“Which isn’t our problem as long as they’re on Bryson land,” Danny reminded him.
“Yeah, I get that, but I still don’t like it.” Adam exhaled. “I could get hold of Dad and ask him to drive the cattle trailer up here so we could load them on that.”
“And take them round to Doug? That’s just what he wants,” Danny said. “He’s so damn lazy.” He looked back at the way too quiet calves. “Okay, call Dad. The trailer is all gassed up and ready to go. All he has to do is drive it.”
* * *
Faith waved as she approached the Ramirez brothers, who were waiting for her in the barn. They’d only recently arrived in Morgan Valley and treated her just like they treated Dave, which was a pleasant change after some of the comments from longtimers she’d endured over the last two weeks. She had no idea why there was still such animosity toward her and could hardly just come out and ask exactly what the problem was. It definitely had something to do with Danny, but she was reluctant to believe he had gone around bad-mouthing her for years.
Red Ramirez, the older of the brothers, came forward to shake her hand, his expression anxious.
“Buenos Dias, Faith.”
Faith set her bag on the mounting block and faced her apprehensive audience. “I got the lab results back for the dead calf, and I think it’s going to be okay.”
“Really?”
“It’s not infectious. You don’t have to worry about the rest of the herd.”
The brothers slapped each other on the back before turning to Faith, who handed over the printed results.
“From the fecal samples the state vet determined it was a rare form of clostridium that probably just lived in the ground exactly where she was born.”
“That’s . . . crazy.” Red shook his head. “When we found her down, we feared the worst, but it seems like it was just a freakish accident.”
“Pretty much,” Faith agreed. “It’s still awful to lose an apparently healthy calf like that, but at least you know it’s not part of a pattern of infection.”
“Thank God.” Red crossed himself and looked skyward. “We were freaking out and disinfecting everything and everybody who came into contact with her.”
“I can imagine,” Faith said. “Is there anything else I can look at for you while I’m here?”
“No, we’re good, and thank you so much for coming out here to tell us yourself.”
“You’re welcome,” Faith replied as he patted her shoulder and walked her back to her truck.
“Have your parents left for their trip yet?”
“Yes, they set off last weekend.” Faith grinned. “They looked so happy to be leaving it was almost insulting.”
“Well, your father has put in a lifetime of work here so I can’t blame him.” Red opened the door of the truck for her with an elaborate bow.
“Why, thank you.” Faith climbed in and smiled down at him.
“Any chance you’d like to have a drink with me at the Red Dragon one evening?” Red asked.
Faith blinked. “Like a date kind of drink or just friends kind of thing?”
“Whatever you prefer.”
Faith remembered her promise to drop in at Nancy’s place of employment. “Maybe on Friday?”
“Sure! I’ll meet you there around seven.” Red stepped away from the truck. “You’ve got my number if anything comes up. I know what a veterinary schedule can get like.”
“What schedule?” Even as Faith spoke her cell buzzed and she groaned. “See? I thought I’d have a few hours off before afternoon appointments began.”
Red chuckled. “I’d best get on. Have a great day now, Faith, and thanks for bringing such good news.”
He walked away leaving her to unlock her phone and check her text messages. The latest one had come through from Dave and was marked urgent.
While you’re up at the Ramirez place can you call in at the Millers? Jeff left a message about two calves up at the top boundary of their ranch, which is about quarter of a mile away from where you are now.
Will do.
Faith ignored her rumbling stomach and headed out onto the narrow road that led down to the gate and took a right. Even though she’d been away from Morgan Valley for years she retained an instinctive knowledge of where all the ranches lay and how to get to them. The lower gate to the Millers’ land was already open and fresh tire tracks in the mud made it easy for her to locate exactly where she needed to aim for.
She pulled up behind a cattle trailer and got out of the truck. At the far end of the field, a trio of cowboys were standing with their backs to her, hands on hips staring down at the ground. It was the first time she’d been near the Miller Ranch since she’d come home. She braced herself for a chilly reception as she slogged through the mud toward them.
“Hey!” she called out as she approached. “Dave said you had a problem up here, Mr. Miller.”
All three guys turned around and she had no difficulty distinguishing the grim face of Adam Miller from that of his brother Danny, who was about the same height as his father.
“Is that you, Faith McDonald?” Jeff Miller asked.
“Yes.” She nodded at the calves, determined to keep the occasion professional. “What happened?”
“Doug Bryson’s cows got through the fence a while ago. He was supposed to come and pick them up but didn’t have the time,” Adam said in his deep voice. “We decided to move his cows back over the property line and discovered these two had already calved.”
“Yours or Bryson’s?” Faith set her bag down on the least muddy bit of ground and crouched beside the first calf.
“Bryson’s,” Danny said.
“They look small.”
“Yeah, well, Doug isn’t exactly known for how well he treats his cattle.”
“Did anyone call him?”
“I did.” Danny grimaced. “He told me to push them into his field, and he’d get up here when he had the time.”
“I don’t think these two little ones have time to wait for him to turn up. They need to be under cover and warm.” Faith got out her stethoscope, pressed it against the first calf’s chest, and frowned. “This one doesn’t sound good.”
She moved over to the other one. “Neither does this one.” She looked up at Adam. “I see you’ve got your cattle trailer up here. Any chance we can use it to transport the calves back to Doug’s place?”
“That’s what we were planning on doing.” Adam nodded. “I checked in with Dave just to make sure it would be safe to move them, and he said he’d send you to take a look.”
“To be honest, I don’t think we have a choice.” Faith went to stand, and Danny stepped forward to help her, his grip warm on her elbow.
“If we don’t get them off this wet ground, they probably won’t survive the night,” Faith said. “If Doug can keep a close eye on them and we can do some tests they’ll have a much higher chance of survival.”
“Then let’s move them,” Jeff Miller said decisively. “We can take one calf between us and get it done in one hit.”