could barely dull.
At the waterhole they found cows grazing, or lying motionless, except for their moving jaws, while their calves ran and played in the grass around them. They stopped and Selena began counting.
“How many?” Kent asked.
“I get eighteen cows, eighteen calves,” she said.
“Me too.”
They began to ride again at a walk, no longer talking, both of them watching and listening. Horned larks hopped out of their way, Selena saw a duck’s nest hidden in the grass, and once Kent stopped, dismounted, and bent to pick up a buffalo horn, which he stuffed into his saddlebag. They crested a hill and then another one. They were riding down it when Kent abruptly pulled up his horse and pointed toward a cow standing a hundred yards apart from the cluster of cattle they were approaching. Her head was down, her ears drooped, and her tail was a dark green, dripping mess.
“She’s the one lost her calf after that last February blizzard,” he said, and Selena relaxed. One lost calf they wouldn’t have to look for. “She’s pretty sick,” he said, after watching her a moment. “We’ll have to take her back with us.”
Off to the east a calf was bleating, its voice fading, lost in the wind, then growing louder. Without speaking, they touched their horses and rode in the direction the sound was coming from, passing through a deep draw where the grass was tall and thick, and emerging into a dried-up slough bottom. On the far side of the slough a young coyote raised its head, then disappeared at a slow lope around a hill. A calf approached them, walking slowly, raising its head every few steps to bleat beseechingly.
“Goddamnit!” Kent said, more concerned than angry. He rose in his stirrups to search the surrounding landscape, but there wasn’t a stray cow in sight anywhere. Selena sighed.
“I think that coyote has a couple of pups,” she remarked. “There must be a den around here somewhere.”
“It’s over there,” Kent said, pointing, but not looking in that direction, his eyes still on the calf that had stopped and was staring up at them in what appeared to be wonder, so that Selena began to laugh, which made it jump and turn away. Kent rode around the calf, studying it. “Doesn’t look like it’s been lost too long.” He sat still again, looking around them. The calf walked away, quickly disappearing down the draw they had just come through. “Well,” Kent said. “You go that way,” pointing to the southeast, “and I’ll check over this way. Maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll be close by.”
Selena set off at once in the direction he had pointed out to her. It still felt strange to be able to ride freely, without having to worry about time, about getting back to the house knowing that her kids didn’t need her anymore to cook their meals, or look after them. The boys would grab a bite at the cafe in town and Phoebe could take care of herself, too. She might even have a hot meal ready for them when they got home. She didn’t know whether she felt relief knowing the kids could look after themselves, or chagrin.
A little of both, I guess, she told herself.
She had reached the hills on the far side of the slough and she started up one of the highest ones, zigzagging her horse and holding onto her saddle blanket just ahead of the saddle horn so that it wouldn’t work its way out behind the saddle and fall off. At the top of the hill, holding onto her hat against the wind, she paused and looked out over the lease. Far off to the east, low on the horizon, the blue of the sky had turned to a brownish haze. The blowing dust even hid the elevators ten miles away at Mallard. She lowered her eyes to the field below where she sat and scanned the grazing cattle, counting them, searching the field for strays off by themselves. She counted the calves, too, and then spotted a lone cow far off to the east. Hurriedly she descended the hill. Near the bottom she urged her horse to a lope, then
At the waterhole they found cows grazing, or lying motionless, except for their moving jaws, while their calves ran and played in the grass around them. They stopped and Selena began counting.
“How many?” Kent asked.
“I get eighteen cows, eighteen calves,” she said.
“Me too.”
They began to ride again at a walk, no longer talking, both of them watching and listening. Horned larks hopped out of their way, Selena saw a duck’s nest hidden in the grass, and once Kent stopped, dismounted, and bent to pick up a buffalo horn, which he stuffed into his saddlebag. They crested a hill and then another one. They were riding down it when Kent abruptly pulled up his horse and pointed toward a cow standing a hundred yards apart from the cluster of cattle they were approaching. Her head was down, her ears drooped, and her tail was a dark green, dripping mess.
“She’s the one lost her calf after that last February blizzard,” he said, and Selena relaxed. One lost calf they wouldn’t have to look for. “She’s pretty sick,” he said, after watching her a moment. “We’ll have to take her back with us.”
Off to the east a calf was bleating, its voice fading, lost in the wind, then growing louder. Without speaking, they touched their horses and rode in the direction the sound was coming from, passing through a deep draw where the grass was tall and thick, and emerging into a dried-up slough bottom. On the far side of the slough a young coyote raised its head, then disappeared at a slow lope around a hill. A calf approached them, walking slowly, raising its head every few steps to bleat beseechingly.
“Goddamnit!” Kent said, more concerned than angry. He rose in his stirrups to search the surrounding landscape, but there wasn’t a stray cow in sight anywhere. Selena sighed.
“I think that coyote has a couple of pups,” she remarked. “There must be a den around here somewhere.”
“It’s over there,” Kent said, pointing, but not looking in that direction, his eyes still on the calf that had stopped and was staring up at them in what appeared to be wonder, so that Selena began to laugh, which made it jump and turn away. Kent rode around the calf, studying it. “Doesn’t look like it’s been lost too long.” He sat still again, looking around them. The calf walked away, quickly disappearing down the draw they had just come through. “Well,” Kent said. “You go that way,” pointing to the southeast, “and I’ll check over this way. Maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll be close by.”
Selena set off at once in the direction he had pointed out to her. It still felt strange to be able to ride freely, without having to worry about time, about getting back to the house knowing that her kids didn’t need her anymore to cook their meals, or look after them. The boys would grab a bite at the cafe in town and Phoebe could take care of herself, too. She might even have a hot meal ready for them when they got home. She didn’t know whether she felt relief knowing the kids could look after themselves, or chagrin.
A little of both, I guess, she told herself.
She had reached the hills on the far side of the slough and she started up one of the highest ones, zigzagging her horse and holding onto her saddle blanket just ahead of the saddle horn so that it wouldn’t work its way out behind the saddle and fall off. At the top of the hill, holding onto her hat against the wind, she paused and looked out over the lease. Far off to the east, low on the horizon, the blue of the sky had turned to a brownish haze. The blowing dust even hid the elevators ten miles away at Mallard. She lowered her eyes to the field below where she sat and scanned the grazing cattle, counting them, searching the field for strays off by themselves. She counted the calves, too, and then spotted a lone cow far off to the east. Hurriedly she descended the hill. Near the bottom she urged her horse to a lope, then
Similar Books
