Cherished by the Rancher: A Christian Cowboy Romance (Black Rock Ranch Book 1)

by Jen Peters

  15

  Sometimes Adam wished he could clone himself several times over, and calf-processing was one of those times. He, Wes, and Uncle Dirt were bringing the remaining cows and calves to the pasture closest to the homestead. He’d sent Micah and a crew up to check on the newest mamas and then the water supply in the high pastures. Dad was down in Grand Junction, picking up the vaccines, syringes and insecticides they’d need for this second go-round, and Caleb had consented to leave his horses for a day or two to help. Not that Adam had given him much choice.

  That all still left Adam with a long to-do list before branding.

  He shoved his hand farther into his heavy leather glove, turned Mister to the left, and slapped his rope against his thigh. “Move along, now,” he called to the cows. The sturdy calves trotted alongside their ambling mothers. Sometimes they’d run ahead, leaping and playing with each other, but even at two months old, they knew this was different from the few pasture rotations they’d already had.

  If they only knew. They’d finish these few days with ear tags, a BR brand on their haunch, and most of the males would be minus a few important parts before they headed up to the summer range.

  Uncle Dirt suddenly took off after a wayward cow, her calf bawling as he tried to keep up. The old man didn’t head her as quickly as he might have in the past, but he still had it in him, gimpy leg or not.

  With the cows and calves settled into the front pasture, Adam rode to check the water. By the time he got back to the homestead, all his plans had fallen apart.

  He’d just finished tying Mister to a fence post when he saw Micah helping Ty limp to a pickup. “What now?” he muttered.

  Luis approached from behind him. “Ty came in moaning and groaning, but I think he really has sprained his ankle. Not sure how, but Micah’s taking him down to Urgent Care.”

  “Figures it would be Ty,” Adam groused.

  “And Jesse just puked over behind the equipment shed. He’s looking sort of clammy and green.”

  If Adam were a cussing man, now would be the time for a blue streak. Instead, he just blew out his breath and sent a prayer up for help. They’d have a hard time branding and everything if they were short two people.

  Dad, Wes and Caleb were supposed to help him at the chute. Micah, Ty and Dax were to be pen riders, with two others in the curve of the chute moving the calves along. Luis and Jesse would get the cows through the tick dip, and Lacey would help if they hadn’t finished by the time she got home from school. A little short on hands, but they could have done it.

  Now, without Ty in the pen and Jesse at the dip, things were all haywire. Luis couldn’t handle the dip by himself, and two riders in the pen would be hard pressed to keep things going. But they needed the remaining cowhands to bring in the next herd from the pasture.

  Could Adam hire someone from the Lazy S to help for a day or two? How many hands could they send over?

  He untacked Mister and turned him out to pasture. Back in the admin building, he paused before he started down the hall. Was it possible…could Maddy help? She certainly wasn’t up to riding the pen, but she could switch out the vaccination syringes and needles. And if Wes helped in the pen instead of at the chute, and if he moved Dax over to help Luis, they could manage.

  Good. He hated to be beholden to the Lazy S.

  Maddy dressed in jeans and the old boots Adam had found for her, thankful the boys hadn’t always had big feet. It would be foolhardy to do this in tennis shoes. It was probably foolhardy for her to be doing this, anyway. She was a city girl, not a ranch hand!

  She walked Mia down the driveway to catch the school bus, listening to the lowing of the cattle as they approached the homestead. The men had the cows and calves all penned up close. It looked like they were separating the calves away from their mothers, and she had a moment of feeling sorry for them. She knew it was only temporary, but still…

  “Can I pet the calves when I get home, Mama?” Mia asked, skipping along beside her.

  “I don’t know, honey. They’re getting shots today and might not feel very good.” That was the one part of it her daughter could understand.

  After Mia boarded the yellow school bus, Maddy straightened her shoulders and walked back to the barns. She could do this.

  The noise was tremendous. The calves were bawling for their mothers; the cows were bawling right back. Metal gates clanged and cowboys shouted, but under it all was an organized set-up.

