by K. C. Crowne
I nodded in affirmation, overwhelmed by everything. But Wyatt didn’t have anything else to say. He went behind Juniper and began doing whatever he needed to do. Juniper’s dark eyes were wide, snorts and whines coming from her. My hands shaking slightly, I placed the brush in her mane and began stroking. My other hand went to the top of her head and I patted her.
“Easy, girl,” I murmured. “Everything’s gonna be alright. Wyatt’s got you, and you’re about to be a mama. Aren’t you excited to meet your little one? I bet you are.”
Juniper still seemed stressed, and I worried I wasn’t doing her any good. But I kept on brushing and petting and murmuring, hoping I was helping a least a little.
“I know it’s scary. But you don’t need to worry. That guy back there’s the best vet in the city and he’s gonna take good care of you. And I’m here, too. We’re friends now, right? Yeah, we are.”
I couldn’t believe it, but Juniper actually seemed to be calming down. Her snorts became less frequent, and her eyes appeared less panicked.
“Right,” I continued. “We’re good buds. And when you’re a mama I’m gonna come out here and check on you all the time, make sure you’ve got everything you need.”
I had no idea how true that was. Sure, I wanted to, but for all I knew I’d be leaving the ranch in the next day or two. But I had more important things to worry about at that moment.
“Alright!” Wyatt announced. “Any second now!”
My hands continued to pet the scared horse, soothingly. As I did, I glanced at Wyatt behind her. He was wearing a big pair of rubber gloves, an expression of total focus and concentration on his face.
“We’ve almost got the foal,” he grunted. “Just keep doin’ what you’re doin’.”
I nodded, my hand never ceasing. Juniper looked to be in pain, and it killed me. “Almost there, girl,” I said. “Stay strong, alright? Stay strong for the baby.”
It felt strange to be talking like that. I didn’t have my complete memory, but I knew I didn’t have any kids. But talking about babies seemed so…I couldn’t say. Natural? I put all that out of my head, focusing on Juniper. Minutes passed, and I hoped everything was ok with Wyatt.
“She’s coming!” he called out.
I hurried to Wyatt to offer help. The birthing was happening, Wyatt guiding the foal out of Juniper, the tiny, helpless creature emerging from its mother. The horse was fire-red, small and delicate.
“Atta girl!” Wyatt called out. “Almost there!”
I placed my hand on Juniper and petted her, my eyes fixed on the foal, who was completely birthed quickly. The animal’s fur was sheened with fluid, and though it was kind of disgusting, it was also beautiful. Part of me wanted to turn away, but more than that, I wanted to watch. It was fascinating to me, and I couldn’t take my eyes away even for a second.
Juniper let out a snort and turned immediately to tend to her baby. She licked and cleaned the newborn and helped nudge it to its feet so it could start to nurse. Wyatt made soothing sounds to both mother and baby throughout the process, and his behavior moved something inside me.
Tears formed in my eyes, and I quickly sniffled before wiping them away. Wyatt’s eyes flicked up to mine, and he appeared confused.
“You alright there?”
“I’m…alright. That was just…amazing.”
He smiled slightly, and I wondered what he was thinking. “Healthy little foal,” he said, looking down at the baby. “And look at that red coat.”
Juniper nuzzled the foal and made soft chuffing sounds as it stood and began to nurse. Mother and child –like nothing else in the world.
Wyatt pulled off the gloves and set them aside. I watched as Juniper got to know her new baby. The two of us stood together, neither saying a word. After ten minutes or so, I looked at Wyatt.
“Boy or girl?”
“Healthy baby boy,” he replied happily. “He’ll be walking and running on his own in an hour or so.”
“He’s beautiful.” My eyes tried to fill with tears again, but I blinked them away.
“You’re right about that. Got a name already too.”
I turned to him. “Is that right?”
He nodded. “Got the same color hair as you – that gorgeous auburn. Thinking ‘Red’ fits him nicely.”
I didn’t know what to say. Wyatt wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close.
I couldn’t have been happier.
Wyatt
“Can I touch him?”
“Go right ahead. But be careful – he’s still new to this whole ‘being in the world’ thing.”
I lifted my arm off Jess’s shoulders. She stepped closer to Juniper and Red, kneeling and placing her hand on the foal’s side.
“Look at you,” she gushed quietly so as not to spook the foal. “You’re so beautiful. You’re gonna make your mom so proud.”
The adrenaline from the birth process faded, and I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. Now that it was all over, I could appreciate what had happened and what I was seeing.
Jess was a natural. No doubt in my mind about it. She’d shown before that she knew how to handle the animals, how to be gentle and calming with them. But this was something else. She had the right touch with Red, knew just how to comfort the foal without startling him. And Juniper seemed to feel the same way. She didn’t seem bothered by Jess being close to her newborn. The two of them doted on Red, and the way Jess handled him was almost motherly.
Damn, it was a strange thought. I’d been falling for Jess. And it wasn’t only because of her beauty. She was tough but gentle, hard-headed but kind. She was the exact sort of woman needed to live a life like mine.
The thoughts were hard to wrap my mind around. Understanding a woman to be gorgeous was one thing; getting to know her more and more and realizing that she was exactly what I’d been looking for was a whole other thing.
