Second Chance Ranch
Triple J Ranch
Book 1
Jenna Hendricks
This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright (c) 2019 Jenna Hendricks
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy.
Cover Design by Victoria Cooper
First Edition December 2019
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2019 Jenna Hendricks
Other Books by J.L. Hendricks (my 1st pen name)
The Voodoo Dolls
Book 0: The Voodoo That You Do (Join my Newsletter to get this exclusive freebie)
Book 0.5: Magic’s Not Real
Book 1: New Orleans Magic
Book 2: Hurricane of Magic
Book 3: Council of Magic
Worlds Away Series
Book 0: Worlds Revealed (join my Newsletter to get this exclusive freebie)
Book 1: Worlds Away
Book 2: Worlds Collide
Book 2.5: Worlds Explode
Book 3: Worlds Entwined
A Shifter Christmas Romance Series
Book 0: Santa Meets Mrs. Claus
Book 1: Miss Claus and the Secret Santa
Book 2: Miss Claus under the Mistletoe
Book 3: Miss Claus and the Christmas Wedding
Book 4: Miss Claus and Her Polar Opposite
The FBI Dragon Chronicles
Book 1: A Ritual of Fire
Book 2: A Ritual of Death
Book 3: A Ritual of Conquest
See these titles and more at https://www.jlhendricksauthor.com/
Table of Contents
Other Books by J.L. Hendricks (my 1st pen name)
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Epilogue
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Chapter 1
“Woohoo! Faster, faster!” Elizabeth Manning pounded her hands on the dash of Max Reinhard’s Jeep 4x4 as they sped through the rolling hills around Beacon Creek.
Max laughed. “Alright, alright. I’m going as fast as is safe. I don’t want to crash with you in the Jeep.”
Elizabeth put her hand on his arm and squeezed. She realized she had finally found a good man.
“Ahhh!” Elizabeth grabbed the padded roll bar above the Jeep’s door with her right hand and wrenched her left hand from Max’s arm as she grabbed the handlebar attached to the front of the dashboard. The Jeep had just jumped a bit off the ground when Max quickly crested the small hill in front of them. Her blood was pumping, and she couldn’t keep the smile from her face. It was going to be a permanent look for her if this kept up.
“Oomph.” Max winced when his head hit the soft top above him. “That landing was a bit hard.” He was glad he’d used the soft top instead of the hard one. Otherwise, he would most likely have a bump on his head. He certainly didn’t want Elizabeth hitting her head on the fiberglass top.
Both laughed and commented on how much fun they were having riding through the country. And they were both very glad that no one had sent their cattle to this part of the region today.
They were no longer on Triple J land, which was owned by Elizabeth’s family. They had instead crossed over to the neighbor’s property and were about to head into Mr. Johnson’s land. He raised cattle and would be rotating them between various patches of grazing land this time of year. They were four-wheeling through one of his grazing fields. It wouldn’t do to drive through a patch of land where the cattle were lazily munching away on grass. They could get in the way of the Jeep or possibly cause an accident.
At the very least, seeing a Jeep jump a hill could easily cause a stampede. The last thing Elizabeth needed was Mr. Johnson calling her parents and complaining—again. Not that Elizabeth had caused a stampede. At least, not recently. But there was that one time when she and her brothers were out riding their ATVs and just happened upon a group of calves and scared them, which in turn caused an issue with their mommas. Of course, she had no idea that they were all in that part of the Johnsons’ pastures. She and her brothers had spent the next two Saturday nights helping Mr. Johnson with repairs to his barn as punishment.
“Are you ready for lunch? I packed us a picnic. Just over the next hill is a nice, shady spot perfect for lunch.” Max slowed up on the gas and crested the small hill.
He stopped at the top, and the sight stole Elizabeth’s breath. “I’ll never tire of this view.”
She was glad she had decided to come home to Beacon Creek and join Milton’s veterinary practice. She was afraid all the old memories of He Who Shall Not Be Named would ruin it for her. Even though they’d broken up over ten years earlier, she knew she couldn’t live in the same town as him ever again. Especially the one they grew up in and had planned to come back to once they were done with college and ready to take on their dream jobs, together.
She sighed and looked out to the hills covered in tall grass and dotted with large oak trees. It was August, and the grass had already turned brown. Some blades were the color of oatmeal, and others the blond shade of wheat so common in the neighboring farms and ranches. She picked up on scents of cedar and sandalwood and knew she was home. With all the beauty of big sky country surrounding her, she knew she would have never been happy anywhere else.
