“Not thirsty, Buddy?” Her voice came out soft, low, and coaxing.
Ian didn’t know about the dog, but if she’d brought him a glass of water he would’ve certainly drank his fill. Much like the dog, he kept his eyes on Kelly’s every movement as well.
Without moving his head, the dog shifted his gaze from Kelly to the water and back again. Slowly, he lifted his head and shifting his weight, inched closer to the bowl.
Kelly’s face lit with delight as the puppy took one and then two quick laps of water.
“You have a beautiful smile.” The words slipped from Ian’s lips before he could think.
A lovely shade of pink tinged Kelly’s cheeks at the same time her mouth fell slightly open before snapping tightly shut. “You don’t have to say that.”
“No, I don’t. I shouldn’t have just blurted that out, but it’s the truth.”
It took her too long to toss back a thank you. This Brett had really done a number on her. He wished he had enough time to convince her he’d meant what he said. That he wasn’t being merely polite. Watching her cheeks still tinged with a hint of pink, and the appreciative smile that had taken over her face as she watched the dog drink and nibble on a few treats, he wished he had a hell of a lot more time.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“I know cattle aren’t the same as sheep, but something’s not right here.”
This time he couldn’t argue with his brother. None of the other calves stood with their backs humped and their heads down ,and he was pretty sure this one had a runny nose too. They definitely needed a professional. The only problem being they couldn’t very well ask any of the ranchers, nor could they waltz into the veterinary clinic with the sick stolen calf and ask for medical attention.
“Do you suppose we need to separate him from the other cows? That whatever has him off is contagious?”
Oh for land’s sake how the hell was he supposed to know that? Since they’d begun appropriating calves one by one over the last few months these animals had been pretty maintenance free. Water, grass, a little shade, and they were happy as clams. None of them, especially the ones they’d taken early on, were by any means small or easily transportable. Weaned calves started weighing in at over 400 pounds and this one weighed a hell of a lot more than that.
How the heck were they supposed to move this bad boy away from the other cows and keep him away? Getting cattle to do something they didn’t want to do wasn’t like offering a treat to a trained seal. Even more importantly, who the heck could they get to take a look at the animal and tell them what kind of treatment he needed without getting them in trouble for having the cattle here in the first place.
“You’re doing that thinking thing again. I really do wish you’d think a little less and come up with ideas a little more.” His brother looked left then right, scanning the depths of the grazing land before his gaze settled at the foot of the road. “Think we can use that to transport him to the vet?”
“We can’t take him to the vet. How are we going to explain having a sick calf?” To boot, one standing in the open for all to see as they drove through town. So not a good idea.
Using one finger, his brother scratched the back of his head. “I suppose you do have a point”
Of course he did. Except he needed more than a point. He needed a plan.
****
Sunday supper at Uncle Sean and Aunt Eileen’s was basically the same as supper at Ian’s parents only on steroids. With more than twice as many children as his mom and dad had, and all of those children married or almost married, and grandchildren in the mix, the house was almost bursting at the seams.
“Here you go. Set this on the table.” Aunt Eileen handed him a bowl of garlic parmesan mashed potatoes.
“Oh, you’ll need this.” His cousin Adam’s wife Meg shoved a large serving spoon into the bowl.
“Oh,” his cousin Connor’s wife Catherine shoved a handful of napkins at his chest, “take these too, please.”
“Sure.” Ian nodded, pressing the napkins between his chin and chest.
Beside him his cousin DJ appeared with a salad bowl the size of a small watering tub for cattle. “Just got off the phone with Esther. Sheriff next county over called. Rancher’s sons were camping out near a pasture and called him about seeing a strange truck. Rancher got there as they were done loading up.”
“They’ve got them?”
“One of them. Last guy didn’t make it into the truck before the rancher pointed a double barrel at his face.”
