“It’s nice to meet you, Sophie. I’m Rachael.”
Although neither Colten nor Travis said a word, Rachael detected the two of them sizing each other up. She hoped they liked each other. Otherwise, it might make things difficult for her.
“What are you guys seeing?” Maysie asked excitedly.
“Dance, Girl Dance!” Rachael answered.
The guys all groaned audibly at this choice.
“Oh, stop it,” Maysie said. “I wanted to see that too.”
“Uh, oh, here we go.” Travis griped.
“Yeah. Right?” Colten jumped in too. “I wanted to see an action film or something a little less feminine.”
All the guys clearly liked the sound of that. Rachael gave Colten the look.
Colten cleared his throat. “On second thought, I think we will stick with the original plan.”
“I wanted to see that dance movie too,” Sophie added.
“So it’s settled. We’re all seeing the dance movie! Yay!” Maysie cheered.
“I’m with the guys. I think that dance movie will suck,” Shannah protested.
Rachael could have hugged Shannah right then and there! She didn’t want to see a movie with everyone else—just Colten. Way to go, Shannah. Please send them in another direction to another theater. She shot Shannah a thankful glance.
But Maysie pleaded, “Come on, Shannah. Don’t be a party-pooper. It’s Rachael’s special night. She wants to see the dance movie, so the dance movie it is.”
Shannah cut her eyes at Rachael with the please forgive her—she’s clueless look.
So here we are—a nice private date for eight.
At least they wouldn’t all have to sit together.
After they bought their tickets and went to the concession stand to purchase snacks, it was Travis who came to her rescue. Rachael and Colten had just gotten their popcorn, candy, and drinks and were headed for the door to the theater, with their six friends in tow, when Travis called, “Hey, Gabe and Jason. Come look at this poster. I can’t wait to see this film.”
“Wow. Look at her. She looks totally hot in this,” Gabe said about the actress. “I bet she is a total butt-kicker.”
Rachael glanced over her shoulder at Travis, who jerked his head in the direction of the theater, letting her know it was okay to make her escape.
“Thank you,” Rachael silently mouthed.
She and Colten walked into the theater, and Rachael picked out seats where there wasn’t enough room for all eight of them!
*
After the movie was over, Rachael and Colten said their good-byes to her friends. As they walked away, she could hear them discussing the film.
The guys couldn’t stop talking about how it had possibly been one of the worst films they’d ever seen. Gabe said the only thing good about it was the hot dancer. Jason and Travis agreed with him.
“I liked them,” Colten commented as they strolled hand in hand.
“They are really nice.”
“They aren’t what I expected.” When Rachael gave Colten a strange look, he added, “I had something different in mind. I guess I was kind of ignorant of what country people were really like.”
“That’s okay,” she confided. “I had some silly notions about them too, and I’m still working to change those. It takes time.”
“Let’s grab ice cream,” he said, once they were back at his Jeep. “I saw this place on our way into town.”
On their way home they stopped off at the ice cream parlor. Colten insisted on ordering the “Kitchen Sink.” It was a scoop of every ice cream sold at the shop topped with whipped cream, cherries, and fudge. It came in an enormous bowl with two spoons.
“Do you think we can eat all of this?” Rachael eyed the bowl skeptically.
“I’m game if you are.” He grinned.
They’d eaten the ice cream for fifteen minutes and were only halfway through when Colten urged Rachael on. “Don’t quit on me now, girl!”
Rachael felt almost sick by the time they forced the final bite down, and she’d only eaten a third of the ice cream, with Colten easily eating the rest.
Where did guys put all of their food? It was a mystery to Rachael.
They left the parlor and headed for her Aunt Margaret’s house. When they got home, they shared a good-night kiss on the porch before going inside. They had to. It was tradition. Whether they were here or back home on the Island in West Palm, a good-night kiss always finished their dates.
Colten walked Rachael to her bedroom door and said good night. Then he went to his room and closed the door.
Rachael’s aunt called out from her room, “Good night, kids.”
