Page 109 of Opposites (Never) Attract
He would be an amazing father.
The thought crackled through me like lightening. Leaving me dazed and hurt.
“You all right?” Tag asked, and I shook off the thought. The sudden and strange melancholy.
“Fine,” I said, my voice rough.
It took a couple of tries for me to trust Shirley could hold my weight and stand still as I lifted myself up. But the second I knew the saddle wasn’t going to slide off, that Shirley wasn’t going to bolt, and that I actually had enough strength in my thighs to get the job done, I was swinging my leg over Shirley and settling comfortably in the saddle.
Tag made me dismount and re-mount a bunch of times until it was second nature, and Shirley was patient through the whole thing.
“Good girl,” Tag sad with a wink. “You’re a natural.”
“What’s your horse’s name?” I asked him, as he led his horse, which he’d already saddled, next to me and Shirley.
The massive brown gelding leaned his head towards Shirley as if to say hello. Shirley pushed her head back.
“Oh, look, they’re friends,” I said.
“Friends is questionable. Diablo pines for Shirley, butgiven his lack of balls, she is indifferent. That’s why she’s happiest when she’s in the stable with Gus. She tolerates Diablo, while he suffers his crush from afar.”
“That sounds tragic,” I said.
The horse snorted and lifted his head, as if acknowledging his silent pain.
Tag made a clicking sound with his tongue and teeth and Diablo stepped forward.
I attempted the same sound and Shirley lifted her head as if to suggest I was embarrassing myself. I tapped my heel against her hind quarter and then she dutifully followed Diablo. I couldn’t help but notice, how with Gus, it hadn’t taken any nudge to follow him out of the paddock.
Poor Diablo.
We rodesouth through the valley, and this time all of my energy wasn’t focused on staying on Shirley and I could relax and take in my surroundings. The buttes in the distance, the clouds drifting overhead. There was no noise other than the chirping of birds and the hum of insects in the tall grass.
There was peace here. Simplicity. The smell of cow shit and the low rumble of their moos reached us before I caught sight of the herd.
“Why do you only keep part of the herd here? Wouldn’t they all benefit from open grazing?” I asked Tag, as he moved with the ease of a man born to this life.
Even I could tell this was only a fraction of the total operation.
“Grass fed cattle creates a lower fat and lower calorie product, which brings in more dollars per pound. Problemis, you need more land for grazing. This is about how many cows this amount of land can hold without overgrazing. I think that’s what Leroy was thinking when he over extended himself with that purchase of land. Our Asian markets are looking for more and more grass fed beef.”
“I never paid attention to any of this,” I admitted.
“Why would you? You didn’t grow up on a ranch. You were a town girl.”
“Yes, but it’s like you said, this whole town relies on this operation. Everyone should understand it. Know how it’s all connected. I feel foolish having grown up this close to something I was so ignorant of. I should have been more curious.”
“That’s Smarty Sunshine talking.”
“Don’t call me Smarty Sunshine,” I growled at him. “You know I hate that!”
“I never understood why,” he said.
I gave him my imperiously raised eyebrow.
“No, I mean, sure, no one likes name calling, but aside from it being unoriginal, they were teasing on you for being smart. And you know smart is a good thing, darlin.”
“I didn’t feel like that back in high school,” I said.
