The next morning after breakfast, I was in with my goats, when a sheriff's car pulled up the driveway, and parked. Hal, the sheriff,

and a deputy got out, looking around.

When they saw me, they began walking my direction. I came out quickly, shutting the gate behind me.

"Hello, Harlie," Hal said.

I said hello, and he asked me if I knew where Adam or Brian or Crane were at.

"They're not too far, I don't think," I told him.

"I'd like to talk to them, if you can locate them."

"Okay," I told him. "Do you want to go in the house while I go look?"
I thought he looked a little amused. "We're fine outside, Harlie. Thank you."

"Try to find Evan, if you can, too, please," Hal said, as I began to hike towards the pasture.

I paused, looking back at him. "Evan's not in trouble, is he?" I asked, worried that this was about the whole Seth

debacle earlier in the summer, where Evan had punched Seth.

"No, Harlie," he said, smiling at me. "He's not in trouble."

I sprinted off, locating Brian in the pasture, where he was on horseback, riding thru the cattle there.

I told him about Hal, and he got off his horse, saying he would walk to the house, and for me to ride horseback to

the other pasture, where he thought Adam and Evan might be fixing fence.

When I rode up, Adam's first reaction was an alarmed look, seeing me on Brian's horse that way.

"Everything alright?" he asked, coming up to hold the side of the bridle.

"Yes. The sheriff's here. He wants to talk to you. Brian went on up."

"Okay," Adam said.

"I'll keep workin' here," Evan said.

"He wants to talk to you, too, Ev," I said.

"He does?"

"Yes. I asked, and he said it's nothing bad, though," I reported.

"I'll pick up the tools, and come up," Evan said, and Adam said alright, and walked on towards the house.

I sat where I was, mounted.

"Want a ride up?" I offered.

"Yeah. Sure."

Evan finished what he was doing, and swung up behind me, and we rode towards the house.

"Want to hurry?" I asked, in an offer to gallop.

"Don't need to hurry," Evan said.

"I thought maybe when he said to get you, that it was about the fight you got into with Seth," I rambled on.

"So you asked, huh?"

"Well, yeah," I said, twisting in the saddle to look at him as best as I could. "I don't want you going to jail for assault."

"Assault," he said, and sort of laughed.

"Well, yeah. Punching Seth in the face qualifies as assault."

He shook his head, and I faced forward again.

We only had about ten minutes or so before we reached the house, so I plunged ahead with what was on my mind.

I told Evan how the burros were grazing on grass that had been eaten down to the nub.

"Adam says they'll go foraging for food," I went on.

"They might."

"I was wondering-" I said, and paused.

"Wondering what?"

"If maybe you would help me, and together we could help them."

"What do you have in mind?" he asked, and I felt a leap of hope.

I twisted in the saddle again, hooking my leg over the saddle horn. "Maybe we could move them back up to the canyon," I

suggested. "Since they have the case settled, and there won't be any more poachers up there."

"What makes you think the case is settled?"

I gave him a look of confusion. "Well, they've arrested people, and all that. And I figured that's why they're at the house now. To

tell what they've gotten done. Right?"

"Maybe. That doesn't mean it's over, though. There might still be poachers around, trying to make a last buck before the

whole thing collapses, and they get ratted out by the ones who've been caught," Evan cautioned.

"Well, if it is almost over, then will you help me to move the burros?" I implored.

He was quiet for a long few moments. "I don't know. Let me think about it."

"What is there to think about?" I immediately pounced.

"I just wanna think about it."

"Ford would help. And Guthrie. We could even ask Kristin to help. That should be enough people. There

was about twenty or so in the herd we saw yesterday-"

"Harlie," he interrupted. "I said I'd think about it."

When I would have argued more, he said, "Remember our agreement we made the other night? I say somethin'. You listen. We get along. Remember that?"

I turned to face forward, trying not to appear as though I was pouting. "I remember," I said.

After a few moments of silence, he said, "What makes you think they can't go back up there on their own, anyway?"

"I don't know. Maybe they're afraid to. They don't know there won't be any more guns or helicopters chasing them

down," I pointed out.

He was quiet, and then said, "Maybe so."

We were within sight of the house by now, and he said, "We'll talk about it some more." He swung down from the back of the horse,

and looked up at me, when I didn't answer. "Okay?"

I nodded. "Okay."

"Don't do somethin' stupid," he cautioned.

"Like what?"

"You know what. Trying to round those burros up and doing it yourself."

"Gosh," I said, pretending to be shocked. "I never would have thought of such a thing as that."

"I'm not kidding around with you, Har. I'm dead serious. I'll kick your butt if you try it."

"I won't, Ev," I said.

"Okay," he said.

