Free Stars Always Shine by Rick Rivera Page B

type of boluses the man gave him when he purchased the calves.
    The weekend did not end soon enough for Mitch. Place had managed to stay busy with his regular chores and the ones that Jacqueline added later that Saturday—like washing and waxing their truck, cleaning out the stock trailer, and helping Mickey put up a large, colorful wooden sign at the entrance to the ranch that read: STARRIDGE RANCH in loud letters, and 1755 SWEET WINE ROAD in smaller letters. Mitch was also quite valuable by making dinner reservations for the country couple and finding out what the operating hours were in a nearby winery’s tasting rooms.
    That evening, when Jacqueline and Mickey left for dinner, Mitch and Place walked out to the pasture and, leaning against the gate, they wondered how they could get the rope off the persevering calf.
    In a dark corner of the stall barn, two thick and calloused hands dug deep into a sack of alfalfa molasses left by the owners of Thundering Thoroughbreds Ranch. Salvador reached into the middle of the sack feeling for the sweet feed that would be more moist than the crusty and dry edges of stale feed that filled up the rest of the sack. With two full buckets, he walked out to where Mitch and Place pondered the noosed calf. Salvador slipped between the horizontal rails of the gate and spread the feed out on the ground. He grabbed at his Adam’s apple and with a loud, convincing, and vibrating bellow, mooed for the calves. The ruminating animals looked up, and slowly they approached him as he continued to moo. Salvador watched the calves examine the feed and eat for a few minutes, and then calmly he slid over to the roped calf, patted its head, and removed the noose.
    “Now that’s a ranch hand!” Mitch glowed as she looked at Salvador admiringly. “Gracias,” she said to him, bowing her head slightly in a show of respect. She looked at Place and said, “Tell him we aren’t going to tell Jacqueline and Mickey how the rope came off. Let them figure it out for themselves. We’ll leave it hanging on the gate. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t notice, anyway.”
    They walked up to the ranch house and sat on the deck talking and drinking beer until they heard Jacqueline and Mickey’s truck drive up. Quickly, Salvador sneaked back to his small home, and Mitch and Place went inside, not turning on any lights, deciding they had had enough for the day.
    Early Sunday morning, Mitch and Place left the ranch to eat breakfast and talk without the interruptions Mitch anticipated.
    “You know, honey,” Mitch began, “I knew from the start that Jacqueline and Mickey didn’t know too much, but I just didn’t realize they were close to terminally ignorant. It’s weird because they have all the right stuff in terms of clothes and boots and that fancy cowboy’s Cadillac they drive around in. But as far as any animal savvy or basic ranch know-how, those two could be classified as remedial or even preliterate. They know just enough to be dangerous.”
    “When you have money it doesn’t matter,” a cynical Place commented. “Too bad ignorance isn’t against the law.”
    “Well, it will matter. They need to get with it. I can’t see those two coming onto this ranch and running a boarding facility. You know, I never did find out what kind of trainer she was. And it’s funny, she hasn’t mentioned a thing about it, either. Then they brought those calves up and plan on making them live on just the pasture. Those young ones need other feed. But I didn’t tell them that. I’m just going to buy my own. You know what happened last night after I finished making my final rounds? Jacqueline told me that she and Mickey weren’t quite satisfied with our progress.”
    “What?” Place asked as he suddenly stopped chewing his food. His face grew a darker shade as the anger filled his cheeks and shot through his eyes.
    “You were already in the house,” Mitch explained. “Jacqueline and I had talked about