Lexi stared at him. That wasn’t part of the deal. She was supposed to stay in Cancun with him until the New Year. His dark eyes were serious and understanding as they met hers. She bit at her lip to keep from crying again. It appeared the billionaire worker man had a heart.
“Thank you,” she mouthed.
He nodded and gave her a brief smile.
“That would be right nice,” her mom said, giving Callum an appreciative smile. “My girls home together and your fiancé.” She looked him over. “I must say this fiancé looks like he should be on a magazine cover, not in my living room. How’d you two meet?”
“I gotta go feed,” her dad interrupted. He turned on his heel like he was about to run.
Callum stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Could I come help, sir? I’d love to see your farm and operation.”
Her dad lifted his eyebrows and his eyes went over Callum’s well-fitted clothes and designer coat. “I’ll get you dirty.”
“I’ve been dirty before.” Callum locked gazes with her dad and didn’t back down. Lexi was semi-terrified where this standoff would end. Her dad took pride to a new level. Callum was classy and well-mannered, but he was also an ultra-successful businessman. She couldn’t imagine he lost … ever.
Her dad looked away first and grunted, “We’ll find you some boots.” Then he stormed through the kitchen to the mudroom.
Callum looked at Lexi. “Do you mind?”
She shrugged. “Your funeral.”
Callum smiled then and gave her a lift of his chin and a smoldering look with those dark eyes. He focused on her mom. “I’m happy you’re recovering so well, Mrs. Hall.”
“You can call me Andrea or Mom.” She got a sly look in her blue eyes.
Callum laughed easily. “Mama Hall okay?”
“Perfect.”
“I’m leaving,” Lexi’s dad called from the mudroom.
Callum lifted a hand in farewell and hurried after her dad. Lexi watched him go. When the door shut, she turned back to her mom.
“Whoo-ee, when you finally decide to pick a man, you do a good job, my beauty.”
Lexi laughed, but then she sighed. Did she tell her mom the truth? She didn’t know how she’d get through the next day and then coming back and staying after Christmas while lying to her mom and to Hannah. Her dad was acting weird and too prideful, but Lexi realized there were a lot of reasons he hadn’t told her mom the whole story. Upsetting someone as fragile as her mom was not a great idea. It was probably best to keep this secret between her, Callum, and her dad. After she and Callum broke up officially, she could tell her mom the entire story. Her mom would be stronger by then, physically and emotionally.
“Your daddy told me we’d gotten an anonymous donation to pay the medical bills and pay the farm off.” Lexi’s mom gave her a shrewd glance. “Your man was that donation. How wealthy is he?”
“He’s a billionaire,” Lexi squeaked out. “A few times over.”
Her mom’s eyes widened. Her mouth dropped open. She didn’t make a sound.
“Breathe.”
“I’m trying,” her mom gasped out. “You want to marry a billionaire?”
She nodded. “He’s a nice guy too.” It wasn’t a lie, but Lexi wanted a man who could give her at least a second glance on a five-hour flight. Callum was consumed with his work. It was interesting that he hadn’t brought his computer off the plane. She wondered how he’d survive the night.
“Well, I noticed that. You sit down and tell me all about him.” She tsked her tongue. “Still can’t believe you won’t be here for Christmas.”
“I know.”
“But it’s okay. Sacrifices must be made to marry a man as beautiful as that one.” She winked. “Let’s start at the beginning. How did you meet Mr. Perfect?”
Lexi was glad they’d decided to stick with the truth as she recounted the story of Callum almost hitting her with his motorcycle. The guilt stirred in her abdomen as she told her mom how they’d fallen in love quickly these past weeks, and how Callum had proposed last night and asked her to come to the wedding with him. She even made up a line about Callum telling her he couldn’t stand to be away from her for Christmas. Her mom’s eyes were shining, though, and she didn’t seem to see through the lies. She appeared completely smitten with Callum.
Her mom had a new kidney and was recovering. Because of Callum, her parents’ stress was much less, and they could afford not only the surgery but also the expensive medications that would’ve been completely beyond their reach. Their debt was gone and their stress level lowered.
