Of course, Leezel dropped alongside Maverick, her arm draped casually over his shoulders. She had already retrieved and opened the other bottle of beer. “You got enough room for little ol’ me? Want some?” she offered suggestively.
Maverick held up a palm to block the offer and adjusted his position. He didn’t act as if he appreciated her company, not with his elbows planted on his knees and his chin to his clenched fists.
No problem. Leezel tipped the bottle back and drained it.
China looked away. Bile thickened at the back of her throat, and she seriously needed to spit. A mare’s labor and delivery she could stand, not the cat-in-heat her sister turned into whenever a man came into view. “Umm, listen, guys. I’ll go check on Kyrie. Take good care of Gorgeous. Be right back.”
She bolted from the barn. She had to. The sight of Leezel putting the moves on a decent guy like Maverick turned her stomach. She stopped just outside the door, thankful for the cool night air in her face.
Leezel brought out the worst in her. Not once in her life had she taken responsibility seriously, not even when she had gotten pregnant. That Kyrie wasn’t born with fetal alcohol syndrome spoke more to the divine hand of providence than the prenatal care of her thoughtless mother.
And it wasn’t as if she’d gotten pregnant as an innocent teenager, either. No. Leezel had been smarter than most girls back then. She had found a way to get birth control when others couldn’t or weren’t brave enough to. Jefferson Wolf never knew she had gone to Planned Parenthood. Of course, she had also achieved quite the reputation by then, but that was why she’d needed protection. Like any good father, he never believed those salacious rumors, either. Not about his daughter. Not perfect little Leezel.
The knowledge that Reardon was Kyrie’s father sickened China. God, what a pig of a man. How could that perfect little angel be the product of two such disgusting adults? The unwanted pregnancy didn’t happen until Leezel took up with Reardon, and Kyrie was born the week before Jefferson died. Leezel never let him see the baby, though. Said it didn’t make any difference. He wouldn’t be around much longer.
Leezel had been right. Brain cancer had destroyed Jefferson quickly and ruthlessly. Still... China bit the inside of her lip hard. She would’ve made damned sure her father met his only grandchild if it had been up to her. Damn sure.
She drew in another deep breath of air, her rampaging thoughts so loud in her head she didn’t hear anything until Maverick politely tapped her shoulder.
“Oh, my!” She nearly turned into his arms; he stood so close. A whiff of manly scent struck her nostrils—and her libido. “You... you startled me.” And God, I like it.
“Sorry, ma’am.” He took a precise step backward and nodded toward the barn, his dark eyes sweeping over her from head to foot. “Should I give her a drink?”
Oh, hell no.
“Who? Leezel? God, no. She’s already half lit and—” China stuck a hand in her hair, forking her unruly locks back over her shoulder. Damn, he smelled good, but why the hell would he think Leezel needed another beer? What? Had she downed the other one already?
“I meant the horse.” He answered so politely it all but stopped her heart. How could four words sound that good?
China rubbed three fingertips across her forehead, hiding her embarrassment with her palm. Of course he didn’t mean Leezel. “Ah,” shit I’m stupid, “is Gorgeous on her feet again?”
He nodded.
I am so, SO stupid.
“She probably won’t stay up for long. If she’ll drink, that’s fine, but watch out she doesn’t kick you. She doesn’t know what she wants right now, and she’s in pain.” China licked her lips, needing a drink of water as much as Gorgeous probably did.
His eyes zeroed in on her mouth with that little action. She didn’t know if he did it on purpose or not, but the tip of his tongue at his bottom lip certainly caught her attention. The man had perfect lips. Full. Probably soft. That bottom lip might be damned tasty.
“Thanks, ma’am.” He tipped the brim of his baseball cap to her and turned back to the barn.
A surge of warmth filled her chest. She didn’t want him to leave. “Ah, Maverick?”
He stopped at the door and turned sideways, his body half in, half out of the barn, his eyes locked on her.
“You’ve helped me a lot today. I couldn’t do this without you. Thanks.” Well, I could, but I don’t want to.
“No problem.” He stood waiting, a bemused twinkle in his eye.
