Black Single Dad Went Looking for Work on a Farm — He Didn't Know a Millionaire Would Make Him Rich
Chapter 8
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He glanced up. Wade was studying the toothpick in his fingers.Luke said nothing about it. He reached for a wire brush and a can of penetrating oil from the bench. He scrubbed the billhook until the steel shone silver. He seated the tension spring back in its groove and tightened it a quarter turn. Then he greased the needle drive gears, wiped away the excess, and threaded fresh twine through the guides.He stood, pulled the trip lever, and spun the drive wheel by hand. The knotter snapped forward with a crisp mechanical click. It looped the twine, tied it, and cut it clean. He did it again. Click—perfect knot.Luke checked his watch: 14 minutes.Footsteps crunched on the gravel outside. Clare appeared in the doorway with a clipboard of pasture records tucked under one arm. Her face said she fully expected to find a stranger lying on his back under a broken machine making excuses. Instead, Luke was wiping his hands on a clean rag."Twine's threaded," he said, nodding toward the baler. "Knotter arm is clear and timed. If you've got diesel in the storage tank, you can start cutting into those windrows right now."Clare blinked. She stepped past him, inspected the fresh grease on the springs, and pulled the trip lever herself. The knotter closed with factory precision.She turned slowly to Wade. "You told me this assembly was finished," she said.Wade's face had gone red under his sunburn. He shrugged with one shoulder. "Guess he got lucky.""Luck doesn't tie a knot, Wade," Clare said.Wade pushed off the bench, pulled his cap lower, and walked out of the shed without another word. Luke watched him go. Then he looked back at Clare."How did you do that so fast?" she asked. For the first time, there was no edge in her voice, only curiosity and something close to respect."Most dealerships want to sell you a $400 assembly," Luke said evenly, "when all you really need is ten minutes and a wire brush. Where do you want the first load?""The bank barn on the north pasture," Clare said. "The elevator is already wired. Stack them eight high along the western wall."Luke put his hat back on and climbed onto the tractor. Out under the white oak, Toby looked up from his drawing and waved. Luke waved back before he pulled out of the shed and into the blinding afternoon.By 2:00, the valley was an oven. The sun hammered the bottomland without mercy, and the air shimmered above the long rows of curing grass. The baler thumped steadily behind the tractor, dropping tight 40-pound bales onto the field.