A few lies and missing Christmas were worth that, right? Now if only Callum could survive feeding cows with her dad.
Chapter Ten
Callum slid into the rubber boots Judd thrust at him. They were tight, but he wasn’t about to complain. His phone rang in his pocket, and he pulled it out and silenced it. It was one of his lawyers. They could leave a voicemail.
“Here.” Her dad scowled at him and shoved a well-worn heavy tan coat into his hands. “You’ll ruin your fancy clothes.”
“Thanks.” Callum slid out of his coat and set it on the dryer. The coat was as heavy on his shoulders as it was in his arms. The inside was lined with a smooth material. He started sweating almost immediately. “It’s warm.”
“You’ll be glad in a minute.” Judd slapped some leather gloves into Callum’s palm, and then he threw the back door open and strode out.
Callum zipped up the coat—an extremely tight fit—tugged on the gloves, and followed. How bad could feeding the cows be? He wanted to break through Judd’s wall somehow.
The wind stung at his cheeks and made his eyes water, but soon they entered the shelter of the barn. The stench of manure almost made Callum wish he could go back into the wind—or, even better, the house with the ladies. He loved being around Lexi, and her mom seemed friendly and fun.
He stayed a step behind Lexi’s dad, who acted as if Callum wasn’t there. There were two possibilities: either this man hated him on sight, or Judd’s pride was ingrained enough that taking the money from Callum was tearing him up inside. Callum would bet on the latter, but he wasn’t a hundred percent.
Judd yanked a bale of hay off a large pile that stretched toward the tall barn ceiling. He dragged it with his healthy arm toward the cow’s troughs.
“How many do you want?” Callum asked. If he offered to relieve Judd of his burden, he would get his head ripped off.
“Eight more,” Judd grunted.
Callum grabbed the twine and hefted the bale off the stack. It was heavy, and he was impressed that Judd could do it one-handed. He hauled the hay over, and Judd pointed to a long trough. Callum slammed it into the trough, then went back for the next bale. Judd said nothing as Callum continued to haul bales. Somehow Judd had manhandled that first bale into a trough, and the older man concentrated on cutting the twine around the bales and spreading the hay around with a pitchfork.
Once Callum hefted the last bale there, Judd was quick to cut it open. Callum didn’t see another pitchfork and didn’t dare offer to take Judd’s, so he used his hands to toss the hay around. The cows were already pushing their noses through the bars and chomping on the hay.
They finished, and Callum looked to Judd. That hadn’t been bad. Male bonding—check.
Judd checked the flow of water in a different trough and then glanced at Callum. “Grab one more bale,” he grunted.
Callum wondered how the man would’ve managed with only one good arm. How had Judd managed this past year? Callum obediently grabbed another bale of hay and trudged along behind Judd to a separate pen.
“Expectant and new mama herd,” Judd muttered, pointing to the trough.
Callum dumped the bale, and Judd cut it open. Callum used his hands to spread the hay out, as he still didn’t see a pitchfork anywhere. He found himself wondering if Lexi’s dad would ever warm up to him. He couldn’t believe he’d offered to bring Lexi back here Christmas night, but th
e thought of her not being with her family after what her mom had gone through had ripped him up. He loved his family deeply, and when Creed had been pronounced dead last summer and then miraculously escaped and come back to them, Callum had shared in tears of joy and relief with his parents and brothers. He worked too much and some would say he took his family for granted, but he did love them.
Judd checked their water supply and watched as the cows lumbered toward the food. His eyes took in each cow, and he cursed under his breath.
Callum straightened and wondered what was wrong. Judd’s lanky frame was tense, and Callum glanced uneasily around the barn. He couldn’t see any predators and the roof wasn’t falling down.
Judd bent down and climbed through the bars and into the small pen. Callum didn’t know what else to do but follow. At the back of the pen, behind other cows and a few calves, there was a cow moaning pitifully. Callum’s eyes swept over the cow, and then he saw it: a hoof sticking out of her nether regions. She was having a baby. His jaw dropped and his gut churned. He didn’t want to be anywhere near this.
