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THE NEXT MORNING LEO AND CREW WENT INTO THE HOLDING PASTURE AND GATHERED ALL THE COWS AND CALVES THAT WERE THERE. LEO HAD IT FIGGURED THEY HAD GATHERED ABOUT HALF THE CATTLE ON THE RANCH BUT THE CORRAL WOULDNT HOLD ALL OF THEM THEY WOULD HAVE TO ONLY WORK A HALF AT A TIME. . when they had everything in the corral he moved in and cut most of the cows into a a djoining corral leaveing just a few with the calves to keep them from getting to wild. he rode by zane and travis and said" you boys tie tour ponies up ." then he rode to cassie who sat her horse by the gate" think you can heel and drag those calves? hold them by the hind feet while we work them that way it will only take one man on their heads."\ cassie nodded and took her rope down and started building a loop. leo rode on to the fence where the horses were tied. a propane branding pot was there and zane had already lit it the irons were getting hot. mollie came into the corral with syringes and vaccine she set them up on a barrel top and started filling them . leo walked over to travis. " you ever do this before?" he asked. travis started to speak but finally just shook his head. " ok let zane flank the first one, watch what he does. be sure to lay them left side up. ill tell you when to turn them loose. this wont be to hard because cassie is going to hold them with her horse. its slower but not as hard on the ground crew."leo explained. when he turned back to the fire he saw the irons were red hot. he slid them back just a little so they would stay hot but not so hot as to burn through the hide on the calves. he turned to cassie and nodded. she held her loop down along her side and eased the horse into the bunch of calves. one calf turned back to go past her. she took one easy swing and slid the loop under the calves belly in front of its hind legs. the calf jumped forward and cassie held the slack in her rope high as she turned her horse toward the fire. when the rope snugged up around the calves leggs she dally ed her rope and jerked the calf on it side as she drug it up to the fire. as she passed zane he put his arm over her rope and slid down to the calf. he grabbed the calfes tail and flipped it over so the left side was up. he then grabbed the front leg and doubled it back, putting his knee behind the calfs head holding it down. cassie had spun her horse and was keeping the rope tight on the hind legs. mollie stepped up and injected the calf with a vaccine in two different. places. while she was doing that leo had burned the ranches brand on the calfs ribs. he then took his pocket knife and cut off half the calfs left ear. zane stood up and cassie undallied her rope letting the calf up . that calf had been a heifer. the bull calves would be casterated before getting turned up. the whole process took less thhan a minute. the next calf cassie brought was a bit smaller and she had it on a shorter rope. as she came past the fire travis mimiced zane and went down the rope , flipped the calf onto its side. then squatted with his knee on the calfs head. . as they progressed through the day leo watched travis closely. he had a few wrecks but nothing bad, he didnt complain or whine. zane looked over at leo who shrugged they had niney three calves to brand. the cows were just starting to get enough green feed that they were milking a good amount and their hair was getting a shine to it. the calves were loosing their pot bellys and starting to look like the good beef calves they were. as they neareed the end of the calves to brand there ws a bigger than average bull calf left she heeled it and spun toward the fire, but the calf slipped one leg from the loop as she came to the flankers zane looked at travis" tail him down ill take his front end." travis nodded. as the calf came close travis grabbed the calfs tail and jerked hard to the side. while in the air zane grabbed the calfs front leg and kneeled on his head. cassie rode up and travis was putting the loop on both hind feet when the calf started kicking but travis stayed in place and pulled the loop snug on two feet. when the dust settled they could see the calf had ripped the leg on travis es desighner jeans. blood was tricklung down his shin. leo looked at mollie " looks like you will have a patient this evenning" mollie picked up her gear and vaccine and started to the house. as she passed travis she told him to come to the house after they were done she would patch him up. cassie and zane were counting the cattle back into the holding pasture. leo was putting the branding pot away. along with the branding irons. when he and cassie finished counting the cattle zane turned toward his saddled horse and saw travis leading his away. limping. zane turned to cassie" i didnt think he had that much grit. surprised me. he never quit or complained." cassie smilled" to be honest i was fooled to"

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after supper that night zane had quietly got up and went out into the gathering dusk. leo had sat there watching him he could tell something was bothering the young cowboy. when he finished his supper travis got up and without thanking mollie went out on the porch and plopped into a chair. leo sat at the table with a coffee cup that mollie had filled with jim beam whiskey she could tell he was working something over in his mind but she didnt say anything. cassie finished the dishes and claning the table and went out side. leo could hear her talking to travis. small talk just chattering away. when he finished his whiskey leo got up and went out the door.. he didnt look right or left or say anything to travis and cassie. he walked on down to the barn inside the barn a light was shinning. when he stepped through the door into the breeze way he saw zane with travis s horse he had the horses leg in a five gallon bucket of water soaking the cactus quills. leo walked up and looked down on zane who was squatted at the front of the horse. "he didnt get them all out. left the poor sucker tied up. fed himself but this one didnt get any thing. " zane was shakeing his head. "we are going to brand those calves tomorrow. then ime going let him go. he can flank calves for his supper tomorrow. this is mighty big of you takeing care of his horse." leo remarked. " isnt the horses fault. that gunsel didnt have enough sense to try and ride around the cholla. he s to busy shinning up to cassie . she just see s the glitter with him i guess." zane was carefully pulling the wet cholla from the horses leg. " well she was shinning up to you and you paid no attention to her. if you had i might have got mad but i would have been wrong." leo mumbled. zane looked up at him" it wasnt because i didnt want to, shes some kind of pretty, but i got responsabilitys and cant get wrapped up with her. i cant afford her." " what you mean by that? you got a good solid job here and talk dont cost much." leo was a bit shocked. " i got a mother and two younger sisters to support. very dime i earn here will go to them i know you cant keep me on here full time so ill earn what i got comming until then. you been darn good to me."zane took the horses leg out of the bucket. it was clean of cholla. he dumped the water out to settle the dust in the breeze way of the barn. then untied travis good horse and led him to his corral and fed him. " some day ill be able to afford a horse like that" he said to no one inparticular. he then walked over to where his bed roll was spread and sat down and began pulling off his boots. leo stood there through all of what zane said and did, he now had a better understanding of this solom young man he turned and walked out of the barn and started to the house. travis was still sitting on the porch entertaining cassie.leo walked up the steps onto the porch. " big day tomorow, better get to bed cassie." he walked on by and went in the house. travis shut his mouth and made a sour face" well i guess that shuts me up. good night." he stood up and walked off to his trailer. cassie sat there a minute then got up and went in the house. leo was getting a glass of water at the sink.when she walked up " that was a rotten thing to do! " she said. leo slowley turned and looked at her " yeah it was, but he is going flank calves all day tomorrow. i dont think he will hold up. we wont need him after tomorrow." leo liad it out. cassie made a face then turned and went to her room. leo watched her go. then dumped his glass of water out into the sink " hell ime gona have everyone around here mad at me before we get this deal done." when leo got into bed mollie snuggled up close to him" you cant control who cassie takes a likeing to you know that dont you?" she said. " i found out some thing s today about that guy and about zane too. i been wrong about zane. but ime not wrong about travis. cassie just sees a man, not what kind he is. travis is all flash. no substance he used her all day today she worked her country and most of his. if he would do that what else will he do? we are gonna brand calves tomorrow. we will see just how good he is. i bet he will spit the bridle out before we get through." leo explained mollie looked at him a long time then closed her eyes and went to sleep.