Lena looked toward her.
"It's working as expected during the test."
Eliza nodded.
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
Then Calvin removed his cap.
For a moment, he stood completely still.
Otis looked toward the ditch.
Then whispered.
"Well, I'll be."
Raymond laughed softly.
This time, nobody was laughing at Eliza.
The following growing season was different.
Not easy.
Different.
Eliza didn't plant all ninety acres of cotton.
She knew the farm still needed to recover financially.
So she followed the revised operating plan developed with her agricultural adviser and lender.
She planted fewer acres.
Focused on the fields with the strongest potential.
Improved soil testing.
And reduced expenses that weren't essential to the operation.
She also worked with the local agricultural extension office to evaluate crop rotation, soil conservation, and water efficiency.
The restored irrigation access made planning more reliable.
But she refused to treat it as a guarantee of profit.
Weather still mattered.
Cotton prices still changed.
Equipment still broke.
And insects could damage a crop regardless of how much water the soil received.
She maintained detailed records.
Water deliveries.
Rainfall.
Field conditions.
Fertilizer applications.
Equipment costs.
And expected income.
The work reminded her of Samuel's notebooks.
But she'd learned something her father never fully managed to accept.
A farm couldn't survive on determination alone.
It needed sound numbers.
Practical decisions.
And enough flexibility to change when a plan wasn't working.
Nora Ellis visited in June.
She arrived wearing practical shoes and carrying a folder from the bank.
Eliza met her beside the restored south lateral.
The cotton plants were young.
Their leaves bright green.
The soil between the rows showed signs of recent irrigation.
Nora looked around.
For a moment, she seemed impressed.
"This is quite a change."
Eliza smiled.
"Feels like it."
They walked toward the field.
Nora asked about the operating costs.
Eliza showed her the records.
The water system was providing useful service under the agreed arrangements.
The crop was growing more evenly.
And expenses were closer to the revised budget than they'd been during the previous year.
Nora nodded.
Then asked whether Eliza was maintaining the repayment schedule.
"Yes."
The banker smiled.
"Good."
For several seconds, they looked across the cotton.
Then Nora became serious.
"Eliza, I want you to remember something."
She turned.
"What?"
"One good season doesn't erase the need for careful planning."
Eliza laughed.
"I know."
Nora smiled.
"I figured you did."
Then she looked toward the ditch.
"Your father would've been proud of how thoroughly you approached this."
Eliza felt a familiar ache.
She swallowed.
"Thank you."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Nora added.
"Especially the part where you finally made the numbers work."
Eliza laughed through tears.
"That would've made him very happy."
The harvest that autumn was better.
It wasn't a record.
It didn't produce a photograph-worthy mountain of cotton that instantly transformed Eliza into a wealthy landowner.
But it was substantially stronger than the previous year's harvest on the comparable, better-managed acreage.