A minute later, Laura heard Monty call back, "Okay, I've got the last one over here. I should be able to remember which pen it's in, so I'll set the gates to direct yours over with the original three. I'll be right with you to help."
While she was waiting, Laura looked around and saw that metal gates, matching the pipe corrals, were folded back against the corral walls. She could see which needed to be closed in her area in order to keep her bull from going the wrong way down one of the paths, so she unhooked the latches, closed the three gates nearest her, and latched them securely. When Monty arrived, she was delighted to see his astonishment at seeing the gates already set up.
"Laura, you're amazing! Not only do you look the part in those clothes, but you've done what any cowgirl would have done, without being told. Are you sure you're really a big-city girl?" Monty exclaimed, obviously pleased with her initiative.
Laura laughed, pleased herself. "Yes, I'm definitely a city girl. But I'm also a systems analyst, and I'm used to looking at every problem and seeing all the ways of solving it, and I could see what needed to be done here to keep this bull from wandering all over the place."
"Well, with that kind of approach, I don't think it would take long for you to become a great cowhand - but there's sure a big difference in the pay scales," Monty said. He quickly ducked his head to check the latch on the pen holding the bull, but he really did it to hide the sudden pain he was sure was visible on his face, pain caused by the thought that this would probably be the last time he'd ever see this wonderful woman who seemingly would have fitted so well into his life on the ranch.
"Since you're doing so well with the gates, can you go back to the pen with the three bulls to handle that gate? I checked, and that gate opens the right way to let this bull join the others. If you just stand by the gate, ready to unlatch it, I'll get my stock whip and start this bull down that way. When he gets fairly close, just unlatch the pen gate and swing it back, staying behind it, and latch it to block his path, and he should go right in. Even if one or more of the others do come out, they're pretty quiet bulls and I can chase them all back in, and then you can close the gate," Monty instructed.