyes. “Why do you want him driving a trailer?”

“It is good practice for him and would let him move his bulls to a different ranch while the field is being razed. There isn’t much space at the current ranch unless you wish for his bulls to share their love with his many cows.”

If my bulls got loose with my cows, I’d be rolling in calves I’d have to deal with, which meant the ranch would have to serve its regular purpose. “That would pay for the cost of the fields next year, and if I were to put only one bull in each of the cow pastures, I could do a controlled hybrid test.”

“Can those poor bulls service that many cows?”

I glared at my wife. “Of course they can. They are prime bulls, and they would have a great deal of time to handle their responsibilities as breeding bulls.”

“If I let you take an extra trailer, you’re going to fill it with cows.”

“Well, yes.”

“You want to transport cows in my horse trailer.”

I nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“I’m only letting you get away with this because the field needs to be fixed. I’ll even be generous and allow you to keep the excess funds from the ranch earnings for your cow fund. But if you buy cows and they’re inbred, you must flag the calves for the meat market. They will be loved cows until they’re ready for slaughter, but the entire point is to fix the breeding stock, not make the situation worse.”

“I’ll put in requests for foreign cattle with good genetics so he has options open to him,” Randy replied. “I will also make a point that any bulls will have to be approved for sale prior and tested for temperament along with meeting the DNA standards for the project.”

“Do you mind watching the kids while I discuss this with my wife in her old rooms before I cook dinner for her and our food-thieving tyrants?”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“You’re bad,” my wife muttered, but she headed for the door with a smile.

“You like it, you saucy wench.”

“Yes, I do. Don’t dawdle, Your Majesty. I do not have all day.”

I cast a look at Randy and shrugged. “You heard her. Her Majesty does not have all day.”

“Enjoy your evening, Your Majesty.”

I planned to.

TWO

The offer of a present did the trick.

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