Sleigh Bells in Crimson

by Michelle Major

  “If you feel like coming into town later,” David told him, shaking his hand, “we’ll be at Elevation. There’s a cold beer and a huge plate of wings with your name on them.”

  “Thanks,” Caden said, then stopped himself from refusing the invitation outright. It might be nice to take Lucy out on a real date, and hanging out with friends was as good a place as any to start. “Maybe we’ll see you later.”

  Erin smiled. “I knew you liked her,” she said quietly.

  He rolled his eyes. “I’ll admit it. You were right. Does that make you happy?”

  “Ecstatic,” she said with a laugh.

  “You’ll never hear the end of it,” David warned him, then took Erin’s hand. “Better bring earplugs to town tonight.”

  The truth was, Caden didn’t even mind giving Erin credit for realizing what he’d been too stubborn to admit from the moment he met Lucy. She was amazing.

  He glanced around and saw her in deep conversation with Katie Crawford. He left the barn and headed toward the pasture that bordered the forest to check on the herd. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could get back to Lucy.

  The sun sank behind the snowcapped peak of Crimson Mountain as he drove his truck across the property. The cattle were lowing as he approached the field where they grazed on the hay Chad had put out for them. He climbed out of the truck and scratched one of the big cows between her ears, his chest tightening at the thought of the empty barn.

  Lucy had been right when she’d said he loved each of the animals he rescued, even though he knew he was only a stop on their journey to a happily-ever-after.

  But when the last cat had been boxed up in a carrier and put into the car with its new owner, Caden realized his life would be a little emptier until a new crop of animals came into his care.

  He’d just turned back for the barn when Lucy came running across the field, her arms waving frantically.

  He headed toward her, his heart stammering when she tripped and went down on all fours in the snow. The snow was packed down in some places but not others, and she could easily posthole through and twist an ankle.

  “Stop,” he called when she’d gotten up and begun running again.

  “It’s Cocoa,” she shouted in response. She was close enough to him now that he could see the panic in her dark eyes. “Something’s wrong. You have to help her.”

  He reached her, cupping her cold, tearstained cheeks in his gloved hands.

  “Something’s wrong, Caden. I think the babies are coming and she can’t handle it. She has to be okay. The babies have to be okay.”

  “Shh, honey,” Caden soothed as he took her hand and headed for the house. “I’ll make sure she’s fine.” It was a promise he prayed he’d be able to keep.

  Chapter Nine

  “Grab towels from the closet in the hallway upstairs, plus scissors from the first-aid kit, rubbing alcohol and dental floss in case I need to tie off any of the umbilical cords.” Caden didn’t turn around as he issued the order, all of his attention focused on the pregnant dog.

  They’d moved Cocoa into the laundry room of the main house the night before, when Caden had finished the whelping box he’d built for her.

  Although Caden assured her it was a normal part of the process, it had broken Lucy’s heart that the animal didn’t seem to know how to settle on the bed of blankets Lucy had given her. It was as if Cocoa didn’t trust something so soft. Instead, she’d curled up next to the makeshift bed on the hardwood floor, letting out a heavy sigh.

  When Lucy had come in the house after the volunteers went home, Cocoa finally climbed into the whelping box, pawing at the blankets and tearing apart the sheets of newspaper as if she was making a true nest.

  Lucy had let the dog out back for a potty break, then scooped a bowl of kibble and put it on the floor next to the bed. She’d gone upstairs for a shower, but when she’d returned to check on Cocoa, she realized something wasn’t right.

  The dog was lying on her side on top of the newspaper, her chest rising and falling in shallow pants like she was having trouble getting air. She moaned softly when Lucy touched her but hadn’t moved despite Lucy’s gentle coaxing.

  Then Lucy had noticed a black, tarry discharge on the blankets, and she’d thrown on boots and rushed out to find Caden.

  Worry making her movements jerky, she gathered the supplies and returned to the laundry room.

  “She’s in labor,” Caden said, running a gentle hand over Cocoa’s belly.

  “And it’s all going like it should?” Lucy asked, dropping to her knees next to him just outside the whelping box.

  “Maybe,” he answered, but she could tell from his tone that there were complications.

  “What is it?”

  He shook his head. “It seems like the first pup should have come out by now. You can see the contractions rolling across her belly, and she’s pushing, but this dark-green-and-black discharge isn’t normal.”

  “So what do we do now?”

  “We wait.”

  “Shouldn’t we call Dr. Johnson or—”

  “Megan’s office is an hour’s drive from the ranch, and she lives another twenty toward Aspen. That’s when the roads are dry. By the time she gets out here, we won’t need her. We have to believe Cocoa can do this on her own.”

  Lucy wasn’t a big fan of having faith in anything, but now she smoothed a hand over the dog’s head and whispered, “You’ve got this, girl. We believe in you. You’re so tough, and these puppies can’t wait to meet their mama.”

  It wasn’t until Caden pulled her against his side that she realized tears were dripping down her face as she spoke. She turned her head in to his shoulder and cried. He didn’t try to give her false hope or tell her to pull it together. But the way he held her was far more comforting that she ever could have imagined.

