Danny Ray (Ray Trilogy) Read Online Free Page A

peppers on the side. A loaf of French bread sliced and liberally spread with warm butter and garlic smelled wonderful as she pulled it out of the warmer.
    “Hi, Mom,” Danny called out as he entered the living room door. “How did you know I was coming? I know you made this for me.”
    Laura grinned at him, knowing it was one of his favorite meals.
    “Let me guess? You have acquired ESP,” Danny teased.
    “Wrong. A little birdie told me,” she smiled.
    “It was Fred. Wasn’t it?” Art guessed.
    Laura agreed. “You’re right. Thank goodness, somebody thought to give me a heads up.”
    “Mom, you need to see my new pickup!” Danny exclaimed.
    “Too late,” Laura quipped back, “I’ve already seen it.”
    “I might let you drive it,” Danny tempted wiggling his eyebrows up and down.
    “Later, I’ll take you up on that,” Laura returned laughing.

 
     
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
    Reliev ed that the fences and the leanto for the pigs were completed, Danny stretched out on the bed for a good night’s rest. In the morning he intended to drive to the sale barn in Vinita to see what they had.
    Danny planned to be at the sale barn early but when the phone rang, he glanced at the clock. When he saw a big nine and two zeros, he knew he had messed up. “Oh, Rats!” he muttered.
    The phone rang again as he threw his legs over the side of the bed. It rang again. “I’m coming. I’m coming” he yelled at the phone.
    “Hello.”
    “Don’t tell me that you are still sleeping,” a familiar voice teased.
    “Guilty. I planned to get up early but apparently I over slept.”
    “No kidding!” Aaron exclaimed. “I took my last test for the semester yesterday. I’m free!”
    Danny laughed. “I know how you feel. I’m glad you’re home. If you’re not too busy, could you go to the sale barn with me today?”
    “Funny,” Aaron said. “I just knew that if I called you would have something you needed for me to do.”
    “Well, Cousin, I don’t mean to take you away from the family if you need to visit,” Danny stated apologetically.
    Aaron chuckled , “I visited with them for hours last night. Whatever you need me to do, Cousin. I’m the man.”
    “Alright! I’ll be by to get you in my new pickup in a few minutes.”
    “New pickup?” Aaron asked.
    “Wait until you see it! ”
    At the sale barn they went to the top bleachers. The sale had been going on for a while already. Danny had hoped to look at the livestock before the sale started but unfortunately time didn’t work in his favor. He saw some beautiful Hereford go through but he was mainly interested in calves. A lot of Holstein calves went through, but Danny wanted beef stock. Some Limousine went through but they were too expensive for him right now.
    Danny sat on the hard bench leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasp together anxiously watching every set of cattle that was driven through.
    “Why do you want Hereford’s?” Aaron asked.
    Raising up and slapping his cap on his knee, he grinned, “I thought you’d never ask. “Hereford is a breed of cattle that was bred in England in the early eighteenth century. Hereford cattle didn’t catch on in the United States until Henry Clay made the first import of two heifers and a bull in 1817. He didn’t keep his breed pure and soon they had bred so much with the other cattle that the blood line just blended into the rest of the herd. In 1844, T. L. Miller won a metal for the first prize herd at the New York fair. Since that time the Hereford breed has been a sought after brand as one of the United States best meat producers.”
    Aaron leaned back and examined his cousin, “So you learned something in that there school, I guess.” He said tongue in cheek. “I didn’t know I asked for a history lesson.”
    Danny laughed and slapped at Aaron’s hand, “Cut it out, you silly goose.”
    Most of the buyers were moving out. They had filled their demands and mostly just small