Embracing Today, a firefighter romance: (The Trading Yesterday Series, #3)

by Kahlen Aymes

  “Can I come closer?” Ben asked.

  “Sure, just put on those gloves. And this hay is painful on the knees,” I warned.

  “Wait. I’ll be back.” He ran out of the barn and was back within a minute with an empty box from a 24 pack of soda that I’d placed in the recycle bin in the kitchen. He was pulling at the ends and opening it up until it was a flat piece of cardboard. “Here. You can keel on this?” He opened the gate. “Stand up, please.”

  I was amazed at his thoughtfulness, but I did as I was told. He placed it on the floor on top of the hay where I’d been kneeling, then bent to brush the stray strands of hay stuck to the skin of my knees. “There you, go.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled up him as he towered over me. “What about you?”

  “I’m tough,” he said blankly, and proceeded to crouch down next to me after he’d donned the gloves and was holding the squeegee. “Do you need this thing?”

  “I will. Can you see the nose of the foal there, just inside the liquid bubble? I’m going to break the water then hopefully both feet and then the nose will come out. Then it will be born soon.”

  I reached out and used my index finger and thumb to break the membrane. Water gushed out at first, then ran out in a steady stream.

  “Wow, that is a lot. Should I get the towels?” Ben wanted to know.

  “No, let’s save those for the foal after birth. We can change the bedding later today.”

  We both watched Siri as she strained another push. One of the hooves showed and the black nose. “I need to get the other foot out,” I said. “May I have the squeegee please?” I used it to suction out the foal’s nostrils, then handed it back to Ben. “Thanks.”

  Inside I was panicking. I’d seen this done by my uncle… I’d seen him up to his shoulder inside a mare trying to turn a foal, so this should be easy in comparison, but I was still nervous.

  Sitting down onto my butt I gently put my hand inside Siri on the other side of the foal’s nose, searching for the other foot. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far up inside her, and I wrapped my hand around it and applied gentle pressure trying to gently pull it outside with the nose and other foot. “Both feet should have presented before the nose. I just have to get it out or it might get caught and it could injure one of both of them.” I pulled with a bit more strength. “Ugggggh!” I grunted.

  “Can I help?” Ben asked.

  He was stronger than I was, clearly, but it was a balance between helping and hurting. I waited, with my hand still inside, until Siri had another contraction. I grunted and pulled, but still no result. Ben threw off his gloves and got behind me, sliding his hand down my arm and just inside the horse. His fingers closed around my forearm. “So, we should pull when she pushes, right?”

  I nodded. His body was close against mine as he added his strength to mine. “Don’t let go and tell me if I hurt you, Marin.”

  His grip was firm but gentle and when Siri strained with her next push, we were able to get the foal’s second hoof to present and the head almost to the ears. “Oh, thank God.”

  I let go and fell back against Ben’s body. He was kneeling behind me, so my butt was effectively on his groin, his hand still wrapped around me arm, and the other placed around me waist.

  “Whoa,” he laughed and then stood up, lifting me as if I weighed nothing to set me on my feet in front of him.

  If I didn’t have so much going on with Siri, I would have sworn my ovaries exploded. Feeling his hard body against mine caused shivers all over me. He was all man. I found myself comparing the way Ben felt against me to the softer, less fit body of Carter. If I weren’t eaten alive with guilt over his death, I’d be letting myself revel in the sensations Ben created inside me.

  “Will she be okay, now?” His words broke me out of my daze.

  “Oh, I think so, but I want to be here, just in case.” I bent to lift the white fetal sack away from the foal’s face. “Ben, can you hand me one of those towels?” I took off my gloves before kneeling again to wipe the face clean. The red bag, as the sack was called, had some blood seeping out. Ben saw it.

  “Marin, she’s bleeding!” he exclaimed.

  “A little blood is normal. It’s okay, Ben.” I loved how invested he was with Siri and her foal. His love of animals mirrored my own and that was just another thing to love about him. I paused and sucked in a breath. Could I already be in love with him?

  “When will he be out? How long will it take?”

