The cowboys secret, p.18
The Cowboy's Secret, page 18
He smirks. “Morning Wood Ranch?”
“My family has always had a sense of humor,” I tell him, my eyes flashing with excitement. “The name is perfect for our brand in so many ways. When you see it beside the stately tree, you instantly get that feeling of longevity and experience. Couple that with the plains and the backdrop of the mountains, and you get a ‘home on the range’ vibe. Then there’s the name itself. Who doesn’t love a sunrise marking the start of a new day? And, for those savvy folks, there’s the humorous play on the words. Just imagine…a big juicy steak and the slogan ‘Moms Love Morning Wood!’”
Dominus, who is normally reserved, suddenly burst out laughing and shakes his head.
Encouraged by his reaction, I start showing him all the ideas I came up with: ad copy, commercials, radio promo, and outreach to high-end restaurants. I also present the extensive data I’ve gathered about the eating habits and average expenditure on beef in the typical household.
I show Dominus the states we would concentrate on first and which ones we would expand to each consecutive year.
I know what the ranch brings in and what the potential profits can be. I choose to be conservative with my projections, although I anticipate a much higher profit once organic beef becomes a staple in American cuisine.
“What do you think?” I ask afterward.
Dominus shuffles through all of my work, nodding thoughtfully. “You have done an exceptional job, Master Anderson. This is well thought out and creative.”
His praise means the world to me.
He then asks, “What do you plan to do with this?”
“I’m going to go to each loan officer to see if I can renegotiate the terms of the loans.”
“Admirable, but I’m afraid most banks will be unable to make changes.”
My heart skips a beat.
“May I suggest an alternative?”
“Please,” I reply, desperate to hear it.
“Go to a local bank, make the same presentation, and suggest they consolidate the loans and restructure the terms. A local bank can be more flexible. Since your family is respected in the community, it may give you the leverage you need.”
“That’s a great suggestion! Joseph Murphy is president of the First National Bank of Greeley, and he and Pop go way back. Surely, he’ll have some pull.”
“First National Bank of Greeley, you say?”
“Yes, why?”
“I believe I have heard of that bank.” He pauses for a moment, repeats the name, and nods. “Yes, it’s a fine institution.”
“Sure is! Been around since 1884.”
Dominus looks at me proudly, holding his hand out to me. “Well done, Master Anderson. You have come up with an excellent plan. I could not have done better.”
I shake his hand enthusiastically. “That means the world to me, Dominus.”
“The sooner you approach the bank with this, the better.”
“Should I cut class?” The idea has never occurred to me until now.
“While you don’t want to jeopardize your academics, if I recall correctly, you told me you chose to pursue a double major to save the ranch. Now that you have the means…”
“You’re absolutely right! I’ll check my schedule and see what days I can miss without getting too far behind.”
He nods his approval.
I suddenly frown, realizing I don’t have money for a plane ticket. I spent the last of my savings on the cab ride home from the club yesterday.
“What’s wrong?” Dominus asks.
“I’m short on funds.”
“I’ll handle your travel arrangements. Time is of the essence, Master Anderson,” he reminds me. “Never let pride stand in the way of good business.”
Although I hate owing the man after everything he’s done for me, I take him up on his offer. “I appreciate it, but I insist on paying you back.”
“Certainly.”
Sarika walks into the room and announces, “Dinner is ready, Dominus.”
“Excellent.” He pats me on the back. “Tonight, we celebrate!”
“Sarika, tell Edlyn to get out the reserved wine.”
She smiles as she bows and then leaves the room.
We dine on Bresse chicken with morel mushrooms and Jura vin jaune. He tells me it is the best quality chicken in the world. I’m impressed by the thick layer of fat that gives the chicken a nutty flavor I have never experienced before. While we eat the extraordinary dish, Dominus peppers me with questions about my plans for the ranch and beyond.
The pride I see in his eyes as I tell him means more to me than he will ever know.
Once he is done questioning me, Dominus insists on the girls sharing their future goals as well. He sits back, a look of satisfaction on his face, as they detail their individual pursuits.
I learn that Martuska is determined to carve a secret box so exquisite that it is deemed worthy enough to be placed in the Hungarian National Museum. Edlyn wants to become well known as a poet so she can inspire and encourage the young people in her country. Sarika, on the other hand, wants to be mentored by a famous artist named Tunde Csuhaj.
“It would be a dream come true for me!” she tells me breathlessly.
Jolan has her heart set on teaching young girls traditional Hungarian embroidery and explains how the reverse side of a piece should be just as smooth and flawless as the front.
At the end of the meal, Dominus looks at each of us at the table and states, “I predict that all of you will realize your dreams.”
The women blush, murmuring their heartfelt appreciation to their Master.
Once again, I am amazed by this man. With this meal and the conversation he inspired, Dominus has not only shared his belief in each of us but cemented it into our hearts.
It is empowering.
Dominus stands up and turns to me. “Master Anderson, I would like to show you something in the kitchen.”
Curious, I nod to the four ladies, thanking Edlyn again for the exquisite meal.
