by Merry Farmer
At last, Woody let out a breath and dropped his hands to his sides. He looked to Chi-ming. “Mind if I talk to your sister alone for a second?”
Chi-ming nodded.
Woody reached for Meizhen’s hand, leading her to the far corner of the barn. Her throat squeezed tight, and she couldn’t shake the feeling of terrible things about to happen.
As soon as they reached a stack of hay bales in the corner, Woody sat with her and said, “You and your sister were really close, right?”
Meizhen blinked, surprised by the direction of the conversation. “We are twins,” she said. “We have always shared our lives. But that was before.” She reached for Woody’s hands. They were so much bigger than hers, but she felt as though she was the one giving him strength.
He nodded, frowning as though he were still thinking. At last, he glanced up and met her eyes. Meizhen felt the sting of dread before he said, “I can’t leave Noelle.”
She swallowed hard, the lump in her throat growing. “I know.” Her voice came out in a rough croak.
“Charlie really does need me. The whole town needs me.”
She wanted to answer that she needed him too, but all she could do was nod. No matter what decision she made, someone would be hurt. No matter which path she chose, she would suffer.
Woody lifted a hand to cradle her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, tears springing that came from the depths of her torn soul.
“You know I would give anything to be able to go with you,” Woody said, sadness making his voice hoarse. “Or to have you able to stay here with me.”
She nodded. A tear broke free from her closed eyes. Woody caught it with his thumb and wiped it away from her cheek.
“It feels like we’ve known each other for more than just two days,” he went on, sniffing. She couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes. It would only confirm that he was crying too. “Feels more like I’ve known you my whole life. You’ve made me a stronger man in so many ways.” He paused, took a deep breath. “A strong man knows when he has to let something go,” he went on, barely above a whisper. “A smart man knows he has to do the right thing, even if it tears his soul apart.”
Knowing that he too was feeling as if the very fabric of his heart was being ripped in two only made her long for him more. She opened her eyes to find him watching her, his eyes red-rimmed. “Woody.”
He pressed his fingertip to her lips to stop her. “I need to let you do what’s right by your family. And maybe it makes me selfish, but knowing that you won’t have to marry some other fella just because your brother made a promise means I can sleep a little easier at night without you.”
She closed her eyes again, swallowing hard. Woody truly didn’t have a selfish bone in his body.
“But if you do find some fella in San Francisco,” he went on, proving her point, “don’t you worry about me. Go ahead and marry him and be happy.”
“But you….”
He managed a weak smile. “I’ll be fine.” His eyes told a different story. He stared at her for several long, aching moments, then drew in a shaky breath. He stood, lifting her off the bale with him. “Now go with your brother. Go to San Francisco and meet your sister. Have your family reunion and…and be happy.”
“I’m not sure I could ever be truly happy without you,” she whispered, hardly able to look at him, her pain was so acute.
Woody gave her a lop-sided smile. “Sure you can. I think you were made to be happy.”
“And you?” Her brow tilted up, hoping he would change his mind and throw his arms around her, never letting go.
He laughed softly. “Me? I was made to take care of those that can’t take care of themselves.”
His answer brought fresh tears to her eyes. She wanted to fall into his arms and hold him forever, but she knew that if she didn’t turn around and leave that very moment, she would never be able to go. And if she didn’t go, her family would suffer.
But when she turned and fled to her brother, Chi-ming wore a strange look on his face. All traces of anger or determination were gone. In their place was a simple puzzlement, as if he were seeing Woody for the first time. It was more than Meizhen could handle. She pushed on past Chi-ming, practically running for the door. Chi-ming followed her
As heavy as his heart had become, a strange sense of rightness filled Woody as he watched Meizhen leave the barn. He’d done the right thing, he was sure of it. And as much as it hurt, a strange sort of pride filled him. Real men did the right thing. He could endure all the teasing in the world, knowing he’d done what the very best of men would do.