I was going to ride on into the corral after he'd walked towards the house, to unsaddle Brian's horse. But, something, an

instinct of some sort, had me looking back. And there, just over the fence of the next pasture, stood the burro. I don't know

how Evan and I had missed seeing him standing there.

I watched Evan, as he was nearly to the house. And then, I turned Brian's horse, and headed back towards the Jack.

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I was able to ride nearly up onto him, with just the fence separating us. I pulled to a halt, and he and I regarded

one another.

"Where's your Jenny?" I asked him, as if he could understand me. "And where were you yesterday, huh? We wanted

to have Ivy look at you to see if you're sick."

He stared at me out of his huge brown eyes.

"You don't look sick," I told him. "I don't think you are."

At that moment, I wished mightily that I had an apple with me. Or a carrot. I would have disobeyed Adam, and given

it to the Jack.

I considered, looking towards the barn.

"Do you want an apple?" I asked him. "Wait right here and I'll get you one. Or two."

I galloped then, sliding off to go into the barn, and grab several apples. I had no pockets in my shirt, and the apples wouldn't

fit in my jean's pockets, so I had to juggle them in my hands, while holding the reins. I remounted, and galloped back

across the pastures to where he stood, still waiting. Though, this time, he was on my side of the fence.

"How did you do that?" I demanded of him. "Are you some kind of magic burro or something?"

I slid down from Brian's horse, and stood still, holding out an apple. "You have to take it from me," I told the Jack. "I'm not

gonna throw it to you."

It took a few minutes, maybe five or so, of me standing perfectly still, and just talking, and then, he stepped the few

feet closer, and took the apple from my hand.

Bits of it dropped from his mouth, and he chomped away.

When he'd finished, he sniffed at the ground for more, and then raised his head, staring at me.

"Want another?" I asked. I held out the second one, and he accepted that, too.

I went on talking to him. "We need to let Ivy look at you," I said. "Would you do that for me? Because then, maybe

Adam and Brian won't dislike you so much, when they find out you're not the one that made the cattle sick."

Eventually, I rode back to the house. They'd be missing me, I thought, if I didn't reappear soon. I unsaddled

the horse, and rubbed him down, and put the saddle away in the tack shed.

I went into the house by the back door. Clare was busy stirring something in a big bowl. I could sniff

the yeasty smell of bread.

"Harlie, does this look right to you?" she asked me, and I went over to peer into the large glass bowl. There

was a mass of dough.

"Making bread?" I asked her. "Wow. Homemade bread is hard."

"I thought I'd try it. Of course I pick the hottest day to do it."

"It looks good to me," I told her. "But I've never tried it all on my own, either."

I washed my hands at the sink. "Is the sheriff still here?" I asked.

"Yes. Still here."

"What's he saying? Do you know?"

"He's bringing them up to date on arrests. All of that." She flicked a glance at me, looking mildly

sympathetic.

"What?" I asked her.

"I think Seth was one of them."

"Oh." I thought for a moment. "Well, I figured. I mean, it's not a real surprise."

"No." She gave me a half-smile. "I know. But I also know that you thought he was changing a little bit.

Trying to get himself straight."

"I did think that. The day he said it to me, anyway," I said wryly.

"Do you want to help me?" she asked then. "Or do you want to go in and listen to what they're talking

about?"

"I don't need to. I can find out about it when they leave. I'll help you. Let me go up and change

first, though." I pulled off my boots and socks, leaving them by the back door.

I went up the back stairs, and to my room, stripping off my jeans and exchanging them for a pair

of cut-off denim shorts, and a tank top. When I came out into the hallway, I could still hear the

murmur of voices in the living room. I went down the hall to Hannah and Adam's bedroom, going in

and closing the door quietly behind me. Isaac was napping in his crib, laying on his stomach, with his

thumb half-in and half-out of his mouth.

I dialed the phone number, from memory, of the vet office, and waited, not really expecting Ivy

to answer. When she did, I was surprised. I kept my voice low, so as not to wake the baby.

"Hi, Ivy. It's Harlie."

"Hi, Harlie!"

"I saw the Jack just a few minutes ago. He was in our pasture."

"Oh."

"I didn't know if you could come back out now to look at him?" I asked. "I can pay you-like for

an actual visit. And I can pay you for the testing supplies-"

"We'll worry about all of that later. I can come within an hour or so, I think. If he'd still be around," she said.

I was thinking hard. "I could maybe get him to go into our corral, so he'd be easier to examine."

"If you think you can, that sure would help," she agreed.

I hung up after Ivy said that she'd be over as soon as she was able.

I went back downstairs to the kitchen, where Clare was pulling the dough apart to make

separate loaves.

"Ready?" she asked me.

"I have to do something first," I told her. I explained about Ivy, and how I needed to get the Jack into

the corral.