Dominus takes off his dinner jacket and dons an apron.
I chuckle. “I didn’t know you cook.”
“It is something I enjoy but no longer have the time for,” he states. “The invitation to join me in the kitchen is purely business related.”
I laugh, thinking he’s pulling my leg.
“I’m quite serious, Master Anderson. You see, I believe cooking can be used as a metaphor for business.”
He points to the chicken bones. “Take this chicken carcass for example. To many people, this is something to be discarded, no longer having any value.”
He sets a pot on the burner and puts the carcass in it. “However, if you add water and a few vegetables…” He begins roughly chopping onion, carrots, and celery, adding them to the pot.
“…and seasoning…” He tears off some fresh thyme and parsley, adding them, and finishes with peppercorns and several cloves of garlic.
“…then give it ample time to simmer…” He sets the lid on the pot and turns down the heat.
Dominus smiles at me with a glint in his eyes. “You’ve just created liquid gold. It is now a completely new creation that can be enjoyed all on its own or added to numerous dishes to enhance the flavor.
“Business is like that, Master Anderson. You can take a company or idea and, with insight and patience, create something greater and more far-reaching.” Dominus slaps me on the back. “It is our duty as businessmen to leave the world in a better place than we found it. Never forget that.”
“I won’t,” I vow, inspired by his words.
“I’m confident you won’t,” he states. “There is one more thing I want to show you.”
Dominus leads me back to his library. “We haven’t shared our glass of pálinka yet.”
I take a seat beside him, feeling a deeper connection to the man than I have ever felt before and I gratefully take the glass he hands me.
“Egészségedre,” we say in unison as we savor that first sip. I swear, pálinka has never tasted so good!
Dominus lights his cigarette and takes several long drags on it before blowing out a large smoke ring. He then blows a smaller one that pierces through the center of the larger one.
“Impressive.”
He smiles. “It’s the small things that entertain me now.”
“So, was that what you wanted to show me?”
“No,” he chuckles, picking up a leather folder from the side table and opening it. “Something interesting happened.”
“What’s that?”
“You once spoke about a dream girl, and it seems she recently visited my dreams.” He hands me a drawing of the redhead I’ve seen over and over again in my sleep.
In his sketch, she’s facing away, but her long hair is blowing in the wind so that a small portion of her cheek is showing. It’s more than I’ve ever seen before.
I stare at it, astonished. “It’s her…”
“The vision was strong but gone in an instant,” he explains. “I decided to hastily sketch it before it completely faded.”
I can’t stop staring at her.
“She’s out there, Master Anderson.”
I believe him and nod in agreement.
Picking up his glass, Dominus says, “To your future, and the adventure ahead.”
“Hear, hear!” I say, raising my glass to him.
I struggle to leave that night. I’ve enjoyed myself far too much, and Dominus and I have nearly finish an entire bottle on our own.
When he walks me to the door, Dominus unexpectedly trips and bumps against me.
“Had a little too much pálinka, have you?” I joke as I help him regain his balance.
“It appears I have,” he laughs.
After I get in the car, I notice he’s still standing in the doorway, and I wave as we drive away. I sit back in my seat with a big, silly grin on my face.
“A good night?” Sebo asks.
“An extremely good night,” I answer with satisfaction.
When I get back to my dorm, I look through my week’s schedule and am disappointed to see I have two major tests and a presentation I can’t miss. Instead of leaving tomorrow as I’d hoped, I’ll have to wait until Friday, after my tests.
I call Dominus with the bad news.
“While it’s not ideal, it will work,” he assures me.
“There’s always a chance I can make it to dinner on Monday, depending how this goes, but I can’t make any promises.”
He chuckles. “Neither can I.”
“Getting a sense of humor are you, Dominus?” I tease.
“You seem to be rubbing off on me.”
I snort. “Then I guess my job is done.”
“Indeed. Until we meet again, Master Anderson.”
Four days later, with my tests behind me, I head back to Colorado. I’m bouncing off the walls by the time I get off the plane because I’m so anxious to see my family.
Imagine my surprise when my father is the only one there to greet me.
“Where is everybody?”
His eyes twinkle mischievously. “I didn’t tell them you were coming.”
I grin and rub my hands together. “Well, this should be fun.”
On the drive home, Pop informs me that the bank postponed our meeting until Monday because Mr. Murphy wants to attend and won’t be back until then.
Although I’m disappointed by the delay, I am encouraged by the fact that the president of the bank will be there.
As we drive down our driveway to the house, he says, “Your mom is baking chocolate chip cookies for the bake sale at Christina’s school.”
“Awesome. I couldn’t have come at a better time!”
I jump out of the truck as soon as he stops and run up to the house, bursting through the backdoor. Ma stares at me in surprise, then drops her spoon. “I can’t believe you’re here!”
I rush over to her, hugging her tight while I sneak a hand out to grab a freshly baked cookie. “Nothing better than your cookies, Ma.”
She laughs, hugging me again. “What’s the special occasion, Brad?”
“I think I figured out how to save the ranch.”
While I help Ma finish baking the cookies, I give her the presentation I plan to give the bank on Monday.