  “Take a look,” he whispered after a minute.

  Lucy sniffed and wiped at her cheeks, turning to the dog. She lifted one of her back legs as her vulva expanded and a dark sac appeared under her tail.

  “It’s happening,” she said.

  “Yeah,” he agreed. “Let’s give her a little space.” They moved away slightly and watched as Cocoa lifted her head and began to lick at the puppy that had just been born. She gently broke the thin membrane that surrounded the pup with her teeth and chewed through the umbilical cord.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Lucy whispered as the dog roughly licked at the puppy’s face until it began to wriggle and cry. She nudged it with her nose and adjusted its position so that the baby could latch on and begin suckling.

  The puppy continued to whimper and whine, much like any newborn crying after it came into the world. Cocoa licked the pup a few more times, as if comforting the tiny creature, then laid her head to rest on the blanket.

  “Usually the puppies are born within around thirty minutes of each other,” Caden explained, “but if Cocoa needs more rest between births, it could take longer.”

  Lucy lost track of time as they watched the dog and her growing brood of puppies. It could have been minutes or hours or days, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the miracle taking place before them.

  Between each puppy’s arrival, Cocoa rested, then would begin to shift and stand, pacing the small space inside the whelping box as her labor intensified. During these times, Caden and Lucy put the pups in a laundry basket lined with blankets that had a heating pad underneath so Cocoa wouldn’t inadvertently hurt them.

  Finally there were six tiny, wet, squirming puppies, all latched onto their mother.

  “She did it,” Lucy murmured, a fresh round of tears flooding her eyes.

  “She’s not done yet,” Caden said, his voice low and serious.

  Cocoa had seemed almost relaxed as the first six puppies had
been born, but now she moaned and strained as if she was in distress.

  Lucy sucked in a breath. “She’s in pain. Are there more? You have to do something.”

  A muscle ticked in Caden’s jaw as he shifted forward to gently massage the dog’s distended belly. He whispered soothing words to her and Lucy wondered whether she or Cocoa took more comfort in his strong, steady presence.

  Finally another sac emerged partway from the birth canal, and it was clear the last pup was coming out feetfirst. Cocoa didn’t seem to have the strength to push it out, so Caden carefully pulled the pup from her body. This one was the smallest of the litter and the only one that didn’t move.

  “What’s wrong?” Lucy asked even though she already feared the answer she’d receive.

  Cocoa gave the puppy a few licks, then turned her attention back to the others crowding around her belly. Caden ripped the membrane away from the pup’s nose and mouth and used a towel to vigorously rub its body. After a minute, his movements stopped.

  “Stillborn,” he whispered, gently lifting the pup into his hands.

  Lucy felt a sob rise up in her throat as she reached out a finger to touch the unmoving animal. “Not after all that.”

  Caden wrapped the pup in a towel and set it to the side. “Its eyes and ears aren’t developed, so I’d guess the puppy has been dead for a while. She’s got six to take care of now,” he said quietly. “If she can...”

  Cocoa had closed her eyes and her breaths were once again coming in shallow pants.

  “But they’re all out.” Lucy could hear the panic in her own voice. “She’s done.”

  “Give her some time,” Caden urged. “Her body went through a lot.”

  “What if she doesn’t have time?” Lucy demanded, squeezing her hands into tight fists. “The puppies need their mama. Can’t we do something to help her?”

  Caden wrapped his big hand around both of hers. “She’s going into the third stage of labor. Her uterus will contract and she’ll expel any remaining placenta, blood and fluid.”

  The puppies continued to nurse. “They’re eating,” Lucy whispered. “That’s a good sign, right?”

  “They’re getting colostrum now.” Caden’s voice was calm but she could hear the worry threading through it. “Her milk should come in within a day or two.”

  “And if it doesn’t?”

  He took her hand and squeezed her fingers. “We’ll take care of them.”

  Lucy swallowed around the lump of emotion in her throat. They’d already lost one puppy. She couldn’t stand to think of the others not surviving. Even more, she needed Cocoa to be okay. There was something about the wayward dog’s instinct for survival and the fact that she’d bonded with Lucy that made Lucy feel as if Cocoa belonged to her. She hadn’t realized how badly she wanted something of her own until she was close to losing it.

  Minutes passed, but finally Cocoa raised her head. Her body released a spurt of fluid and she shifted and turned, her pink tongue flicking out to lick the little pups once again.

  “She’s got it,” Caden whispered.

  “Keep going, Mama,” Lucy told the dog in her gentlest tone. Cocoa blinked and her big chocolate gaze caught on Lucy’s for a moment.

  “You’re doing great.” Lucy spoke as though the dog could understand her, which was silly. Cocoa nudged the pups with her nose. The sounds of slurping and whimpering followed as the dogs piled on top of each other at her stomach, and Lucy finally breathed a sigh of relief.

  “She needs space now.” Caden picked up the towel with the stillborn puppy and stood.

  “We have to bury this one.” Lucy eyed the tiny bundle.

  “That’s going to be a challenge with the ground frozen.” He met Lucy’s gaze and nodded. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow. I promise.”