The sun was at its peak and bright enough to hurt her eyes with sunglasses on. The day was going to be a hot one, but that was only the norm for a Montana summer day. It was probably already eight-five degrees. The forecast called for low nineties, and she wanted to be inside with air conditioning once it got that hot.
Elizabeth Manning had been spoiled while she was away attending college and then veterinary school. All classes, except for the live animal labs, were held inside in nice, air-conditioned classrooms. Even some of the large barns had fans running through them to keep from getting too hot. She’d thought about having her family’s farm in
stall some of those large fans to help keep the horses cooler during the hottest time of the summer, but they couldn’t afford it, yet. Maybe one day.
“Come on.” Max held his hand out to help Elizabeth down from the Jeep. “Let’s get the picnic set up and have some of the sweet tea your mom made for us. It’s getting hot.”
“I totally agree.” Elizabeth took Max’s hand and jumped down from her seat to the hard ground.
Even though she was tall—five feet, eight inches—it was still a jump from her seat. Max had put on huge tires and raised the jeep higher than normal. It helped when there were flash floods in the area, but it wasn’t the easiest vehicle to get in and out of.
She ran a hand through her wind-blown, long auburn locks as she surveyed the land. Her blue jeans, button-up short-sleeved shirt, and boots were perfect for ranch life, and were also quite comfortable in the heat and dirt.
Elizabeth narrowed her green eyes that held flecks of golden brown here and there. Some would say her eyes were more hazel, but she always said they were green since there were only a few flecks the color of her boots in her eyes. “Max, how’d you know old Mr. Johnson had already moved his cattle from this pasture?”
It was obvious cattle had been through here recently by the lack of tall grasses. The land looked as though someone had come through with a dull blade and hacked away at the poor grass. What had once been high grass blowing in the breeze was now chopped and not the least bit natural looking.
Cattle had definitely been feeding here, and recently, as she could still see hoof prints and horseshoe imprints in the dirt where they stood.
“Three days ago, I was at his ranch helping him order some parts for his baler. Thankfully he had most of his hay in before it started acting up. He told me he’d just finished moving the herd to the north.” Max smiled at Elizabeth, and his chocolate-brown eyes sparkled like they always did when he talked about John Deere equipment. He had definitely found his passion.
Max was a John Deere salesman. He also advised ranchers and farmers when they had issues with equipment. He wasn’t a repairman, per se, but he knew tractors and all the equipment any ranch could possibly need.
She chuckled and shook her head. “Boys and their toys.”
He grinned. “Yes, ma’am. We love our toys big and green.”
“With a bit of yellow.” Elizabeth reached into the picnic basket and began pulling out the lunch her momma had packed for them once Max had smoothed out the blanket.
They enjoyed their lunch talking about everything and nothing. By the time they returned home, Elizabeth was ready to check on the mare about ready to give birth to twins. She and her boss, Milton, were taking turns checking on the poor little momma. It was her first time to foal, and she was blessed with twins.
Elizabeth was a twin, but back then her momma had already given birth to her older brother Matthew and had an idea of what to expect. Would a young mare be ready to give birth to twins on her first pregnancy? Elizabeth had tended to many foals, but this would be her first set of twins, and she was excited.
She grabbed a thermos full of coffee, a blanket, and the basket full of fruit and jerky her mother had prepared for her and took off for a long night of what she hoped would be helping a new momma bring her babies into the world.
When she arrived, Jewel was already lying down and breathing hard.
“Just in time. I think she’s ready to deliver.” Mr. Picket smiled up at Elizabeth as she entered the barn and set her basket and blanket down on the table just inside the door.
“Really? How’s she doing? Any distress?” Elizabeth wore a backpack with her medical supplies packed in it. She never knew what she would need and always wanted to have her hands free, or as free as possible, so she wore a backpack instead of carrying the usual black bag the local vets preferred. Plus, with all the various pouches, she had her bag organized much better than anyone’s black bag. She never needed to rummage around until she found what she wanted; she knew exactly where everything was located.
Mr. Picket took his cowboy hat off his head and swiped at the sweat across his brow. “She seems settled at the moment, but not thirty minutes ago her eyes were wide, and her head was jerking around. I was afraid she might hurt herself. If she kept it up, I was going to get one of the boys to hold her head.”
Elizabeth nodded and took her backpack off. She pulled out her stethoscope and slowly walked to the horse. In a soothing voice, she let Jewel know exactly what was happening before she leaned down and rubbed the little momma’s neck. “Shh, it’s alright. Your babies are coming. Everything is just fine. I’m going to take a listen and make sure all heartbeats are what they should be.”