Of course, the hens had other ideas. Mimi and Gigi clucked furiously, while Fifi made a noise that sounded downright like a shout of protest. Even someone who knew nothing about animals would have been able to tell they weren’t pleased.
“Well, ladies, what else was I supposed to do?”
He crouched as the hens waddled closer to him and rubbed their feathery backs as they huddled around him. Apparently, his answer wasn’t good enough for them. Mimi pecked at his boot so hard that he felt her beak through the thick leather.
“What do you think I should have done?” he asked them, a faint edge of frustration in his voice. “That’s her family. You can’t turn your back on your family. What would you do if I turned my back on you?”
Gigi pecked at his hand as he pet Fifi.
“Ow!” He pulled his hand back and rubbed where she’d pecked. “Okay, okay, I get it. You think I should have fought harder for her.”
All three of the hens clucked in agreement. Off to one side, Moonbeam stomped, and to the other side, Jock stood from where he’d been resting and barked.
Woody glanced around at all of the animals. “You think that a real man would have fought for what he wanted, don’t you?”
The hens fluttered and flapped.
“You think that I should have stood up to Chi-ming more and demanded that Meizhen stay and marry me.”
Jock limped forward, tongue lolling as he panted.
The worrying sense that he’d made the wrong call after all crept up Woody’s back. “You think that if we’d talked about it longer, we could have come up with a better solution than all of us staying here or all of us going to San Francisco.”
He stood, a new sort of energy and determination rushing through him. The hens caught on to the excitement and hopped around him.
“You think that I should go after her and tell her I changed my mind, because it was clear that she really wanted to stay here and marry me after all.”
Moonbeam let out a loud bray that seemed to settle the issue.
“Right. I’ll go.”
He surged forward, the hens following, marching toward the barn door and grabbing his coat and hat on the way. He put them on as he pushed his way out the door and headed to the path that led across the bridge and into town. Meizhen and Chi-ming weren’t that far ahead, just about to cross the bridge. He picked up his pace.
But Meizhen and Chi-ming weren’t the only ones at the bridge. Dr. Deane was running toward Woody, his hand clapped to his head to keep his hat from flying off. “Woody!” he shouted, waving.
Meizhen and Chi-ming turned to see what the fuss was as Dr. Deane continued up the path to Woody. Woody met Meizhen’s eyes, but was quickly forced to turn his attention to Dr. Deane.
“Woody, I need you to come quickly,” Dr. Deane said before Woody could ask what was wrong. “It’s Fay. She’s been in labor all day, but there’s a problem with the foal.”
“How’s Fay doing?” In an instant, Woody’s full focus shifted to what he knew best. “Is she in a lot of pain?”
“I think…I’m afraid so,” Dr. Deane said. “We need you, fast.”
“Let’s go,” Woody said, breaking into a run. He and Dr. Dean raced toward the bridge and crossed over, heading toward the livery. Woody only had time to send Meizhen a brief look before setting his sights on what lay ahead of him.
Chapte
r 10
Just when Meizhen thought her heart would break forever, she was pulled back from the brink. The man she’d mistakenly thought was married to his horse the other day tore past her and Chi-ming, calling out, “Woody!”
Her throat squeezed tight at Woody’s name, and she turned to find him striding out of the barn. Their eyes met briefly before Woody turned his attention to Dr. Deane. The two men had a quick exchange, then came running toward the bridge.
“What has happened?” Meizhen asked as they drew close.
“Fay is having a difficult labor,” Woody explained, then rushed past her and on to a building that looked like a livery.
“Can he help?” Meizhen asked Dr. Deane, picking up her skirts and starting after him.
“Meizhen, where are you going?” Chi-ming asked, though he too was forced to follow.
Dr. Deane glanced sideways at her. “There’s no one I would trust my livestock and horses to more than Woody Burnside.”
It was all the answer Meizhen needed. Woody had a job to do—a job where he would be in his element—and if there was any way she could help, she would.
