Inspired by the fanart of KatyRomance on DA. Unfortunately her account is now deactivated, but I continue to give her credit all the same.

About time I did a Bo x Woody story, what say? :-)

Chapter 1

It all began the afternoon he was tending to the cattle on the farm where Mr Hayward lived. He had pushed back his hat, looking around at the surrounding countryside of the farm with a sigh. It was so peaceful here; a world away from the town where he had used to work. No, this was where he belonged, in the countryside, dealing with animals.

The fields around him stretched for miles in every direction, and in the distance he could see rolling hills and trees. If he climbed part way up the slope behind him leading to the farm itself, he could make out other small buildings in the neighbouring area. Mr Hayward said the land across there belonged in part to a Mr Miller, who owned a farm too, but he had never said what land belonged to whom. That wasn't a rancher's business, only the owners, and he was respectful enough not ask further questions.

So he was working the cattle that morning, shunting them all into a pen for their morning grazing. They had already been milked that morning, and now it was up to him as the rancher to keep an eye on them for the day, until such time that the dairy production would take over and he would be helping with that, too.

As he continued to move the cattle into a pen, something bumped his legs and he looked around, expecting to see a calf or something of similar build behind him. What he saw, in fact, was a sheep – a ewe, to be precise – which baa'ed at him and bumped against his legs again. It made to move forward and he had to reach down and grab it back, afraid the poor creature might get trampled under the hooves of the cows in the pen.

He was just managing to get a firm grip on the animal when another animal appeared besides it – a dog this time, a breed he recognised as a collie, which growled faintly and nudged the sheep away from his clutches. There was a shrill whistle and the dog went haring off in the direction of the sound, making him look up.

Coming over the hillside, was a woman, dressed all in pink, wearing a bonnet over her golden locks, and carrying a blue crook in her left hand. The dog danced after her as she walked. He saw her mouth move as she looked at the dog, and the dog left her side, coming back to the sheep and nudging it up the hill towards her this time. She grasped the sheep's woollen coat and looked back up, directly at him.

"Stay," she commanded, her voice steady, as she left the animals and walked towards him. "Hi."

"Howdy." He returned. "Your sheep?"

"Yes. Sorry, about that. It's not often Shep lets one off the lead like that."

"No problem." He returned shortly.

"I didn't realise the Hayward's had taken on another cattle rancher."

"Oh...yeah. Not been here long though."

"I see. What's he like?"

"Who?"

"Mr Hayward." She rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Oh, he's a good enough man. A good owner and a good worker when it comes to the produce."

"I see. And you...you are?"

"Woody." He extended a hand, and she hesitated, curls blowing in her face as she shook his hand.

"Bo. I work over on the Miller's farm, over yonder." She indicated behind her.

"Oh, I've heard of Mr Miller."

"Oh really? What have you heard?"

"Not much. Just that he owns the other farm and some of the surrounding land."

"That'd be about right."

"And you're over there for the sheep, then?"

"Yes. Just the sheep." She paused and looked back at the collie, who was guarding the sheep protectively. "Talking of which, I should get back. I only came over here to retrieve the ewe."

He nodded. "Of course."

She smiled faintly, "But this was nice, to see another face on the fields. Perhaps I'll see you again sometime?"

"Maybe."

She kept her smile on her face as she turned to walk off,"Remember, cowboy. I'm only a couple of fields away."

He watched her go, the dog guiding the sheep besides her, and then she was over the hill, and out of his sight.