Maizie led the way out the door, her boots squelching in the thick manure that ran the entire length of the corral.
“How do cows poop so much?” Christian asked behind her.
Maizie rolled her eyes. City kids were all the same. Wanting to know how the cheese is made, without knowing how the manure is made. “You’re welcome to try potty training them. That should keep you busy for the rest of the summer.”
“Ha. Ha.”
Maizie pushed open the gate that led to the second herd. Once beyond the corral, the wet manure turned dry, and she no longer worried about keeping her balance.
“Go left. I’ll go right, and we’ll just push them toward the gate and to the holding corral.”
Christian nodded, and they took off in opposite directions.
The cows knew the drill and usually made the process painless, but every now and then, one went rogue. Today it was the bull. There was one in each of the two herds and sometimes they were scary.
“Don’t let the bull into the holding corral,” Maizie directed Christian when they made it back to the cement pad leading to the barn.
Christian looked around like he wasn’t quite sure which one the bull was.
“It’s the big one about four feet to your left. You know, the only one with—”
“Yeah, yeah. I know which one the bull is. I’m not an idiot,” he said, cutting her off and taking another step away from the bull.
“You’re the one who said it. Not me.” Maizie laughed when he turned to glare at her. “Just nudge him out of the way. He won’t hurt you.”
“Says you.” He grunted, sidestepping as the cow in front of him relieved herself. “You can probably speak their language and told them to crush me.”
Maizie barked out a laugh. “If I could do that, you would have been gone last week.”
The cows rounded the last turn before the barn, and Maizie held her stick out in front of the bull’s nose. The bull redirected and turned toward Christian. He froze like a deer in the headlights.
“He can smell fear,” Maizie said.
“Shut up.”
“I really thought you were more of a man.” Maizie tsked, though she’d never in a million years admit she was afraid of the very same beast.
He turned on her and gave her a long hard look.
Maizie bit the inside of her cheek and gave the bull another gentle nudge. She must have hit a nerve because the bull jerked and took off in the opposite direction, startling the cows beside him to take off as well.
Christian jumped out of the way, letting four cows escape.
“Don’t let the cows go!” Maizie yelled, running to head them off.
Christian ran down the opposite side. He was faster and managed to get between the cows and the bull, but his momentum didn’t stop when he tried to pull back. His rubber boots slid on the poop-covered cement, sending his feet out from under him until he skidded to a stop on his backside.
Maizie was laughing even before he landed with a thick splash in the manure. The cows were startled again and turned back the right way, but Maizie couldn’t tear her eyes away from the manure-covered man lying motionless on the ground.
“Are you okay?” she asked around her laughter, stepping up near his head to make sure he was still alive.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be okay again,” he said, his eyes still closed like he was sending up a prayer to heaven to just take him at that moment.
“Stay right there. I’m going to go get my phone.”
“Don’t you dare,” he growled and pushed himself to a sitting position. He stuck out his hand. “Can I get some help here?”
Maizie looked at him and his poop-covered hand. This was absolutely too tempting to resist. “I don’t know. Your hand is kind of gross.”