She leaned down and placed the stethoscope on the mare’s body and moved it around until she found the heartbeats she was looking for. Both of the foals’ hearts sounded strong. Then she went searching for Jewel’s heart rate. While she was listening, she noticed Jewel’s water had broken.
“It’s starting. If you want Becky to watch, you better get her quickly.” Elizabeth knew that Mr. Picket wanted his fourteen-year-old daughter to see her horse give birth. Becky had been very excited to take part in this, and had even said she was thinking about becoming a veterinarian.
While waiting, Elizabeth collected samples from the ruptured chorioallantois in case anything went wrong with the birth so they could test it. Once she put it away, she pulled on her long gloves so she could check the placement of the foal before it began its quick journey into the world. With two foals inside this mare, it was even more important to make sure both were in the correct position.
She said a quick prayer and patted the horse’s neck before reaching inside to ensure the correct placement of the little foal. All seemed fine, so she sat back and waited. There was nothing more for her to do.
“Coffee? I’m not sure how long this will take—it’s my first set of twins—but coffee is always a good thing right about now. Would you care for some?” Elizabeth walked to where she’d set her thermos down and grabbed it.
“No, thanks. I already had my fair share today, ma’am.” Mr. Picket tipped his hat her direction and went back to watching his little Jewel prepare to give birth.
His daughter came running in with her hair flowing behind her and eyes wide. “Is it time? What can I do to help?”
Elizabeth and Mr. Picket both chuckled. While Elizabeth poured her coffee, Mr. Picket spoke to his daughter. “Becky, for now just stand off to the side so you can watch. If the doc needs anything, you can fetch it.”
The girl complied, but the excitement in her eyes dimmed as she slumped her shoulders and stood out of the way.
“Don’t worry, this is only the first time. I’m sure once you’ve seen a few births, your papa will allow you to help.” Elizabeth smiled at the girl, and Becky’s eyes sparkled with hope.
While Elizabeth drank her coffee, Mr. Picket moved to the horse’s head and began murmuring to her and patting her neck and stroked down the front of her head. Elizabeth realized he was worried about his mare and knew she had to do something to help him as well as his horse.
“Papa, can I come in and help calm Jewel?” Becky’s small voice showed her reverence for the occasion, but there was also a hint of wistfulness as she kept her eyes glued to the horse’s head.
“I’m sorry, Becky—we can’t have any more people inside the birthing stall than necessary. If Jewel starts to move around too much she could hurt you, or any one of us. We need to keep the area clear so we can quickly move out of the way if need be.” The vet tilted her head and wished she could allow the girl inside to help.
“Will this be your first set of twins?” Elizabeth’s voice was calm, like she was asking a normal question and had no worries in the world, even though she was worried. Although, she remembered her training and knew there was nothing to worry about. The foal was in the correct position, and she only had to wait. Normally it would be less than twenty minutes once the water broke, but with twins,
things were always different.
Becky stayed quiet, but her father nodded. “Yes.”
“Do you have names picked out yet?” She hoped to get them both talking and relax a little bit.
“Yes,” Mr. Picket responded, while Becky continued to look on in silence.
Couldn’t he do more than answer in monosyllables? It was always frustrating to get men to talk when they didn’t want to. And he didn’t want to. She knew, because he wouldn’t look at her. He kept his attention on his horse and kept murmuring encouragement to Jewel.
When Jewel’s stomach quivered, Elizabeth knew it was time.
“Alright, Mr. Picket. Please stay right where you are and don’t move. Keep a hold of her head and make sure she stays down. The first foal is coming.” She turned to look at the teenage girl. “Becky, you can move around outside the stall, just don’t get in the way of the door. But make sure you can see from wherever you stand.” With a huge smile on her face, she headed to Jewel’s other end and waited for the little hooves to come out.
Once she saw the tiny hooves, Elizabeth moved closer and took hold of them and helped to get the little horse partway into the world. Once the shoulders were out, she moved back and let the little momma finish the work for herself.
Normally she would have left the stall to let the mother and babe bond and find their way on their own, but with a second foal coming, it was important to move the babe to its mother’s head and make room for the second one.
“It’s a girl. Congratulations, Mr. Picket, you have a brand-new filly. What’s her name?” Elizabeth took her stethoscope out and listened for the heart rate, then went to the lungs. Everything seemed normal, and she smiled as she put her stethoscope around her neck.
“A filly?” He sighed and smiled. “Yes, her name is Emerald.” He watched with a tear in his eye as Elizabeth moved the little filly.
Second Chance Ranch Page 1