Judd hurried to the cow and pressed his hands against her side. “You need to push it out, little lady,” he murmured.
The cow grunted and writhed, but the hoof didn’t move. Callum looked away. He was going to lose his lunch if that cow pushed out a bloody calf. Then a worse thought hit him. What if she didn’t push it out? What if the cow and calf died right in front of him? He dealt with all manner of meetings, business decisions, irate clients, employees, mergers, and acquisitions, but he didn’t know how to deal with this.
Judd had his phone out and was speaking quickly into it. Callum only caught the end of the conversation: “Hurry!”
Judd pocketed his phone and glanced at him. “The vet’s an hour out. How strong are you, boy?”
Callum swallowed and muttered, “Pretty strong.”
“You look it. Get on over here.”
Callum’s phone rang. He wanted to pull it out and rush away to deal with work; instead, he ignored it and walked on wooden legs toward Lexi’s dad and the moaning cow.
Judd flashed him the first smile he’d directed Callum’s way. “I hope you’re not as pretty as you look. You’re gonna get dirty.”
Callum would’ve given someone a million dollars to take his place at the moment, but there was no one else. He suddenly couldn’t have cared less about male bonding and wanted to run get Lexi and head for his plane and the sunny shores of Cancun.
“Squat down behind her,” Judd instructed, staying by the cow’s side. “Now watch out for her legs. She’s liable to kick you at any time.”
Callum’s eyes widened. Oh, great. It wasn’t enough he had to try to save a slimy, bloody calf—he might get kicked in the head for his efforts.
Callum squatted down, and Judd murmured to the cow as he slowly came around behind Callum. Standing over the top of Callum, he reached with his good hand into the hole the bony leg was protruding from. Callum didn’t want to look, but it was fascinating, like watching Jerry of the Day or something.
Judd maneuvered around inside the cow and gently pulled out another leg. “That’s it, girl,” he said as the cow shifted and snorted. “We got both your baby’s legs now. Callum will pull him out nice and easy. Okay.” He lowered his voice. “Grab the legs, son.”
Callum wrapped his gloved hands around each of the legs, still in the squatted position.
“Stand up, nice and easy,” Judd said.
Callum eased up, holding on to those slimy legs and grateful for gloves. Everything around him stank—manure, blood, and something he couldn’t discern and didn’t want to know. He cast an uneasy glance at the cow’s legs, but her main body was quivering and she didn’t look ready to lash out at him.
“Okay, watch now for her stomach to tighten.” Judd spoke next to his ear. “Then you’ll use those pretty muscles you earned in some high-dollar gym and pull the calf out. Got it?”
“Yeah.” Callum wondered what Judd would think of his gym. He’d liked having Lexi there yesterday. Thinking of Lexi and her coconut scent helped distract him from the disgusting situation he was in right now. Would she be proud he delivered a calf?
“Hold it,” Judd muttered. “Hold it … Now!”
Callum tightened his grip and pulled for all he was worth while the cow bellowed. He was afraid he’d break the calf’s legs, but Judd was yelling at him to pull and so he obeyed. The calf slid out, and Callum scrambled to stay on his feet as the calf’s slimy body came out the opening.
“Yes!” Judd hollered. “Let go of her legs now, boy.”
Callum set the calf’s legs down. The calf’s front hooves and head slipped out and the newborn animal sank to the ground.
He glanced at Judd, who was grinning. “Good job.”
Callum saw a large hoof flash their direction. He pushed at Judd and dodged in front of him. The cow’s hoof caught Callum in the lower back, landing as hard as any punch from Joseph ever had. Callum wrapped his arms around Judd and cushioned him with his body as they slammed into the barn floor. He rolled the man away from the cow’s hooves, but the cow had turned and was focused on her baby calf now.
Callum glanced down at Judd, who was staring up at him with wide eyes. “You okay?” he grunted out.
Judd nodded. Callum released him and pushed his way to his feet, offering Judd a hand up. The man took his hand and he stood. He just kept staring at Callum. Finally, he said, “Are you okay?”
