Courted by a Cowboy

by Mindy Neff

  “Scotty doesn’t think so. Still, I’d feel better if you’d come out and stand by. This is her first foal.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Jack closed the door and she scrambled out of the tub, wiping off bubbles, leaving wet footprints on the floor mat as she reached for a dry towel to wrap around herself. With her hair still pinned up, she raced into her room and dressed quickly, then rushed outside to the barn.

  Jack was already there with Tori, who looked as though she’d been woken up.

  “It’s going to be Tori’s foal,” Jack said. “I thought she’d like to watch.”

  “Great idea. What’s your mare’s name, Tori?”

  “Violet.”

  Sunny saw that the horse was lying down. Good. Some were stubborn and wouldn’t settle. “Well, Violet seems pretty relaxed at the moment, but we’ll want to be quiet. If she gets agitated, don’t feel bad if I ask you to go hide, okay? Some new mamas get nervous when there’s a crowd of people.”

  Tori nodded. “Simba wanted to come, but Daddy said no.”

  “Don’t let Simba’s sulking put you on a guilt trip. He thinks he should be allowed to go everywhere. Your dad’s right, though. Violet doesn’t need quite that many witnesses to the birth of her baby.”

  Sunny noticed the data sheet on the barn wall and went to check it. Scotty had been thorough, making notations twice a day. The mare was 327 days into gestation, and everything appeared normal. Mother Nature would likely take it from here, but Sunny was glad that Jack had asked her to come. Even if her veterinarian skills weren’t required, witnessing birth in any form was miraculous and soul stirring.

  “I checked the foal’s position,” Scotty said. “Her water broke about ten minutes ago, but…”

  The mare began snoring.

  “Well, if that ain’t the dangedest thing I’ve ever seen,” the cowboy said, scratching his red hair.

  Jack’s brows raised. Apparently at a loss, he glanced from the horse to Sunny. “She’s asleep?”

  “Looks that way.”

  “Shouldn’t you wake her up?”

  “Let’s wait a few minutes and see what happens. You say this is her first time in foal?”

  “Yes.”

  “Likely she doesn’t fully realize what’s happening. We don’t want to startle her.”

  The foal was moving inside the mare’s womb, causing automatic contractions. Sunny could see the foal’s front feet covered in the white birth sac, yet Violet slept on.

  “You sure somebody didn’t slip a tranquillizer in her feed?” Sunny asked wryly. It was pretty much a rhetorical question, but Scotty answered, anyway.

  “No, ma’am. I’ve watched over Violet myself. When I got here this evening, though, she was straining pretty good.”

  “Wore herself out,” Sunny commented.

  Jack knelt by her side. They both had on sterile gloves in case something went wrong and they had to pull the foal. Tori and Scotty stood a few yards away, where they could see what was happening.

  “Looks like this little one’s determined to come into the world despite her mama’s disinterest.” She gave a slight tug on the foal’s legs, exerting just enough pressure to get the contractions going again. “That’s the way,” she crooned when the muzzle showed. Quickly, she stripped away the amnion and cleared the foal’s nostrils so it could breathe unimpeded, then moved back out of the way as the foal came almost completely out. Just the hind legs remained inside the mare.

  Jack checked his watch. “Do we wake her up if she sleeps much longer?”

  “Let’s give her a few more minutes.” Sunny glanced at Tori. “You doing okay, sweetie?” she asked quietly.

  The girl nodded and whispered, “How come you don’t take the baby all the way out?”

  “See how wet she is? Violet might not understand about having a baby since she’s never been through this before, but she recognizes smells. We don’t want to intrude too much and have her reject her baby.”

  The foal moved and brushed against Violet’s leg. As though checking to see what pesky varmint was tickling her knee, Violet awoke and craned her neck around, coming face-to-face with her baby.

  Unconsciously, Sunny reached over and grabbed Jack’s arm, holding her breath.

  After a moment of surprise, Violet licked the foal.

