by Elsa Nickle
There wasn’t time for anger or grudges now, only brothers working together.
Ethan peeled off his sweater and tossed it to Dillon who then ran back into the kitchen and threw it in the house. “Dillon, get me the chain. Preston, get a bucket of water and lubricant.” Ethan followed the braying until he came to the heavily pregnant cow. She was still out by the abandoned shack, but now she was lying in the gravel, surrounded by sagebrush.
The cow cried out in pain over and over again, her head lulling, tail smacking the ground. Landon rubbed the mom’s nose, trying to comfort the creature with soothing words and a low, calm tone. Landon cared about his cattle. Even as angry as he was about the wedding, Ethan had to grant him that.
Landon turned to Ethan. “What are her chances of pulling through, Doc?”
“Let’s see.” Ethan pulled on the long rubber gloves. He knew at least one of the calves was alive, he could feel the movement. But the longer the delivery took, the more likely it was he would lose them both and possibly even the mom.
He hooked the first calf up to the chain and had Jax and Dillon pull while Ethan helped the mama cow. She got up and down, pushed and then rested. The mama cow looked exhausted, a sheen of sweat on her coat, but they kept urging her despite the pain. The cycle continued for at least a half an hour until finally she was ready to deliver.
The next few minutes were spent in a brutal tug of war, the mama crying in pain, and Ethan doing everything he could to make sure the calves made it out alive by consistently allowing the calf some relief from pressure as his brothers continued to pull.
The first one emerged, free and breathing, but Ethan couldn’t relax, not just yet. One more to go, and it looked like this one was trying to come out backward. That was never a good sign. One minute too late and the calf would be as good as gone. He clenched his fists briefly, took a deep breath, and then went to work. Once the calf’s rump was out, Ethan and his brothers worked hard to get him fully free before the umbilical cord broke or was pinched off. A few more minutes of wrestling, pulling, and cursing and the other calf came out.
Ethan wiped the calf’s head clean with an old towel. It wasn’t breathing. He rushed to clear the fluid from its nose. Still nothing. The calf had become exhausted from too much pressure for too long in the birth canal.
He grabbed a piece of dry grass beside the calf and tickled the inside of its nose, trying to make the calf cough and take its first breath. Nothing. He propped him up and rubbed him briskly with the towel, trying to stimulate circulation.
The limp, unconscious calf’s heart hammered so loudly, Ethan could hear it without his stethoscope as its little body struggled desperately to survive without oxygen. If the calf didn’t start breathing soon, the heartbeat would become weaker, slower, and then stop altogether.
“Come on,” Ethan told the animal. “Your brother needs you, little guy. He can’t do this on his own.”
Ethan laid the calf on his side and covered one nostril tightly with his hand, holding the calf’s mouth shut while he gently blew a full breath into the other nostril, forcing air into the windpipe and lungs and then letting them empty. He blew again and again until finally he saw the baby’s chest rise. Only when the calf started breathing on its own did Ethan finally sit back and take a deep breath himself. Every muscle in his body ached.
He’d done it. The mama cow and her calves were healthy and safe.
The ordeal had left him weak but awake. Euphoric. He was wiping his hands on the old towel when Jax and Dillon came over to him and clapped him on the back.
“Great job, Ethan.” Dillon took a seat in the dirt next to him. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
Jaxon came over to squat beside them. “Good thing you saved the second twin. Those are always the best ones.”
Dillon shoved him. “Shut up.”
Ethan ignored their jostling. “Well, having good help makes all the difference.” He wiped between his fingers with the now dirty rag.
Landon came over and stood by them, hands loosely on his hips as he watched the cow and her babies. “That ended a lot better than I expected.” He turned to look at Ethan. “You did a fine job of it, Ethan. I, uh …” His glance dropped, and he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.” He took a seat, his elbows on top of his knees. “You know, when Mom and Dad …” He cleared his throat again. “After they … passed, I was young and dumb, and I just had too much on my plate.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Jax interrupted. “I don’t remember exactly how old Preston was, but man that kid was a little sh—”
“Jax,” Landon warned.
