Chapter 101

I saw Oliver standing alone at the serving table. He cut off a piece of steak and with it on the point of his knife, put it in his mouth - just as he looked my way.

With him watching, I stood and waved, then walked around the tables to where he waited.

“Mr. Oliver, that was a super-delicious steak you cooked, and so tender.”

“Thank you, Josey. You can thank Helen and Jessica for the tenderness and for the superb taste. They came up with that recipe, and they love sharing it.”

“Helen told me about that, and I’ve asked her to place a double order of her herbs and spices and have them shipped to my office back home. She doesn’t know it, but I’m going to pay her and Jessica for the seasoning. I may even check into having it patented - in their names, of course.”

“Josey, what I wanted to speak to you about – is my wife, Helen. I need a man-to-man favor, from a young friend, and though I hardly know how to ask, I feel it’s now or never.”

“You can ask anything of me, Mr. Oliver. If I’m capable and can make it happen, I’ll be glad to help you.”

“You’re very capable, from the rumors I’ve heard among the women, plus the amazing tales I’ve heard about you from others.”

“Uh ... I don’t know what tales you may have heard, but I’m not guilty of all that crap they’ve been telling on me.”

“Josey, I’m not going to insult you by getting down in the dirt and drawing you a picture, I’m just going to ask you plain out, will you assist Helen - in giving me an heir to my farm and ranch - plus my fortune?”

“Mr. Oliver, for some odd reason, I had a feeling that was the favor you wanted. If you tell me that Helen is willing, and that you and I will always be friends afterward, I would be willing to honor your request. You can rest assured too, no one will ever know, unless you or Helen tell them yourselves.”

“Would you shake a man’s hand on such a life altering deal as this?”

“Sir, I’m honored.”

He stuck his big hand out and I shoved my hand into his as he smiled.

“Josey, now that the pressure is off me, would you let me talk to you about another deal?”

“I’m always interested in hearing about a deal that can either save me money, or make me money.”

“Though I’ll never be able to repay you for honoring my request, I would like to make you an offer that only a hardened old fool such as me, would turn down, if the tables were turned.”

“Lay it on the line, Mr. Oliver. We’ll hash it out if there’s a big difference of opinion.”

“One hell of a young businessman too, I see. This is what I intend to do for a newly acquired friend of my family. I have a number in mind of what those two herds will cost, that you’re dealing on - and I’m willing to cut that in half – providing my good friend promises me he’ll watch over and protect my wife on her first trip away from home.”

“The way I see it, any news of your generosity doesn’t need to be tattled among the members of your association, so I’ll give you the numbers I’ve run through my head and you can nod yes or no.”

“I love doing business with a shrewd businessman. You’re going places, Josey. Shoot me the numbers and they’ll never be written on paper or scratched in the dirt.”

“Six thousand, first-time bred-heifers should run in the range of four hundred and fifty pounds. Today’s close for bred-heifers on the Chicago Board of Trade, was $22.30 per hundredweight. If you take a $1.90 off - that would be $20.40 per hundredweight.

“That – times 4.5 per hundredweight per cow, brings us to a total of $550,800.00.”

“Josey - tell me - did you just run those numbers through your head that quick?”

“Yes Sir. If you think I’ve made a mistake, we can get a pencil and paper and I’ll go over it with you.”

“I would never insult you by asking you to re-figure. You’re within a hundred dollars of what I figured on paper and I’ve never been worth a shit at math. Step over here and let me make you a gift of the finest cowhide satchel money can buy. Made especially for me by a leather-smith using my own, Black Angus cowhides...

“Now then, before we shake again and congratulate each other on a deal well done, I want to inform you - the total in that satchel - is four times the total you just quoted me. I need to tell you too, I lost count in there somewhere and rather than count over, I stuffed a few thousand extra inside.

“The reason I feel the need to do this, Helen told me she wants to come back and spend two weeks at your place in Mississippi, for the next three years in a row.”

“Mr. Oliver, your wife will always be welcome in my home, and on any of my farms in Mississippi.”

Helen was still with the others when I caught up with them. “Helen - Oliver and I had a long talk about - you, him, and me.”

“Josey, was it a good talk?”

“Helen, it was a fantastic talk, and you need to pack your bags early. We may leave tomorrow morning, in time to land in Collinsville before noon.”

I was expecting a big hug, and I got it - After she hugged the other women and girls. She even let me know that my hug was special between us, by grasping my cock as we hugged.

Afterward, I took my satchel that I’ve been carrying for the past six months or so, and counted out $1,101,600.00 and put in it.

Reina and Belle were with me as we walked over to where Oliver and two more association members were talking. I gave my leather satchel to Reina, and she held it out to Mr. Oliver.

“Mr. Olsen - my sister, Belle Meade - with Josey Ruiz, and myself - have come pay you and your association for the twelve thousand head of cattle - after Josey and you have agreed upon the price. We sincerely hope you and your association will remember us next year when we come calling in early January – to negotiate another deal.”