Rachael paused at her nightstand drawer and took out the two matching surfer bracelets she’d purchased for her and Colten. She had hoped to give it to him tomorrow at the beach, but here at the house would have to suffice since her beach plans were now canceled. The braided bracelets were made of 100 percent cotton. They’d be a little large when they first put them on, but after repeated washings in the salt water, they would shrink to the perfect fit. And they would look great on too! The catch was, once they were on, they couldn’t be removed. They were one solid braid. No opening or clasp.
When the rooster crowed at dawn, Rachael sprang from her bed, got dressed hurriedly, and knocked on Colten’s room. He was already up, dressed, and packed to go.
“I have something for you.” She clasped the bracelet on his wrist. “See, they match.” She extended her own wrist so he could see.
“I like it. I have something for you too.” Colten gazed into her eyes. “It’s not much, but I saw it last week at the mall and thought you would like it.”
Colten took a small ring out of his pocket and gave it to Rachael. She slipped it on her right ring finger. It was a perfect fit—a wide silver band with a braided thin band on either side. Rachael knew instinctively it was not a promise ring. She was only fifteen, and her parents would freak over something like that. But it was a gift, and she would wear it. They walked down the hall where her mother was waiting to greet them.
She must have arrived home a little while ago. Rachael thought it was strange that her mother would drive all the way home from West Palm this early in the morning but decided not to mention it.
“Hey, you two,” her mother called. “How was your date last night?”
“Fantastic! Colten even brought me a gift.” She flashed her right hand.
“That’s not what I think it is, is it?” Her mother raised her right eyebrow with a pensive, questioning stare.
“No, Mom. It’s just a ring. They call it jewelry,” she joked.
“Okay, then I love it,” her mother said affectionately.
Still, there was something in her mother’s tone that led Rachael to believe something was wrong. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it—maybe it had something to do with her father and the visit her parents had just shared. She was sure her mother would tell her, but now in front of Colten was not the appropriate time. So Rachael decided to point out their matching bracelets and redirect her mother’s thoughts.
“Look, Mom. I bought these matching surfer bracelets for Colten and me. Aren’t they great?”
“Oh. I love them.” She smiled then and asked Colten, “So Aunt Margaret has told me you’ll be heading home today?”
“Now, actually. My parents are taking a mini-vacation to Miami tomorrow and asked that I be home by early this evening. So I won’t be able to stay and visit for long.”
“That’s a shame. Maybe on your next visit. When will you be able to come again?” her mother asked.
“Next month. My parents said I could drive over one time each month during the school year.”
“That will be wonderful.” Her mother looked relieved for some reason.
Does she want Colten to visit less? Or more frequently? Rachael wasn’t sure which. Maybe her mother was just worried. Her mother knew how happy Colten made Rachael.
&nbs
p; “I better get going,” Colten said.
At that moment Aunt Margaret appeared in her bathrobe.
“Aunt Margaret, would you mind if I packed Colten some food for the road trip back to Palm Beach?” Rachael asked.
“Of course not. I baked biscuits this morning.”
“Perfect.”
Rachael headed off to the kitchen and packed a couple of biscuits and some iced tea in a disposable cup. When she got back to the door, Colten was waiting to say good-bye. Her mother and Aunt Margaret had disappeared into the family room.
“Don’t be sad, my favorite girl. Four weeks isn’t very long. It’ll be here before you know it.” He hugged her and kissed her good-bye.
Short and sweet…then he was gone.
Rachael watched Colten as he drove down the long dirt drive in his Jeep, stopped at the gate, then disappeared from view.
10
RACHAEL DIDN’T KNOW HOW LONG SHE HAD STOOD THERE until Travis’s truck appeared at the end of the driveway. She hadn’t even realized she’d been crying until she felt wet tears on her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away and waited for Travis to pull up to the house.
As Travis got closer, she could see he was pulling some sort of stock trailer behind him…with something on it. What could it be?