“Well, I think he was almost a teenager,” Jaxon amended, “and they don’t call those years torture for nothing. And then there I was, trying to figure out how to be a single father, which meant you had to figure it out right along with me.”
Landon shifted. “The midnight feedings were the worst. I swear Audrey never slept.”
Dillon leaned back on his hands. “And then don’t forget about all the acres of land and cattle you had to keep up with. I was in college so I was only helping out on weekends.”
Landon nodded. “I think I could have done it all if it hadn’t been for the grief of losing them.”
“What do you mean?” Jax asked. “You did do it all.”
Landon shrugged off the comment as though he thought he should have done a better job. “I tried, but well, all that doesn’t matter now. All I wanted to say, Ethan, was that I managed to find happiness when I found Kitty. And boy, did I cling to it.” He smiled, and Ethan recognized it as a smile of a man in love. “Maybe I acted a little rash by eloping, but can you blame me? I’d lost so much already. I couldn’t risk losing her. I thought keeping the truth from you was for the best. We needed to have another wedding for Kitty’s family anyway, I didn’t see the harm in pretending, which now I see was not exactly the smartest move on my part. I guess we’ve all been too hard on you.” There was a silence that followed his words, a kind of reverence that comes after an apology. Ethan continued to wipe his fingers off with the dirty rag, unsure of where to look.
Landon nodded toward Jax and Dillon in an expectant way.
Jax spoke up. “I, too, need to apologize. I’m sorry for stealing your Tony the Tiger when you were ten.”
Dillon grunted. “You did that? Everyone blamed it on me.”
“That’s why I’m apologizing,” Jax said. “Oh, and you know that fancy electric toothbrush Mom bought you? Yeah, it turns out it makes one mighty fine toilet brush.”
Ethan smiled and threw the dirty rag at Jax. “You used my toothbrush?”
Jaxon batted away the rag, laughing. “You were sixteen and being a jerk.”
Ethan rubbed his forehead. “Younger brothers are the worst.”
“Oh, and one more thing …” Jax said.
Ethan raised his eyebrows. “Just one?”
“For now.” Jaxon grinned and slapped his brother on the back. “As far as Landon getting hitched, well, he didn’t invite me either.”
Ethan turned to Landon, confused. Landon nodded. “He pretty much crashed my first wedding.”
Jaxon waved away Landon’s words. “You know that Landon can’t keep a secret. I caught him sneaking out to elope, called him out on it, and then kinda, sorta invited myself and everyone else who happened to be at the house to go along.”
Landon gave a sort of half-shrug in agreement.
“It wasn’t that we didn’t want you there,” Jax continued. “We just didn’t have time to get you to Arizona. It all happened so fast. And besides, I’m sure Landon would’ve traded you for me. I don’t think he fully appreciated all my tips for the wedding night. Probably didn’t help that I said them right in front of Kitty, but I mean, hey, I am the one who taught her how to kiss.”
That was news. Apparently Ethan had missed more than he’d thought while he was in California.
“You taught Kitty how to kiss?” Ethan shook his head. “Never m
ind. You could have told me you got married right after. You could have even called or used Facetime, anything.”
“Honestly? It all happened so fast. None of us were really thinking.” Dillon leaned forward.
“Of me.” Ethan added the unspoken words. “None of you were really thinking of me. You missed my graduation. You didn’t even tell me you were dating anyone, let alone that you got married.”
“I hate to say it, but that’s the price you paid by moving away,” Landon said. “You know life on the ranch is busy. You know we can’t control calving season and then there’s the day to day chores like fixing the fencing and machinery and keeping track of the grain and the bookkeeping. Just like you couldn’t leave what you were doing, we couldn’t leave either.”