After I’m done, she stares at me, her eyes brimming with tears. “I have never been prouder to be your mother than right now.” She stands on tiptoes and taps my temple. “The creativity in that brain of yours is truly amazing.”
“So, you think they’ll go for it?”
“Of course, they will!” She grins. “Who doesn’t love Morning Wood?”
I hug her again. “I love you, Ma.”
I hear the familiar squeal of the school bus as it brakes to let Ruth off. “Now, it’s time to surprise my sister.”
Hiding behind the door, I wait patiently. When I hear Ruth’s energetic steps as she bounces up the porch stairs, I get ready. As soon as she passes by me, I jump out. “Boo!”
Ruth lets out a terrified shriek, then hits me as soon as she realizes who it is. “How dare you scare me like that!”
“It was too much fun to pass up.”
She crinkles her brows. “Brad, what the heck are you doing here?”
“Just felt like surprising you guys.” I grin. “And I did, didn’t I?”
She smacks me again. “Yes, you did, you big weenie.”
“How’s school going, Ruth?”
When I see her blush, I know exactly what it means. “Do you need me to meet him and set him straight?”
Her eyes widen. “Absolutely not! You’re not allowed anywhere near Jeff.”
“Jeff, is it?”
Ruth turns to our mother and pleads, “Tell him to stop.”
My mother smiles and looks up at me after taking a baking sheet out of the oven. “Jeff is a perfectly sweet young man. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Sweet? I don’t buy it,” I grumble.
Ruth cries in exasperation, “Ma!”
I chuckle as I go back to helping my mother by grabbing another cookie from the cooling rack. “You do realize you have baked too many cookies.”
Ma laughs, slapping my hand. “There is no such thing, silly boy. Especially when it’s for a bake sale.”
Taking two more cookies, I head outside and whistle for Hot Chocolate. A few minutes later, I hear her galloping up. “Didn’t expect to see me, did ya, girl?”
She nickers as I pat her cheek, then rub her forehead. “Guess what?” I whisper. “I’ve figured out a way to save all of our futures.”
To my surprise, I see three Kuvasz running toward me in the distance. I drop to one knee as Bandit comes running straight for me. With an impressive leap, he clears my head and kicks up a ton of dirt when he lands, covering his white coat.
I hear Pop laughing as he walks up. I pet the runt of the litter, who wiggles excitedly in my arms. “So, you decided to keep her, huh?”
“Your mother deserved to keep at least one.”
“I’m glad.” Although Pop could have used the money at the time, I’m thrilled he did this.
“I bet you’re happy they kept your little girl, too, aren’t you, Kiah?” She licks my face repeatedly, her tail wagging the entire time.
When I stand up, I feel a soul-rush—a sense of oneness with everything around me: the animals, my father, the land, and that ancient cottonwood in the distance.
I turn to my pop and tell him, “You’ve built something special here.”
“Not just me. Our whole family…but I agree, son. This is my idea of heaven on Earth.”
I look at my watch and realize Christina’s bus will be arriving soon. “I’m going to walk up and surprise her when she gets off the bus.”
My father nods. “She’ll love that.”
When I start up the driveway, however, I hear the low rumble of the bus engine and have to pick up my pace to get there in time.
The look on Christina’s face when she gets off the bus does my big brother heart good. I hold out my arms and she crashes into me.
I give her a piggyback ride back to the house, grinning like an idiot.
My family grounds me like nothing else in the world can.
Pop and I meet with Mr. Joseph Murphy and his team first thing Monday morning. I have dressed for success, wearing my finest shirt, jeans, boots, and hat. I figure when you want to convince a bank to invest in the future of your ranch, you ought to look authentic.
After formal introductions are made, I jump straight in. “In a world of cheap, supersized fast food, organic beef might seem like a hard sell. However, cattle raised humanely in the great outdoors must become the standard the meat industry strives for.”
I turn to Pop. “My father runs a completely organic ranch where consumers can be guaranteed that the meat is free from antibiotics and hormones. Because we are forerunners in the organic industry, my mission is to help people understand where their food comes from and what it takes to produce meat as humanely as possible.”
Mr. Murphy nods. “Go on.”
After presenting the extensive financial data I’ve gathered, and answering all of their questions, I move on to my marketing strategy, and that’s when their eyes light up.
“Not only will our brand evoke the feeling of simpler times—the strength of community, experience, and good health—but we also have the benefit of humor.”
I share the idea I have for a commercial I want to shoot with my father. “Imagine this. The sun is setting behind the Rockies as Pop walks up to the ancient cottonwood after a long day.
“His eyes scan the ranch with a look of pride while I come riding up on Hot Chocolate with Kiah running beside me. I slip off my horse wearing my black Stetson and no shirt, and walk up to stand beside Pop. My naked chest is sweaty from a hard day at work.
“Then an announcer with a low, seductive voice says in the background, ‘We work hard for you at Morning Wood Ranch.’”
The entire room bursts out in laughter, and they feel so inspired that they start throwing their own slogan ideas at me. I dutifully write them down, laughing the entire time.
