Aidan: Loyal Cowboy: Aidan: Loyal CowboyThe Family Plan

by Cathy McDavid

  If Ace didn’t tame the horse soon, he’d have no choice but to tranquilize and restrain Midnight. That wouldn’t be pleasant for any of them, including the farrier.

  Ace snapped the carrot in half, holding the two pieces at arm’s length.

  Midnight’s ears pricked forward.

  “Come on, boy, carrots are your favorite.”

  Ace had tried a variety of treats. Midnight liked them all, but he was fondest of carrots.

  Head hanging in defeat, he covered the last few feet, arched his neck and moved his lips in a grabbing motion.

  “Not yet.” Ace withdrew the carrot. “You have to come closer.”

  Midnight jerked back, indignation blazing in his black eyes. It didn’t last. He quickly succumbed to temptation and took another step forward.

  Ace contained his excitement. This was the closest Midnight had voluntarily ventured to anyone except Gracie.

  When the horse was finally within touching distance, Ace rewarded him with the carrot half. While he was occupied eating, Ace tentatively stroked the side of Midnight’s large head.

  The horse reacted as if prodded with a hot poker and promptly bolted.

  Ace stood statue still. Eventually Midnight calmed and approached again, not taking nearly as long. When Ace gave him the other carrot half, he tolerated a light petting on the neck, his hide twitching, his eyes saucer wide.

  “That’s it. Good boy.”

  Slowly, Ace removed another carrot from his shirt pocket. Midnight immediately swiped it up. He was too busy savoring the tidbit to notice Ace’s hand move to his shoulder and chest.

  Excitement coiled inside Ace, threatened to explode. He hadn’t been able to touch Midnight since the auction.

  “I’ll buy a whole truckload of carrots if that’s what it takes.”

  He fed Midnight the last one, assuming the horse would desert him the second he realized no more treats were forthcoming.

  Only he didn’t.

  He stayed and let Ace continue to pet him with slow, easy strokes. After a few minutes, Ace stopped, only to have the horse bump his arm.

  Ace’s pulse jumped. Now, this was progress.

  “You want more?” Ace took a chance and scratched Midnight’s nose. “You’re not such a tough guy after all,” he said when the horse blew lustily.

  Unfortunately, the moment came to an abrupt end. Ace’s mother neared the fence. The second Midnight spied her, he twisted away and galloped to the other side of the pasture, bucking and kicking.

  The mares, still tethered, started fussing. They were rodeo horses, after all, and wanted in on the fun.

  “Cut ’em loose,” Ace told Gracie and Royce.

  Within minutes the tiny herd was frolicking in the pasture, Midnight and Fancy Gal reunited and running side by side.

  Ace returned to the gate, shutting it behind him.

  “Aidan!” his mother gushed. “I saw you and Midnight. That was impressive! Congratulations.”

  “I’d hoped to be further along by now.” He had, but that didn’t diminish his pride at his accomplishments.

  “At this rate, you’ll get there in no time.”

  “What brings you here?”

  “I have some thoughts on the cattle drive tomorrow.”

  The month of May marked the official start of horse breeding season at Thunder Ranch. It was also when the recently born calves were vaccinated, dewormed, examined and, if necessary, treated. Tomorrow the ranch hands, headed by Uncle Joshua, would be riding the Harts’ remaining unleased range, rounding up the cattle and driving them to the holding pens in the south hundred acres. It was a monumental job that would take, at minimum, two full days to complete. The entire family would be on board to assist.

  After some last-minute conferring with Ace and his mother, Gracie and Royce headed off to prepare for the morning.

  “You going to be home for dinner tonight, or do you have plans with Flynn?”

  Ace and his mother began strolling toward the barn. “Not tonight.”

  Ace would have liked nothing better, but she’d flatly refused his invitation.

  “Aren’t things going well with you two?”

  His scowl must have given him away. “They were. At least, I thought they were. Something’s changed the last couple of days.”

  “Be patient with her. It’s paying off with Midnight.”

  “What if her father sells the ranch? He’s had a few interested buyers looking at the place. And he’s finalized a deal for his remaining livestock.”

  Flynn hadn’t mentioned the deal to Ace, she didn’t need to. Rodeo contracting was a small world and news traveled fast.

  “Even if he sold the ranch tomorrow, you’d still have a month or two before the escrow closed.”

  They reached the barn. Ace held open the door to his office for his mother. Inside, he cranked on a small window air-conditioning unit to clear out the stuffiness. Spring in Montana had arrived, and the days were growing warmer and warmer.

  “That’s better.” She waved a hand as if to fan herself.

  He plunked down at his desk, his mother in the chair opposite him. For the first time that day, he noticed her face. It was drawn and paler than usual and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. She also moved as if she carried a heavy sack strapped to her back.

  “You doing okay, Mom?”

  “Nothing a glass of cold water and a few minutes with my feet up won’t cure.”

  “You look more than tired.”

