Acquiring Trouble

stalls and tied it quickly around his face to help with smoke inhalation.
    Bill barked again and stood up on his back legs as he danced in circles. "You think you can handle this?" Bill barked again as Miles swung his leg over the saddle. Miles leaned over in the saddle and Bill leapt into his arms. "You need to be still, okay?" Bill sat on the saddle in front of Miles as if he wa s a Dalmatian on a fire truck while Miles urged Mach into a gallop.
    Miles gave Mach his head as the black horse thundered down the lane heading straight for the fire. Bill whined as they approached the pasture. The fire was right across the street. The one fire truck from Keeneston was already in place, trying to prevent the spread of the fire. He was sure Lexington had already been contacted for backup. The Likens family stood watching as the fire ravaged their apple orchard . Miles would talk to them later, but now it was only a matter of time before t he cattle broke down the fence.
    Through the smoke he saw a dog dart toward him, his long black and white hair flowing behind him. The hot pink bow on his head helped Miles see the bearded collie as the smoke filled the area. If Justin was here, Cade was somewhere in the smoke. Bill barked madly as he waited for Cade t o clear the smoke and find him.
    An old pickup slid to a stop and he saw his mother climb out. She was still in her pajamas with a big coat thrown on in haste , h er blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail . She ran toward him in her cowboy boots.
    "I have water and bandanas to help you boys breathe. I also have first aid and a couple gallons of water for Justin. I see Bill wants to help." Marcy Davies lifted Bill down from the saddle and placed him on the ground. "There's Cade now. Pierce and your father are right behind me. Here's your whistle —r emember all the codes?"
    Miles nodded his head as he grabbed the orange whistle and put it around his neck. One blow meant move forward two meant to stop. They also had codes for right, left, straggler, and anything else you could think of.
    Cade took his whistle and put i t over his cowboy hat . Miles turned when he saw his mother look away and saw Pierce and his father, Jake, galloping toward them . His mother handed out the whistles and bananas as she stood in the center of the group giving orders. "Take them to the back pasture on Marshall's property. It's the farthest away. I'll follow along in the truck if you need anything. It'll also deter the h erd from running into the fences . Form a U along the fence closest to the fire. Jake will take point in the center. Miles , you and Bill take the right flank. Cade, you and Justin take the left. Pierce, you work next to your father and once we get them moving, he'll take the lead and you make sure none are left behind. Now go!"
    Miles pulle d the reins on Mach and hurried toward the pasture. Bill stayed with him as his short legs ran double time to keep up. His mother opened the gate and let them throu gh. The pasture was eighty - five acres and there were close to one hundred cattle scattered everywhere. Their eyes were large with fear as the smoke hid the fence line and the other cows from each other.
    Miles felt the heat from the fire instantly as he raced along the far fence line to get to the right side of the pasture. When he made it to his position he looked down , surprised to see the dog had kept up with him . Bill’s long t ail was arched over his body, his tongue hanging out of his mouth , and a light was in his eyes that Miles had never seen before. Miles blew his whistle to signal he was in place. He was the last one to get there.
    His father gave one short blow to signal the start of the round up. Miles leaned over to Bill, "Okay, let's see what you can do. Go!" Bill shot off, his long tail low to the ground now as he sped off like a bullet. Miles grabbed the rope looped over the horn of his saddle. He carried it in one hand and used the other to steer Mach.
    Bill ran fearlessly up to the huge cows and when they didn't listen he would nip them on their hocks. Miles watched in amazement as a thirty-five pound dog forced cows that weighed almost a thousand pounds to do his bidding. Miles and Bill worked in tandem for hours as the y cleared the area of cows and push ed them together in the center of the pasture.
    Sweat ran down his chest as he yelled at a cow to get moving. His voice was low and scratchy from so much yelling and the smoke he’d inhaled . His