Not mine, just messin' around here.

***************

“Hey, Mal’s gone,” Wash said to Zoe as they walked up to the ranchhouse for breakfast. Zoe looked over at Serenity and saw what Wash had seen – that the folding chair on Serenity’s ramp was empty.

“Maybe he went to bed. I hope so – he was in a bad way, yesterday.” Zoe started toward Serenity briskly, when a shout from the horse barn stopped her.

“Zoe, are you looking for Captain Reynolds?” It was the barn manager, Abby, calling. “There’s a note in here for you from him.”

Zoe and Wash walked toward the barn and Abby met them halfway. She handed Zoe a folded note. It read “Gone to check on cow-calf pairs with Isabel. Back in a week. Have a big time without me. Mal.” Zoe read it aloud to Wash.

“’Checking on cow-calf pairs’. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it referred to in that phrase –“

“—Keep that thought to yourself, dearie. We don’t have any reason to make assumptions. Let’s get breakfast.”

***

“Zoe, where’s Mal? He ain’t on Serenity,” Kaylee asked Zoe when she came into breakfast. Zoe, River, Wash and Simon were already at the table.

“He’s gone up the creek to check on cow-calf pairs with Isabel,” Zoe answered.

“Check on cow-calf pairs?”

“That’s a direct quote,” Zoe said.

“Do you think –“

“We don’t need to think anything except that we’re grateful that he got up out of that folding chair. Dong ma?”

“Oh. Okay. I guess. You really think –“

“I really think there are wonderful hot springs in the creeks hereabouts,” Zoe said.

****

Early the next morning Mal and Isabel started out looking at cattle. They found the first little bunch an hour or so up the creek from the camp.

“You wanta entice ‘em in or you want me to do it?” Mal asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Watch.” Mal swung down off Fat Ninny and dropped the reins. Ninny was perfectly content to stand groundtied for as long as you needed him to. Mal walked toward the cows, which scattered. Once he got into the middle of the pasture he lay down flat on