Jess turned to me, beaming. “What happens now?”
I put my hand on my hip and leaned against one of the barn support beams. “Big difference between humans and other animals. We come out early, you know.”
“That right?”
“Yep. Human babies are helpless when they’re born – can’t do a thing without their mamas. That’s because even though babies ought to stay in the womb for a few months longer, if they did, they’d get too big to come out. Evolutionary tradeoff.”
“Interesting,” she commented, still petting Red.
“But other animals, like horses, aren’t like that at all. You see how Red’s already got his head up?”
“I do.”
“With foals, a lot happens over a couple of hours. Red’ll be walking around without any of his mama’s help.”
“Wow,” Jess said. “So he’ll be on his own soon?”
“Not quite on his own – Mama will still need to be there for him. But he’ll be a hell of a lot more independent than a human baby.”
“That’s incredible.” She grinned. “So how long before we can take him for a ride?”
I chuckled at her joke. “Still a while yet. But man, I can’t wait. Red’s looking healthy as hell, and I’ve got no doubts he’ll be one of the finest animals Rainbow Canyon’s ever seen.”
She smiled brilliantly at me before turning her attention back to Red and Juniper. As she tended to the foal, something came to mind, a memory, and not a good one, of when I’d brought Amy to the ranch for the first time.
I’d still been under the impression that she wanted to be a part of the veterinary world and figured she’d be a help around the ranch. So I put her to work as my unofficial assistant. The first day we made the rounds, checking on the animals and making sure all was good.
At first, everything had been fine. Amy was willing to help, though I remember her being more interested by the prospect of drinks in front of the fire rather than tending to the animals. I’d figured she was exhausted, still getting used to her new home. But when it had come time to help one of the cows give
birth, I realized something else. Birthing’s tricky, but it happens all the time – should be one of those things any vet can handle. I assumed Amy would know her way around the situation.
But that wasn’t the case at all. I’d asked for her help, but she didn’t want any part of it. She’d acted squeamish, put off by the messiness of birth. And more than that, she seemed not to have any idea of how to help or what to do.
I could forgive that, but it was how she reacted to the whole process, like she couldn’t have been any more disgusted, annoyed even, that I couldn’t quite get over. She had been a total contrast to Jess, who appeared to love it. That day with Amy, my opinion of her changed for good. Same thing was happening with Jess at that moment, but in a better way.
Jess would’ve been satisfied to spend all day in the barn with Juniper and Red. But we needed to get moving.
“Alright,” I announced. “It’s time for mama and baby to have some privacy.”
Jess turned to me. “Is there anything else we can do for them?”
“Nah,” I said, waving a hand at the pair, who were doing exactly what Mother Nature expected them to. “Red’s healthy, and Juniper handled it like a champ. They need bonding time. We can come check on them later during the day, make sure everything’s good.”
Jess gave Red one more pat before getting up. “Thanks for letting me be a part of that.”
I nodded at her, my eyes trapped in hers. “You were a help. Happy you were here to pitch in.” My stomach growled, my meal skipping catching up with me. She giggled at the loud, angry sound, and I smirked. “Let’s go back to the house and get some chow.”
“Sounds good,” she said with a smile.
As we walked to the house, neither of us spoke. The beauty of the birth was still on my mind, and I was sure her mind was on the same thing. The kitchen was empty when we arrived, put Mama G had made sure to set aside a couple plates of eggs and hash browns for the two of us, along with some coffee. The two of us washed our hands at the sink before collecting our food.
I dropped into my seat and dug in. Jess did the same, and as always, I loved to see a woman who liked to eat. When I’d plowed through half my eggs and potatoes and washed them down with some delicious coffee, I sat back and folded my hands over my stomach.
Jess was still into her meal, and the events of the last hour continued to play over and over in my mind. I knew there was something special about her, but it began to dawn on me how intense that specialness was. Seeing her with Juniper and Red made me realize there weren’t just things to like about Jess – there were things to love.
She glanced up, a small smile on her face. “Penny for your thoughts?”
That was another thing – she was sharp, observant. I wasn’t the lying sort, but if I were, she’d sure as shit be able to see through me every time.
“Thinking about you and Red. It was good to see. You’ve got a real touch with those animals. Ever think you’re in the wrong line of work?”
She took a sip of her coffee and smiled. “I’d have to know what line of work I’m in to answer that. Maybe I work with animals?”
“Could be.”
“Maybe I came here to study under the great Wyatt Walker, learn everything there is to know.” Another coy, sexy grin.
“Stranger things have happened,” I acknowledged with an egotistical nod, winking at her.
I continued eating and polished the rest of it off. Seconds sounded good, but I needed to wash up after the birth – a rinse of my hands under the kitchen sink wasn’t going to cut it.
“So,” she began, “what’s goin’ on for the rest of the day?”
“Still plannin’ that out,” I told her. “But for now, you and I need to wash up. Thinkin’ after that we can swing by the stables and make sure all’s good with the happy family.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
We finished and put our plates in the sink, then headed up to our rooms. Neither of us said a word, but it was clear something had changed between us after the birth. And it was something good.