Her fingers went to the top buttons of her blouse, checking. He didn’t crack a smile, which only flustered her more because—she really wanted him to smile at what he had seen earlier. Not only that, but she wanted him to like what he’d seen, too. She wanted him to know there were other sides to her, that she wasn’t just his boss. That she was a woman, too. A flesh-and-blood woman with pretty damned perky boobs.
She waved toward the house, not able to make her eyes move off of him. “I’ll, umm, just be a couple minutes.”
He nodded respectfully.
“I just, umm, need to check on the baby. Kyrie. My sister’s little girl. She’s five. Kyrie.” She combed her hand through her hair again, disgusted at her inability to think straight or sound intelligent around this guy. Why am I telling him something he already knows?
“And I’ll check on Gorgeous, ma’am.” He had used the horse’s name. Intentionally. He wanted her to know exactly where his loyalty stood. With Gorgeous. He’s just going back in the barn to check on—Gorgeous. Not Leezel. Gorgeous. Oh, good, good, good.
A boatload of butterflies assaulted China’s stomach. She pointed to the house again. “I’ll... I’ll be right back.”
He tipped two fingers to the brim of his cap one last time, stepped inside the barn and closed the door.
Oh my heck, China. Knock it off. You’re making a fool of yourself.
She strode back to the house with determined steps, her mind awhirl and confused at the depth of feelings Maverick sparked. He doesn’t care about you. He wants to be left alone. He’s nothing but a drifter on his way to who knows where. In a couple days, he’ll walk away, and... You, China Wolf, are as dumb as your sister!
She opened the screen door very quietly so it wouldn’t squeak, climbed the stairs and made her way to her bedroom. The second she laid her eyes on the child of her heart, China’s confusion fled. A surge of love filled her soul for the little girl asleep in her bed with her thumb in her mouth, her new baby blanket tucked tightly against her nose.
God didn’t make ’em any sweeter.
Once stringy with grime, Kyrie’s hair had come undone from the braids. It laid clean and shiny black on the pillow, crimped and beautiful. Tendrils of black silk nestled in wispy curls around her face. Like a fairy princess.
China sat on the edge of the bed and studied the sleeping child. She took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. This was who mattered most in the world. Not Maverick. Not Leezel. Not Reardon. Not even all of her beautiful horses. Only Kyrie.
With all her heart, China wanted this little girl to grow up safe, happy, and loved. Somehow, that would happen. She placed a kiss on Kyrie’s cheek before she left.
All might not be perfect with the world, but for tonight, God really was in his heaven.
Chapter Seven
What is taking China so long?
Panic spiked in Maverick’s gut. Gorgeous groaned in obvious pain while he crouched alongside the suffering beast, not a clue how to ease her discomfort. A thick sheen of sweat coated her neck and sides. She couldn’t hold still and nothing he did helped, not talking to her, not petting or scratching behind her ears. She had gotten to her feet a couple times, but kept lying back down.
He worried. This poor mare suffered, and watching her suffer didn’t make for a fun evening. China needed to get her butt back in the barn, and she needed to do it now. Leezel was no damned help. She spent more time admiring her fingernails than paying attention to Gorgeous. What was it ab
out women and fake nails? Shit.
“Here ya go, Mav. You might need these.” She draped a long pair of gloves over his shoulder, her nails trailing a line across his shoulders as she strolled behind him. “Especially if this little guy comes breach.”
More acid poured into his stomach. Breach didn’t sound like a good thing. Neither did that name she kept throwing at him as if they’d known each other before. As if he cared one iota about her. Kimmie used to call him Mav. Mav honey. Mav darling. Right before she’d kicked his sorry ass to the curb and married someone else.
He dragged the arm-length rubber gloves off his shoulder. Leezel continued spouting rhetoric that sounded right. “You might have to reach inside her butt and pull that foal out.”
He seriously doubted that. Leezel leaned toward pessimism. Anyone knew that babies, even horse babies, didn’t develop up their mother’s butts. Still. Reach into a mare’s nether regions? Pull a baby horse out after all the pain this poor mother was going through? He folded the fingers of the glove into the palm and rolled them up. Not me. No way.