Ethan had to admit they had a point. Why had he expected them to drop everything they were doing when he hadn’t? “But I would’ve come, no matter what. I would have figured out a way.”
“I’m sorry, truly.” Landon ducked his head.
“Still mad?” Dillon asked.
The strange thing was, Ethan wasn’t upset any more. Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline, or maybe it was the realization that when push came to shove, the lot of them had all worked together seamlessly to save those calves. Mom always reminded them that they were better together than working against each other.
“Um, you’re forgiven, I guess,” Ethan said. “Well, for everything but the toothbrush. Did you seriously use it to clean the toilet?”
Jaxon wiggled his eyebrows in response, and they all laughed, instantly breaking any remaining tension.
“All right, boys,” Ethan said, getting up to go closer to the calves. “Bring it on in. Time to document this momentous occasion.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and held it up. “Ready? Smile.”
Everybody gathered around, the calves in the background, and gave their cheesiest grins while Ethan snapped a picture of a new chapter in their lives.
The next morning, Ethan made his way back out to the barn to check on the cow and her babies. The air wasn’t quite as crisp as it had been when Ethan first arrived a couple weeks ago. As soon as he walked into the barn, he pulled off his sweater and threw it over one of the stall doors.
“Come here now, Mama. Let’s take a look at you.” He went over to the cow who was lying in a bed of hay and gave her neck a pat.
Earlier that morning, he’d discovered she had a bit of milk fever. Not a big deal. He just had to wait for Landon to get back from the specialty store with the calcium drench. The stables were peaceful. Quiet, except for the soft sounds of horses huffing and Laurel’s little gray kitten peeking its head in to see if there was any milk. The scent of straw made him feel homesick. The truth was, he missed it all. The farm animals and cows, the desert, putting in a hard day’s work. It was good for the soul.
“Here you go, Doc.” Ethan turned to see Landon striding toward him, jug of liquid calcium in hand. He swung the bottle toward Ethan, who caught it.
“Thanks,” Ethan said.
Landon sat on his heels next to Ethan, observing the cow. “Would you mind helping us interview for a new head vet? We’ll be needing one as soon as you take off.”
Ethan was surprised to feel the sting of jealousy. Just when he was starting to feel at home, some stranger was going to come in and take his place? It didn’t sit right.
“Unless …” Landon began.
Ethan looked up to meet his brother’s assessing, cautious, and questioning gaze. “Unless what?”
“Well, you did work wonders with this here cow. You’re good at what you do, Ethan. We could use you around here. I mean, we’re already paying someone’s wage, might as well be you.”
Ethan paused. It was such a simple answer, one that had been hidden by the guilt and anger he had felt toward his brothers. But now that the dirty laundry had been aired, the answer was obvious. He could work on the ranch part-time and use that money to run his charity clinic in town.
For the first time in years, Ethan felt hope. Hope that he could actually open up his charity clinic. Hope that he could mend his family. Hope that he could be with Laurel.
He’d have to give his partner in California notice, but that shouldn’t be too hard. There was the little problem of the payout. Then again, Jason had originally wanted to open the clinic by himself, he just didn’t have the start-up cost. Maybe Ethan would ask for his money back in installments. Or maybe he would lose that money. But, strangely enough, he didn’t care. The thought of finally putting his dreams into action was worth it. Ethan felt lighter, happier. Maybe it could all work out after all.
“All right, then.” Ethan grinned. “Let’s give this a shot.”
Later that day, Ethan sat on the edge of his childhood bed, holding his phone, the number of Jason up on the screen. All that hard work would all go down the drain as soon as he called Jason and told him he was out. And then there was the small issue of how he would react. Would the call end their friendship? And did it even matter if it did? It wasn’t as though they were close. But still, they’d been working so hard and the clinic was all but finished.