  Sunny let out a relieved breath and carefully moved forward, crooning to the horse. As though they’d worked together as a team for years, Jack mirrored her movements. He seemed to sense what she needed and when.

  He eased his hands under hers and helped her support the foal’s tummy as the mare stood, breaking the umbilical cord. Sunny tied off the cord and reached for a syringe, then quickly gave the foal a tetanus shot.

  “Let’s back up now and let them get to know each other.”

  Jack stripped off his gloves and put his hand under her elbow to help her to her feet. The front of her clothes were a mess, and she probably smelled even worse.

  “So much for that scented, soothing bath,” she said, sitting with him in the corner of the barn as the mother and baby bonded.

  He leaned over, sniffed at her hair. “You still smell like pumpkin-pie spices.”

  “I didn’t wash my hair. How can it smell good?”

  “Don’t know, but it does. Cinnamon. You wore that same scent to the prom.”

  Well, there go the rules. After his strange mood this evening, she’d thought they weren’t going to bring up the past. Or perhaps that had just been her admonition to herself. Still, if he viewed her as a complication, he should exercise a little more control.

  “What’s a prom?” Tori asked.

  “A high-school dance,” Jack said.

  “You went to a dance with Sunny? Did you know her in the old days?”

  “Ouch. Leave it to my daughter to make me feel ancient.”

  Tori’s eyes took on a stricken look, as though she’d said something wrong. Jack hugged her to his side. “Yes. Sunny and I went to school together.”

  “Before you knew Mom?”

  The minute she asked the question, Tori seemed to regret it. Sunny couldn’t tell what the little girl was thinking. Regardless of how she felt about Lanette, for Tori, losing her mother would be devastating. Sunny might get annoyed with her own mother, but she couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing her again—or feeling as though she couldn’t talk about her.

  “I knew your mom, too,” she said, “even though she was a couple of grades ahead of me, same as your dad. And your mom worked at Wanda’s Diner in town. She made pretty good malts.”

  Tori had withdrawn slightly and Sunny decided to change the subject. “Look. Violet’s cleaning her baby. She’s going to be a good mommy. In a bit, when they’ve bonded real good, we’ll go over and you can love on the baby and let her get to know you, too, since she’ll be your horse.”

  “It looks like her legs are gonna break,” Tori said, excitement returning at the prospect of touching the little horse.

  Sunny chuckled. “She’ll get the hang of standing. It’s instinctive.”

  Violet decided she’d been maternal enough for the moment and lay back down. Moments later she was snoring again. Craziest horse Sunny had ever seen.

  She held out her hand for Tori. “Come on. Let’s go get acquainted with that baby.” The wobbly foal was sucking air and the barn wall and anything else she could get her muzzle on. They would have to get her nursing soon.

  “Go ahead and hug her,” Sunny said. “Pet her and rub her all over. It’ll make the future veterinarian’s job much easier, get her used to being poked and prodded.”

  Tori put her arms around the foal. They were nearly the same height. As she laid her cheek against the little horse’s neck and gave it a kiss, the utter love that brightened her face was priceless.

  “I can’t believe she’s all mine,” she murmured. “She’s beautiful. Can I name her Beauty?”

  “You can name her anything you want,” Jack said, watching hi
s daughter with a pride only a father could display.

  “This is just like having a sister.” She rubbed the foal’s nose and held on tight when Sunny lifted Beauty’s foot to check the hoof. “How come you don’t have any kids, Sunny?”

  Sunny felt something twist in her stomach. “I’m not married.”

  “Do you want kids?”

  She glanced at Jack, thought once more that this sweet child could have been their daughter.

  He’d been her only boyfriend. As a teenager, aside from her love of animals and her goal to one day work as a vet, her major focus had been marriage.

  That was what she’d wanted most. Perhaps that was why she’d stuck it out so long with Michael, even when she’d realized that something was wrong.

  She was approaching thirty, and her biological clock was ticking.

  “Yes,” she said quietly, busying herself by thumping on the bottom of Beauty’s foot. “I want very much to have a family.”

