The Horse Whisperer

'Don't press too hard,' A

Everyone cheered. The girl's face was flushed and her eyes were shining. She laughed and made a little bow. Tom saw A

'Your turn next, A

By late afternoon all but the smallest calves were branded and Frank a

'We have to go now,' A

'What? Why?'

'Yeah, why? You're not allowed to go.' It was Tom. He'd come up alongside her. They were beside the bull pen. The two of them had hardly spoken all day. A

'Well, you know. It's getting late.'

'Yeah, I know. And you've got to get back and feed the fax machine and make all those calls and things, right?'

The sun was behind him and A

'But you see, there's kind of a tradition here,' he went on,'that whoever makes the best brand has to give a speech after di

'What!' said Grace.

'That's right. Or drink ten jugs of beer. So, Grace, you better go on in and get yourself ready.' Grace looked at Joe to make sure it was a joke. Tom nodded toward the house, deadpan. 'Joe, you better show her the way.' Joe led her off, doing his best not to grin.

'If you're sure we're invited,' said A

'You're invited.'

'Thank you.'

'You're welcome.'

They smiled at each other and the silence between them was filled for a few moments by the lowing of cattle. Their calls were gentler now that the frenzy of the day had passed. It was A

'Who'd be a cow when you could lie around like these guys all day?' she said.

Tom looked at them and nodded. 'Yep. They spend all summer making love and winter just lying around and eating.' He paused, considering something as he watched them. 'On the other hand, not too many of them get to do it. Get born as a bull and you've got a ninety-nine percent chance of getting castrated and served up as a hamburger. On balance, I reckon I'd choose being a cow.'

They sat at a long table covered with a starched white cloth and laid with glazed hams, turkey, and steaming dishes of corn, beans, and sweet potato. The room it stood in was clearly the main living room but seemed to A

A

The children sat at one end of the table and the clamor they made was so loud that the adults at the other had to strain to hear themselves talk. Every so often Diane yelled at them to pipe down but it had little or no effect and soon, led by Frank and Hank who sat on either side of A

Tom sat across from A

'So A

'That's right, Hank. You're the centerfold.'

He gave a great bellow of laughter.

Frank said, 'Hey Hank, you better get yourself some of that - what do they call it? Lipsuction.' 'Liposuction, you fool,' Diane said. 'I'll go for the lipsuction,' Hank said. 'Though I guess it depends who's doing the sucking.'

A

When she and Frank went back and sat down, Joe was telling Grace about a hippie woman who lived farther up on the mountains. She'd bought some Pryor Mountain mustangs a few years back, he said, and just let them run wild. They'd bred and now there was quite a herd of them up there.

'She's got all these kids too and they run around with nothing on. Dad calls her Granola Gay. Came here from L.A.'

'Californication!' Hank chanted. Everyone laughed. 'Hank, do you mind!' Diane said. Later, over a dessert of pumpkin pie and homemade cherry ice cream, Frank said, 'You know what, Tom? While you're working on that horse of theirs, A

'Sure,' he said. 'It's a good idea.'

'Oh, that's very nice of you, but really…'

'Hell, I know that old house you're staying in down there in Choteau,' said Frank. 'It's good as falling down around your ears.'

'Frank, the creek house isn't exactly a palace, for heavensakes,' said Diane. 'Anyway, I'm sure A

Before A

Grace looked at A

'That's settled then.'

Diane got up.'Ill make some coffee,' she said.