Leezel examined her nails again. Her lips pulled to the side of her face as if she had discovered a flaw in all that stupid acrylic. “Course sometimes it’s already dead. That’d be too bad, but a mare’s still gotta drop a dead foal, you know. The umbilical cord can strangle these little guys just like it does with human babies. Course they’re not really whatcha might call little. You want to know how much one of these horses weighs when they’re born?”
He smoothed his hands over Gorgeous’s tight belly while she shuddered through another contraction. If Leezel would shut up and leave, this mother would feel a lot better. So would he.
“You can bet it’ll be around one hundred and fifty pounds, if it’s alive. How much you weigh, Mav? One-eighty? Two hundred? Hell, if it’s deformed and diseased, it might be bigger than you.”
“The foal’s not dead.” China dimmed the lights at the stable door as she strode back into the stall. Star nickered. She raised a brow at Maverick, a black bag clutched in her left hand. “You felt it move earlier, remember? Out in the corral?”
Oh, yeah. That’s right. It moved a couple hours ago.
He relaxed. She had wrapped her hair up on the top of her head with a big toothy clip. It lent her a regal air. Like a queen. A few wisps and chunks of it still twirled down her neck, but the confidence she brought with her settled him, too.
Leezel leaned back into the stall bars. Poor Gorgeous grunted and huffed through another contraction.
“Is there something you can give her?” he asked quietly, hoping Leezel wouldn’t hear the question because he didn’t want to have to listen to her answer. He handed China the gloves. “You really need these?”
The tender light in her eyes touched him. China took the gloves and stuffed them in her back pocket. “No. I don’t use gloves. We do this naturally for as long as we can. Remember, she’s got a higher pain threshold than we do,” she said firmly. “If there’s trouble, I know what to do.”
“But it’s a big baby.” A really big baby.
“I’m not worried. Her body’s built for carrying babies and giving birth, just like a woman’s. The worst I’ve had to do is reposition a foal before its mother could deliver it.” China was at the mare’s rear quarters, one hand on the horse’s rump while she examined her again. “We haven’t lost one yet, have we girl?”
Gorgeous shuddered. China jumped out of the way as a flood of water gushed from the mare’s backside.
“Ha!” Leezel gloated. “She almost got you.”
Maverick stepped back in case there was more where that ten gallons came from. Holy, umm, crap. The stall was a mess.
“Excellent. Her water’s broken. Maverick. Come here.” China ignored her sister and waved Maverick to join her. “It’s time. You don’t want to miss this little guy being born. It’s really awesome.”
I don’t? It is? He sucked up a good case of nerves and crouched behind China, but not too close to Gorgeous. He wasn’t taking chances.
Leezel sauntered over and stood behind him, her legs snug against his back and her shoes tucked under his butt. God, she had gotten more and more annoying, and he plain didn’t have the patience for it. These two girls couldn’t possibly be blood sisters.
“Yeah, Mav. It isn’t every day you get to see a derriere this big, huh?” She chuckled, but once again, he chose not to reply. Leezel treated this whole thing as if it were a joke. She resembled an annoying horse fly. One he wanted to bat away—or squash.
The mare groaned again and sure as hell, something happened. A balloon protruded beneath her tail. Had to be—what’s it called—the amniotic sack? He brushed a hand over his sweaty face, hoping he didn’t look as worried as he felt. Poor damned Gorgeous. That’s got to hurt.
“Good. It’s white,” China murmured to herself. She glanced at him. “Sorry. A white sac is good. Red means trouble. We’re doing great.”
If you say so.
“You seeing two hooves, Sis? One?” Leezel leaned over Maverick’s back to watch, damned near tipping him over yet again.
He stuck four fingers to the floor to keep her from pushing him over and rolled the pain in his neck away.
The gal just didn’t leave, damn it. Her fingers clamped alongside his neck, her pointy knees under his shoulder blades. He shrugged her off, more important things on his mind than a pushy woman who didn’t understand limits. He had never been so nervous in his life, even during battle. Tonight was different.
Gorgeous tossed her head back with an edgy neigh, looked over her shoulder and stared at him. She sounded just like Star out there on that broken hillside. Scared of dying. He smoothed a hand over the poor mare’s hindquarter. “You can do this,” he offered quietly. I sure as hell hope.
