Reece (Stud Ranch)

There had to be hundreds between this pasture and the next hill we crested. We slowed down when we came to the next group all bunched up together.

“Look, see there’s one of the calves from yesterday,” Reece said, pointing to a cow and a small calf standing in amongst its legs. Let’s go check up on him.”

Without waiting for my response, the ATV shot forward again. The cows barely turned their heads our direction. The must be used to the four-wheeler. That was good.

Only a few looked disgruntled when we stopped amongst them and Reece sat with his hands loose on the handles, watching on.

The small calf rooted around at his mother’s udder, then began to feed. Reece nodded and reached for the handles again. “Sometimes a check-in can be as easy as this. All you need is to see that the calf is on its feet and bonding with its mother. She should be doing most of the work taking care of him.”

I nodded, glad he was treating this as instructional and that I hadn’t ruined everything by sleeping with him. Some guys could probably turn into real jackasses once you slept with them if you had to work together. Any other time I would have kicked myself for doing what I did last night… But considering how damn good the sex had been, I just couldn’t bring myself to. I wasn’t sorry, even if it made things a smidge awkward today. Sorry, not sorry, but it had been worth it to feel that way, even if only once.

This was my new life. And I was going to grab it by the balls, goddammit. I’d been terrified of making a move for ten years. Enough was enough. I was making decisions now, for better or worse. Last night I had and that had seemed to work out well for all involved. I bit my lip and tried not to remember exactly how well as we left calf #2 in peace and moved on.

We drove on, crested yet another hill and then Reece stopped by a wooden wall that looked like one side of a building that no one had ever finished.

“What’s this?” I asked Reece as we slowed down.

“Wind break,” he answered. “It gives the cows a good place to stay warm on windy days. And look, here’s our newest addition and Mama.”

He pulled the ATV to a stop and got out. Again I saw another mother/calf pair, but the calf was lying at the feet of the mother cow. “Alright #3, it’s up and at ‘em time.” All the calves were only known by their tag number, not given names like Bessie since that was only reserved for the first born of every season. Information I’d gathered like a good little sponge at the first stop. Because this was simply instructional. We had a professional relationship now and that was all.

He smiled at me and it was harder to remember the professional BS I’d just been trying to convince myself of. I mean, it wasn’t like we were in corporate America or anything.

“I swear all the newborns hate me ’cause all I do is come around and disturb their rest during calving time. But you’ll have to do this too. In fact, here, come on over.” He gestured me to join him.

I climbed off the ATV, my legs feeling a little wobbly once I hit land again after the vibrations of the four-wheeler, but I managed.

“Help him stand up like you did Bess the other day,” he instructed. “See if he can walk around. It’s important the first few days to make sure they’re always able to get up so we can double check that they aren’t having any problems.”

I nodded and walked over to where the little calf was laying nestled in some hay. The mother snorted and took a step my direction.

“Whoa, Mama,” Reece said, voice calm but his hands out low and wide, stepping between me and the mother. “But be careful. Not all the mothers are excited by the idea of you messing with their babies. We just have to remind them that we’re here to help them, that’s all. We want your baby to thrive just as much as you do, Mama,” he said, directly to the cow.

I reached down and grabbed the torso of the big baby calf and hefted him up. He was a heavy fella, maybe seventy-five pounds, so a little more than half my body weight. But he was doing some of the work. At my coaxing, he got right up on his feet and then started walking around his mother like it was no big deal. He started nosing at her utter and nursing.

“It worked!” I looked over at Reece.

He smiled at me. “Of course it did. You’re a natural.” I couldn’t tell if he was just blowing smoke up my ass, but I’d take it.