Chapter 37

After their conversation, the women moved into the field for a breath of fresh air. After all the technology talk, Brynn wanted her feet on the earth and her eyes on the horizon. Schuyler wanted to check on Marigold, who was expecting a calf. Brynn was excited, but apprehensive because of poor Petunia and her past grief.

“She’s doing great,” Schuyler said after examining Marigold. She placed her arm around the cow, who turned and looked at her and blinked. Jewel sauntered up to them, a little hesitant but curious. “Speaking of doing great. Jewel looks good. Gaining weight. She seems to be fitting right in.”

“She is,” Brynn said. “Any luck finding a home for her?”

“Not yet,” Schuyler said, and looked away. It was as Brynn suspected. Schuyler wasn’t searching too hard. Could she keep Jewel, along with the new calf? She wasn’t sure. But it would be hard for Jewel to go to another strange place, sensitive cow that she was.

Freckles bounded over to Schuyler and nearly knocked her over. “Speaking of gaining weight!”

“I think she’s part cow,” Becky said as she joined them.

“She might be.” Schuyler tussled round a bit in the field with her. Freckles was another one of Schuyler’s strays. Brynn had kept her because Freckles and Petunia became fast friends.

Brynn rubbed Jewel’s nose, and if a cow could sigh she was certain she would. Her big cow eyes peered at Brynn from beneath the scraggly hair. Brynn worked her way to her neck. “Wait,” Brynn said, “didn’t she have a collar?”

“Yes, she did,” Schuyler said.

Brynn shrugged. “It’s gone. Wonder what happened to it?”

“Odd. It’s not like a cow can take off her collar.” Schuyler rubbed around the cow’s neck.

“Right?” Brynn said.

Becky rubbed around her neck, too. “Maybe it got stuck on something and she slipped out of it.”

“She was very thin,” Schuyler said. “But I don’t see that happening.”

The three of them looked around. The field had nothing but green grass and flowers. Brynn checked in the barn in Jewel’s stall. Nothing. “How odd. A missing collar.”

Collars were tagged with important tracking information. It wasn’t necessarily the collar Brynn was worried about, but its tag.

“I need to head out,” Schuyler said. “I’m on CSA duty tonight at the fair. It’s a shame you haven’t gotten to go much. Tomorrow is the last night. Perhaps you can attend if you’re feeling okay.”

Brynn agreed it was a shame. The fair was a culmination and celebration of her community’s farming work through the year. Besides, it was just good fun. She didn’t want to think about her disaster of a cheese competition. “I’d like to go. I hope I can.”

Had it been two weeks already? Brynn had lost track of time in her concussed mind. She’d been concentrating on other things.

“If you find the collar, let me know,” Schuyler said. “Otherwise, I’ll have to get new tags for her.”

Brynn and Becky walked her to her truck and watched as she drove away.

“How could a collar slip from a cow’s neck?” Becky asked. Brynn shrugged. “Maybe Wes is aware of this.” She reached into her pocket for her phone and remembered she didn’t have one, “Bother! I don’t have a phone.”

“That’s right. I’ll text him,” Becky said as they walked toward the house.

Brynn opened the door and welcomed the cool air-conditioned breeze on her skin. Brynn made her way to the couch and lay down. It had been quite a day. Ransom ware. Monster tractors. And missing cow collars. What else could happen?

Becky walked into the room and sat on the La-Z-Boy. “Wes says he doesn’t know anything about the collar, but he and Max will look for it and get back to us.”

“Well, we already looked for it. I don’t think it’s on the property.”

“It won’t hurt for them to look again.”

Becky looked weary. She’d been doing such a great job taking care of Brynn and trying to keep up with everything. Brynn felt a pang of guilt. She wasn’t 100 percent yet. But she was getting better. “Why don’t you go home, Becky? I’ll be fine. You look so tired.”

“Thanks, and no. I’m here for the duration. Everything is fine with Lily. It’s summer and she’s having a blast. When you’re better, I’ll happily go home.”

“I am better.”

“That’s what you say, but look at you. It’s four in the afternoon and you’re lying on the couch. That’s not the Brynn I know.”

Point taken.

“Sometimes I feel normal.”

“Sometimes isn’t enough.”