  “Over here,” Adam called, motioning her next to the smallest chute. A table sat close by, with a cooler and a box of medical needles on it. A red Sharps box and two gun-shaped devices puzzled her.

  “That’s how we inject the vaccines,” Adam explained. “Your job is to take the empty vaccine tube out and replace it with a new one, and to switch the old needle out for a sterile one. The old vaccine tubes go in the trash can, the used needles go in the box. Then it will be ready for the next calf.”

  “Vaccinations, got it,” Maddy said. She could do this.

  She eyed the cattle milling in the pen, and Adam explained that too. “The cows will get dipped in a pesticide to keep ticks and other nasties away. The calves will come into the chute one at a time, get vaccinated, branded, tagged if they still need that, and the males will get castrated.”

  Maddy blanched. “With a knife?”

  Adam raised his eyebrows as he nodded. “It’s actually more humane than banding, in my opinion. Hurts for a minute, then they scamper away. A lot better than spending a month aching from a rubber band cutting off their circulation.”

  “Hah!” Maddy muttered. “You haven’t gone through it yourself.”

  Adam chuckled. “No, but when animals don’t feel good, they quit eating. And the calves who get banded tend to be off their feed for about a month, so that’s a good clue.”

  Whatever. Maddy was just glad she wasn’t working at that end of the chute.

  The business of the day began with shouts of “come on up there” and more clanging of metal gates. At first, Maddy didn’t have time to think about anything but getting the vaccine and needle changed in time for the next calf. Once she got the hang of it, she had time to watch a bit.

  There were cleverly hinged openings in the chute stall to let the men give the shots and get the branding iron in to the right places. She was surprised that the branding iron was electric. Nothing like the coals and long irons she had expected.

  She was more surprised that most of the calves just stood there for all of it—getting their other ear punched with an additional ID tag, having a hot iron pressed against their hide for a few seconds, and even getting castrated. A few wiggled some, and all of them shot out of the chute as soon as it was opened.

  They bucked and galloped, eventually finding their way to the paddock where their mothers were.

  Maddy focused on keeping the vaccination guns restocked, but she managed to watch Adam, too. He was in his element, his movements swift and sure, keeping watch over the others while he did his own work. She admired his skill and concentration, and his determination to have a smooth running operation.

  He was so very different from Brock. His personality, what was important to him, even his work ethic. And while she still cringed inwardly if she heard him yell at someone, she trusted it was for good reason, not out of viciousness. Not that she ever wanted him yelling at her again, but since she wasn’t crucial to the ranch management, they should be fine.

  The last calf came through, got prepped for the summer range, and ran back to his mother. Adam wiped a hand across his forehead, and Maddy leaned against the table.

  “Done!” she said. “I’m more tired than I thought I’d be.”

  “Done?” Adam grinned. He looked over at his dad. “You want to tell her, or shall I?”

  Samuel took his cowboy hat off to rub his hair, then settled it back on his head. “That’s just the first hundred, Missy. There’s another hundred to go today.”

  “And more in another month,”
Adam added.

  Maddy groaned. This was hard work, and if she was tired from doing nothing but switching out vaccines, the men must be exhausted.

  They didn’t look it, though. The riders slouched casually in their saddles, sharing jokes. Luis and Randy were splashed with milky residue and their mud boots were, well, muddy.

  Samuel motioned toward the barn. “There’s a fridge with some water bottles in there, young lady. Want to bring a few out?”

  By the time she came back, the noise had diminished—the finished cows and calves were being herded to a new pasture. Maddy could see another herd ready to come in. Just how many ranch hands did Black Rock have? Had she not noticed them in the cabins, or did some of them live off the ranch?

  The rest of the day passed in a blur. Empty the shotgun, put a new cartridge in, twist off the needle, put a new one in. Calves coming in and going out, some bawling, some quiet.

