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🕑 Added 2024-12-11 03:44:04 +0000 UTCWind in the Smoke
Chapter 45 - Ranchers' Association
At noon, Dante hurriedly ate lunch on his way back to the cabin.
With no time to visit the natural coal extraction zone, he went straight to work on the old ranch.
Fortunately, the spring hunting week had come to an end.
Currently, Dante and the two brothers were closely collaborating with other local ranchers who had joined the new management, completing a series of tedious tasks. These included raising newborn calves, castrating them, vaccinating them, and tagging them.
Unfortunately, these tasks couldn't be simplified through inexperience, which meant Dante’s participation in them was minimal.
After all, this business followed a specific plan that had been in place for decades, so any extra input from an outsider was unnecessary in this field.
"In the future, we must do everything possible to delegate all these tasks that cannot be simplified to a third party; otherwise, it will be a waste of time." But Dante was skilled at making hard work look easy.
He was already looking forward to shaking off his exhaustion after finishing his work, soaking in warm water, and savoring the aroma of the wine he was growing quite fond of.
His dog collapsed at his feet, panting heavily, resting its head on his mud-splattered boots, and gazing up at him lovingly.
"If my father finds out that I fed you better than his workers, I think he'll throw me out of the house," Dante said with a faint smile. He hadn’t seen much of his father lately, as the man was caught up in ongoing lawsuits against him.
The pressure on the ranch was easing day by day thanks to the new jobs this place was generating. Yet, it was still too small for the Montana government to see enough reason to reject the persistent calls for reform from private companies.
After glancing over the important financial documents related to their most recent business venture, Dante lit the fireplace.
Then he got up and continued with household tasks: training on how to properly saddle a horse, assembling and disassembling weapons, sharpening knives, and testing new weapon prototypes that his engineers were secretly developing in their tailor shops.
Even if he was distracted, he could still make his time worthwhile.
"The good thing is, you won’t be lazy here, so you can eat as much as you want," Dante said as he fed his dog, Scud, who seemed smarter than the average dog.
Scud chewed happily but suddenly perked up his ears.
His eyes came alive, his nose twitched, and he barked toward the door. Then he abandoned his food and darted off.
Dante looked toward the door and saw John, who was on the verge of becoming a recognized businessman, wrinkling his nose and carefully removing his shoes. He glanced sideways at Scud, who was hiding from him.
"I told you to get rid of that dog," John said as he walked toward the cabinet holding the wine bottles.
Dante didn’t immediately greet him. He gestured with his eyes and continued with what he was doing. "That one’s named Scud. Did I forget to tell you Susie left him with me to be happy here on the ranch? It’s a big place; let the animal live a good life."
"I suppose you’re right. There are bigger things to worry about," John said as he sat down by the fireplace.
"Tough day?"
"Those damned private companies won’t stop pressuring me. God knows what will happen next with those sharks trying to take this ranch from me," John said bitterly, watching the flames crackle in the fireplace.
Dante couldn’t help his father with these problems. After all, there were things that couldn’t be solved with a gun or by killing people.
This case was more delicate than that.
"You need to be careful. If they can’t win one way, they’ll try another," Dante said as he packed his belongings into a suitcase.
"If that’s how they want to do things, it’ll be the last thing they do," John replied without hesitation—he wouldn’t shy away from killing if necessary.
"By the way, since you’re helping your brother with the ranch, how about becoming someone more influential in Montana?"
Dante looked at his father for a moment and said, "I’ve done enough with the businesses I’ve created for the family. We should focus on expanding the ranch’s name to the rest of the world."
"We’d need millions we don’t have."
"You’ve got me."
Comments
Nato J
Will be a battle but might bring the Dutton family together against their foes.
Nato J
List of problems for Duttons. Broken Rock Reservation, Market Equities, Paradise Valley and last but not least Malcolm Beck (wild card), head of the Montana Liquor Board and his brother Teal Beck, running a real-estate business and used Montana Free Militia from the Crazies and a Skinhead group for wetwork when he did not get what he wanted.