  “Will you be Beauty’s veterinarian?”

  The switch in subject took her by surprise. She released the foal’s leg and stood. “Only for a little while, sweetie. I have to go back to California in a few weeks.” Why did saying that in front of Jack make her feel weird?

  “Who’s going to take care of her? Doc Levin used to come out and check Violet, but he’s gone now.” Tori continued to pet and stroke her new horse.

  “I’m sure someone in town will hire a new vet. Don’t worry, okay? Beauty looks perfectly healthy, and Violet does, too. I’ll give them both a thorough examination a little later. And your dad’s no slouch when it comes to taking care of animals.”

  “But he’s not a doctor like you. I don’t want to lose Beauty.”

  Why was she so focused on losing the foal? Then it dawned on Sunny. This child had lost her mother. And she’d obviously heard talk about the dead cattle, the reason Sunny was here. Tori was only nine years old—entirely too young to be worrying about loss.

  Jack went up to his daughter, placed one hand gently on the foal and the other on Tori’s cheek. “You won’t lose Beauty, darlin’. She’s healthy and she’ll be fine. Just like I always take care of you, I can take care of Beauty, too.” He glanced over at Sunny. “We’ll all be fine—with or without a vet.”

  Sunny’s heart galloped. Why had he gazed at her so intently as he’d said the words? And what in the world did he mean? His expression hadn’t given anything away.

  At one time, she’d been able to read Jackson Slade like a book.

  Now he was an enigma. And that made her as nervous as a frog in a frying pan.

  He was too potent for her peace of mind. That kiss by the back door had brought that home to her in a hurry, caused her serious concern.

  Her reaction to Jack made her realize that she could easily fall for him again—for all the wrong reasons. Reasons that had to do with sex and hormones and dreams of Prince Charming.

  Because despite the fact that she was a mature career woman on the verge of thirty, deep down she was looking for her prince.

  Jack had been her fairy tale once, but he’d let her down. She’d be a fool to take a chance again.

  Their lives were different now. Her foundation and her livelihood were in California. They’d gone in separate directions. No sense building castles in the air.

  Chapter Eight

  Sunny wiped her forehead with her sleeve, her ears ringing from the constant bawling of agitated cattle. It was late afternoon and her energy was seriously flagging, due in part from spending half the night with Tori’s mare and foal.

  Rain drummed down on the tin roof of the barn. The smells of wet cowhide and steamy damp earth hung heavy in the cavernous outbuilding. She flexed fingers that were stiff and forming calluses from drawing blood and giving injections.

  The men had done a great job herding the cattle through the chute, working as a team so the process went smoothly and quickly. One after another, the black Angus bumped, lumbered or charged down the railed runway that cut through the barn. At the end of the passage they burst free. Junior worked the head gate, slamming it down at exactly the right instant to keep the cow from bolting out the other end of the barn, immobilizing the animal in the process.

  The times he missed, everyone went into a scuffle, because by then the cow was usually good and mad.

  “Only two more to go for today,” Jack said, leaning close so she could hear him. He rested his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

  He, too, had stayed up late last night, but he didn’t look any worse for it, darn his hide.

  “I didn’t realize how big your herd is.”

  “We’ll get to the last of them by tomorrow.”

  And then they’d wait on tenterhooks for the lab results. Results that would either put their minds at rest or force her to start on a course that had the potential to ruin Jack.

  “Okay. I’m up for two more. Bring ’em on before that thunderstorm moves over us.” Relieved that the end of her day was in sight, she reached for another syringe.

  The next thing she knew, she was sprawled on the other side of the barn and her right thigh was on fire with pain. Tears stung her eyes and noise roared in her head.

  It took a moment for the world to come back into focus. Holy crud.

  Jack was shouting orders over the bawling of the two remaining steers. Junior, Lou, Duane and Scotty muscled them back into the shute.

  Within seconds, Jack was at Sunny’s side, kneeling next to her. “Are you okay? Can you catch your breath? Where did she get you?”

