To Not Let Go

Chapter Two

       "Alright, let them go." Swayde shouted over the noise of lowing cattle, wiping a hand over his sweaty forehead as he walked to the prep table beside the chutes. 

        "I still can't believe I let you talk me into this." Renne complained teasingly, letting the ten heifers through the chute, careful to watch when she had to close the head gate when the next group was led in. 

        "Yeah, Swayde, usually it's the other way around. Usually she's the one convincing you to drop everything and help her out." Swayde's good friend, Kyle, interjected, on the back of his horse. Kyle owns one of the largest cattle ranches in the state, with over 90,000 acres and many thousands of heads of cattle; him and Swayde tend to pitch in on each other's ranches whenever they need the help. Today, Kyle was out riding herd, helping sort the large group of heifers, filtering in smaller groups into the holding pen. 

         "Oh alright you two." Swayde shook his head, grinning as he walked back over to the next group of heifers with the de-wormer applicator. 

          The trio had been out on Swayde's ranch for hours working cattle, and they were only about halfway done. Swayde, seeing how tired Renne was becoming in the scorching heat, offered for them to take breaks, or switch places so she could be the one in the covered, shaded area, applying the de-wormer, but Renne refused. 

        "Not that I'm complaining about comin' here and workin' with you again, but I'm just sayin' that I am surprised you were able to talk me into it for a second day in a row." Renne smiled when Swayde walked over to apply the liquid to the back of the first heifer. 

        "Dang straight. Plus, if we get done soon enough, I'm takin' you on a date." Swayde made his way down the alley, quickly squeezing out the dewormer down the back of each heifer. He grinned at Renne over his shoulder. 

          "Oh you are now, are you?" Renne opened the head gate, whistling to the heifers to get them moving. When the first one refused to move, Renne reached her arm through the slats on the chute, grabbing the heifer's tail, twisting it up and pushing on her rump, trying to make her move forward. Instead of giving into the push, the heifer pushed back, unloading a large bowel movement all over Renne's arm. Retreating her poop covered arm, Renne quickly exclaimed, walking over to the prep table. "Are you serious right now?!" She frantically grabbed several paper towels off the roll, attempting to tear off the stiff paper with just one hand. Instead of ripping, the paper towel roll fell off the table, rolling onto the dirt. With a frustrated groan, Renne bent down to pick it up with her clean hand, but just as she did so, she heard Swayde shout something behind her. 

        "Reagan, the chute!" Swayde jumped off the alley deck, trying to get to the head gate in time so no other untreated heifers made it through. 

        Renne spun around, seeing the heifers trudging out of the open chute, several of them having already escaped to their freedom of endless green grass. Sprinting to the chute, Renne pulled the lever, quickly shutting the head gate, preventing any more heifers from running out. Looking at the next heifer in line, she saw that she had already been applied with the medicine. Thankful that none of the heifers that hadn't been worked yet got out, Renne continued her task of cleaning off her soiled arm. 

      "What on earth happened to you?" Swayde whistled, taking in Renne's appearance. 

      Looking up into those starry blue eyes of Swayde's as she stood up from picking up the roll of paper towels, Renne commented, "That dang heifer gave me a thank you present for trynna make her get out of the chute." 

        "You still look beautiful." Swayde grinned, sweat beads on his forehead from the hot late June heat. 

        Teasingly, Renne rolled her eyes. "Can you please give me a hand?" She held out the roll of paper towels to Swayde, who accepted them, ripping off several and helping Renne clean the manure off her arm. As he did so, he began to chuckle. "What? Why are you laughin' at me?!" Renne exclaimed.