Travis parked and got out. “Just the person I’d hoped to see. Come look what I brought you.”
Rachael walked over to the trailer. Peering inside, she saw a very small calf—red in color. She appeared to be newborn. “Who is that?”
“You tell me. Maysie told me you wanted a ‘heifer’ girlfriend for George. So I brought you one, but you have to name her. She’s yours.”
“She’s awesome, Travis. I love her. But I don’t know exactly what to do with her or what to feed her!”
“Don’t worry. Your Aunt Margaret does. She raised George, remember?”
“Oh, of course. Aunt Margaret…” Rachael worried that her aunt wouldn’t welcome another pet cow.
“…already knows. I called the house an hour ago when I knew I would have a calf in need of a good home.” Travis talked nonchalantly, as if giving a friend a calf was an everyday occurrence. “Normally all of our calves are born earlier in the spring and summer. This one’s mom was a young heifer—what we call a ‘first-calf heifer,’ because this was her first calf. Unfortunately she didn’t survive the calving experience, but our little friend here did.”
“What kind is she?” Rachael asked.
“A red Brahman.”
“She’s beautiful. Let’s take her to the barn.”
“Jump in. We’ll drive her back.” Travis headed to the truck.
“Oh. I thought I would carry her,” Rachael suggested.
Travis immediately started laughing. “Carry her? She isn’t a puppy. She weighs nearly seventy pounds. But if you insist.”
“Seventy pounds? I thought she was a newborn?”
“She is, but a newborn calf can weigh a lot.”
“On second thought,” she said, grinning, “let’s drive her to the barn.”
Once they were both in the truck, they pulled around behind her aunt’s house, where Travis expertly backed the trailer in beside the barn. “Now we will have to carry her or lead her into a stall. I vote for leading her. I already bought her a halter and lead rope.”
Rachael peeked in and saw her calf was wearing a tiny pink calf halter with a matching pink lead rope. “Pink?” she eyed Travis.
“Yeah. I said I paid for it…not that I picked it out. The pink was Maysie’s idea. I was for the dark brown leather with barbed wire design engraved in the leather.”
“I’m sure.” She smirked.
Travis opened the trailer doors and gently led the little calf out. She was still wobbly on her legs and seemed to be walking gingerly. She let out the cutest, little maaa sound.
“Oh, she’s so cute,” Rachael squealed. “I just love her. Since she’s a pale reddish-yellowish color, I think I’ll call her Taffy.”
“Taffy?” His eyebrows went up a little, as if he were amused by her choice of name.
“Yes. Taffy. She’s sweet, like candy too,” Rachael cooed as she pet her new calf. “She’s my first baby animal, Travis.”
“No. I wasn’t aware of that fact.” Travis headed to the back of his truck again and returned with both hands full. “I brought you a bag of dried milk and a new calf bottle.”
“A baba!!” Rachael screamed in excitement, hopping up and down.
“A baba?” he said sarcastically. “Now I can see we are in trouble. I thought the suggestion for a friend for George was bad enough.”
“Oh, stop it.” She laughed. “And I will need help too.”
“Oh, no, that’s Maysie’s department. She raises all the calves. Not me.” Travis held his hands in the air.
Now that Taffy was safely in her stall, they latched the stall door and went inside.
“I’ll show you how to mix the calf bottle, and then I have to get going.”
“Okay.”
Rachael watched carefully as Travis poured the powdered milk into the calf’s bottle and added very warm water to the line. He placed the bottle nipple on top and shook the bottle, mixing the contents. “Easy enough?”
“Easy enough,” she answered.
They walked back out to the barn. Travis opened the stall door and Rachael followed him inside.
“Now for the tricky part. Getting Taffy to nurse,” he said.
“Getting Taffy to nurse?”
“Yep. She has never nursed, and she certainly has never seen nor smelled a bottle before.” Travis just grinned. “You do this part.” He stepped back and handed Rachael the bottle. She waited for further instruction.
Taffy stood quietly in the corner of the stall. She turned toward Rachael, evidently not sure what to think.
