For a moment, her hands trembled.
Then she began gathering the usable pads.
One by one.
She inspected them.
Separated the damaged pieces.
And returned the healthy cuttings to their place.
When she finished, she sat back on her heels and looked toward the long rows stretching across the test plot.
They were small.
Uneven.
And almost invisible against the enormous ranch.
But they were hers.
She took a slow breath.
Then whispered, "All right, Dad."
She picked up the next pad.
"Let's give them six years."
The first summer nearly broke her.
By June, the afternoon temperature regularly climbed above one hundred degrees, and the wind dried exposed soil faster than Marlene expected. Several young cactus pads failed to establish properly. Others suffered damage from insects, handling mistakes, or unsuitable planting locations. By the end of the first major inspection, almost a quarter of the initial planting required replacement or corrective work.
Marlene sat at the kitchen table staring at the figures.
She had marked every failed section on a map.
Each loss represented time, fuel, and money she didn't have.
For several minutes, she considered what Daryl would say if he saw the report.
Then she opened her father's notebook.
Near an entry from 1993, Curtis had written:
Failure is information, but only if you write down what happened.
Marlene stared at the sentence.
Then she laughed weakly.
"Even now, you're telling me to keep records."
She opened a fresh notebook.
And began comparing the sections where cactus survived against those where it struggled.
The pattern surprised her.
Several of the healthiest plants weren't growing in the deepest soil.
They were growing where small amounts of storm runoff had slowed naturally, allowing water to soak in without leaving the roots saturated. Exposed sections where the soil had crusted badly suffered more losses. Areas with better protection from grazing animals also performed noticeably better.
Marlene called Elena.
The agricultural specialist visited two days later.
Together, they walked the test plot, examined the plants, and discussed what the results suggested.
Elena didn't pretend the losses were encouraging.
But she also didn't call the experiment a failure.
She helped Marlene identify which assumptions needed adjusting and which observations deserved another season of testing.
Before leaving, Elena stood beside one of the healthiest cactus rows.
"You've got something here."
Marlene looked toward her.
"Really?"
Elena nodded.
"Not proof that all four hundred sixty acres will work the same way. But evidence that at least some of your land is well suited to the system you're developing."
Marlene stared at the green pads.