**** Chapter Eighteen – Sante Fe ****

All creatures rely on routine for day-to-day existence, humans are creatures of routine just like any other creature. A major change will happen disrupting our previous routines and before you know it we’ll create a new routine.

Breaking camp was starting to become routine for us, everyone had a pretty good idea what needed to be done and there was very little discussion needed. After a quick breakfast we fell into our new routine and were on the road in just over an hour. Even that stupid cat had seemed to relax and was curled up on the seat between Matilda and Mila as I pulled out to hit the freeway.

Sonya was going to return the rental truck and take an internet taxi from there to the truck stop outside of town where we would meet up. I needed to empty the septic tanks and top off the fuels so it was a convenient stop. We were on the road to Santa Fe before 9 a.m.

Santa Fe ended up being about seven hours away. We didn’t push straight through as we weren’t in a hurry; we’d stop at the rest areas every few hours and stretch our legs. Mila appreciated those stops a lot, however I did get some funny looks from travelling families as I walked Abigail around the “Pet Area”. It surprised me that Abigail caught on pretty quickly that this was the place to do her business; this was a smart horse who apparently preferred a clean stall.

Santa Fe was a full homestead internet rental to camp at. I don’t know how Sonya found these places, but they were perfect. There was even a barn with paddock and small attached pasture for Abigail. We had full use of the house but it seemed more of a hassle so we simply followed our new routine, set-up camp, dined and then each of us slipped off into our private worlds for the evening.

The next morning started early and after chores and breakfast were completed we all headed out for the day’s business. I was going to meet my stud dog today; Sonya would pick up our deliveries and take care of any personal business she needed to deal with. I was taking Mila with me and Matilda climbed in with us. When I dropped Sonya at the rental shop surprisingly Matilda stayed with me in the truck.

So Sonya was off on her own and I had Matilda and Mila riding along to meet the new dog; I had reached the point where I didn’t ask anymore and simply accepted whatever the women folk decided was going to happen. So much for my “manly man” persona.

I called up the breeder and told him where I was, he allowed that I should be there in about thirty minutes or so and gave me some basic directions. I punched his info into the GPS and off we went.

I arrived about when he said I would and he greeted us out in the drive, his name was Frank and he had a nice small spread – probably about ten acres and it was pretty. Matilda, Mila and I were invited inside where we met his wife Anne and were offered coffee, naturally I showed proper manners and accepted. We sat down at their kitchen table and had a pleasant pre-business conversation; he strategically took that time to meet and evaluate Mila. I said the right things and even Matilda smiled at the correct moments but still she kept herself to herself.

After the coffee was finished Frank called out and his twenty-some daughter showed up in the kitchen, he introduced her as Mary Beth and politely asked her to fetch Brin so I could meet the boy. She left out the door and he turned to me and said, “we’ll go out and catch up with her in a few, she’s just gonna bring him out”. I nodded as he turned the conversation back to Mila and her bloodlines, that was easy to handle and I had a copy of her papers ready to hand in preparation for this moment, he had the same for Brin. Ten minutes later we went out to meet Brin, Matilda stayed in the house with his wife.

Outside we were greeted by his lovely daughter approaching us sitting on a dog cart with a large and very handsome Rottweiler dog in trace. I asked Mila to “Stay” and walked forward to meet Brin; Brin on his part took a wary and protective stance.

Mary Beth dismounted the cart and led Brin over, she said “Friend” and Brin while still in trace relaxed and turned into a huge ball of “happy to meet you” Rottweiler. She released him from his trace and he ran to sniff Mila, I released Mila and thankfully they started to play. This was going to work out well.

I was intensely interested in the dog cart and Frank was more than happy to discuss the subject. He built the carts as a side-line and since Rottweilers were a working dog they absolutely loved pulling the carts. We had a long discussion along those lines while Mary Beth played with both Brin and Mila. It turned out he had a cart he was trying to sell and traces that would handle one or two dogs, when I asked about training Mila to it he merely pointed out that she would emulate Brin. After he explained how the carts collapsed down easily for shipping, I sealed the deal on the spot.

Mary Beth kept the two dogs busy as we loaded my new cart into the bed of the truck; I now had two dogs with a dog cart. I loaded the dogs into the truck, Frank brought me Brin’s papers and I was ready to go. Now I simply had to fetch Matilda.

Almost as if on command Matilda came trotting up on a dog cart with Frank’s wife Anne, and the grin on Matilda’s face as she brought the dog pulling the cart to a halt was something like I’d never seen. At that moment I was very glad I’d let her come along and very glad I’d bought a cart.

Naturally Matilda didn’t offer a word of explanation. She simply leaped gracefully off of the cart and retrieved a cage containing four chickens which she deposited immediately and without question into the bed of the truck. I simply stood and stared while she went back to the cart and grabbed a small bag of feed and threw it in the truck as well. Matilda had managed to surprise me again.

Everyone was looking at me with grins on their faces.

Frank looked and me and stated, “Anne raises purebred heritage chicks, those there are White Dorkings.”

I stared at him blandly and answered, “OK.”

“Well,” Frank said, “they’re good birds and they’ll do you very well in cold weather.”

All I managed was a measly, “Thanks.”

I asked Frank to add them to the bill, politely thanked them all, and climbed into my truck. I drove away the moment Matilda shut the door. I now had two dogs, a dog cart and some chickens.

Apparently regardless of how hard I tried – I really wasn’t in control of my life and Matilda was here to stay.