  “Are you so sure it’s a boy?”

  “It’s a gut feeling,” Ben answered easily.

  I sat next to my horse and wrapped a hand around both forelegs. I pulled until the head was completely free, careful not to injure the foal. Siri snorted as her stomach heaved again. I pulled in concert with her contractions. “It will just be a few minutes and the little one will be out.”

  Ben was sitting on the floor a few feet away, leaning up against the wall. He had a bird’s eye view of what was happening. “Well, this is truly incredible. I’m already in love.”

  Again, my heart stopped. I knew he was speaking about the foal, but still, it affected me. “Me, too. How about if it is a boy, I’ll let you name him?”

  His face lit up, as I glanced over my shoulder. “That would be fantastic. Thank you, Marin. It means a lot to me.”

  “It’s the least I can do.” I turned back to the foal, now halfway out of his mother. I pushed the sack further back and dried off the foal’s shoulders and front legs. He was black as night with no markings on his face. Now that Ben said he was a boy, I started thinking of the little thing that way. I patted Siri on her rear flank. “Rest a little, Siri. My sweet girl.”

  “Why don’t you just pull him out of her?”

  “I don’t want to injure the placenta or umbilical cord. If it separates too soon it might affect the foal’s oxygen or it could cause internal bleeding for Siri. It has to come out on its own after the birth.”

  “I see. Is this the first foal that’s been born since your uncle died?”

  I fell back onto my butt with my legs crossed in front of me. “Yes. I’m glad you’re here, so I’m not alone. I would have been sad. This foal was a birthday gift last year.”

  “Yes, you told me. That means your birthday is coming up or just passed?”

  “In a couple of months. Unfortunately, Siri’s heat cycle didn’t cooperate with my exact birthday. I had to take what I could get.” I laughed softly.

  Siri’s four legs all tensed as she started pushing again. “Oh, here we go.” I helped the foal a bit, but he slid out of his mother with her last push. I got rid of the sack and started to briskly rub him dry. His eyes blinked at me, so he was obviously breathing. “He’s out.”

  “He?” Ben teased.

  The truth was, I hadn’t checked, but as I rubbed his back legs, I looked to determine the sex. “Yes. Hello, little man,” I said softly. “Aren’t you just the most handsome little guy, ever?”

  “He is jet black.”

  “Like his sire,” I gathered up the damp towels. “In about twenty minutes the placenta should be delivered.”

  Siri’s head came up and she sniffed and licked at her foal.

  “Doesn’t the horse eat it?”

  My face crinkled. “Ugh! No, thank God.”

  Ben laughed. “Some animals do. Like dogs. To get the milk flowing.”

  “Not horses. She’ll lick him a little, but no, she doesn’t eat it. I do have to save it to show the veterinarian, though.”

  Ben’s handsome face showed surprise as he balked. “What the hell for? Remind me to be glad I didn’t become a vet.”

  I laughed again as I got up and walked out of the stall to dispose of the towels, my intention also to go into the kitchen to get a large bowl for the placenta. “To make sure it all came out, silly. If some is left inside, she could get an infection and the vet would have to come out and manually extract any remnants.”

  “How would he do that?” Ben called after me.


  He was just so funny. “He’s got a much longer glove.”

  “Sorry I asked,” he said dryly.

  I chuckled all the way into the house.

  BEN

  The shower felt great as it washed away the sweat, slime, and grime of delivering the foal. After that we both went to sleep for a couple of hours, but now the delicious smell of bacon wafted in the air as I walked into the kitchen.

  Marin glanced over her shoulder as she worked at the stove. She had also cleaned up and had on fresh clothes. My eyes couldn’t help but roam over her slim back and rounded bottom now encased in clean, but frayed, sexy jean shorts. Her hair was still in the knot on the top of her head and the gracious column of her neck was revealed. My mouth almost watered at the sight.

  “Are you hungry?” Marin asked over her shoulder as she cooked.

  “Starving, actually.”