  They broke at one point, going in for stew and sandwiches. Uncle Dirt handed her a plate and shook his head ruefully. “It’s gettin’ so beautiful here I’m going to have to leave so I don’t spoil it.”

  Maddy laughed. She knew he was joking, but being called beautiful warmed her throughout. It had been a long time.

  She dragged herself to a seat at one of the long tables, but was almost too tired to eat. And there would be calves and more calves all day long.

  She felt movement to her right and looked up to find Adam nudging Luis down so he could squeeze in beside her. Her pulse fluttered and any appetite she might have had was truly gone now.

  Adam’s hands were clean to his wrists, but his face still had smudges on it, one of them right along that chiseled jaw she’d been admiring earlier. Maddy thought about reaching up to wipe it clean, then forced her hand to stay in her lap. The last thing she needed to do was give him an intimate touch.

  She wondered what his skin would feel like. Rough with stubble? Rough from the wind and sun and snow? It certainly wouldn’t be soft.

  She glanced at him again, only to find him watching her. She suddenly found her stew worthy of a detailed examination.

  “Not hungry, Adam?” Caleb called down the table. “Or have you found something you like better than food?”

  Heat rushed up Maddy’s face, and she didn’t dare look up. She could still feel Adam’s gaze, though.

  “You tend to your business, little brother, and I’ll tend to mine,” he said decisively.

  Maddy heard Adam’s spoon clank against his bowl and relaxed enough to take a spoonful of stew herself.

  Would she like to make him her business? On one hand, her life was complicated right now, and likely to remain so for a while. On the other hand, if they were to start dating…she risked a glance over to Adam, who was now intent on his food.

  She didn’t know if there was enough between them to begin a relationship, but she would like to know him better. What did he like and not like about the ranch? What dreams did he have? Was there an ex-wife in the picture somewhere?

  16

  Maddy almost gasped at the last thought and pushed her mind to think about Mia instead. Being new at school was hard, but especially when it was almost the end of the school year. Mia seemed to be adjusting, though, and talked a lot about girls named Kiley and Elsa.

  “So what do you think about ranch life?” Adam’s question penetrated her thoughts.

  “Um…the fresh air? Up in the mountains anyway—it doesn’t smell so good down here today.”

  Adam chuckled. “That happens when you get a hundred cows and calves in a close space. Does that mean you liked our trail ride?”

  “Oh, yes!” Maddy blushed at her own exuberance. “It was a whole lot nicer than riding in a dirt pasture when I was nine.” She paused, then pushed forward. “What do you like best about being a rancher?”

  “Me? I guess I never thought about it much. I like the time on a horse, even in the snow. And taking care of animals. And, I don’t know, just knowing that I’m doing my part making this ranch work.”

  She smiled. “I don’t hear much about paperwork in there.”

  Adam shook his head. “No, that’s just something you gotta do before you get to the good stuff.”

  “And those solar wells you’re talking about? Is that good stuff?”

  Adam’s eyes lit up as he talked about using modern technology to do a centuries-old job better.

  She liked seeing him excited. So far, other than the trail ride, he just seemed to keep his nose to the grindstone, not taking much pleasure in anything. It was good to know he had a lot of job satisfaction.

  “…and it’s pretty cool to get to work alongside my brothers, even if they’re horribly annoying sometimes.” Adam looked over at Caleb with a grin.

  “My brother’s in Seattle,” Maddy said, “but I have nephews—twins—who do enough wrestling and teasing to fill the gap.”

  “Your family sounds pretty close. Don’t you miss them?”

  Maddy sighed. “Like you wouldn’t believe. But we talk occasionally and that has to do for now.”

  “For now? This is temporary?” Adam frowned into his plate.

  “I hope not—I love it here. But there are cars and planes for visits, right?”

  He looked at her with puzzled eyes. “How’d you get way out here, anyway?”

  “I had to get away from my ex, remember?” she kept her voice low.

  Adam looked pensive. “So this might really be temporary. You’ll go back if he stops causing problems.”