One hoof appeared. Then the other.
“Come on, Gorgeous.” China’s eyes glimmered. She checked the hooves. Another big sigh. “Good. It’s okay, mama. Your baby’s coming out right.”
“Yeah, mama. You’re almost there,” Leezel added. “Step on it.”
Maverick had never seen anything more painful looking. A pair of stilts protruded out of Gorgeous’s ass. He held his breath because she held hers. His butt cheeks clenched with sympathy with every flex of her backside. The baby’s legs just kept coming. Ouch, damn it. That has got to hurt.
She stiffened. Another long, drawn-out groan rumbled up her throat. Every part of her poor body quivered.
“Good girl,” China said calmly. “Keep pushing. I’ll catch your baby for you.”
“Oh, for hell’s sake. Get it over with.” Leezel kneed Maverick extra-hard. “You’ve done this four times already, you dumbass. It ain’t no big deal.” She bumped Maverick as if they were best friends. “Git it? I called the horse an ass. Ha.”
Holy shit, he wanted to smack her.
“Shhhhh.” China glanced sharply at her sister and then turned right back to Gorgeous. “Take it easy. I’m here.”
Maverick pushed off the floor. Between Leezel’s roaming hands and mean spirit, he needed away from her. The girl just didn’t take a hint.
Gorgeous arched her head back and—whoosh. The baby horse’s head appeared, quickly followed by its shoulders. Gorgeous blew out a big huff. Relief flooded his body. Goosebumps, too.
Leezel peered at the half-delivered foal sprawled on the hay. “He even alive? Man, he don’t look like he’s breathing in that sack, does he?”
Maverick’s heart pitched into high gear. He looked to Gorgeous. No. Not a dead baby. Not after all this work.
“Stop with the doom and gloom, Leezel. The hardest part is over. He’s fine.” China crouched at the foal’s head, took a pair of scissors from the medical bag near her side and clipped through the membrane that covered its face. She suctioned its nostrils until the baby coughed and sputtered, its front hooves already seeking traction on the barn floor even though its rear legs were still inside Gorgeous.
Maverick watched in awe. There was
nothing tiny about this baby, but holy mother of God. What a rush.
China ducked her head into her shoulders, the brightest smile on her face. “We’ve got us a brand new foal.” Her eyes locked with his. Or something. The instant connection with this very capable and determined woman jolted him. Damn. Her smile was worth walking halfway across country for.
His fingers lifted of their own accord as if they wanted to feel the silky softness of her cheek. As if they had the right to that exquisite pleasure. He dropped them into a fist instead. Minded his business. Someone should’ve told his eyes to stop looking. They caught the shadow drift through her smile, and he wished he wasn’t responsible for it.
“You gonna cut the cord, Sis?” Leezel’s annoying voice interrupted the reverent moment. “Or are you gonna keep making goo-goo eyes with the hired help?”
China gulped hard and recovered her smile. Maverick, too. An impulse to gather her and her big baby into his arms rushed him. God, she needed a kiss on that happy face. It was a nice thought. A tremendously tempting thought. But just a thought.
Damned if Leezel didn’t spoil that, too. “Shit. Cut the damn cord. I got better things to do than watch this crap all night.”
“Not unless I have to. It’s better if it happens naturally. You know that. Let him finish coming into the world on his own.”
“Whatever. Come on, Mav. Show’s over. Let’s go.”
He lowered his damned eyes, but didn’t make a move. The foal did. The rest of him slid onto the hay with another gentle grunt from the mare. She tossed her head and clambered to her feet, breaking the umbilical cord in the process.
China smiled up at Gorgeous. “Look at your pretty baby girl, Mama.”
“It’s a girl?” Maverick asked.
China nodded, stars in her eyes. “Uh huh. She’s thrown a beautiful baby.”
Gorgeous plodded over to the bundle of long legs, her nose and tongue snuffling all over the wet body.
Maverick crouched beside China. If his hands had been clean, he would’ve scrubbed the smile off his face, because he knew he looked ten kinds of silly. Damn it anyway, this gangly creature’s birth was the coolest thing he had witnessed in—ever. For a change, his face hurt in a really good way.
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