  She was beautiful, even in this easy, casual setting. It suited her and she had an ease about her that I found extremely attractive. She didn’t have make-up on; she didn’t need it. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

  I snapped my fingers and placed my closed fist with the flat of my hand. “It smells mouth-watering, but do I have time to run into town to pick up Gem first?”

  She turned around to look at me, setting the fork she was using to turn the bacon frying in a cast iron skillet down. “Yes, that would be great! I miss her!” Her face broke out in a wide smile that only added to her fresh-faced gorgeousness.

  “Me, too. I’ve been thinking about her since we started home from Minneapolis.” I pulled the keys to my truck out of the front pocket of my jeans. I was wearing a white tank so the tattoo on my upper arm was visible. I had a few, but this was the biggest; a fireman’s helmet and gas mask with an American Flag reflected in the face shield. The flames surrounding it and the flag were in full color. Marin’s eyes lingered on it.

  “Cool tattoo.”

  I shrugged. “It’s what I do. I got it after I’d been doing it a year and knew I would always be a firefighter.”

  “Well, I like it. I’m making waffles, so don’t take too long.”

  “I see, but I also have to feed the horses.”

  “Oh, I already did.”

  She was amazing, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about her not needing help with it. Especially since I knew she was still nursing her sore ribs. “I could have done it.”

  “I know, but I wanted to let you sleep in. I’m surprised I was able to sneak out of the house with you on the couch, but you were sleeping hard.”

  I studied her for a moment wanting to admonish her for doing too much too soon, but I couldn’t help but smile. “Are the waffles homemade or box?”

  “Please.” Her face wrinkled wryly, and she shook her head.

  I noticed the waffle iron setting on the counter next to the stove. I couldn’t remember the last time I had homemade waffles. This woman was too good to be true.

  “Good to know,” I said, heading out the door. The screen door banged behind me and I walked to my truck parked in front of the house. I could get used to this. What guy wouldn’t want a beautiful woman cooking him breakfast after a night delivering a foal?

  I was smiling from ear to ear as I decide to check on the baby. I wanted to get some pictures or a video to send to Dylan and Remi. I went to Siri’s stall to find the foal was nursing with gusto. He was healthy and his mother seemed fine. She snorted when she saw me.

  “Hello, girl. You did a good job on your baby. He’s a fine one.” I reached out and laid the flat of my hand on her forehead. “You’re a beauty, Siri. I bet Gem will love this little guy.”

  I patted her again, and then hurried to the truck and was soon driving into town and to Davis’ apartment.

  I climbed the stairs two at a time. The air was cool, reminding me that fall wasn’t that far away. Though it would get warmer later in the day, the morning breeze felt nice.

  Wrap! Wrap! Wrap! I knocked on Davis’ door, anxious to see the little puppy.

  Davis opened the door holding Gem, who started to wiggle and wag her tail when she saw me. She whined and wiggled some more until I reached out to take her from my friend.

  “I thought you’d be back last night, man.” Davis’ hair was sticking up from sleep and he rubbed his left eye with his first two fingers. “That’s what your text said.”

  “Sorry, we got in late, as in early morning and I figured you’d be sleeping.”

  “Yeah, I gotta get going. I have to be at the station in an hour. How’d it go? Did you rescue your damsel in distress?”

  I ruffled the fur on Gem’s head as I held her against my chest with the other hand. Her coat was so silky soft. “I didn’t need to rescue her. The police had her situated. I just brought her home.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” Davis’ eyebrow lifted knowingly. “I haven’t seen you so googly-eyed over a woman before. Like ever.”

  My face twisted wryly, and I gave him an eye roll. “Uh huh. Whatevs, Davis. She just needs help right now. Later.” I put up a hand in a make-shift wave then turned and retraced my steps to my truck. I lifted Gem up to look in her little face. “Come on, sweet face. Let’s go see mommy.”

  The pup was still wagging her tail happily, and I let her stay on my lap as I drove the five miles back to Marin’s ranch. No, it wasn’t the safest thing, but she sat there calmly during the short drive. As we got closer to the ranch it was as if she knew we were close to her home. She stood up and moved to put her front paws on the door below the window so she could look outside. “Yes, we’re almost home, sweets. Wait until you see the new baby. He’s the same color as you.”

