“We’ve got a problem.” He rushes out.
Roman looks torn but ultimately, he chooses his brother, and I release the breath I was holding.
“What is it?”
“Someone opened the gate. Half our fucking herd is missing.”
“Shit,” Roman hisses and springs into action, grabbing his hat from the table as he storms from the house.
“What does that mean?” I turn wide eyes to Silas, who is turning to follow his brother out.
“A problem,” He grunts, the door slamming hard enough that the frame rattles behind him. Moving to the window, I watch Roman sprinting to the barn, Silas following as orders are shouted to the men working for them. Everything becomes a flurry of activity; horses are mounted, ropes are grabbed, and I watch in rapt attention as Roman comes galloping out of the barn on the back of the painted mare he was on that first daywe met. He doesn’t pause or wait, he moves with focus and determination, and everyone simply follows. Silas comes up the rear on his own horse, following the trail of cowboys.
A quiet falls on the ranch as the thundering sound of hooves grows distant and then stops altogether.
Unsure what else to do, I grab Pumpkin and all of her meds, bundling them into a bag before I head out to the car Roman has let me borrow.
“Niamh?” I look over my shoulder to see Darcy walking toward me, her hands in the pockets of her white tech coat.
She stops ahead of me, looking at where the horses went, no longer visible, but the dust they stirred up has left a cloud hovering over the road.
“What happened?” She asks.
I shake my head. “Something about a gate being opened. I think the cows escaped.”
She cringes. “Damn it.”
“What are they going to do?” I ask since she’s the only one around now and likely has the answer. I’m not sure how long she’s worked for Roman, but she seems at ease here, comfortable with everyone who calls this place home too. I’ve seen her a few times, laughing with the stable hands or Silas when he sticks around long enough to talk.
“Well, they’ll have to herd them back, but there’s no way they’ll catch them all.”
“What’ll happen to them?”
She shrugs, “It depends. Other ranches might take it as an opportunity to take them themselves. Livestockisn’t cheap, and if they’re out wandering… we have a lot of heifers pregnant too.”
“They won’t get hurt, will they?”
“I hope not.”
“Is there anything I can do?” I tighten my hold on Pumpkin.
“You know how to wrangle cattle?” She chuckles.
“Well, no.”
“Yeah, me either.” She shrugs. “The cowboys know what they’re doing.”
“Alright,” I sigh.
“It’ll be fine,” I’m not sure if she’s saying that for me or for herself, but I nod anyway.
“I’ve got to get going. I want to stop at the pet store on the way to work.”
“You’ve got a little ball of energy there,” Darcy chuckles, reaching out to scratch Pumpkin’s head.
“Thank you for taking care of her.”
“Of course,” The vet smiles, “You let me know if you need anything.”