Ian chuckled softly and set the bowl on the table, stepping back out of the crowd of relatives scurrying about with food and silverware and drinks, laughing and chatting and teasing as they squeezed by. He was Texas born and bred where guns were sacred. Some days he really hated what guns did when they fell into the wrong hands, but he’d take a sharp shooting rancher having his back any day of the week, and like now, twice on Sundays. “Think they’re our guys?”
“Hard to tell yet.” DJ shifted to one side out of the traffic flow.
“Oh dang!” a female voice cried from the kitchen, smothered in a crashing sound.
Another voice shouted, “Cold water” while another called, “I’ll get the ice.”
Allison, the other doctor in the family, slammed a gravy boat on the table, spun in place and now holding her baby niece firmly in two hands, shoved her at Ian. “I need to see what the heck just happened.”
This Uncle Ian thing was new to him, and clearly the rest of the Uncles must have been better trained because Allison turned around and tore off toward the kitchen with complete confidence that Ian had a firm grip on his niece Brittany. Only his ranger reflexes had him quickly recovering from the five second bobble that, thank heaven, his niece thought was a fun game and giggled.
Holding her high up in the air and swishing her left and right like a tiny airplane, he kept his eye on her sweet smiles. “Yet?”
DJ shrugged. “They had a large truck.”
“That could fit.” Ian got a bit more brazen and tossed Brittany a couple of inches higher, grinning almost as wide as his niece.
“Yeah, but the truck was loaded with grown cattle ready for market.”
Ian sighed and shifted to swirling Brittany at arms length, left than right. “Could be they’re done practicing and upgrading to the real plan.”
“Thought crossed my mind.” DJ got in on the fun and pretended to grab for Brittany’s nose every time she came near him. “Sheriff’s going to get back with me after he’s got some more info from the guy.”
“If he gets more info from him.”
“Probably will. Says the guy’s pretty young and scared at being caught. Right now he’s sitting in a cell getting more scared by the minute.”
“That’ll work if he doesn’t lawyer up.” Now Ian was shoving Brittany up in the air and pulling her down to blow air on her tummy. “This baby thing is pretty fun.”
DJ laughed and nodded. “Especially for us uncles who are spared diaper duty.”
“Okay.” Allison reappeared and Brittany threw herself at the woman who was raising her. Hefting the little girl onto one hip, Allison looked up at the two men. “Grace dropped the baked sweet potatoes on the floor and they splashed on her foot and hand. Doesn’t matter what it is, heated to over 200 degrees anything will burn.”
DJ looked over her shoulder into the kitchen. “She okay?”
“Yeah. The ladies had it covered. Stuck her hand under the faucet and put ice on the foot.”
“Guess it would have been hard shoving the foot under the faucet.” Still enchanted with his niece, Ian continued to play with her, poking his finger at her tummy.
Allison swallowed a laugh. “Honestly, I wouldn’t have put it past them to lift her up and stuff her in the sink if they had to.”
The last of the hot food out, the remainder of the family gathered around the table. Allison walked away to place Brittany in her high chair and Ian followed behind, understanding at least a l
ittle better why his friends practically glowed when they had children. For the first time he felt like by not dating seriously, not having a family plan on his radar, he might be missing out on more than he’d admitted.
Taking his seat, he looked at the smiling faces, the couples holding hands, the love and adoration in respectful gazes and wondered how Kelly was holding up alone with her grandfather and great uncle. Maybe after supper he’d pop over. After all, he had every good reason to check up on Buddy. And maybe if he could keep a straight face she’d believe that when he showed up later on her doorstep.
****
“I forgot how much I enjoy the beach.” Kelly’s mom sighed into the phone. Houston was only a short drive to the Galveston coast. “There’s nothing that compares with the sand between your toes, the gulls squawking as they swoop in and out of the water, and the setting sun sparkling on the waves.”
“I’m glad you’re having a good time. You coming home today?”
“Well…” the lagging silence said more than if her mom had spoken. “Marilyn has to go to Charleston next.”