  Ever since Tuf’s cryptic phone call, she’d had nights when she paced the halls rather than slept. Ace had lost count how often he awoke to the sound of her footsteps padding down the stairs or banging cabinets in the kitchen as she fixed herself a cup of tea.

  “How are you sleeping?”

  “Okay for the most part.”

  She was exaggerating and they both knew it.

  “Are you worried about Tuf?”

  “I worry about all my children.”

  “Why me?”

  “You work too hard. You’ve taken this new business to heart, which is wonderful. But it’s not your responsibility entirely. You need to delegate.”

  “To who? Colt? When he’s not working he’s off rodeoing. And most of the hands are putting in overtime as it is.”

  “Then cut back. You’re going to be a father soon.”

  “Which is why I’m working my tail off. Babies aren’t free.”

  “You have to find a way to balance work and a personal life. Would it really be so terrible if we didn’t put Midnight out to stud?”

  Ace was aghast. “That’s the whole reason we bought him. He has to earn his keep. As it is, we’re not taking in the stud fees we’d planned.”

  “We’ll have at least twenty foals next spring from our mares.”

  “That’s a drop in the bucket compared to what we could be doing.” Ace felt his blood pressure elevate and forced himself to relax. “You’ve seen the numbers, what our projected revenue could be. We have to establish Midnight as a proven breeder. Rehabilitate him enough to hand breed him to clients’ mares.”

  “You’re right, of course.” She slumped in her chair.

  “I apologize, Mom. I didn’t mean to lecture.” Ace smiled.

  His mother didn’t. “You’re passionate about the business. I admire and appreciate that.”

  “What about Colt has you concerned, other than his chronic aversion to responsibility?”

  His mother sighed. “Don’t be too hard on him.”

  Ace didn’t think he was hard enough.

  “Something’s bothering him lately.”

  “He’s been gone more than usual.” Ace recalled his brother’s strange reaction to the news Flynn was expecting. Coul
d there be a connection?

  “I can’t help thinking he’s wrestling with something big.”

  “I wish he’d wrestle with it at home. We really could use him.” Ace could use him.

  “Please don’t lose faith. Colt’s not that different from you.”

  “Are you joking? We couldn’t be more different!”

  “Not when it comes to being disappointed and hurt by your father. Tuf and Dinah, too, for that matter. We’ve each of us responded in our own way to his drinking. You take on too much responsibility as a result. Colt takes on too little. Tuf left altogether.”

  “I should have realized Dad had a problem. That he was making bad financial decisions.”

  “You were away at college and vet school.”

  “I came home every month.”

  “I didn’t notice, either. We choose to see what we want when it comes to the people we love.”

  Like his brothers?

  His mother’s observation sat like a lead ball in Ace’s stomach. “Colt needs to grow up. Pull his weight around here.”

  “Maybe we just need to figure out what motivates him. Flynn, too.”

  “I’d give anything for the answer to that. She’s warm one day, cold the next.”

  “Being pregnant isn’t easy.”

  “This is more than being pregnant.”

  He hadn’t asked her to marry him again or to reconsider moving. Both topics were guaranteed to trigger a negative reaction.

  “Everything was great until after the ultrasound.”

  “What did you say to her?”

  “Nothing I haven’t before. That I’d be there for her and the baby.”

  “Hmm.” Now that they were on a different subject than his father and brothers, his mother looked better. Less stressed. “Since you can’t pinpoint what went wrong, pinpoint what went right.”

  Ace raised his brows. “How do you mean?”

  “What were you doing when she seemed to be having the best time?”

  Ace didn’t have to think twice. “When we went to the Andersons and treated their dog. She said she really enjoyed seeing me at work and helping me.”

  His mother’s eyes sparked. “Ask her to go with you on another call.”

  “I don’t have anything scheduled until next Tuesday, and I’m tied up for the next two days vaccinating the calves.”

  “There you go.”

  “What? Are you suggesting I ask her to help with the vaccinating?”

  “Why not?”

  “She’s pregnant. It’s grueling work. Hot and dirty.”

  “Just to watch, then.”

  He opened his mouth to protest, then reconsidered. “She does like animals. No.” He shook his head. “It’s a crazy idea.”

  “Sometimes the craziest ideas are the best. What have you got to lose? Unless you want to wait until next Tuesday.”

  He definitely didn’t want that.

  With a philosophical shrug, he pulled out his cell phone and called Flynn. After saying hello and asking how she was feeling, he mentioned the calves. “I know it’s late notice, but I was wondering if you’d like to come to the ranch the day after tomorrow and…help me. We’d have to get an early start.”

  “I’d love to!”

  “You would?”

  “What time should I be there?”

  He almost fell off his chair. “Um, seven. Wear old clothes.”

  His mother smiled smugly at him from across the desk.

  “Okay. I’ll see you then.” He disconnected, still not quite believing what had just happened.

  “See?” His mother nodded approvingly. “You just needed to find the right motivation.”

  Now, if only he could find the right motivation to convince Flynn to remain in Roundup and marry him.