"Shouldn't you have some help?" she asked me. "I mean, he's not just going to walk in, is he?"

"Maybe not as easy as that," I said, and went back over to grab my boots and socks that I'd left

by the back door when I came in.

I sat down to pull them on, while Clare continued looking at me.

"I'll go look for Ford or Guthrie," I said.

"Shouldn't you-" she began, and then paused.

I knew what she was getting at. "I'll get permission," I told her.

As if on cue, when I was heading towards the living room, full charge, I nearly ran smack into

Brian. I could see Hal and the deputy heading out the front door, followed by various McFaddens.

"Hey," Brian said, reaching out to steady me with his hands. "Just about had a collision there, peach."

"Sorry," I said automatically. "Ivy's on the way back over."

"She has the results?" he asked, and I realized that it hadn't even occurred to me about the blood work she'd taken

on our cattle.

"I'm not sure about that. She's coming to try to check the burro out."

"I thought you all couldn't locate him."

"We couldn't. But he was here, just a little bit ago."

I looked up at Brian, meeting his eye. "I thought I'd try to get him into the corral. To make it easier for her."

"Think you can manage that, huh?" he asked me.

"I can try."

"Alright. But, grab one of the boys to help you," he told me.

So, I turned around, going out the back door, and went in search of Ford or Guthrie. I didn't see them, though, not right off.

And, I was thinking how time was ticking away. So I saddled Charley, and filled a bucket with apples, grabbed a rope, and went out to see if the burro was still

in the same place as before.

He was. Munching on the grass. I thought how different our grass was, compared to what I'd seen with Ivy and Crane, that

the herd of burros had been eating.

I pulled the bucket I'd had hooked over the saddle horn off and slid down from Charley's back.

I began talking quietly as I was walking forward a few steps.

"Look," I said, waving a apple at him.

He was interested. He kept his eye on me, but didn't come any nearer.

"Remember when I told you about how Ivy was going to look you over?" I said, just as if he would understand. "Well, now's

the time." I waved the apple at him again.

I took Charley's reins in my one hand, and then held out the apple in the other, and began walking really slowly towards

the corral. "You want the apple?" I asked the burro. "Come on, and I'll give it to you."

At first I thought I was going to succeed. I thought he was going to follow right along with me. He was taking a few

steps after me and Charley.

"Wow," I thought. How amazing would it be, if he just walked right into the corral for me? I was feeling pretty darn smug.

That was, until he stopped. And went back to eating grass.

"Hey," I said, rattling the bucket of apples at him again.

He didn't move. Alright, I thought, I'll give him one more apple. Just to remind him, and entice him.

So I walked back to him, holding out an apple. I did succeed in getting him to take it from my hand, just like earlier. I reached

out while he was chewing the apple, to run my hand over the top of his head.

His fur was soft, not rough like I thought it would be. He only tolerated my touch for a couple of seconds, though, and then he

moved away a few feet. I tried again then, holding out another apple, and trying to get him to follow me. No luck. He just

stood there, staring.

I stood there, debating what to do. If he wouldn't follow me easily, with apples as a bribe, then I needed to herd

him in. And, to do that, I needed more than just myself. It would be too easy for him to skitter away from me, and run the

opposite direction. Unless. Hmm. Plan B.

"Alright, mister," I said, eyeing him. I went back over to where Charley stood, ground-tied, and munching grass. I took off the

rope, the one of Evan's that I'd coiled up and hooked over the saddle horn as well.

I hid it behind my back, and took another apple, holding that out. I walked up to him again, and as he was taking the

apple from my hand, I quickly put the rope around his neck. He shook his head back and forth, and I tried not to tug,

so he might not realize what was happening. I uncoiled it as I stepped back to Charley and mounted.

Then I gave just the slightest of tugs and urged Charley forward.

The burro reacted so quickly that I myself, had no time to react. He planted his four feet and jerked, and began to

flop around as though he was at a rodeo.

"Hey," I said, trying to sound calm and soothing.

My 'hey' was lost on the Jack. He snapped his head around so hard that it took me right off of Charley's back. I landed

hard, but I still had the rope in my hand. It was just instinct to pull back on the rope as the burro pulled the other way.

He even pulled me along a couple of feet, on my behind.

And then, there in the field somewhere. I could hear their voices from behind me, beside me, but I didn't see them.

"Turn him loose, Har!"

"Harlie! Let him go, I've got him!"

So I dropped the rope, although that wasn't as easy as it sounds. It seemed to be embedded in my palms, almost.

Evan had the rope tightened, and was pulling the burro towards the corral, mounted on his own horse.

"Hey," Ford said, crouching down beside me. "You alright?"

I nodded.

"Here," Ford said, holding out a hand to me.

I let him pull me to my feet, wanting to wince at his touch. My palms hurt.

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