Even before her mother finished the last syllable, Kelly knew what was coming. Her mom was off for an extended adventure and Kelly would be in charge of her grandfather for a little longer. “How long?”
“Just a week.”
“A week?”
“Is that too long? Is Pops giving you trouble? If they’ve gotten into more—”
“No. They’re fine.” Actually, they’d been rather easy maintenance. During the day they’d gone into town to play cards with friends, and had kept their promise to stay away from cooking until she got home. Maybe she’d been stressing over nothing and another week wouldn’t be a problem. She resisted the urge to sing liar, liar pants on fire. She was only kidding herself. Every evening she came home praying she wouldn’t find her grandfather in the midst of chaos or the house in ashes, but good, bad, or ugly, one more week wasn’t going to kill her. “You deserve a nice vacation. Enjoy hanging out with Marilyn.”
Five days post surgery, Buddy had way more energy than was probably good for him. He’d trotted to the kitchen door and back to Kelly a couple of times since she sat to chat with her mom. Now his tail was wagging a mile a minute and he was furtively bouncing from door to table and back.
“What about you, dear? Anything interesting happening?”
Interesting was her mother’s code for new man in her life. Kelly hadn’t seen the need to tell her mother that she’d sworn off men at least for now. And she sure as heck wasn’t going to mention the only man to spark her interest since kicking Brett to the door months ago was a Farraday. “Just working hard.”
“And the puppy?”
The little guy was now spinning in circles by the back door. Kelly really wished she could just open the door and let him out to run, but Adam had said no serious exercise for at least a week. So, Buddy had been confined to short walks up and down the block on a leash. “Just a few more days, fella.”
“Excuse me?”
“Not you, Mom. The dog. He’s just champing at the bit to get out into the yard and run around. Probably wants to chase the chickens.”
“Or herd them.” Her mom laughed. “How’s Pops getting along with him?”
“How does Peanut Butter like Jelly?”
“Thought so. It’ll be good for him to have a new project.”
“Yeah. This will probably be the best thing…” A flash of red and white caught the corner of her eye. They didn’t have any red chickens. Pushing away from the table she crossed the room and stood by the window, then blinked twice before she believed her eyes. “Holy mother of …. Mom, you go have fun. I need to take care of a few things here.”
She didn’t even wait for her mother to say goodbye before tossing her phone onto the counter and taking another look out the window, just in case she was hallucinating. No such luck. So much for Pops staying out of trouble.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Will you slow down!” Herbert shouted to his brother.
“It’s a bloody golf cart,” Ralph called over his shoulder. “How fast do you think I can go?”
“Faster than the cow. Slow down.”
“I thought the idea was to get him in the garage as fast as we can so the neighbors don’t see him.”
“Yeah, but if the animal drops from exhaustion or disease first, he’s going to be hard as hell to hide. Take it easy.” Herbert and his brother had spent the better part of the morning dealing with isolating the sick calf. Once they’d stopped arguing with each other as to whether or not the calf was contagious, and after they’d agreed it was best to keep him closer to home, the next debate had been how to accomplish moving him.
They’d already mastered putting them in a head catch to get halters on them, so that part of the day had gone well enough, but this time they hadn’t rented a truck. Besides, on a Sunday renting any car within reasonable driving distance was not an option.
Ralph sputtered to a halt.
“Why’d you stop?”
“Ask the cow.”
“What?” Herbert had been following at the rear of the calf for the last hour. They’d come the back way, far enough behind all the development of the town so that no one would see them. The biggest risk had been coming in the short distance to the backyard.
“I’m stepping on the gas but I’m not going anywhere. Ask junior back there what happened.” Herbert carefully circled the animal, giving it a wide berth to avoid being accidentally kicked or stomped. “Come on. Time to get going.” Herbert tsked at the animal the way he would a horse. Big cow eyes looked up at him. “Don’t give me that dirty look. We got a few more feet to go to the garage. Let’s move it.” Herbert slapped the calf’s rump the way he might do to a horse. The problem at hand was that a horse would gallop off, this animal just kept staring at him.
