The Cowboy and The Pencil-pusher

Maddy's face is full of traces of the years.The furrowed lines that lined his dark cheeks, and the crow's feet around his gray eyes, revealed the hardships of his life.I'm glad he finally agreed to meet me at the Biscuit Bacon in town.The restaurant is very popular, crowded and noisy.People laughed and yelled at each other, while the clatter of china and silver filled the room.Restaurants have a special tacky charm.The tables were designed as wagon wheels with glass panels, and all the waiters wore red and white checked skirts like tablecloths.

Kurt came with him, looking relaxed as he leaned against the booth.The shirt matched the color of his eyes perfectly, and he smiled when I walked in. "I'm supposed to stand up but it just took me 10 minutes to tuck my legs under the table." Of course, his legs were crushed under the glass and looked like they were growing on top.

"It's rare that people stand up when I come in, and I don't care." When I shook hands with Madi, he met mine warily.

"Mr. Callahan, it's a pleasure to meet you at last."

"Okay you," said Maddy quietly.

I sat next to Kurt because there was no room around Maddy.But I made sure not to let his legs touch mine.There was something strangely infectious about being around him.Even though I don't touch him, being so close to him makes my heart beat faster.

I put the manila folder that I brought with me on the desk.When the waiter came, Kurt ordered a full breakfast and Maddy ordered a stack of scones.But since I was uncharacteristically nervous, I only ordered black coffee.Although I've been through this countless times, I feel panicky for some reason.

"Look, I know I'm behind on my payments, but I'm sure things will get better soon. I'll pay you back," Maddy said, stirring the cream in his glass.

I bit my lip and tapped the rim of the glass with my hand. "It's a shame we can't let things continue like this."

Kurt didn't speak but sat up next to me.

Maddy's dark cheeks turned pale. "what does that mean?"

I'm having trouble breathing, what the hell is wrong with me? "That's why I want to see you." I clear my throat, wondering if I should order a decaf drink given how fast my pulse is beating right now. "I have a proposal. One of the advantages of our family-owned bank is that it is more adaptable than some large companies. The proposal I am about to give you has been implemented on another ranch in Texas, and the situation there is better than yours. Worse."

"I'm nearly half a year behind. My sympathy is for worse fools than me." Maddy's voice was gruff, and he glanced at Kurt.

Kurt put his hand on the old man's sleeve, "Everything will be fine."

I had to bite my tongue to suppress the knee-jerk reaction.I don't like to say empty platitudes, but things aren't going anywhere without Maddy Callahan reforming dramatically. "I don't think there's going to be any magical turnaround."

"That's not what I meant." Kurt frowned.

I turned to him and asked sharply. "Do you have any plans for your grandfather? Do you have any ideas for how to get him out of the debt that is overwhelming him? Because if you don't, there's no point wasting your lips on useless platitudes."

Kurt straightened and raised his eyebrows. "I guess you're not into comforting someone who's upset."

"Fairy tales are for little girls with pigtails."

His lips moved. "I'm not kidding, if that's what's bothering you. Either way, it's going to work out and we either pay the money back or we lose the place and the pressure on him is gone. Both are good things.”

I muttered, "Oh, forgive me then. I didn't realize you thought foreclosure meant a good thing."

I was taken aback by Kurt's sudden smile, which of course was very touching and lit up his whole face. "You're quite aggressive, a city kid, aren't you? You're here just to fight."

My cheeks were burning but I didn't say anything as the waiters brought their food.I sip my coffee while they move things on the table to make room for the piled-up plates.The food actually smelled so enticing that I immediately started drooling.I haven't eaten anything since noon yesterday.

Maddy drizzled maple syrup over his scones. "What's your advice to me?" He raised his eyes cautiously.

Kurt looked like he was concentrating on slicing up his steak and eggs, but dare I say he was listening.

I cleared my throat. "It might sound like a break from the norm, but hear me out. Like I said earlier, we've done this before and the family is [-] times better off."

"Ten times? Wow, that much." Kurt chewed slowly, with a smile dancing in his eyes.

I was a little annoyed, and the back of my neck jumped suddenly.Opening the folder I brought, I searched in the file. "It seems to me that your expenses are about $[-] more than your income per month. That's why you can't pay your mortgage."

Maddy looked at me blankly, and I realized he had no idea how much he was losing each month. "All right."

I laughed, "This is not a long-term solution."