  Lucy was quickly discovering that she liked being able to have faith in someone. She had no doubt that Caden’s word was good.

  “Thank you for being so calm during all of that. I’m sure you’re used to stuff being born.”

  “Stuff,” he repeated with a smile, setting the towel on the counter next to the washing machine.

  “Animals,” she clarified with an eye roll. “Baby cows and horses.”

  “Calves and foals,” he corrected as they washed their hands.

  “I know that,” she said, pressing her fingers to her chest. “I can’t think right now. I just...” To her embarrassment, a tremor snaked through her body and tears stung the back of her eyes. She turned away as her shoulders started to shake.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart,” Caden murmured and pulled her close. She buried her face in his shirt, trying to regain control of herself. But with the adrenaline that had been buzzing through her now wearing off, all of her fear over Cocoa and her puppies set off an avalanche of emotions.

  Caden scooped her into his arms and carried her through the house and up the stairs. She concentrated on pulling in air, trying desperately to make her heart beat a normal rhythm.

  But when she opened her eyes, her heart stuttered for a different reason entirely. “This is your bedroom.”

  He pulled down the covers and set her on his big bed, one side of his mouth quirking. “I don’t think you should be alone right now. This doesn’t mean I’m expecting—”

  “I don’t want to be alone,” she interrupted, and to hell with both of their expectations. But when she reached for him, he backed away a step.

  “Give me five minutes,” he instructed, lifting his hands, palms out. “Between the adoption event, the cattle and a litter of puppies, I stink like a barn. I need a shower and then—” he paused, his eyes going dark “—I’ll be back.”

  She bit down on her bottom lip as he walked away, tugging his shirt over his head as he moved. A minute later she heard the water in the hall bathroom turn on, and her stomach dipped and whirled as it had every day for the past week as she listened to him shower and imagined...

  Lucy had a vivid imagination.

  She needed a shower as much as he did, but she kicked off her shoes then brought her knees to her chest and waited. For all of about thirty seconds. Then she got up and walked toward the bathroom, steam pouring out into the hallway as she let herself in. She could barely make out Caden’s silhouette behind the frosted glass of the walk-in shower but stepped forward, anyway.

  The shower door opened slightly and Caden’s face appeared, droplets of water clinging to his skin. “You don’t take direction well, do you?” he asked, his voice rumbly but laced with humor.

  She shook her head. “I really don’t want to be alone right now.” She continued moving toward him, pushing open the door and walking into the shower. Her eyes drifted shut as the heat and scent of his shampoo surrounded her. “Don’t mind me,” she whispered. “You won’t even know I’m here.”

  He gave a low chuckle and smoothed her wet hair away from her face. “Did you think about getting undressed first?”

  “I’m done thinking for the day,” she answered, earning another soft laugh.

  “Works for me,” he said, and she felt his fingers begin to undo the buttons of her soaking wet blouse. She dropped her head and watched his hands, big against the tiny buttons. The shirt clung to her body and she sucked in a breath when he peeled it off her shoulders.

  He bent and unfastened her jeans, pushing them down over her hips and lower on her legs. She stepped out of them and felt a rush of cool air as he deposited both garments on the bathroom floor. He slid his palms up her calves, his calloused fingertips tickling the backs of her knees.

  She felt him press an openmouthed kiss to her inner thigh. Heat shot through her body at the intimate caress. He straightened and cupped her cheeks in his hands.

  “Look at me, Lucy,” he commanded, and she opened her eyes. “This doesn’t have to go anywhere right now
.”

  “You’re naked,” she told him.

  “I’m aware.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “But you’ve had a hell of a day. I get that you don’t want to be alone, but I also understand that doesn’t mean—”

  “It does mean something,” she argued and leaned in to lick the base of his throat.

  His groan heated all the cold places inside her as much as the hot water. He wrapped his arms around her and undid her bra with one deft movement. She let the straps fall down her arms and the bra to drop the floor, then hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties and pushed them over her hips.

  “That’s better,” she whispered with a saucy smile.

  “Much,” he agreed and lifted his hands to cup her breasts. She whimpered when his thumbs grazed over her nipples. He bent his head to cover one tight peak, and she might have melted to a puddle on the shower floor if he hadn’t been holding an arm around her waist.

  As his attention switched to the other breast, Lucy threaded her fingers through his wet hair. Then he moved lower, kneeling in front of her, and sparks lit up her body like she was a firework on the Fourth of July.

  Her back pressed to the cool tile as his mouth worked its magic. And when pleasure exploded through her, she cried out his name. She felt her knees start to give way again as the last bits of pleasure pulsed through her.

  “Stay with me,” Caden said, flattening his open hand on her belly as if to hold her up while he turned off the water.

  Oh, she was with him. Too far gone to let go now.

  He stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her, not bothering to cover himself, much to Lucy’s delight. His body was perfection from head to toe and everywhere in between. He scooped her into his arms, edging around the doorway so she didn’t bump her head.

  She scraped her fingers gently along his chest, then touched one flat nipple with the tip of her tongue. He sucked in a breath and stumbled a step.