“Yes, well,” Anthony grabbed her hand and planted a kiss on it. “We’d best be getting back. I’ve got an early morning tomorrow. I need to check in on Christine; I think she might be in labor.” Christine was a sweet-tempered dapple gray mare who was pregnant with her first foal. Gianna raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“I thought it was Madison’s duty to watch over the horses.” Madison was the father of Jack, the young stable boy who had picked her up from the train station just over a month ago. As the head stable hand, he had always been the one responsible for the horses’ wellbeing.
“Yes, but his mother is ill, so I gave him the week off to visit her in California.”
Gianna gently threaded her hand through his hair. “That was really nice of you.”
Pleasantly surprised at the sudden praise, Anthony grinned. “Just doing my job, being a good boss.”
“Ooh!” Her sudden surge of enthusiasm made him jump. “Can I come along?”
“Are you sure?” Anthony wrinkled his nose. “Birth isn’t a pretty thing. It’s messy and smelly.”
“But it’s such a beautiful thing,” Gianna tugged at his vest and whined winningly. Her eyes sparkling with mischievous intent, she stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear.
“If you let me come, I’ll let you do that thing you like tonight.” Anthony whistled softly.
“That thing with the handcuffs?” Gianna blushed a little, but she nodded enthusiastically.
Anthony eyes darkened with lust. “Well, I’ve never been a strong man when faced with temptation,” he groaned deliberately. Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her over to Nutsy, his chestnut mare, and plonked Gianna on the saddle.
“You’ll ride with me I think, so I can keep my eye on you.” He whispered into her ear, his breath down her neck making her shiver in delight. He whistled to Jenny and the piebald followed them obediently.
“Now, off to home,” Anthony reached around Gianna for the reins, deliberately letting his arm rub against the side of her bosom. Gianna pretended to gasp in outrage.
“Brute!” She shook her head at him and then squealed as he nipped down on her neck.
“Wait till we get home, little wildcat. I’ll show you how much of a brute I can be.” His words were thick with promise and Gianna squirmed in anticipation.
It was going to be a fun night.
++++++++
Anthony groaned as an insistent hand kept tapping on his shoulder, breaking into his consciousness.
“Come on, wake up, wake up!”
Grumbling, he opened his eyes blearily and was surprised to see that Gianna was already dressed. The room was still dimly lit, the flickering embers of the oil lamp being the only source of light since the sun hadn’t risen yet.
“Good Lord, woman,” he grunted, pushing himself up with his elbows. “What ungodly hour is this?”
“You said we would set off for the stables at dawn. It’s dawn!” Gianna hopped off the bed and flung the window open. Anthony could see the dim silhouette of the sun as it lazily rose above the horizon.
“Gianna,” he groaned. “When I said dawn, I didn’t mean literally the crack of it. Besides, it’s too early. Christine is probably still asleep. Pregnant horses tend to sleep longer, pregnancy being tough on their bodies and all.” He slumped down onto his pillow and buried his nose in it.
“Oh! Right,” Gianna said thoughtfully, drumming her fingers idly on his shoulder.
“Yep, that’s right. Go back to sleep for an hour or two, Gianna.”
“I’m already dressed! But alright, I guess I’ll lie down for a while.” He felt the mattress sink a little as Gianna plonked down beside him. He had barely snoozed for a minute when he felt her eager hands on his face again.
“Then again,” she started excitedly. “Hey!” She punched his shoulder when he flopped his pillow over his head. “How rude. Anyway, don’t you think we should have breakfast first? It’ll save time, and we can set off sooner.”
Anthony growled and pounced on Gianna, causing her to squeal. He loomed over her, taking in her breathless, excited face and felt a tug of affection … and something more primal.
“Forget breakfast,” he nuzzled into her neck suggestively. “I can think of a much better way to spend the time.”
++++++++
As they walked down the path towards the stables, Gianna couldn’t help incorporating a little skip in her steps. It was a cold and cloudy morning, but even the dank weather couldn’t faze her. She was going to help with the birthing of a little foal today!
Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, Anthony chuckled.
“Look at you prance. Aren’t you even the tiniest bit sore after last night and this morning?”
Gianna blushed as a series of sordidly pleasing images came back to her. “Well, not too sore,” she said after examining herself. “I think I am getting a little bandy-legged though.”
Anthony threw back his head and laughed. “That’s just how I love my women. Bandy-legged and thoroughly pesky in the morning.”
At this comment, Gianna threw his arm off her shoulder as she pretended to sulk. Still chuckling, Anthony made to reclaim her when a cunning idea entered her head. As he reached out to her, she darted out of reach, her eyes sparkling.
“Oops! Can’t catch me, old man.”
She could see the idea click in his head as Anthony narrowed his eyes. “So this is how you want to play it, huh?”
He pounced at her and she squealed, running swiftly in the opposite direction. He chased after her, his long legs giving him an advantage, and soon caught up to her. She was nimbler though, and skipped out of reach at the last possible second.
“Getting winded?” Gianna teased from a safe distance, as Anthony stalked her like prey.
“Nah, I think I’m just getting started,” he leered. “And now, I think I’ve … GOTCHA!” He crowed in triumph as he lunged forward, catching her by surprise. Gianna struggled against him for a bit before succumbing to his insistent kiss. As her mouth opened against his, she marveled at how much her sexual appetite had developed in just one month.
“Hold up,” Anthony said, suddenly pushing her away. Confused, since breaking away from a passionate kiss was so unlike him, Gianna followed his gaze.
“Something’s not right,” he declared, breaking into a run. “Come on, Gianna.”
As she caught up with him, Gianna could hear the high-pitched whinnying coming from the direction of the stables. Unlike the usual excited noises the horses made when they sensed their humans, this cry was tinged with distress.
“Ah hell, Christine,” Anthony’s voice was thick with dismay as he barged into the stables. The mare was on the ground, panting. Her eyeballs were glazed and her nostrils flared. Gianna didn’t know much about horses, but she knew that this horse was in trouble.
“Help me get her up on her feet,” Anthony called as he attempted to push the mare up to a standing position. Gianna quickly moved beside him and leaned her weight against the horse.
“Come on, Christy, good girl, there we go.” Between the both of them, they succeeded in getting her to her feet. The horse wobbled unsteadily and whinnied loudly. A stream of water splashed onto the ground near her hind legs.
“That’s the birthing fluid,” Anthony noted as he attempted to calm the nervous mother horse. Christine snorted and stomped her hooves shakily. “The baby is coming.”
“What do we do?” Gianna asked Anthony. Her eyes were wide but she kept her voice calm and steady. “There, there, Christy,” she cooed comfortingly.
“Get a bandage; it’s hanging over the stall there,” Anthony pointed. “We need to wrap up her tail so that the dirt doesn’t get over the foal when he emerges.”
Gianna nodded and carried out the act quickly, humming and singing softly to the mare. The horse seemed to like this and her high-pitched whinnies quieted into hushed grunts and the occasional neigh.
Anthony touched the swollen belly of the ho
rse, and noticed the tip of a small nose emerging from the mother’s rear. “Gianna, look!” He gently pulled his wife towards him. Gianna cried out softly.
“It’s happening!” Her eyes glistened. “Oh, good girl, Christy!”
They watched as the shoulders of the foal appeared.
“Let’s give her some space,” Anthony said as he led Gianna out of the pen.
“The mares like their privacy when the birth is happening,” he told her in a quiet voice. “We’ll watch from here; make sure that everything is alright.”
Gianna nodded, watching in wonderment. “This is amazing.”
She slipped her palm into his hand and squeezed.
Half an hour later, a beautiful little foal was born. As Christine lay down on her side to rest, Anthony unscrewed a bottle of iodine.
“Come on,” he said quietly. “We’ll go in and clean the foal while Christy is resting.”
As Anthony gently wiped down the foal, Gianna squatted down beside Christy and lovingly patted her snout.
