Odd Billy Todd Read Online Free PDF Page B

the Ranger and run after the fleeing cows. The dog struggled briefly, trying to go after his fleeing prey.
    “Rommel, NO!” Billy commanded, trying to make his voice as authoritative as possible. The dog didn’t quite ignore him, but he didn’t stop struggling, either.
    “No!” Billy commanded again, this time with a soft rap to the head. That seemed to get Rommel’s attention finally, and he turned to look at Billy.
    “No,” Billy repeated, this time more quietly, but just as firm. Rommel finally calmed down, shifting in the seat. He was still eager to run after the cows, but understood now, that he wasn’t allowed to.
    The cows, though, weren’t aware of Rommel’s new found knowledge, and were still heading away. Billy watched as they gathered speed, suddenly very concerned. Where were they going?
    “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought him along after all”, Billy thought. “Now what have I done?”
    Panic began to set in, despite all he could do. His ‘keep calm’ mantra wasn’t working, at least not yet. He breathed deeper, still keeping an eye on the cows. Just as he was sure they would run themselves to death, or impale themselves on the barbed wire fence, the small herd turned and dove instead into a small pool of water about one hundred yards from where Billy sat. Immersing themselves in the cool water seemed to calm the cows, and Billy watched from where he sat as the animals got control of their ragged breathing and began to act more normally.
    The burros, having seen that the dog presented no threat to them, had simply gone back to eating, though they did wander slowly over to the water hole themselves. Their presence provided the final bit of calming that the cows needed. After ten minutes or so of watching, Billy saw the first cow emerge from the water, and begin cropping the grass around the hole. Others followed suit, and soon the small herd was back to normal, as if nothing had happened.
    Billy breathed a sigh of relief, calming down himself. He looked at the dog.
    “I think we’ll ride the fences from the outside, Rommel.”
     
    *****
     
    With the Ranger on the outside, there were no more disruptions. Billy rode the entire fence, stopping at the other two gates to make sure their locks were undisturbed. They were, of course. There was no one left to bother them that Billy knew of.
    Rommel had settled down at last and seemed to actually be enjoying the ride. Billy figured that the next time he went to use the Ranger that Rommel would hop aboard with no problems.
    It still nagged at him that Rommel had almost started a stampede. The dog wasn’t used to cattle, and the cattle certainly weren’t used to an aggressive dog like Rommel. Billy was bothered by the fact that he had recognized that using horses around the dog wasn’t a good idea until they were used to one another, yet he had completely overlooked the possible problems of taking Rommel into the pastures.
    I gotta start thinking about things more carefully, he chastised himself. That could have been a lot worse.
    He sighed, realizing that despite his P L A N, things just weren’t that cut and dried. This was a whole new world, and he would have to be more careful in the future. He didn’t want to leave the dog behind, but until he figured a way to make sure there wasn’t a repeat of today’s experience, he realized he just might have to leave Rommel at the house when working the cattle.
    Just until they get used to him, that’s all, he promised himself. That decision led to another problem.
    “And how do I get them used to him being there? Not to mention, how do I train him not to take out after the cattle like that again.”
    Billy grunted in exasperation. It seemed every time he solved a problem, another one, or two, cropped up in its place. At that rate, he’d have more problems that he’d started with, and soon. Shaking his head, as if that would rid him of the problems, or at least the thought of them, Billy started the