“Well?” Ralph asked.
“Well nothing. He doesn’t want to move.”
“Where did you put that red sweater?”
Herbert refrained from rolling his eyes and praying to the heavens for a miraculously more astute brother. “I left it in the car. It isn’t going to help any more now than it did back at the golf course. Waving your sweater in the cow’s face isn’t gonna make him move. He’s not a grown bull and this is not Pamplona.”
“Pam who?”
This time Herbert looked up to the sky, sucked in a deep breath, and turned to the cow, lowering his voice. “It’s only a few more feet. Couldn’t you just move forward for me?”
He’d swear on his ancestors’ grave the cow smacked his lips and shook his head. Then again maybe he’d simply spent too much time in the sun.
****
Kelly couldn’t run fast enough. As much as she’d love to believe she was hallucinating, as clear as the nose on her face, strolling across the backyard like a rat after the Pied Piper was Pops, following behind Uncle Ralph riding a golf cart with a cow tied to the back end.
“Oh dear Lord,” she practically screeched as she bolted from the house, the screen door slamming shut behind her. Buddy came happily prancing after her and Kelly didn’t take the time to stop him. Her grandfather was now hovering over the stocky animal. What the hell was he doing with a cow? Weren’t the colorful assortment of chickens they kept enough of a menagerie?
The startled look on her grandfather’s face at the sight of her quickly shifted to calm and relaxed. The man straightened in place and stared at her with a bright smile as though hanging around the backyard with a cow was a perfectly normal thing for them. “Kelly dear, we thought you were going to be having Sunday supper with Becky and Grace at the Farraday’s.”
“I didn’t want to leave Buddy.” Truthfully, she didn’t want to leave her grandfather and clearly she’d been right. Now she stood at a complete loss for what to say next. Well, except for the obvious. “Why is there a cow in our backyard?”
“Oh,” her grandfather cast a furtive glance at his brother, then the cow, and then back
to her, “well, um, he ah…”
“Is feeling poorly,” Uncle Ralph said.
The cow appeared rooted in place with a runny nose. “I can see that.”
“You know something about sick cows?” Her grandfather’s face lit with interest.
Years working with Adam she’d learned enough about dogs, cats, and cows, to occasionally be helpful, though in this case, any moron could tell the cow’s nose was runny.
“We got him this far,” Pops said, “and now he won’t move.”
Stepping close enough to the animal to grab its tail and twist it, Kelly gave a small shove. Usually that would be enough to make a cow move, but if the animal doesn’t feel well, getting it to budge even a little could prove to be a battle of wills. “Whose cow is it, and where are you taking it?”
“Um,” her Pops muttered again. “A… uh…friend of ours is getting into the er… cattle business…”
“Yes,” Uncle Ralph nodded with a bit more enthusiasm than the response warranted. “That’s it. A friend, and he wanted to separate this calf from the rest of the herd until he could get to a vet—”
“Right,” Pops smiled, “and we suggested he keep it in our garage until then.” The grin on her grandfather’s face broadened to the point that anyone watching would think he’d just been nominated for a Nobel prize.
Something simply did not make sense. She only hoped her grandfather hadn’t gone and bought a damn cow with some crazy notion of starting a cattle business and now planned to hide a herd in their two-car garage. Shaking her head, she stepped back. “Let me go inside and get an empty water bottle. At the Farradays I’ve seen them shake a plastic bottle filled with rocks at a cow. Sick or healthy that always seemed to make them move. I’ll be right back.”
Front end low to the ground, butt in the air, surgical cone dragging on the ground, Buddy kept careful watch on the lone cow.
“Come on, Buddy.” Kelly snapped her fingers low to her side. “Come with me.”
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