SrCuervo
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🕑 Added 2025-05-16 06:37:29 +0000 UTCWind in the Smoke
Chapter 197 – Certainly the Ranch Will Grow
Jamie parked the pickup truck next to the double trailer and barely opened the door when he saw Dante leaning against the side of the truck.
Dante had his hands in the pockets of his jeans, a blade of grass in his mouth, his eyes slightly squinted, and he looked like he had been waiting too long.
“Is something going on, brother?” Jamie asked, knowing Dante was waiting for him for a reason.
“If I wanted to stop a company that wants to expand into this country, how would I do it?” Dante, who had been having problems lately, had received a request from the FBI itself to stop a company quite similar to his from entering the country.
“Competitors?”
“They’re bad people. That’s all you need to know.” Dante didn’t want to give his brother more information so he wouldn’t get involved externally.
Jamie ran a hand over his face as if trying to clear his mind before answering.
“It depends on how you want to do it. Legally, you can pressure them with environmental regulations, import licenses, or look for tax loopholes. If it’s something more... personal, there are ways to scare the right people without getting your hands dirty. But Dante…” Jamie paused and looked seriously at his brother. “If you get involved with dangerous people, you better be ready for what comes next.”
Dante spat the blade of grass onto the ground; his expression showed not fear but calm. “I am. But I don’t want to put anyone else at risk. I just need you to give me some ideas — you’ve always been better at thinking about these things without leaving traces.”
Jamie nodded slowly, looking toward the horizon where the sun was beginning to set behind the hills. “Then listen carefully. First, you need to cut off their entry routes. If they can’t establish an operational base, they won’t have a way to sustain their logistics. Find out who’s signing deals with them here. If you make them back down or discredit them, that’s a big hit.”
Dante nodded and explained, “I’m already checking that. They have a pending deal with a regional bank.”
“Perfect. Find a better offer for the bank or make them see that the deal will sink them in the long run. You can use the press, an environmental scandal, whatever it takes. But the most important thing…” Jamie lowered his voice and moved a little closer. “The most important thing is don’t underestimate their ability to fight back. If they’re like I think, they won’t hesitate to get their hands dirty.”
Dante looked at him steadily, as if confirming something he had already suspected. “Then we’ll have to get our hands dirty first.”
Jamie sighed.
“Certainly the ranch will grow, but that doesn’t mean we should forget who we are. Take care of your people, brother. Don’t lose your mind trying to protect the land.”
Dante sighed; he had to cooperate with the government so no one would bother him. Only Susie knew this, and the closest people to SAMCRO, so he could only be ignorant about some advice.
“I won’t lose it. I’m just making sure no snakes get into the corral.”
The two brothers remained silent for a moment, listening to the rustling wind and the distant sound of cattle. The ranch was still there, strong as ever, but Dante knew a storm was coming. And this time, it wouldn’t just be against the weather.
…
After the routine inspection, Dante rode his horse back to the stable.
Passing by a newly built chicken farm, he glanced at the empty cages that hadn’t yet welcomed their new residents, then headed toward the pasture.
He was especially drawn to the area where [grass seeds] had been planted just yesterday.
Dante dismounted and crouched down to observe.
Although signs of growth in this grass were not yet obvious — after all, only a day had passed — it was already showing signs of spreading.
Tender blades of green grass poked out of the soil and sparsely stretched beyond the small flag that had marked the spot.
The pattern of spread was a bit random, and the edges were crooked, making the originally square area look particularly irregular.
It seemed this [grass seed] would spread randomly in all directions.
Dante stroked his chin, thinking for a moment.
This was a good sign.
Although the growth pattern of this grass species seemed a little “whimsical,” if they could keep spreading on their own, future pasture management would be much easier.
Even if it didn’t continue growing and spreading through winter, it was good news... Because Montana’s peak grass growing season lasts less than three months, from April to July.
Now, the growth season for these grasses was likely to triple.
Thinking about this, Dante smiled, stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, mounted his horse again, and gently shook the reins.
Night Fury immediately took quick steps and headed toward the ranch’s riverbank.
Today, the focus wasn’t on the pastures.
Dante was preparing to select a plot of land for his next farm.
He planned to find a fertile piece of land near the river and cultivate it.
He even stopped going to town because there was a rodeo to watch on Sunday.
After riding for a while, he passed through an area where one day Susie had encountered a beaver.
The soil of that wetland was rich in organic matter and had thick deposits of silt, making it naturally fertile farmland.
And with those natural lumberjacks nearby, the work of clearing the forest could be saved.
However, beaver dams required attention. If not managed carefully, they could alter water flow and cause flooding in low areas.
Thinking of this, he began considering planting crop varieties that were resistant to moisture or had good drainage, and an idea slowly came to him.
After circling some bushes, he saw the target location.
Dante was about to dismount to get a closer look when he suddenly noticed an interesting scene.
On the riverbank, not far from there, a dog was blocking the entrance to a beaver dam, constantly picking up branches and moving them, trying to demolish the beavers’ new home.
It seemed the little one was still angry about not being able to catch the beaver and “bite its butt.”
As soon as Night Fury saw the dog’s figure, he immediately perked up his ears and took a cautious step back.
Dante smiled faintly, reached out, patted him on the neck, and whispered, “Relax, that dog’s no threat.”
Feeling his owner’s reassurance, Night Fury’s nervousness gradually lessened.
It was clear the dog wasn’t very big and didn’t have much momentum.
The dog’s aura wasn’t strong, and it failed to scare off the other nearby residents.
On the riverbank, two moose were calmly nibbling the tender branches of the embankment, not even looking at the dog, who was busy sweating over his work.
While nibbling, they were hitting the embankment branches with their antlers, as if saying, “These branches taste good.”
It turned out the moose also liked to take advantage of the situation.
However, it might also be because they were all comrades in arms in demolishing the beaver’s house together, so no conflict arose.
Apparently, the dog didn’t let the moose’s indifference discourage him and kept working hard to dismantle the dam.
At that moment, a reluctant little beaver swam over to join the fun.
It swam toward one of the moose and suddenly wagged its tail violently, splashing it with a jet of cold river water.
The moose, splashed with water, suddenly raised its head and shook its wet hair, but didn’t seem angry.
Instead, it continued gnawing the branches with its head down, as if this was part of its daily life.
As for the mischievous little beaver, it had already dived back into the water so quickly that not a single ripple was left.
Dante watched the scene, chuckled softly, and shook his head. “These little ones are quite funny.”
He dismounted and prepared to grab an axe to clear the stumps around the dam.
Although a chainsaw would be more efficient, its noise might disturb these “artists.”
Anyway, it was only a matter of cleaning up the short stumps left in the “wood storage.”