  * * *

  UP UNTIL TODAY, FLYNN had experienced very little morning sickness. Then again, she hadn’t been tossed around the front seat of Ace’s pickup truck like a sneaker in a clothes dryer.

  “Can you drive a tiny bit slower?”

  He glanced her way. “You want to stop for a rest?”

  “No, no.” She refused to reveal how truly nauseated she felt. He might turn around and take her home, and she was determined to help him vaccinate the calves.

  “I’ll be okay once we get there.” Which would hopefully be soon.

  The day was spectacularly gorgeous. A vivid blue sky lay suspended above rolling green hills. In the distance, elk grazed. Beyond them the mountains rose up, their still snowcapped tips buried in the clouds.

  Flynn had been cooped up all week. When she wasn’t at the clinic or helping her dad finalize the company books, she was on the phone with Billings Community College and the University of Montana resolving her transcript problem or online researching prenatal care. She’d resisted going into town in order to avoid Ace, his family and their mutual friends.

  It was one thing for her and Ace to spend time together for the sake of their child. Quite another to be romantically involved. People looked at her, at them, with the same knowing glances her father frequently cast in her direction.

  That wasn’t all. Flynn had begun to secretly hope for more from Ace—an admission, a confession, an indication—and that was dangerous. Might as well tape a break-me sign over her heart.

  Which left her to wonder where exactly accompanying him to vaccinate the calves fit.

  Not a date, that was for sure.

  She was assisting him with his job, like when she’d updated his spreadsheets and reorganized his files last week.

  The novelty of that still amazed her. Work had never been anything she and her ex-husband shared, other than discussing their respective days over dinner.

  Some of the nurses at the clinic complained that they could never work alongside their spouses or partners, the strain would surely end their relationships.

  The few times that Flynn had helped Ace went smoothly. Enjoyably. No strain whatsoever.

  That might change, however, after spending six or seven straight hours with him. Like today.

  “I’m surprised you agreed to come along,” he said.

  “It’s just too beautiful to stay indoors.” She winced as they went over another bump on the road and pressed a hand to her roiling stomach. “Plus, I needed a break.”

  “Been busy?”

  She nodded, then instantly regretted it, the motion causing her nausea to escalate. “I finally got accepted into the University of Montana.”

  “Good for you!”

  “Even though I can’t enroll in nursing school until the spring, I was happy. Then, I started applying for a student loan.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “They’re drowning me in paperwork. I no sooner submit one piece of information and they want another. They actually asked for my dad’s last tax return. My dad’s! Because I live with him. Isn’t that an invasion of privacy or something?”

  “Hang in there.” His tone was genuinely supportive and sympathetic. “It’ll be worth it.”

  She smiled weakly. To be honest, the lengthy process was wearing her down, and she’d lost most of her initial enthusiasm. For nursing school, not broadening her horizons or finding a more rewarding career. She’d even gone so far as to check into related professions, including respiratory therapy and physical therapy.

  Maybe being pregnant had something to do with her waning interest. She couldn’t recall ever being so tired.

  Ace, and leaving him when she moved, certainly wasn’t the reason. Absolutely not. Impossible.

  “Sit tight,” he said, “we’re almost there.”

  There was the south end of Thunder Ranch and the cattle operation. Barns, pens, trailers and chutes came into view. A dozen trucks and just
as many cowboys on horseback had already arrived.

  “Busy place.” Flynn peered out the window, the low, long braying of cattle growing louder as they approached.

  “There’s a lot more to vaccinating calves than you think.”

  “Practically all my life living here, and I’ve never participated in a cattle roundup.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you, but the cattle were mostly rounded up yesterday. The men are going after a few strays today.”

  “Too bad.”

  “Next time you can go along.”

  Much as she’d have liked to attribute the nervous tingling in her tummy to morning sickness, Flynn couldn’t. It was pure Ace and that disarming smile of his.

  “I don’t suppose it’s the same as in those old Westerns on TV. Head ’em up, move ’em out and all that,” she joked.

  “Not exactly. We use trucks.”

  A shame. She could easily imagine Ace on horseback, herding the cattle to… She squinted. A large corral, from what she could tell.

  “It used to take a full week to vaccinate and deworm all the calves when we were running five thousand head.” He parked the truck beside a similar one bearing the Thunder Ranch bucking horse logo. “We’ll probably finish in a day and a half.”

  “How do you feel about that?” She opened the door and hopped out, meeting Ace at the side of the truck.

  “About finishing in a couple of days?”

  “About only running a few hundred cattle instead of thousands. I mean, you grew up raising cattle. That was your family’s livelihood. Their heritage.”

  “It’s been a change.”

  He opened the side compartment on his truck and removed a large plastic case, along with a smaller cardboard box which he handed to her.

  “But not a bad one,” he continued. “I like practicing veterinarian medicine.”

  “More than breeding horses?”

  They walked toward a group of pens where a half-dozen ranch hands, including Beau and Duke, were sorting the calves, checking their ear tags and noting the numbers on a clipboard. The mamas weren’t happy at being separated from their babies and made their objections known with loud vocal protests.