“Meizhen, stop,” Chi-ming called out as she picked up her pace, running by Dr. Deane’s side. “This is none of your concern. We need to begin preparations to leave.”
The pang of guilt at disobeying her brother was far less than Meizhen would have expected. “He might need my help,” she said over her shoulder.
“Woody knows what he’s doing. You’ll only be in the way,” Chi-ming argued.
It was too late. They’d reached the entrance to the livery, and Meizhen rushed through the door as Dr. Deane held it open for her.
The inside of the livery was dimmer than Woody’s mule barn, and things were arranged differently than Woody kept them. But that didn’t stop Meizhen from rushing straight to the stall that Woody ducked into.
“I think she’s close,” a tough-looking man with the arms of a blacksmith joined their group, walking over to look into the stall where Woody had gone to work.
“Thanks for looking out for her, Culver,” Dr. Deane said.
“You need anything, Woody?” Culver asked.
“Not yet,” Woody replied, his voice strong and confident.
“I can help,” Meizhen said, then turned to Culver. “If he needs water or tools, I can fetch them.”
Culver blinked at her, a surprised smile on his face. “You’re that Meizhen woman,” he said. “Friends with my Kezia.”
“I am,” Meizhen replied, but there was no time for polite conversation. She nodded to Culver, then edged her way around Dr. Deane into the stall.
Woody crouched on the straw beside the reclining, black mare. He ran his hands repeatedly over her swollen belly, as if he could see right through to the foal inside. The mare snorted and huffed, pawing restlessly at the straw around her.
“Whoa, girl,” Woody said, as gently as if he were soothing a restless child. “You’re gonna be okay. Let’s just get this foal into the world.”
The mare stilled a bit at his words, but moments later, she turned restless again and tried to stand.
“No, girl, no.” Woody lifted to his knees and closed his arms around the mare’s neck in a gentle embrace. He stroked her and helped her to lie down once more. “There you go. It’s better this way. Now what’s keeping that foal from coming.”
“What can I do?” Meizhen asked. She’d gathered her skirts to well above her calves and was ready to jump into action in any way she could.
Woody glanced briefly up at her before shifting to check the mare’s hindquarters. A slick, filmy sac was beginning to emerge from the mare. Meizhen gasped as she made out the shape of two hooves inside of the substance. Woody, on the other hand, frowned.
“I see the problem,” he said, nodding to the sac. “The foal is breech. It’s gonna come out hind feet first.”
“Is that what all the fuss was?” Dr. Deane asked. He removed his hat and wiped his forehead with his sleeve as though relieved.
Meizhen wasn’t sure if an abnormal birth was anything to be relieved about.
“Yep. Not much longer now,” Woody said, speaking more to the mare than any of them. Indeed, the foal was emerging from its mother faster than Meizhen would have expected. “We’ll figure this out together, girl.” He stroked her stomach and neck, and made soothing sounds for her.
“What can I do?” Meizhen asked.
Without looking at her, Woody said, “Why don’t you come around to Fay’s other side and hold her a little to keep her calm?”
Meizhen nodded, and without hesitation, climbed around Woody’s back and over to the far end of the tight stall. She’d never dreamed her training in balance would help her to navigate the cramped quarters of a horse stall so that she could twist herself into an odd position to best comfort a distressed horse. But then, the skills that were gained in life were often useful for a thousand unexpected things.
The mare shuddered and made a strained noise as Meizhen stroked her neck and back in imitation of the way Woody had. That gave Woody the leeway to shift completely to the mare’s hindquarters so that he could guide the foal’s birth. Everything seemed to focus into the birthing process. Time stood still. The mountain could have come down around them, and Meizhen wouldn’t have noticed. All she saw was Woody, intent in his work, and all she felt was the shudder and strain of the horse she comforted as she pushed her baby out.
“Ah,” Woody said at last as the foal rushed into the world. “There you are little fella.”