“You did well, girl,” she cooed softly. The horse barely lifted her head. Puzzled, Gianna walked over and exclaimed.
“Anthony! Come see this!”
Anthony hopped up and ran over to Gianna.
A small pair of legs had emerged from the birth canal. Christy was obviously pushing, but nothing was happening.
“There’s another foal, a twin! And he’s presenting in the wrong way.”
Anthony examined the foal and shook his head. “It’s not good. I think the umbilical cord has wrapped itself around its neck and that’s how it’s gotten stuck.”
“What do we do now?” Gianna fought to keep the trembling out of her voice.
Anthony cursed under his breath. “Alright Gianna,” he said in a steady voice, “I need you to grab a pair of gloves for me.”
Gianna tried to steady her hands as she passed the gloves over to Anthony. Smiling tersely at her, Anthony clasped her hand.
“Breathe, Gianna. It will be fine. I need you to come here and hold Christy’s legs steady for me. I’m going to reach into her womb and try to turn the foal around.”
Anthony stuck his hand gingerly into the mare’s opening as Gianna held her feet down to keep her from kicking. Gianna leaned over and whispered soft words of comfort into Christy’s twitching ear.
“It’s alright, baby,” she cooed. “We’re here for you.”
“Steady, steady,” Anthony’s forehead was glistening with sweat as he furrowed his brow. “There we go.”
With a final push, Christy managed to deliver the foal. Watching it lie still on the ground though, Gianna’s heart sank. Something was wrong.
Anthony kneeled down next to the foal, cleaning its nose. He picked up the foal and held it upside down.
“He might have fluid up his nostrils. This will help to get it out.”
When the foal still showed no signs of movement, Anthony laid it back down on the ground. He cupped the foal’s nostrils in his hands and breathed in through its mouth.
“Come on,” he said. “Fight, little one. Fight.”
“Anthony,” Gianna’s eyes filled up with tears. “Anthony, I think he’s gone.”
Looking down at the glassy-eyed stare of the foal, Anthony expelled breath through his mouth. “Right. Right. Shit.”
He slumped down for a moment, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.
“Are you alright?” Gianna covered his hand gently with hers. Behind her, Christy had risen up and walked over to her first foal, which had begun to rise tentatively to his feet.
“Yeah,” Anthony sniffed. He rose to his feet, carrying the body of the dead foal with him. “Why don’t you head back to the house? I’ll stay back and clean up a little.”
“I can help.” Gianna gently touched his cheek. He leaned into her touch and Gianna caressed his hair. Anthony nodded.
“Let’s leave the mother and child alone for a bit. I’ll get Jack to clean the afterbirth up after I’ve buried this little one.”
Leaning over to peck him on the cheek, Gianna said, “I’ll get Jack. I’ll meet you out back in a bit.”
Nodding, Anthony walked slowly out of the stables, cradling the dead foal against his chest.
++++++++
When Gianna got back to the stables, she found Anthony kneeling out by the back.
“There’s a graveyard where we bury our dead animals. I’ve buried him there,” he told her as she sat down beside him. Resting her head against his shoulder, Gianna nodded.
“Are you alright?” She looked up at him.
Anthony took in a deep breath. “Not really,” he admitted with a half-hearted laugh. “You’d think that I’d be used to death by now.”
Gianna wrapped her arms around him and Anthony sank down, laying his head on her lap as she softly stroked his hair.
Anthony took a deep breath. “My wife died from a miscarriage. We didn’t even know that she was pregnant. It was just like any old day, the three of us riding through town. Annie was on my lap, demanding cake.”
Gianna nodded, her body tense. She could tell that this wasn’t a story that he often told, and she saw what it cost him to recount it to her.
“We were having an argument. I can’t even remember what it was about. Anyway, things were starting to get heated, and in a temper, I rode away from her. I heard a cry behind me and Annie started screaming as she saw her mother slumped back on her horse. I dismounted and we both ran back to her.