  When I drove into the yard, Marin was waiting, sitting on the porch and she got up and walked briskly toward the truck. There was something super-hot about frayed shorts and cowboy boots, her firm body and shapely legs. I couldn’t help but notice how the V-neck T-shirt she was wearing molded around her shapely breasts.

  I pulled the pup to my chest with one hand and opened the door with another. “Man, you gotta stop,” I told myself silently. “The girl is off-limits.”

  For now, my mind protested.

  The pup squirmed in my arms, so I set her on the ground, and she took off like a rocket toward Marin on her short puppy legs.

  “Hey, baby face!” The smile on Marin’s face was stunning as she crouched down

  so that the running dog could race into her embrace. She picked her up and held her to her face so she could kiss her head and cheeks over and over. It was clear the pair was equally excited for their reunion. “I missed you, so much!” Marin kissed Gem a few more times in quick succession as the pup tried to lick her face furiously. “I could just eat you up.” She hugged her close. “Did she pee?” she asked, glancing in my direction, but still hugging the puppy close.

  “Nope?” I shook my head.

  “Okay.” Marin turned and walked the short distance to the lawn portion of the large yard. She bent to release the dog in the grass, but the pup jumped up on her leg, clearly wanting to be snuggled for a longer period of time. “Go potty, Gem. Be a good girl for Mommy.”

  It was only a couple of minutes until the dog complied and we were all in the kitchen; Marin lifting the top of the Belgian waffle iron and ladling some batter into it. The table had been set with silverware and napkins and there was a bowl of fresh berries and a small, but old, yellow ceramic pitcher holding maple syrup. It was steaming hot and positioned next to a platter full of bacon.

  “Do you want a couple of eggs?” Marin asked.

  “If it’s not too much trouble? I need the protein.”

  “You certainly, do,” she murmured, then flustered, said, “I mean, sure thing. How do you take them?”

  “Over medium. I never could stand runny whites.”

  Soon the eggs were frying, and the second waffle was in the iron. I sat at the table watching her in silence, the puppy lying at my feet. Within five minutes she laid a feast before me. The waffle with the ber
ries over top, fresh maple syrup, steaming coffee, orange juice. I wasn’t sure if I should start eating without her.

  “Help yourself to the bacon. Do you think you’ll want another waffle?”

  “Sure, but I’d like to wait for you to begin eating.”

  “I’ll just be a couple of minutes until this gets finished. You go ahead and start before it gets cold.” She took one finished waffle out of the iron with a fork and placed it on a plate before ladling more batter into the iron.

  “Okay, but my mother would kill me for such horrible manners,” I murmured, reaching for the syrup to pour the steaming liquid over the waffle and fresh fruit, then I added salt and pepper to the fried eggs. “This looks amazing, Marin. Thank you.” My stomach growled hungrily.

  Her brow crinkled and she snorted a little. “Thank you. You’ve done so much for me there is nothing I can do to make it up to you. The least I can do is make you a decent breakfast, Ben.”

  “Well, I appreciate it. It’s been a long time since anyone has cooked for me like this.”

  She placed her plate across from me just before she took the last waffle out of the iron, put it on a plate and covered it with a skillet lid to keep it warm while I finished the first one. I was more and more curious about her.

  “It’s my pleasure. This was Uncle Leonard’s favorite breakfast. I added the berries because I thought he needed something organic and not just a pile of carbs and fat.” She smiled, pouring a scant amount of syrup over the waffle and fruit on her plate.

  Her eyes were curious, and I nodded, then forked up the first bite of waffle. The real maple syrup and fruit made it extra delicious. “Oh, my God,” I managed after the first bite. “So good!”

  Her smile brightened. “Ben, can I ask you something?”

  I nodded. “Of course.”

  “Why aren’t you… with someone? I mean, you’re so… like the perfect guy, so well… you came to get me, and you’re here now… I can only assume if there was someone special in your life, she wouldn’t approve.”