This is the thirteenth part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, and Part XII before continuing.
Uncle Phil had his truck parked next to the open gate connecting the two pastures. He had one arm and his head sticking out of the window as he counted every cow going through the fence.
When the whole herd had gone through the fence, he swore and said, “We’re missing one. Where could they be?”
Mike and I exchanged a glance, then Mike nudged his horse up to the truck to talk to Uncle Phil.
“What’s goin’ on,” Jen said as she pulled her horse up next to mine. I updated her on the hole in the fence Mike and I had found and the fact that there was a cow missing. I let her put two and two together.
She swore. “We’ll have to go through the whole pasture all over again just to make sure,” she said.
I nodded, having already reached that conclusion. I looked at my watch. It was already noon, when people in the city would be having lunch – or what country people called dinner. I didn’t want to leave Cordy alone for too long. She hadn’t been crated since she was a puppy, and being in a new place was surely stressing her out. “Any chance it can wait until after dinner?”
She seemed to consider the prospect for a moment before tilting her chin towards Uncle Phil, “What are the chances he’ll go for it?”
I deflated. The chances were for shit and we both knew it.
Jen looked at me and her expression softened into one of sympathy. “You should go rest. You’re not used to this, living that soft city life.”
I bristled at the suggestion I had gone soft … even if I couldn’t quite deny it. Instead I said, “It’s not that. It’s the fact that Cordy is all alone in a new place, and she would normally be getting her afternoon walk by now. I’m afraid she’s freaking out.”
“Go on. We can handle this.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Thank you so much, Jen!” I would have hugged her if the two of us being on horseback wouldn’t have made it extremely difficult. Instead I blew kisses at her as I kicked my horse into a gallop and followed the cattle through the gate, then bypassed them on my way to Uncle Phil’s house.
I saw him and Mike give me funny looks as I rode past them, but trusted Jen to plead my case for me.
To be continued…