“There was blood, so much blood. She was lying unconscious on her horse, and the blood was just gushing out of her, between her legs. By the time we got her to the doctor, she had bled out.”
Anthony’s voice cracked. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself.
“The doctor said that it was an accident, that there was nothing we could have done for her. It was an ectopic pregnancy which had ruptured. But I knew better. It was me.”
Gianna protested as she held him close.
“Anthony, it couldn’t possibly have been you.”
“Yes, it was!” He thumped his fist on the ground. “If I hadn’t riled her up that day, if I had just gotten her help sooner. If I hadn’t gotten her pregnant at all.”
He took a deep breath.
“Anyway. The months and years after that were hell. Esther was gone, my one true love, and I was left to pick up the pieces. It affected me so much that I quit my job as a sheriff. For a year, I just mucked around in the hotel like a living corpse.
“It was only when the numbness set in that I began to function again. I refurnished the hotel, and finally set about bringing up my daughter right. And that’s when it occurred to me.
“Love is terrifying. It makes you weak, because it puts you in a position to lose.”
Gianna rubbed her shoulders and she laid her head against his.
“Anthony. I don’t think love made you weak at all.”
Anthony raised his eyes to hers. Encouraged by his attentive expression, Gianna continued,
“You might have felt weak because you were mourning the loss of your wife. But you grew stronger as you survived that pain, without even realizing it. You did right by your wife. You raised a beautiful daughter and gave her the life she deserved.”
Anthony propped himself up as he stared into her eyes. Gianna found herself staring back, the intensity of their connection shocking her.
“Gianna,” he whispered, raising a hand up to her cheek.
“Yes?” Her voice was soft as a butterfly’s wings as she held her breath.
“Mister Davies!”
They both jumped and turned. Jack was running over to them, totally oblivious of the moment he had just ruined.
“Good day, Miss Gianna. Mister Davies, I’ve cleaned up the stable. Both mother and child look hale and hearty.”
“That’s wonderful! Thank you, Jack.” Anthony rose up from the ground and pulled Gianna up along with him. As Jack nodded and ran off, Anthony patted her hand.
Shaking her head slightly in frustration, Gianna decided to let the matter slide for now. Smiling up at him, she linked her hand in his and bumped him gently with her hip.
“Come on, then. I’ll race ya.”
Chapter 9
A week had passed since the incident at the stables. As the days passed, Gianna’s concern blossomed as Anthony grew quieter and more distant. He was out a lot, often leaving the hotel early and returning only after she had fallen asleep. On the few occasions that she had cornered him, the conversation was terse and awkward.
Sighing in frustration, Gianna plonked the breakfast plates on the dining table a little harder than she intended. Jumping a little, she smiled apologetically at a startled Mrs. Beauchamp.
“I’m so sorry, Matilda,” she muttered, embarrassed. “My mind was somewhere else.”
Clucking sympathetically, Mrs. Beauchamp took her hand in hers. “Don’t worry, poppet, I know exactly what is going on.”
“You do?” Gianna turned to her eagerly. Mrs. Beauchamp nodded.
“Of course! It’s what every newlywed couple faces. The honeymoon period is over and you’re not used to not having him around you all the time.”
Slumping back, Gianna forced a weak smile. “Yeah, that’s probably it.”
In her darkest moments, Gianna found herself wondering if it were possible at all that Anthony had grown tired of her. His behavior had taken a complete shift. In the earlier days, she had lamented how he never seemed to be able to keep his hands off her. Ironically, she was now equally troubled by the opposite. He kept a respectful distance, restricting their interaction to chaste and formal pecks on the cheek. If she hadn’t known better, she could have sworn that he was avoiding any form of contact with her.
“Say, Lily stopped by today. She asked if you were interested in going down to the saloon. There’s a poker tournament going on that she thinks you might be interested in.”
Gianna shook her head. “Oh, I wish I could, Matilda. But Anthony doesn’t like me going down to the saloon much. He thinks it’s a complicated place.”
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