11
CHANCE
It was the second day out of Parsons and the cattle were fanned out in a wide line moving east at their slow, plodding pace. We followed behind on horseback, the three of us spread out to maintain control. The one on the right flank, Ivers, led a stray back into the herd. Overall, their job was to keep the cows wandering in the right direction. The sun was behind us, the air cooling as the evening began to settle. It had been a dull day, fortunately. Excitement on a cattle drive meant something was wrong. Fortunately, with the rains there wasn't any dust to kick up to choke on. There was nothing but open expanse of prairie in front of us, Cottonwood trees dotting a creek in the distance. It was while I was considering how much the creek levels had receded when I saw her. A ride
