Love Means No Shame - Andrew Grey

After fumbling around, she finally handed him the key. Without saying anything else, he turned around, left the store, and got in the truck, putting his head on the steering wheel.
    “That is one evil woman.”

    “That she is, Eli… that she is.” Geoff sat back and started the truck, heading to the hardware store as he tried to put his aunt out of his mind. It didn’t take him long to get the things Len needed. “Are 49
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you two up for The Dairy Barn?” Their smiles were all the answer he needed, quickly dispelling the remnants of Aunt Janelle’s venom. 50
    Love Means … NO SHAME
    THE next few weeks were busy—very busy—particularly for Geoff as he tried to bring the farm business accounts as well as the livestock records up to date. On top of that, early May was a busy time in general with planting just around the corner. And as he reviewed all the records, Geoff was surprised at just how much planting they did.
    He was sitting in the office going over some records when he came across the deeds for the farm and other land. It seemed that a number of years earlier, Geoff’s father had purchased a lot of farmland when the market was low and just held onto it. In order to help diversify the business, he’d started planting that acreage in corn and alfalfa for livestock feed and selling what he didn’t need.
    “Jesus Christ.” He looked at the numbers again, blinking in disbelief; that decision had been a good one, really good. They made half their profits from the excess grain, and it diversified the farm so they weren’t reliant on one single source of income. “Go Dad.”
    “What was that?” Len stuck his head in the office on his way to the kitchen to get a snack.
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    “Nothing, just looking over the records, getting everything up to date, wondering if I can do the job my dad did.” Doubt still crept up on Geoff every once in a while.
    Len leaned against the door frame. He hadn’t actually ever come into the office. Leaning on the frame was as close as he’d come. “Your father was brilliant at being able to spot a bargain and making it pay, there’s no doubt about that. This farm was a quarter the size it is now when he inherited it. But don’t let that get to you, not at all. He didn’t have your knack with the horses, and he certainly didn’t get along with the hands as well as you do. I had to be a buffer, or they’d all’a quit.”
    “Thanks, Len. Sometimes I just think I’ve taken on too much.
There’s a lot riding on the decisions I make, and I don’t want to get things wrong.”
    “I’m here; Fred, Lumpy, and Pete are here; and we care about this place as much as you do. We’ve all put our blood, sweat, and tears into this place, so we’re here for you. We’ll help, and we’ll tell you if we think something’s wrong.” Geoff noticed Len watching him for a while. “What is it that’s really gotten to you?” Len asked.
    “I just can’t figure out how we’ll get all this land tilled, planted, and ready in time.”
    “There’s your problem; we don’t till. In the fall we harvest and leave the remains in the fields. Most of it breaks down over the winter, and in the spring we just plant again. That helps the soil and prevents erosion of the topsoil. Provided it doesn’t rain, we’ll start planting in the next couple of weeks. I’ve already got Lumpy tuning up the equipment and getting everything ready.” Geoff got up from the desk and walked to Len, putting his arms around his neck and giving the man a hug. “Thanks.” 52
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    “There’s nothing to be scared of. I got your back.” Len returned the hug like he always did. “While you were growing up, I was always careful what I called you, didn’t want you to get confused. Cliff was your dad, and you were his son. So I always called you Geoff, and you always called me Len. But I always thought of you as my son.”
    “I may have called you Len, but I always thought of you as my dad just as much as him.” It was starting again. Geoff could feel his grief welling up again. “Good God, we’re turning into girls.” They both laughed and released the hug. That had become their catchphrase whenever they were getting really maudlin. Geoff wiped his eyes and went back to the desk. There were some questions he wanted to ask, but the phone rang, distracting him.
    “Hello.”
“Geoff, is that you? Ready to come back to the city?” That voice just rang through