One thing was for sure, she was definitely getting a sheepdog pup for Dan. It might be a while till it was useful but it was a necessity. The sheep in front of her settled their pace again. She peered forward, looking for the gate Dan said would be open and realised the lead sheep were nearly beside it. Would they go through like he said or keep going along the road and then what would she do? A picture of Rocket popped into her head. She remembered him patiently watching the sheep and blocking the open space.

Slowly, she edged the car up closer to the sheep and then pulled in on the side of the road. She got out with the motor still running and left the door on the latch. A couple of the rear sheep stopped and looked at her. Paula straightened up.

“Don’t let them see you’re afraid.” She squared her shoulders and set off across to the opposite side of the road and then along, parallel to the sheep. The mob bunched up on the other side of the road but kept moving forward.

Paula looked ahead to the open gate. Gently she increased her steps until she was level with it and, taking a deep breath, she stepped into the middle of the road. The lead sheep stopped and those behind began to mill on the edges of the mob. Paula stood her ground, fully aware that she was a small block in the wide open space of the road. Should the sheep choose to go forward, there would be little she could do to stop them.

She waited. The sheep took a tentative step towards her. Then a surge of bodies from behind drove them all forward towards the open gate. Paula remained where she was as the last of the mob skipped through to catch up with the rest. She sighed and suddenly her knees felt like jelly.

Back down the road her car idled with the hazard lights still flashing. Further beyond it she could see a small group of sheep heading towards her with Dan’s tray top bringing up the rear. She stepped back away from the gate, unsure whether to make a dash for the car and shift it or leave it where it was. In the end the sheep swung past her car without taking a lot of notice so she decided to stay where she was. As the last little group drew closer, she edged forward to encourage them towards the open gate and they went through without even giving her a glance.

Dan jumped out of the tray top, leaving the door to swing open, and dragged the wire gate up and across the gap. She went to join him, watching closely as he wove a short pole through the wire but not having the slightest idea how he did it.

He spun and threw an arm around her.