Duncan had yet to receive visitors - not unless you counted the occasional coyote, wolf or mountain lion.  As he had yet to add any prey for them to hunt - save for the horses, they weren’t much interested in his ranch.  He had a set of solar powered drones with thermal imaging that maintained a 24/7 watch over his ranch.  Of course the coverage wasn’t perfect.  But as people of this time didn’t know to keep hidden from aerial observation it didn’t need to be, and he had designed the drones to blend with the sky.

Truth to tell he was getting bored.  He was glad now that he hadn’t chosen a prehistoric era.  He’d have been bored as Hell with no way to do anything about it.  At least here, or rather now, he could ride to town and see people.  But he was also procrastinating about that.  He still had yet to really learn how to survive in this time.  He was still living on a diet supplemented by MRE’s.  It was getting expensive.  Oh the cost in money was nothing.  His 300 pound mass combined with some carried materials had muddied up the spacetime continuum enough to prevent either his return to his own time or bringing supplies from the future for 3 days.  He had prepared pallets of cargo.  200 pounds of MRE’s meant one day of time he couldn’t go home.  Sept 25 to Jan 4th 102 days.  The first 5 days went by after his first crossing.  

He had been hooking up the wagon for a trip to town for supplies when the perimeter alarm went off.  Now his ranch was fair sized, 1600 acres, or ¼ square mile.  That meant it was a good quarter mile from his home to the edge of his land.  His spread was about 10 times the average, maybe more.  (But then it wasn’t the best land either.)  He had been just about ready to go when his perimeter alarm went off.  He figured it was likely a coyote, but decided to take a look.  What he spotted made him smile.

It was a calf that had managed grown curious, decided maybe the grass was greener on Duncan’s side of the fence, and got its head through.  When he check back on the calf next it was clearly upset and a second target was approaching his border - a neighbor.  The calf had angled its head sideways to get at a tasty looking bush.  Problem was the calf’s head fit in sideways, not straight up and down.  And it was too panicked to realize this.  Duncan shook his head, grabbed some rope and a bucket and tossed them in the wagon next to the two jugs of crystal clear water and climbed up.

The girl was going to think he was crazy taking a wagon right out into the field and off the road.  But he never got stuck.  He smiled cheerfully as the sight as he approached and tipped his hat.  The hat was really a little too big.  And while it wasn’t apparent it was way too heavy and stiff.  Duncan had modified it is bit to spare him a knot of his head in the event of a mugging with all the money he had flashed around.  He had shaped the material of a hard hat to fit.

“Howdy ma’am,” Duncan smiled.  “Seems like someone got himself stuck.  Fella, I know you won’t believe this, but the grass ain’t no greener on this side.”  He returned his attention to Victoria. “I think I can get him out of there without tearing down the fence.  Just have to think like a calf.”  He slid a jug and the bucket to the rear of the wagon along with the rope.  Then he climbed down.

“My apologies.  I’m forgetting my manners.  The name is Duncan Moran.”  He reached over and grabbed the bush and tilted it toward the calf.  “Well, hello there.  I just bet you were hungry.”  He reached forward once he got the calf to try the bush and sought to pet the thing.  That sort of backfired.  Duncan sighed.  “Too soon.”  He pulled the bush away.  “The rope is a last resort.  Let’s try water.”

He walked back and got the bucket and poured some water into the bucket so the calf could see.  Next he moved the bucket between the rails and handed it to Victoria.  “Hold it so he has to twist his head to the side to see it.”  he reached back and broke off some of the bush and tossed it into the bucket.  Then he held the jug of water straight out with one hand.  It had to weigh at least 50 pounds, but he showed no signs of a strain.  He started to pour in water.

“Lower the bucket a little and tempt him.”

The calf did exactly as Duncan had said it would.  With its head tilted sideways to see the bucket and freed itself.

“Yep, figured if he could get his head in, he could get it out.  That beats having to flip him on his side and pull him out.  I’d be a little afraid of breaking his neck trying that.”  He paused, looked apprehensive.  “I guess I haven’t been very neighborly.  I’ve never been great with social graces.  But then my place is pretty much vacant.  I was about to head into town to start picking up some supplies for the winter.  I may have to take on some workers.  I hate the idea.  To be honest, the place isn’t ready for people.  It isn’t even ready for animals.  I really should have started sooner.  But I hate to admit it.  I may have to ride to town every day to eat.”  He laughed.  “Life isn’t as convenient out here.”