“What?”
“Old tradition. Cowboys sing to their cattle to keep them calm. On a long cattle drive, you had a thousand head and maybe a dozen or so cowboys to get them from Texas to Kansas. Last thing they needed was a stampede.”
“And you want me to be a singing cowgirl?”
“Just if those Angus get spooked.”
“How will I know?”
“You’ll see the whites of their eyes.”
“Trust me, I’ll never be that close.”
He laughed as he teased her. She was making a bad situation much better. “They can move faster than you’d think.”
“You are so making this up. I’m not falling for it.” She flounced past him and down the stairs.
He followed her, wishing Kent and Slade were there to enjoy a greenhorn’s reaction to ranch reality and the time-honored teasing that went along with it. But Trey had better go easy on her if he was going to get any help. Still, to get her in the right mood, he whistled a few bars of Gene Autry’s famous “Here Comes Santa Claus.”
She chuckled as he joined her. “Guess I’m on a learning curve.”
“Not too steep.” He turned serious for a moment. “First, we’re going to find the break in the fence line. The pasture is next to the house, so the break can’t be far away.”
“Okay.” She sounded a little skeptical.
“After that, we’ll herd the cows back to their pasture.”
“And by herd, you mean?”
“Just shoo them in the right direction.”
“And by shoo, you mean?”
He laughed and gave her a quick hug. “I’ll do most of the shooing, or luring. I just need you to keep them from going in the wrong direction.”
“That’d be toward me.”
“Yep.”
“You said they can move fast. Are they unpredictable, too?” She put her hands on her hips and gave him a slit-eyed look.
“On occasion.”
“If I get run over or gored by a cow, you’re going to regret you ever invited me to your ranch.”
“Gored is not a problem. Angus are polled.”
“Polled?”
“They’re a breed of cattle without horns.”
“I feel so much better.” She gave him a quick kiss on his lips before she stepped back, looking at him with a twinkle in her eyes. “I’m not sure I believe a word you’ve been telling me.” She picked up her red boots by the door, leaned against the wall, and tugged them on her feet. “On the other hand, I’m taking no chances where dangerous beasts are concerned.”
He laughed at her good humor. “Just promise you won’t scream and run if a few cattle amble toward you.”
“I’m promising nothing where cows are concerned.”
“Just sing and you’ll be fine.”
Chapter 31
“You don’t need to sing yet.” Trey opened the gate into the pasture near the barn. He’d stuffed leather gloves in a back pocket of his jeans. He carried a bucket by a handle. It was half full of pressed oat pellets with wire cutters and a length of rolled wire set on top. He always kept a few ranch items like those handy in the house.
“I’m getting in practice in case your little darlings have mad cow disease and go berserk when they see a stranger.”
He chuckled at her humor. “They don’t have mad cow disease. I think you’ll like them, if you give them a chance.”
She stopped, grinned, and tossed her hair. “Not necessary. I need them to like me, so I don’t get eaten or something.”
“You’ve been watching too many zombie movies.” He laughed as he checked a metal fence post. He had to hand it to Misty. She was cleverly turning his whole tease-a-greenhorn banter on its head. “Let’s rework your agenda and put cowgirl at the top.”
“You’re the one with cows in your swimming pool. Maybe you need to add cowboy-refresher-course to your agenda.”
He laughed even harder.
She put her hands on her hips, grinning. “I don’t think you’re taking this cow situation seriously enough. Shouldn’t we have some sort of defense mechanism in our hands just in case of a stampede?”
“I’ve been at this rodeo a time or two before. But okay.” He glanced around, walked over to an old oak tree, set down the bucket, and picked up a fallen branch. He stripped it down to a switch about three to four feet in length. He held it out to her.
“What’s that?”
“Cow defense.”
“You are so not taking me seriously.”
“Want the switch or not?”
She winked at him as she grabbed the branch. “Between singing and switching, I’m a lethal force. Army Ranger recruiters will be pounding on my door at any moment.”
He tried not to laugh, so he ended up snorting like a bull instead. He wished Kent and Slade were here. They’d be laughing so hard they’d be rolling on the ground. He’d had no idea Misty could be so funny. He needed to add that to her list of attributes.
“Go ahead and laugh. I can see you want to do it. Won’t hurt my feelings in the least. I’m immune to your silly cow antics.”
He took several deep breaths to control his laughter. “Let’s just check the fence.”