“Your business is a lot more complicated than mine.” And offered a lot more potential for heartbreak.
He certainly wasn’t standing in his field at three o’clock in the morning waiting for new calves to be brought into the world. He bought eight-month-old, newly weaned steers and heifers and sent them out into his pastures to grow up. Unless he was judging the market for the best time to sell, he rarely thought about his livestock.
“Not necessarily more complicated,” Brandee said. “You have to consider the market when you buy and sell and the best way to manage your pastures to optimize grazing. There are so many variables that depend on how much rain we get and the price of feed if the pastures aren’t flourishing.”
“But you have all that to worry about and you have to manage when you’re breeding and optimize your crosses to get the strongest calves possible. And then there’s the problem of losing livestock to accidents and predators.”
While he’d been speaking, the cow had once again lain down. The calf’s nose appeared, followed by a face. Shane stared as she began to push in earnest.
“She’s really straining,” he said. “This is all still normal?”
“She needs to push out the shoulders and this is really hard. But she’s doing fine.”
Shane had the urge to lean his body into Brandee’s and absorb some of her tranquillity. Something about the quiet night and the mirac
le playing out before them made him want to connect with her. But he kept his distance, not wanting to disturb the fragile camaraderie between them.
Just when Shane thought the whole thing was over, the cow got to her feet again and he groaned. Brandee shot him an amused grin.
“It’s okay. Sometimes they like finishing the birthing process standing up.”
He watched as the cow got to her feet, her baby dangling halfway out of her. This time Shane didn’t resist the urge for contact. He reached out and grabbed Brandee’s hand. He’d left his gloves behind on this second sweep and wished Brandee had done the same. But despite the worn leather barrier between them, he reveled in the way her fingers curved against his.
After a few deep, fortifying breaths, the cow gave one last mighty push and the calf fell to the grass with a thud. Shane winced and Brandee laughed.
“See, I told you it was going to be okay,” Brandee said as the cow turned around and began nudging the calf while making soft, encouraging grunts.
A moment later she swept her long tongue over her sodden baby, clearing fluid from the calf’s coat. The calf began to breathe and the cow kept up her zealous cleaning. Brandee leaned a little of her weight against Shane’s arm.
That was when Shane realized they were still holding hands. “Damn,” he muttered, unsure which had a bigger impact, the calf being born or the simple pleasure of Brandee’s hand in his.
He hadn’t answered the question before she lifted up on tiptoes and kissed him.
* * *
Being bathed in moonlight and surrounded by the sleepy cows seemed like an ideal moment to surrender to the emotions running deep and untamed through Brandee’s body. At first Shane’s lips were stiff with surprise and Brandee cursed. What had she been thinking? There was no romance to be found in a cold, windswept pasture. But as she began her retreat, Shane threw an arm around her waist and yanked her hard against his body. His lips softened and coaxed a sigh of relief from her lungs.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him sweep her into a rushing stream of longing. The mouth that devoured her with such abandon lacked the persuasive touch she’d expected a charmer like Shane to wield. It almost seemed as if he was as surprised as she.
Of course, there was no way that could be the case. His reasons for being at her ranch were as self-serving as hers had been for inviting him. Each of them wanted to win their wager. She’d intended to do whatever it took to get Shane to fall in love with her. Her dire situation made that a necessity. But he’d been pestering her for years to sell and she was sure he’d pull out every weapon in his arsenal to get her to fall for him.
This last thought dumped cold water on her libido. She broke off the kiss and through the blood roaring in her ears heard the measured impact of approaching hooves all around them. It wasn’t unusual for the most dominant cows in the herd to visit the newborn. Half a dozen cows had approached.
“He’s looking around,” she said, indicating the new calf. “Soon he’ll be trying to get up.”
Usually a calf was on its feet and nursing within the first hour of being born. Brandee would have to make sure her ranch hands kept an eye on him for the next twelve hours to make sure he got a good suckle. And they would need to get him ear-tagged and weighed first thing. The calves were docile and trusting the first day. After that they grew much more difficult to catch.
Brandee stepped away from Shane and immediately missed their combined body heat. “I think it’s okay to head back.”
“I’m glad I came out tonight,” Shane said as they rode back toward the horse barn. A quick sweep of the pasture had shown nothing else of interest.
“You’re welcome to participate in night duty anytime.”
“How often do you pull a shift?”
“Once a week.”
“You don’t have to.”