Duke Henson slowed his mare to a trot as he finished a circle around the paddock, where a hundred head of cattle rushed in from the open grazing pasture. Rhubarb, his beloved black shepherd dog, ran around the other side opposite him, keeping the cattle in line. Together, Duke and Rhubarb had successfully brought them to the corral for the evening. Each afternoon he did this to safeguard the cattle.

He tilted his wide-brimmed hat to shield himself from the sun as it peeked out from the marbled clouds of the morning. He dismounted and hitched his horse to the fence post, then went to the barn to grab the buckets of oats needed to feed the hungry cows. Rhubarb trotted by his side and barked happily. He took a treat from his tan trench coat and tossed the snack to Rhubarb.

"Well, girl, gotta feed the heifers!"

The cattle clustered around the troughs, awaiting their meal. He carried two large, full buckets of golden grain in each hand and spread the feed in the large troughs for the young cows to eat. Sounds of chirping grasshoppers filled the air among the tall, emerald grass.

He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as the cattle ate. The down quilt of clouds made for a humid day, a low fog greying the distant snow-capped mountains into a mere outline on this fine overcast evening, staining the sky with streaks of red as the sun prepared to set. He sighed, lost in his thoughts. Ever since he had ridden west and come upon this mountain town known as Cherry Springs, Oregon, he had laid low. He enjoyed the work with the cattle, the kindly people of the town, even his boss, the ranch owner. Mister Morris Weebly was a decent man. He was a widower with a young son, who had needed the help. Duke had taken the job as a ranch hand nearly three years ago and by now he pretty much ran the place. At twenty-six, Duke was a strapping young man, muscles hardened by rough work and the only option Weebly had to run the ranch.

Work helped take Duke's mind off his own problems. People had reminded him that he wasn't getting younger and the young women in town often gave him sweet looks. But he couldn't bear to court any of them. A tear came to his eye as he tried to push the memory of his ex-wife out of his mind.

He had been hurt too badly; it had broken him. No, the trouble of a woman was not worth it. A woman, in his experience, could never be pleased with the money he could make or the simple rough life he was suited to. So, it would have to be just him. He was more or less content with it. He had Rhubarb, she was good company, and the cattle who relied on his care, lowing in the glorious green pastures.

Still, it stung a little, the door that had closed on him.

Then something caught his eye that made him turn from the distant panorama to the field. Something was stirring at the far edge of the field.

That's odd, I thought I had rounded up all the cattle.

There were definitely cows grazing by the fence line across the grass. He let out a heavy sigh. Those were not his cattle. Those had to be the neighbors'. They had gotten through his fence again.

While Duke was not the owner of this ranch, it was his duty as a ranch hand to report this to Mister Morris Weebly, his boss and ranch owner. This happened on occasion, since the ranch that bordered the Weebly ranch was only separated by one fence, each property owning adjacent pasture. While Duke did his best to keep the fences maintained by himself, the area was large, covering several acres of rolling hills, and the cattle were strong; it was hard to keep track of it all on a weekly basis. He also suspected, no, he knew, that the neighbor, Belle, didn't care to stop them— if her cattle got in and grazed on Weebly's land, they could feed for free. But her ranch hand had recently quit as well, so she was short-staffed lately. He'd give her the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Duke laughed to himself and shook his head. He tried to keep a sense of humor about it, though Weebly would not be amused. It aggravated him to no end.

He turned to Rhubarb and patted her head. "Well, girl, better not tell the boss they're grazing on our land again. Boy, he will be pissed..."

He unhitched his horse, gave her a pat, and mounted up, Rhubarb running along at his side. He followed the fence until he found the gap. The barbed wire hung in loose strands where the cattle had burst through.

"Let's go, Rhubarb, if we don't do it, it won't get done." They rounded up the strays, man and dog acting as a team, and drove them back through the hole in the fence. He temporarily mended the fence with rope and made himself a promise to return in the morning with wire and tools to patch it properly.

"Rhubarb, ain't it always that way, the more work you got, the more chores come up. Now, I don't mind, I like hard work, but it would be nice to have someone appreciate everything we do around here." Rhubarb cocked an eye at him quizzically, probably thinking of dinner soon to come, but Duke took it as interest in his plight.

"Maybe it's best the boss doesn't find out about it this time. But I will need to get to work repairing that fence first thing tomorrow."