He scanned the room, trying to gather enough courage to hit the green call button. His gaze caught on the picture at the edge of his pine dresser. It was in a frame made of popsicle sticks, scribbled with green crayon. His mother’s favorite color. Inside the frame was a photograph of him at four years old, sitting on his mother’s lap. She was squeezing him tight, a giant smile lighting up her face as he had his head thrown back in laughter.
He remembered the night she had approached him, crumpled acceptance letter in hand.
“What’s this?” she had asked.
“Nothing.”
“Oh, son. I know why you threw it away.” She came closer, putting her hand on his arm. “It’s noble of you, but don’t throw away your dreams to chase your father’s. It’s your life. Follow your heart.” She had given him a kiss on the cheek then.
“I don’t know, Mom. Dad needs me here.”
“Oh, psh. We have four other boys. The ranch will survive. Promise me, sweetheart. Promise that you won’t let this dream go.”
Ethan hung his head, trying to remember how she smelled. The exact color of her eyes. She’d known what would make him truly happy, and she wouldn’t let him throw his happiness away. And now he and his brothers had figured out a way to stay together and pursue his dream. And right then, in that moment, he knew she was looking down on him, proud.
Chapter Fifteen
Standing outside the Art Gallery on Main Street was frying Laurel’s last nerve. Her shoulders were hitched as high as they could go, and her hands shook no matter how tightly she held the three canvases she’d chosen to show. Since her hands were busy, she had to tilt her head to get her curls out of her face.
She had an appointment this afternoon at the gallery Ethan had shown her in that text. The owner, Ralph Rosa, was searching for new, local artists to feature in his space. Bisbee was a small town, but she’d never seen this guy. Possibly because this was an old and established studio, and Laurel had always been scared of it. If she couldn’t sell at the farmer’s market before she went off to college, she couldn’t sell at an established studio like this. The memories of her failure were as fresh as if they had happened yesterday—that’s what had her knees knocking together.
Ethan thinks you can do this.
The cowboy of her dreams, Ethan Wyle, believed in her.
The thought calmed Laurel, at least a little. Her shoulders didn’t relax completely, but at least they stopped keeping her ears company. However, thinking about Ethan made her heart race for different reasons. And she couldn’t afford to get distracted right now remembering what a good kisser he was.
No, she had to keep her head clear.
Okay, maybe one last mental picture.
She shook her head like an etch-a-sketch. Art. She had to think about selling her art.
If she got her pieces into this gallery, she cou
ld prove to her mom and to everyone who ever doubted Laurel that she could do this. And most importantly, she could prove to herself that she was good enough. She was tired of the constant self-doubt. It was time to find out what she was made of.
Of course, she knew that this was just a local shop. Small potatoes, but it was a stepping stone. If she managed to sell things here, maybe she could make the money she needed to pay her mom back for the tuition she wasted for a degree she never received. Laurel knew it wasn’t necessary, but it would feel really good. She had been avoiding her mom, even last night when her mom was waiting up for Laurel to get home. Laurel had basically stolen the car to get here—and telling her mom about getting into a gallery would be a great way to break the ice.
Laurel took a deep breath and leaned against the door. Her entrance was a bit awkward, but how else do you get into a shop while holding three huge canvases?
Once inside, she took time to find her bearings. Laurel had visited every gallery in Bisbee, but she hadn’t ventured into this one in a while. It wasn’t large, maybe double the size of the empty store she had been using for a studio. But this space was clean and well lit, and the art on the walls did not look out of her league. The paintings closest to her had funky color pairings and a standard southwestern style. Laurel’s shoulders relaxed a bit more. Other people were taking risks like her, and it paid off for them. Their aesthetic was different from hers, but maybe that would work in her favor.
An old man with thin, white hair and the kindest smile sat behind a small, wooden podium. “May I help you, miss?”
Laurel’s confidence rose in degrees at his welcoming expression. “Are you Ralph Rosa?”
“That I am. You must be the artist I’m expecting.”
She shifted her paintings precariously to her left arm so that she could shake with her right. “Yes, Laurel Mills.”