Untrusting (Troubled) (38 page)

I find the horse’s owner and have
it moved to the barn for treatment.  I keep a lotta medicines in the tack
room.  Steve and Jim, the horse’s owner, help me keep the horse calm while
I clean the wounds and salve them.  That’s about all I can do.  I
give Jim the tube of salve and tell him to keep it clean.  Riding is out
of the question ‘til the wound is healed.  I give the horse an antibiotic,
to be safe.  The horse can be left in the barn for now.  I’ll want to
check it and maybe take some blood before he takes it home.

We go back to the house and I take
Princess out on a leash, Steve and a rifle with us.  Suddenly, Princess
growls and her hackles go up.  I don’t see anything and she looking toward
a coyote body.  Then the body moves, “Steve, it’s not dead.”  Steve
shoots it again and we go in.  Dad, Brad, Bob and Steve go out checking
the bodies again and we hear a few shots.  After a nap and lunch the men
decide to go out again.

They’re gone ‘til about six. 
They didn’t find anything fresh or any coyotes willing to show their
fangs.  They’re going to call it a day, but if the coyotes show up again
we’re to call and they’ll come back to finish it off, New Year’s Eve or
not.  They all load up and leave.

Steve calls Miss Lili to tell her
we’ll be home tomorrow and why.  We don’t want to leave Mom and Dad alone
with the coyotes acting the way they are.  Miss Lili understands and
wishes all a Happy New Year and invites us all to dinner tomorrow.

The night is quiet and we sleep
well.  In the morning, after breakfast, we go out to bury the
coyotes.  Dad gets out his back hoe and digs the hole a mile from the
house.  He doesn’t want to jeopardize the well water.  The guys help
him get the bodies there and fill in the hole.

While they’re doing that Maria and
I go to my place to get a shower and clean clothes.  Steve goes over for
the same reason.  Bob has to wait ‘til they get home for that
luxury.  Maria and I are close enough in size I could offer her a
change.  Mom gives Shay a tee shirt to wear while she washes his clothes
and Maria gives him a bath.  Steve brought over a shirt for Bob so Maria
and Shay could ride home in the same truck.

Steve and I go to the “layover” to
find Miss Lili and Glen taking care of the guests and the kennel.  We step
in to finish the job.  Miss Lili wants to see the clinic now it’s painted
and decides she likes it.  When they hadn’t seen or heard from us they’d
taken care of the guests last night, too.  I thank her and Glen, but she
says she’s a partner in this so she doesn’t need thanks.

The other three went to Maria’s for
a change of clothes and Bob got a shower.  Then we all meet at Miss
Lili’s.  Mom and Dad are a few minutes behind us.  Dad wanted to
check the horses before he left and he wants to be home before dark.  They
apologize to Miss Lili because they brought Princess with them this time. 
Miss Lili looks at the brood of dogs, laughs and says one more won’t make a
difference.

We, women, help Miss Lili with
dinner, but Miss Lili insists we sit so she can hear the stories of the coyote
siege.  She doesn’t want to be left out.

We have dinner and announce our
wedding dates.  Everybody’s happy about the dates and figure if we work
full time on them we can be ready.  And now the real stress begins.