Mating Dance by Bianca D'Arc Read Free Book Online Page B

The
fact that you used natural ingredients—including a lot more honey
than most commercial bakeries—is what sold everyone who tasted
those first samples.”
    “So, honey was our ticket into town, eh?
Tina will get a kick out of that. She’s the one who first started
tweaking our recipes and led us down the back-to-nature path. She’d
have us go totally organic, if we let her, but the costs are just
too high right now to make it worthwhile.” Ashley began gathering
the used plates together, naturally organizing things to take back
inside. “Tina’s the one who came up with the idea for our roof
garden too. We all helped build it, but it was her idea. It’s been
great for us. Saves us money on produce, and considering how far
off the beaten path this town is, it’s allowed us to have fresh
greens whenever we want them rather than whenever the delivery
truck shows up.”
    “Yeah, not many of us are salad lovers,” Tom
admitted. “So, we didn’t place that high a priority on that sort of
thing. We all can hunt our own game, though we can also have beef
and chicken delivered. Just like my wine. We pool orders and have a
truck drop off a whole load every couple of months. Everybody’s got
a big freezer to stash their supply.”
    “I heard someone was starting up a ranch up
the mountain that is supposed to be able to supply the town with
chicken, turkey, pork, beef and even bison, eventually,” she said
as they worked together to clear the table, moving in and out of
the patio doors, brushing each other from time to time as they
carried things.
    Tom’s mind wasn’t really on the
conversation. He was thinking more about what would come next. Was
she cleaning up in preparation for leaving? Or was she cleaning up
because she was just a neat person who wanted to have everything in
order before they sat and drank more wine…and maybe did other
things? Tom was eager to find out.
    “Yeah, that’s the plan, but it’ll be a while
down the road yet. Livestock tends to be nervous around us, so
we’re looking into outsourcing the labor, but every applicant has
to be vetted. As we learned from you and your sisters, we’re not
very good at keeping our secret yet. We have to be careful who we
allow access to our town.”
    “I’m surprised you have such control. I
mean, I thought people could come and go wherever they wanted in
the U.S.”
    “Technically, we’re only partly in the
U.S.,” Tom explained. “Much of our land is on the outskirts of the
reservation. We have a good relationship with the elders, and they
know we are excellent stewards of the land. Native Americans are
some of the only humans who are raised to believe in us. The local
shaman knows what we are, and he trusts us to do right by the land,
and by their people. In fact, that ranch will probably employ a
large number of the tribe’s younger folk, when it finally gets up
and running. We have a few other irons in the fire to create
employment opportunities, and the tribe gets a percentage of our
art sales. It’s our way of giving back to their community, since
they welcomed us so warmly. We’re even looking at constructing a
new building on Main Street for the tribe’s artists to run, where
they can sell their own work.”
    “That’s really impressive. I didn’t realize
the reservation boundaries were so close. I mean, I knew they were
nearby, but I didn’t realize…” Her words trailed off as she went
back into the house for a moment to drop off the last of the
dishes.
    When she returned, Tom watched her to see
what she would do. Much to his relief, she poured more wine for
them both and moved over to the padded bench that faced the water
at the far end of the patio. Tom joined her there, sitting next to
her as they sipped their wine and watched the dark waves rippling
in the moonlight. The dim light from the patio behind them didn’t
interfere with the stillness of the night all around them.
    Tom reached over and put his arm around