  “Hold on a minute,” Sunny said. His eyes and hands seemed to be touching her everywhere. She was dazed enough by the cow’s unexpected kick; Jack’s nearness and attentiveness weren’t helping to clear her head. “I’m fine.”

  “Your face is as white as a bleached sheet.”

  “I just need a minute. This isn’t the first time I’ve been laid out by a nervous cow.”

  “I should have been paying better attention. I was right beside you.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Jack. That’s the thing about cattle. They don’t bother to warn you when they’re going to cut loose. They’ll stand there chewing their cud, happy as you please, not a single flick of an ear or bat of their eye. Then whammo, you’re picking your broken body up out of the hay.” She was still squeezing her leg, could feel the stickiness of blood through the denim.

  “Do you think something’s broken?”

  “Doubt it.” Maybe. She started to get up.

  Jack put a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down. “Why are you holding your leg like that? Let me see.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “I’ll be the judge.” He pried her hand off her thigh, his brows drawing together when he saw the tear in her jeans where the hoof had caught her. “That doesn’t look like nothing to me. You’re bleeding pretty hard.”

  “It’s just a scratch, Jack. No big deal. Now, move out of my way and let me up. I’ve got only two more cows to go.”

  “I’ve only got two more cows to go. You’re going to stay put.”

  Her temper flashed at Jack’s bossing her around. That he was clearly concerned about her faded to the background. “In case you’ve forgotten, this is my profession and I’m perfectly capable of—”

  He pointed a finger at her and stood. “Don’t move. And I mean it, Sunny. After 938 cows, I think I’ve got the hang of what we’re doing.” He whirled around and grabbed a clean syringe out of her kit.

  A tense moment passed, then Sunny relaxed back against the wall. Or tried to, at least. Her leg was burning and aching clear to the bone. If she wasn’t looking at it with her own eyes, she’d seriously wonder whether it was still attached.

  The last annoyed Angus was released from the ranch hands’ headlock and shooed out of the barn. Jack sealed the specimens he’d collected, instructed Scotty to get this batch to town and send it overnight to California, then peeled off his gloves and walked toward Sunny. She
had to admit she was glad the day was over.

  She put her hands by her hips to boost herself up off the ground, but Jack stopped her.

  “Hang on.” He leaned down and scooped her up in his arms as though she weighed little more than a feed sack.

  “Oh, for…you don’t have to—damn it, I can walk.”

  “We don’t know that yet. And I’d just as soon be in the house if you put weight on this leg and pass out on me.”

  “I’ve never passed out in my life.”

  “There’s always a first time.”

  Feeling ridiculous, Sunny glanced around and noticed that the men were watching. Indignant, she said, “I hope you know you’re causing a scene over nothing. Would you carry another vet like this?”

  “Hell, no. Doc Levin is ugly as sin and weighs a good two hundred fifty pounds. Grab our hats.”

  “What?”

  “The hats, sugar bear. It’s raining, and my hands are full.”

  “Well, if you’d put me down like I asked they wouldn’t be full.” When he neared the peg by the barn door, she snatched down both their hats, plopped hers on her head and shoved his Stetson on his.

  “A little lower, okay?”

  She huffed out a breath and tugged the brim lower on his forehead.

  She knew he was trying not to jostle her as he walked, but her leg throbbed nonetheless. The rain had tapered off to a sprinkle, but an angry-looking thunderhead loomed above them, blocking the sun and turning the air to thick steam. The sky was going to open up any minute now.

  He went around to the front door—which she thought was odd—and scraped his muddy boots on the porcupine mat.

  “No sense in getting Beau in a dither,” he said as though reading her mind. “He can be worse than an old maid.”

  When he pushed open the door and kicked it shut with his foot, Simba raised his head from where he and Tori were playing on the landing at the top of the stairs. The dog leaped to his feet and bounded down the steps three at a time. He barked once, then stretched his neck, licking where he could reach.