When we reached her room, we stopped at her door. She turned to me and said, “Okay, I’ll…see you in a little bit?”
“Sounds good to me.”
But neither of us moved. Our eyes lingered on one another’s. God, I wanted to kiss the hell out of the woman. The restraint I’d been exercising was being pushed to its limit. How much longer I’d be able to hold out, I just wasn’t sure.
Exercising some serious willpower, I reached past Jess. Her green eyes widened, and I could see she was thinking I might put my hand on her hip. But I didn’t. I turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.
“Get washed up,” I ordered quietly. “I’ll come check on you when I’m done.”
She smiled knowingly. She knew what I was thinking, and she wasn’t going to push. Without saying a word, she ducked into her room and shut the door behind her.
“Fucking hell,” I said quietly to myself. “Keep yourself in check, dammit.”
I hurried to my room and shut the door behind me. I was ready to shower, ready to take the time to get my mind right. I stripped out of my clothes, my cock half-hard between my legs. Always seemed to be semi-hard when Jess was close.
When I turned on the shower and stepped inside, I considered doing what I’d done before, spinning up a fantasy in my mind and letting off some steam. Not like thoughts of fucking her every which way from Sunday weren’t a constant in my mind.
You need to focus. Not like she’s gonna get any less sexy. Learn to live with it.
My inner voice was right. I couldn’t be masturbating every time I had a thought about Jess – shit wouldn’t get done around the damn ranch. Instead, as I showered, I went through my mental checklist for the day. Plenty to get done, as always, and I considered I might even be able to find a few things for Jess to do if she wanted.
I soaped my muscular body, the suds dripping down to my feet. When I was clean, I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my body before finding some clean clothes and dressing. I felt like a new man. But, sure as shit, as soon as I was ready to start the rest of my day, Jess appeared in my mind. I made my way to her room and prepared to knock on her door when I realized it was open a crack. Strange.
“Jess?”
No response. Most definitely she was fine, but the odd scene coupled with no response made my protective instinct flare up. I pushed the door open and entered the room. On the bed were the clothes Jess had been wearing, a matching black bra and panties piled on top. My cock twitched at the sight.
I moved further into the room. I spotted the bathroom door, that opened a crack too. “Jess?”
“In here!”
Alright, no funny business was going on. As I approached the bathroom, I heard the soft hiss of the shower. I pushed open the bathroom door and didn’t see her. But as I entered, I realized she was still in the shower. Through the foggy glass panels, I could see the outline of her perfect body. My cock went from half-hard to painful.
“Damn,” I stammered, preparing to step out and give her some privacy. “Didn’t know you were still in here.”
She said nothing. The shower turned off and the door opened slowly. And there she was. Jess was naked as the day she was born, her body glistening with water. However I’d imagined her to look naked, seeing her in person was even more glorious. Her breasts were full and round, her hips wide and soft, her legs like a damn dream.
On her face was a sly smile, like I’d been busted doing something she’d actually wanted me to do.
“Hey.”
My resistance dwindled. It’d been one thing to refrain when she was dressed, but with her body bare in front of me, every wire in my brain was short-circuiting. Before I could say or do anything, Jess walked slowly toward me, her breasts shifting with each footfall, her pink nipples crying out to be kissed.
“This isn’t a good idea,” I said, my tone firm. “And you know it.”
“Why can’t we just be bad onc
e, Wyatt?” she asked, her voice a sexy purr.
“We’ve already been bad,” I reminded her. “More than we ought to be.”
She didn’t stop moving toward me. Soon she was close enough that I could smell the fresh scent of her skin and make out the individual droplets of water on her body.
Fucking hell.
“Tell me what you wanna do to me,” she said, that sexy smile playing on her face. “I want to hear every last detail.”
Where the hell to begin? The shit I wanted to do to her would make a sailor blush.
“First thing,” I said, struggling to maintain my composure, “is I want to get you something to wear.”
She cocked her head to the side, her nose wrinkling cutely. “That’s really what you want?” Jess reached up and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “Maybe that’s what you think you should do, but I know it’s not what you want to do.”
She had me dead to rights. “Not a good idea.”
“Kiss me.”
Two words, two simple words that knocked down, no, destroyed the rest of my barriers. Her body was warm and soft against mine, her skin still wet. She looked up at me with those stunning green eyes and dragged her tongue over her plump lips.
Fuck. Screw resisting, I wanted her so badly it hurt.
“Bad fucking idea,” I countered one more time, but my voice was weak.
“Then let’s be bad together.”
I leaned in and kissed her deeply.
Jessica
The plan worked perfectly. Wyatt had been able to resist me before, but I had a feeling there was only so much restraint the man could have after finding me naked and wet from the shower.
But I wasn’t in the mood to internally gloat. At that moment, with Wyatt’s hands all over me, I wanted what I’d been catching glimpses of through that tight denim around his crotch.
He bolted to the bedroom door, closed it, and clicked the lock shut. When that was done, he turned his hungry eyes onto me.
“Come here,” I said. I was naked and still wet, and it was easy to see by the wolfish expression in his eyes that he had one thing on his mind.