There was mess and there was smell, but Meizhen could only blink and laugh in amazement as the tiny mule took his first breath and attempted to scramble to his feet. It was a miracle to see new life burst so enthusiastically into the world. And it amazed Meizhen that something so new could already stand on its own. Though it didn’t have to for long. Woody lifted the foal around to his mother’s belly, where it snuggled against her. The horse, in turn, twisted to nuzzle her baby.
Meizhen glanced past the scene to find the men—Dr. Deane, Culver, and her brother—watching them, various degrees of amazement in their eyes. What surprised her the most was the joyful expression on Chi-ming’s face. He surveyed the scene with mouth half opened. Better still, his delight wasn’t just directed at the mare and her foal. A good deal of it was for Woody, who had moved to examine the foal.
“Looks like he made it out okay,” Woody said, giving the foal’s hind legs one last check. “Sometimes when they’re born breech like that, the foal is injured in the process. This little fella made it out without breaking anything, which is a blessing.”
“And the mother?” Meizhen asked.
Woody nodded and ran his hands over her stomach. He examined her backside, checking for things that Meizhen could only imagine. Every movement Woody made and the spark of confidence and intelligence in his eyes said that he knew what he was doing. He was strong, he was capable, and he was more powerful than he could ever guess.
“There’s a little tearing,” he said at last, rocking back to crouch and glancing up to Dr. Deane. “Nothing unusual. If it helps, she probably wasn’t in as much pain as you thought she was.”
“That’s a relief,” Dr. Deane said. He took a step back, making room for Woody and Meizhen to stand and leave the stall.
“Fay here knows what to do to take care of her baby now. We don’t have to do much more to help them other than keeping them warm, watered, and fed,” Woody said.
“I can take care of that,” Culver said. “Why don’t you get cleaned up.”
Woody glanced down at his clothes. He’d rushed in to take care of Fay so fast that he’d only had time to throw his coat aside. His trousers and shirt were damp with remnants of the birth, and the rest of him was dusty with dirt and straw. He was a mess, but Meizhen thought he was the handsomest man she’d ever seen.
He glanced her way, his smile sheepish. “Your dress got a little dirty.”
Meizhen looked down at herself. She’d forgot
ten to remove her coat, and it and her skirt were smudged with dirt and straw. “It’s all right,” she said, climbing around Fay and her foal and squeezing out of the stall. “Dirt will come out.”
She took a breath, and before anyone else could say a word, she burst out with, “I love you, Woody Burnside.” She glanced to her startled brother. “I don’t care what anyone says, I will stay here and marry you.”
Four sets of shocked male eyes widened at her declaration. Woody’s cheeks flooded with pink.
Filled with excitement at her declaration, Meizhen went on. “I know now that I could never be happy if I were not with you. If I left here, I would leave my heart behind.” She turned to her brother. “And as much as I love you and our family, I could never be happy without my heart.”
“Sister,” Chi-ming said slowly. “Are you sure?”
Meizhen nodded, moving to stand in front of him. “Woody is the very best of me. He is kind and gentle, but now you have seen that he is brave and skilled as well. It may not be the kind of bravery that a warrior has, but it is the kind that will keep his family safe and protected. If I marry Woody, I will never want for anything, especially not tenderness and joy.”
Another, breathless silence followed her words. Dr. Deane and Culver glanced to Woody, knowing smiles on their faces. Woody had barely moved from his initial stance of shock. He gaped at Meizhen as though he could hardly believe what he was hearing.
Meizhen turned to him, walking to stand directly in front of her. “I love you, Woody,” she said again, her eyes fixed on his. “I will never love anyone else. You are for me, and I am for you. I believed I was searching for my brother all these years, but I was really searching for my heart. And my heart is with you. Always.”
Woody let out a breath, blinking rapidly through the emotion that filled his expression. “I would kiss you hard right now, but I’m a mess.”
“I can wait,” Meizhen replied, the joy in her heart bubbling up into laughter. She caught her breath. “No, I can’t wait. I want to marry you right away. Right now.”