We started planting summer crops the next week. The ground had to be tilled, plowed, and fertilized. Then we planted and irrigated the crops. Mike grew tobacco and cotton, which are both common to the area.
We all worked hard, and stayed up well past sundown to finish our work. I cleaned up in the bunkhouse before talking to Helena for a while. I’d head home and start over the next day. Leah and Helena took care of feeding and filling water troughs for the barnyard animals, collecting milk and eggs, brushing the horses down, and other such chores. Everyone worked. There was no exception, unless you were a woman with child. No one was expecting on the ranch this season. The children even pitched in before and after school.
Three calves were born that summer, and two more were due any time.
Most importantly, we set our wedding date. August 15th.
Just a month away and my nerves were starting to fray. I was worried I would somehow fail Helena as her husband. I admitted this to Pop one night after work. “Jack, that’s normal. It doesn’t change after you get married. You have to work at it. It’s like planting season. You have to work the ground, fertilize it, and water it. You have to do the same in a marriage. If you let it wither, you will not see any fruit, and eventually it will die.”
I always felt a little better after talking to Pop. He’s a wise man.
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A Love That Time Cannot Erase (#2 - Eternal Love Series)
RomanceUpon returning home from college, Jackson (Jack) Marshall meets a friend from his childhood: Helena McBride. Only, she's all grown up, and as beautiful as she is sweet. He is instantly infatuated with her. First he must gain her father's permission...
