Free The Only Best Place by Carolyne Aarsen

at the end of our year than at the beginning. Which came back to the need for
     an assessment to be done. I waited for Dan to assert himself, but he kept the topics of his conversation limited to putting
     in the crop and what kind of fertilizer to use.
    Suggestions were thrown out on whether to plant barley or wheat. Whether to hay the one quarter or silage it. Should Dan dig
     a new well or hope for high rainfall to augment the irrigation available from the canals? Gerrit and Dayton launched into
     a lively discussion about crop yield and water rights and the high cost of fertilizer, spray, and fuel.
    Everyone had something to add, some piece of advice to give. The women as well as the men.
    Everyone except Miss I Grew Up in an Apartment. Call me crazy, but I couldn't catch the wave of enthusiasm these people were
     projecting over inanimate objects. Land. Seeds. Equipment.
    “I don't want to borrow money if we don't have to.” Wilma twisted her hanky in her hands. “Your father worked too hard to
     get this farm where it is now. In spite of Keith's lack of care, I know your dad would want Dan to take it over.” Wilma gave
     Dan a maternal glance that held a world of hope and expectation. Which in turn sent a shiver down my spine. Did she know? Had
     Dan told her?
    “But the farm has a value, Mom,” Dayton said. “Borrowing isn't a bad thing. Not in long-term planning.”
    I could feel my heart pushing hard and fast against my chest. Dan wasn't saying anything. His mother assumed we were staying
     here. This had to be stopped.
    “Has anyone done an assessment on the farm lately?” I blurted out.
    Blank looks all around, then all eyes focused on me.
    “There's never been a need,” Gloria said, frowning.
    “I'd like to see one done before Dan does any more work here.”
There.
It was said and out in the open.
    “Why do you want that?” Judy asked, snapping a cracker in half.
    I took a deep breath, ignored my husband's warning glance, and plunged in. “I think it's important for us to ascertain the
     value of the farm at the present moment.”
Listen to you, Leslie. You actually used the word
ascertain. “Because Dan will be working on the farm for a while and hopefully increasing the net worth. I would like to make
     sure he's recompensed for his work.”
    And now
recompensed.
Aren't you the business whiz?
    “You're drawing a generous wage from the farm,”Wilma said, clearly puzzled where I was going and clearly unaware of what constituted
     generous. “And you'll be building up equity over the long term.”
    “Leslie means—” Dan started.
    I cut him off at the impasse. Too late. I had the conversational reins now. “What I mean is
when
Dan and I leave”—I made sure to put exactly the right amount of emphasis on
when—
“I want to make sure Dan is paid for the work he's done on this farm. I don't know how much growth there'll be in the year
     we are here, but Dan is a hard worker and I want to make sure that is recognized.”
    If it weren't for the shag carpeting in the living room, you could have heard a pin drop. I did hear a whistling intake of
     breath, then a “well,” and without moving my eyes from my fingers, twisted nervously around each other, I knew these ominous
     sounds had come from Wilma.
    I felt myself mentally backpedaling. But I pressed my lips together, holding back any verbal retreat I might be tempted to
     indulge in. I risked a glance at Dan, who was tapping his fingers against his arm, staring at me.
    I've seen a lot of Dan's expressions in our married life, but this boldly assessing look was a new one. And I didn't like it.
    “I agree that we should have an assessment done,” Dan said, and I slowly felt the tension in my shoulders relax.
Finally.
    “Why?” Gloria asked. “It's going to cost the farm money, and for what purpose?”
    “The purpose is to make sure that if the value of the farm goes up because of the work Dan puts in it, that is acknowledged
     when it's