“Miss Reina, it has been a pleasure working with you and your sister. With you and Miss Belle, backing Josey and your other partners, we will always welcome you for visits such as this. I have talked to my fellow members of the association and we’ve agreed - any time - J Ruiz Cattle Company is in the market for bred-heifers and feeder calves, we will strive to be first in line to offer you a deal.

“On another matter we have not discussed - and since we have all of you here, I would like to personally suggest you consider breeding your own herds – to a certain extent. Though everyone in the cattle business likes to bring in new blood occasionally, we depend upon our own bloodlines being as pure as possible by breeding and raising our own young bulls - bred and registered exclusively by our members. Should you ever consider purchasing your own bulls, we would like to be first in line again, with the best bulls available on the market, at the best prices.”

Belle turned to me, “Josey, you mentioned the possibility of us breeding our own beef cattle, and still purchase feeder cattle to graze and even feed-out in our own feedlots. Reina and I will leave this decision up to you.”

“Mr. Oliver, I’m glad you brought this up. Though we’re just now building our first herd, we’ve thought about keeping our open-heifers on pasture this fall and breeding them for spring calves. You already have the numbers on our open-heifers, and you know how many bulls we’ll need for up to three thousand open-heifers.

“Josey, the old standard of cowherd-to-bull ratio is slowly going by the wayside. We - as an association of members who breed our own herds in fairly confined breeding pastures, have come to the agreement of forty cows per bull – with the intention of rotating bulls from one breeding pasture to another, throughout the fall breeding season here in Iowa.

“Placing your yearling bulls in a new environment, well ahead of fall breeding season like this, will allow them to become more settled and therefore more productive during the entire - 60 to 70 day – fall breeding season.

“We’ve submitted our own guidelines and schedules to a local printer, and though we are constantly making annual changes as we discover different breeding practices, each member keeps a copy of this pamphlet on hand as a reference. We’ve boxed a dozen of these pamphlets for you to take back with you...

“Now, if you’re interested – we want to talk bull numbers.“

“Sir, since you and your members will be shipping the open-heifers and young steers, we’ll let you tell us the number of yearling bulls we’ll need. If you were to hit on an exact split of fifty-fifty heifers and steers - by your ratio 40-to-1, we’d need seventy-five bulls. Did I figure that right?”

“Josey, you’re a magician with numbers. I’m going to let Carlos over here tell you about our yearling bulls. He’s more or less our expert on which bull calves we keep for breeders and which ones - we cut to keep as steers.”

“Josey, I’m Carlos Benefield, and I’ve done a lot of studying on the annual reports of the Animal Husbandry Professors at Iowa and Iowa State Universities. Though I’m not near the expert Oliver and the others think I am - I am the only one who makes the ‘Bull to Steer’ decisions, for all of us members. First, I want to tell you, we take pride in our yearling bulls, just like we take pride in supplying bred-heifers to beef producers and breeders - such as you and your partners. We’ve never shipped our bulls as far south as where you guys live - and we’re excited to have a chance to show you and the folks down there, just what our bulls can do.

“With the approval of the members present today at this steak supper - and in honor of you and your partners, we will pay the rail-freight on your seventy-five yearling bulls, and guarantee their health and productivity for one year ... Which is what we normally provide. Mind you, these are registered bulls, with ear-tags and registration papers provided - to prove their bloodline. We’re willing to let these bulls go for $850.00 each including shipping. That comes to a total of $63,750.00 which you can round off to an even $63,000.00 – since you have already purchased twelve thousand heifers and steers from our association.”

“Call it a Done Deal! Write up the Bill of Sale on all our cattle, including the bulls, and I’ll pay you for the bulls now.”

After all the handshaking and backslapping was done, I opened my new satchel and counted out the money for the bulls.

Before we left for the motel, the women and girls went with Helen when she rushed upstairs to pack. I came close to telling her not to bother packing very much, but Oliver was standing nearby.

He was telling me, “Josey, I have never in my life, felt as good as I do right this minute. It had been two years - since we heard from Belle, and when she called, all the members were excited to learn she was flying to Iowa with her sister and her partner, Josey Ruiz. Of course, there wasn’t a man among us who had not seen you on TV, and read about you in the papers. Your name came up at our last meeting, and it seems everyone present had a new story to add to your legacy.

“I just wanted you to know, I love that young wench who just ran up those stairs with her butt shining like your other women. Though the rumor-mongers have labeled her as a Gold Digger, I can honestly tell you - she’s not. She had her own money when we married, and she’s never asked me for one thin dollar bill, though like the foolish old rich codger that I am, I do spend lavishly to make sure she never wants for anything. I’ll be sixty-three years old by the time she returns - and already, I have everything I own - willed to her upon my death. There’s not another man on this earth, who I would entrust with my wife - and with what I’m about to tell you...

“Now, I have one more request for you to consider, and I know by now, you truly are a man of your word.”

“Mr. Oliver, whatever it is, you know I’ll be glad to help you.”