Galahad in Jeans (Louisiana Knights Book 2) by Jennifer Blake Read Free Book Online

fortune.”
    The woman behind him was quiet for a minute or two before he felt her nod of acceptance. “Sorry. It was only a thought.”
    “No problem.”
    “So fine, you’re a daylily farmer. But surely you don’t—what was it you said? Put pretty with pretty?”
    The change of subject was more than welcome, since it allowed him to unbend a little. “I cross for size and color like everybody else,” he said evenly, “but also for hardiness and repeat blooming. I guess you could say I put the best with the best.”
    “And then what?”
    “Then I send the most unusual or spectacular plants from the crosses out to the big daylily shows and conferences.” He couldn’t tell if she really wanted to know, maybe for her article, or if it was simply something to say. Either way, he wasn’t about to go through the whole seed harvesting, seedling sprouting and planting out process for her.
    “For what? Display to buyers?”
    “Awards,” he said with the lift of a shoulder. “Medals. Sales to high bidders during auctions, photos for promotion in the catalog.”
    “Catalog?”
    “In full color, mostly online but also in a yearly slick paper mailer. We don’t sell retail directly from Windwood, but do ship around the world—that big barn at the far end of this track is a packing shed. The best cultivars I develop aren’t usually sold, of course, but saved for breeding stock. Well, unless I’m offered top dollar.”
    “And top dollar would be?”
    Now she sounded intrigued. It soothed his annoyance somewhat. “Five to ten thousand and up.”
    “For a single plant?” Her voice rose a notch in surprise.
    “For a single fan of a single plant,” he said with a private grin. “A grower from Malaysia paid $50,000 for exclusive rights to a cultivar last spring, but that was for one of my extra specials.”
    “I’d like to see one of those!”
    “They’re in the breeding greenhouse. I’ll show you in a few minutes.”
    She seemed to accept that. After a moment, she said, “Is this where you were working earlier?”
    “Over there, yeah.” He nodded toward the fallow field where he’d left the tractor sitting at the end of a row before heading to the house to meet her. He’d been opening a furrow, getting ready to plant it out before rain started pouring down again.
    “Your housekeeper said you were behind because of—well, because. I hope I’m not too much in the way.”
    Eloise had said a lot in the short time before he made it back to the house. Of course, his housekeeper was right. And Carla was definitely in the way, though he could hardly say so. “I’ll catch up.”
    “It was good of you to spend so much time with your aunt while she was ill.”
    “She was my mother in all the ways that matter. What else was I supposed to do?”
    “I suppose I meant good in the sense of—well, of proving you are a good man, a gentle man, and so a gentleman.”
    His frown was moody, though he was glad Carla was behind him so couldn’t see it. “She was under hospice care with nurses around the clock. It wasn’t as if I did much of anything worthwhile.”
    “You were there for her, right?”
    He’d been there, yes, and it wasn’t anything he wanted to think about, much less talk about to a woman with an agenda that included publication in a magazine. He revved the ATV’s engine as a sign the subject was closed, and then headed toward the greenhouses that lay spread out behind the big house.
    The day was so warm and humid that the big fans in the ends of the greenhouses were running at top speed. They pulled in cool air and exhausted hot air currents through the roof vents. He should already have the bigger houses emptied of plants, have them set out in neat field rows. If he didn’t get to it soon, he’d need to add more overhead shade in the greenhouse or risk them being cooked by the sun. He could also lose a good portion if the weather turned dry before they had time to become established in the new