Callum put a hand to his back. “I’ll have a good bruise and a story, right?”
Judd blinked at him. “We’d better get you to the doc.”
Callum shook his head. “Naw. I’ve taken worse hits in the sparring ring.”
Judd’s eyes filled with a respect Callum hadn’t thought he’d see from this man, ever. He wished he’d see it in his dad’s eyes. “I don’t hate you as much as I thought I would,” Judd said.
Callum chuckled. “Thanks for that.”
Judd slapped him on the shoulder with his good hand. “Thanks for getting me out of the way. A kick like that could finish off an old coot like me.”
Callum was going to be stiff and in pain from the kick, but he was glad the cow hadn’t hit Judd. He didn’t like the thought of this man suffering further injury. He nodded. “Glad I was here.”
Judd hooted. “Me too, boy, me too.” He pushed out a breath. “I’ve gotta feed some baby calves. Why don’t you get inside with the women and take a shower, make sure you’re really okay.”
“I can help you feed the calves,” Callum said, though he’d love to shower off this blood and muck. A hot tub sounded even better.
Judd looked him over. “I don’t hate you. Maybe I even kind of like you. I don’t like you as much as your brother Emmett, but I still like you.” He smiled. “You gonna stick to my girl after this fake engagement is over?”
Callum appreciated the hard-earned “kind of like,” but he didn’t know the answer to the man’s question. “I wouldn’t mind, but … it’s complicated.”
“I can see that. Just treat my girl right, you hear?”
Callum nodded. “I plan to, sir.”
Judd gave him a grin and then strode toward the edge of the pen.
Callum glanced back at the cow and her calf. The calf was already nursing from the cow. He could’ve waxed philosophical about the miracle of life or something, but his back hurt too much and he was still caught up in Judd actually liking him. This fake fiancée gig was getting more and more complicated by the minute.
Chapter Eleven
Lexi grew more and more nervous for Callum as the afternoon wore on and the men didn’t appear. She and her mom chatted for a while, but it was obvious her mom was drained. Lexi excused herself to use the restroom, and when she returned, her mom was asleep just like she’d expected.
She went into the kitchen and tried to quietly assemble some dinner. She found a huge container of leftover grilled chicken that someone must’ve brought over for her parent
s, and she was able to put together a decent chicken noodle soup. Luckily there were also homemade rolls on the counter and some apple pie. The surgery was only a few weeks ago. She was sure the good people of Snow Valley had spoiled her parents with food, just like they’d been doing the past few months since her mom got really sick, and the year before that when her dad hurt his arm.
She loved these people and wished she could experience everything they had to offer for the holidays: stay for the Christmas Carnival, see the whole town decorated like a Hallmark Movie, go sleigh riding out at George Holbrook’s property, go to church and see Pastor John, get a cookie and cocoa from the church ladies … Instead, she was going to spend Christmas in sunny Cancun. She was all for vacation, but it would be hard to not be here with her family.
Yet Callum had said he’d bring her back late Christmas night. She needed to make sure that hadn’t just been a reaction to seeing her mom looking sickly in the hospital bed and upset about Lexi missing Christmas.
She stirred the soup, put the lid on, and started loading the dishwasher. Her mom was sleeping soundly through all of Lexi’s careful loading, but the excitement over her and Callum showing up and their visit had worn her out.
The back door burst open and her dad and Callum walked in. Callum had both of their suitcases and her carry-on in his hands. He was … a mess. The only time she’d seen him look even disheveled had been at his sparring match yesterday. Even when he’d wrecked his motorcycle, he’d been all debonair about it in his spendy suit.
She dropped the cup she’d been washing back into the sink with a gasp. It made a splash, but luckily it was plastic. The water was still running.
Callum set the suitcases down, dropped his gloves on top of the washing machine, walked past her, and turned off the water. “You okay?” he asked.
“Are you?” she fired back at him. He smelled like cows, hay, and blood, not a hint of his cologne anywhere. He was dirty and his coat sleeves were smeared with blood.
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