  Maddy shrugged. “I guess. I haven’t let myself look that far ahead—it seems pretty impossible.” And with her temporary status, any relationship with Adam would be pretty impossible, too. She was surprised at the disappointment she felt.

  Chairs scraped and boots scuffed on the floor—the men had finished wolfing down their food and were headed back outside. Maddy rose to follow, wishing she could have a longer rest. But it was probably easier to get it all done and collapse later than to take a bigger break now.

  A million calves later, or at least what seemed like a million, Maddy looked at her watch. “I’m sorry, Adam. I have to go. Mia’s bus will be here in a few minutes.”

  He nodded as he pressed the hot brand against a calf’s haunch. She could see him counting in his mind before he released it. “We’ll work it out. Thanks for your help.”

  “If Lacey can watch Mia, I can come back.”

  Adam grinned, his tired eyes sparkling again. “I’ll look forward to it.”

  She’d look forward to it, too. And then, “Oh. You’d probably do better with Lacey helping here, wouldn’t you?”

  “Well, maybe,” Adam said, “but I’d rather you came back.”

  Her heart fluttered again as she gave a small wave and left. Maybe things weren’t so impossible.

  But it wasn’t to be. Mia got off the bus and promptly threw up. Maddy groaned. She’d never minded changing dirty diapers, but vomit did something to her, and she struggled to keep her own stomach settled.

  “It’s okay, sweetie,” she told Mia, who was starting to cry. Maddy swiped a hand across Mia’s brow and frowned at the fever she felt. “Can you walk to the cabin, or do you want me to carry you?”

  Mia smiled weakly. “You said I was too big to carry.”

  “That’s right, I did. And you probably are. I could carry you a little way, though.”

  Mia shook her head. “I feel better now. I can walk.” She leaned on Maddy as they went, though.

  She settled the six-year-old in bed and gave her some fever reducer. “You sleep for a little while, sweetie. I’ll be right here.”

  Maddy left Mia’s bedroom door open and tried to quiet her kitchen clatter as she searched for the ingredients for minestrina. It was Nonna’s go-to whenever anyone felt off color, although sometimes Maddy made it just because it tasted so good.

  She had small pasta shells that would work instead of ditaloni, and fresh mozzarella, parmesan and olive oil were standard ingredients in her kitche
n. Twenty minutes later, she was inhaling a bowl of it while her daughter slept.

  Adam came by later that evening, freshly showered but looking exhausted.

  “Here,” Maddy said, fixing him a bowl of minestrina.

  He took it gratefully and sank onto the sofa. “Thanks, it smells heavenly.”

  “Wait ’til you taste it,” she said with a grin.

  “Ohhh, mmm,” was all she heard for a bit. Finally, Adam swallowed without another bite immediately ready. “That’s really awesome. I could marry you for this.”

  Maddy’s mouth dropped open. Adam’s eyes widened. His spoon hovered over the bowl.

  “I—um—” he stammered. “I didn’t mean for that to come out.”

  She gave a nervous laugh. “That’s a good thing, because we hardly know each other.”

  Adam’s face was thoroughly red. He broke eye contact and busied himself with a few more mouthfuls. He paused, then put the bowl down and looked at her. “I would like to get to know you better, Maddy.”

  It was Maddy’s turn to blush. Hadn’t she just been having those same thoughts? She took a short breath and answered quietly, “Even with everything I told you? That my ex-husband is after me?”

  He looked at her and nodded, and she wondered just what he was thinking. Did he wish she would say something else? Did she pass muster?

  “How’s Mia feeling?” he said, finally.

  “About Brock?” What kind of connections was Adam making? “What does that—oh, you mean being sick.” Maddy’s own stomach unclenched. “It’s just a bug going around—she’ll be fine in the morning.”

  “I’m glad. Jesse’s still miserable.” He picked up the bowl again, practically inhaling the last of the minestrina. “I shouldn’t have eaten all this—I’m going to start gaining weight if I spend much time with your cooking.”

  “Not if you keep working like you did today.”