He rubbed his head. "I could have talked to you, kid. Everyone kept asking me about money, and I was about to have a brain haemorrhage from the stress."

Kurt snickered, forking up a large fried egg and hash browns.

"I gotta say, you two don't seem to be taking this seriously."

"Really?" Maddy asked confused. "It's a big deal, kid. You're talking about throwing me out of the house. But if you think I'm going to cry or bow my head, that's not my style."

I couldn't help admiring him, because what I hate most is when someone breaks down and begs me to forgive him.As I said to Benji yesterday, I'm not really bad at heart.But I like to play by the book.If you promise to repay but fail to do so, then we will take away the collateral negotiated by both parties in the contract.

"You're calmer than average," I said.

Kurt met my gaze. "You don't look like the kind of person who would be passive."

"No, I'm not."

Maddy put down his fork and leaned over to me. "What do you suggest?"

I swallowed hard, and the tension in the morning fermented in my body again. "As I said, we have a location in Texas that runs the exact same business very successfully." I flipped through the papers. "It seems like you're costing far more per cow than you're gaining. For whatever messed up reasons, you're losing money and not making a profit on the cattle."

Maddy nodded, scowling. "We had an unusually high calf mortality rate last year."

"Yeah, that's because we bought shoddy cattle from Brother Brave to keep the cost down." Kurt shook his head and pushed his plate away. "I'll tell you he's a bastard and we shouldn't be doing business with him."

Maddy glanced at me, blushing. "I was trying to save money."

"Money shouldn't be saved in this kind of place." Kurt said hoarsely.

"Yes." Maddy sighed heavily. "I get it now."

I'm amazed that neither of them seemed to take the other's words to heart. "Ignore these, anyway, you are losing a lot of money." I directly handed a data sheet to Kurt.

He waved it off. "I only care about herding the cows." Sighing, he adjusted his sitting posture.He grunted when his leg touched mine. "God, I feel like I'm screwed up."

When his knee touched my thigh, a strange electric current climbed up my leg, and I shivered like I had been stabbed by an electric bull rod, which was very embarrassing.Clearing my throat, I ignore Kurt's curious gaze. "As I said, you're losing money and we need to turn things around as quickly as possible."

① Electric cow prod, a kind of cattle herding equipment that uses electric discharge to stimulate cattle to move forward.

"How? Do you have Aladdin's lamp?" Maddy clasped his hands on the table, looking as if praying.

"A lot of the ranches in this area are struggling, and usually the larger ranches don't have the same problems as yours. If you want to survive, you need to have some breakthrough ideas." I glanced out the window. The town of Bender surrounded by rolling snow-capped mountains. "One of your strengths is the beauty here... I mean, if you take advantage of the whole pristine environment outside." As much as I'm upset about being stuck in this small town, I have to Admit that the spring water here is ding-dong and the sky is blue, which is an extreme beauty.

"How can these beautiful scenery help us?" Kurt asked with a frown.

"City folks will love it here," I said softly.

Kurt scowled. "You're from the city, but I bet you don't like it."

"I'm a purebred city guy who doesn't like cowboy adventures. But a lot of other people do." I lean back in my chair. "And they're willing to pay big bucks to enjoy baked beans under the stars."

Kurt let out a small exclamation and turned to me. "Fuck it. I think I know what you're doing."

I lifted my chin to meet his piercing gaze.

"What? Tell me." Maddy looked at Kurt.

Raising a flat eyebrow, Kurt asked, "Sightseeing ranch?"

I nodded, and Maddy had a look of horror on his face. "Sightseeing ranch?" His tone was as if I suggested that he open a tea room and wear a Japanese kimono with large flowers to entertain guests.

"No way," Kurt said firmly. "You can't turn the business my grandfather built into a joke."

When our eyes met, I felt my neck burn. "Then you'll lose the ranch."

This is the first time I've seen Kurt angry since we met.His mouth was tight and his eyes were squinted. "fart."

"You can't save this place if you go the old way." I was annoyed because of my trembling voice.But it was hard for me to stay calm when Kurt looked like he was going to cut my heart out.

Kurt leaned in toward me, so close I could see the dark ring around his pale blue iris. "Fuck you sir."

I swallowed. "It's Maddy's call. It's not your turn."

Maddy sat up straight and asked Kurt. "Is that why you're so upset about it?"

Kurt nodded briefly.

Maddy shrugged. "Well, in that case, Paul, I'm afraid that's all I can tell you: Fuck you."