“Walk over and climb on top of her in a straddle, with your legs on either side of her shoulders,” Travis said. “Don’t put any weight on her. She’s a baby. You need to be facing toward her head, not her rear.”
Rachael attempted this maneuver, but Taffy moved with incredible speed—a speed Rachael didn’t know she had. First she took Rachael on a ride around the stall for one lap. Then she ran out from beneath Rachael, bumping her legs as she ran through them and knocking Rachael to the ground.
“Well, at least you didn’t spill the bottle.” Travis made no attempt to conceal his laughter.
“You’ve obviously done this before, so why don’t you help me?”
“Because I’m having a much better time watching you.” He grinned.
Rachael closed her eyes to conceal her temper. Just wait, Travis Baxter. There will come a time when you need my help, and I won’t rescue you. “Fine… I can do it all by myself.” She sulked.
“I was kidding, Rachael. I’ll help you.” He picked up the calf’s lead rope, then repeated the same maneuver he’d described—except with ease and finesse. Taffy wriggled between Travis’ thighs but was unable to escape his powerful legs.
Years of riding. Rachael thought.
“Now you come do the same. We have to get her to take the bottle.” When Rachael looked uncertain, he added, “Don’t worry. I won’t move. She won’t knock you on your butt again,” he joked.
“Okay.” Rachael stepped closer and climbed in front of Travis.
“Now gently try to put the bottle in her mouth. Make sure the air vent hole on the base of the nipple is facing upward. That way the bottle will vent properly.”
Rachael could see the hole at the base of the nipple Travis was referring to. She nodded. But when she attempted to get Taffy to take the nipple into her mouth, the baby refused.
“If she won’t take it, you’ll have to make her—gently, of course, and without hurting her.”
“Easy for you to say,” Rachael muttered under her breath. She squirted a little milk onto the nipple so the baby could smell and taste it.
Travis reached around her. “Here—let me help you, or we c
ould be here all afternoon.” He put his fingers in the corner of Taffy’s mouth and gently opened her mouth. With his other hand he gently put the bottle nipple in her mouth and held it there. “Now gently rub her throat. This will encourage her to swallow and suck.”
Rachael rubbed Taffy’s throat, and something amazing happened. “She’s drinking!”
“Yep. Now tomorrow it will be a different story. You will need to feed her four times per day at first, starting at five o’clock in the morning.”
Well, at least I’ll already be up, thanks to the rooster.
Taffy was now sucking away on her bottle while Travis continued talking, his head near Rachael’s ear. “I also brought you a bag of calf feed. I would start her on it tomorrow. If she doesn’t eat it on her own, just place a small amount in her mouth. At first she’ll spit it out, but eventually she’ll love it. Also, give her a block of hay each day too. Got it?”
“Yep. Four bottles, feed, and hay. I’m a fast learner.”
“So I see,” Travis jested. “Now that she knows what the bottle is, you probably won’t need to do this part again—climbing on her back and all.” He climbed off of Taffy’s back and assisted Rachael in doing the same.
“Good.”
Taffy had finished her bottle. Rachael pulled it out of her mouth. She was looking for more.
“That’s all for now, little girl. You’ll have to wait for dinner later.”
Rachael and Travis closed the stall door behind themselves as they exited.
“I see you got a new ring?” Travis eyed Rachael’s hand.
“Yeah. A gift from Colten.”
“It’s nice.” Travis said, still looking at it. “A promise ring?”
“No. Just a ring. A promise ring would have gone on the left ring finger. ” She wiggled her left ring finger, proving it was still bare.
“I gotta run,” Travis said promptly. “If you need anything else for Taffy, call Maysie or me.” He turned to walk away.
“Travis?”
He swiveled toward her. “Yes.”
“Thanks for everything. This made me feel much better. I was a little down.”
“I know. When I called earlier, your aunt told me Colten was leaving this morning and this would be the perfect pick-me-up. I’m glad it helped.”
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