Disappointment filled Ryan when Callum stood up straight and took a step back. He felt cold with the loss of contact and part of Ryan wanted to grab onto the multipocketed vest and pull him back.
“Think about what I’ve said, and let me know. If you decided it’s not for you, people tell me frequently that I make a great friend.” Callum started to turn toward the door but stopped. Coming back to Ryan, he lifted him down from the counter and made sure he was steady on his feet. Not an easy feat for Ryan, considering he had a hard-on from hell.
Ryan wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say, so he looked up at Callum and said, “Sleep well, Callum.”
Callum smiled and dropped a brief kiss on Ryan’s lips. “You, too, cutie.” Then the big man disappeared down the hall, and a few minutes later Ryan heard the outside door click shut. Ryan felt empty and alone.
* * * *
It had been two days. Callum managed to avoid being alone with Ryan, fairly trying to give the man time to think hard before he made a decision. That didn’t mean Callum hadn’t spent time with him. Callum had learned a lot in the last two days.
In Callum’s opinion, Ryan needed to find his center. He needed someone to help him corral his racing brain into concentrating on the present, not six million other things at once. Callum didn’t actually think it was possible, but he was more than willing to keep the smaller man at least safe while they worked on it.
Sitting next to Ryan at the dinner table, Callum watched Ryan’s fork take a header onto the floor for the second time. As Ryan’s face grew red with embarrassment, Callum casually handed him one of the extra forks he had brought to the table before the meal started. He considered himself a quick study, and after watching Ryan during the last couple of meals, extra silverware and napkins were going to be mandatory. Currently, there were three napkins surrounding Ryan’s chair.
“Callum,” Ryan said in a quiet voice.
Callum put one arm along the back of Ryan’s chair and tipped his head lower so he could hear what Ryan had to say. The man always wore lightly scented cologne that urged Callum to bury his nose against Ryan’s skin. “What do you need, cutie?” he asked.
Ryan leaned nearer. “I’ve made a decision.”
Callum abruptly sat up straight in shock. He noticed the table had grown quiet. Ryan must have noticed this also because his eyes were darting around the table nervously.
“We’ll talk about this later, okay?” he asked. Callum might not have been crazy about Ryan bringing up such a personal matter at a table full of cowboys, but he wouldn’t make him feel stupid or bad about it. By asking him if it was okay, it gave Ryan some control over the matter and hopefully gave him some much-needed confidence.
Ryan smiled and nodded. His mismatched eyes held warmth and happiness. When Callum could breathe again, he smiled back. The beauty of Ryan’s smile had Callum losing his breath every time.
“And there he goes…another one bites the dust,” Adam said in an out-of-tune sing-song voice from across the table.
Before Callum could retort, Adam’s phone rang.
“Hey, Zaiden, what’s up?” Adam said. During the following conversation, Adam’s face darkened in rage. By the time he hung up, a spot near his temple visibly throbbed, and Elliot had climbed into his lap.
Looking at everyone at the table, Adam announced, “I need everyone to keep an eye out while you’re working around the ranch. Zaiden just found a horse in bad shape dumped in the east field. It might be a one-time thing, but it pays to be careful. Callum, we need to get out there.”
As Callum went to stand up, a hand slid into his. “Callum, can I come with you?” Ryan asked.
“Sure, if you want to,” he answered.
Ryan nodded and said, “I’d like to go along.”
He kept ahold of Ryan’s hand and led the man out of the house. Opening the driver’s side door of his truck, Callum helped Ryan in before he slid behind the steering wheel. After starting the truck, he pulled in behind Graham’s truck. He noticed Tyler had decided to go along, and was sitting close beside Graham. As they traveled down the rough dirt road that led to the back of Graham’s property, he glanced in the rearview mirror. Adam and Dees were following him in Adam’s truck.
“Callum, is now later?” Ryan asked tentatively.
Callum reached over and covered Ryan’s hands that were twisting the bottom of his T-shirt out of proportions. He gave them a squeeze, hoping to reassure him before putting his hand back on the wheel to negotiate a bumpy section of the road.
“You have a funny sense of timing. But if you feel you’ve had enough time to think about it, we can talk now,” Callum said.
Callum wondered how he was going to handle being alone in the truck with Ryan if he turned him down. Hell, he wondered how he was going to keep his hands off the man if he accepted their relationship.
Ryan laughed. “I had already made my decision before you left the house the other night. I was giving you time to back out.”
“What do you mean, back out?” Callum asked.
A blue and a brown eye gazed at Callum, the expression on Ryan’s face solemn. “You’ve had a few days to see how clumsy I am. I won’t blame you if you’ve changed your mind.” Ryan snorted and turned to look out the front windshield. “Heck, every boyfriend I’ve ever had has dumped me because of it.”
The silence in the truck extended as Callum’s mind raced around in circles. This situation was a whole new ballgame for Callum. Someone was thinking of his needs instead of what he could do for them.
“The road is too rough for me to put my arm around you. Why don’t you unbuckle that seat belt and slide over here? There’s a belt in the center,” he instructed. Seconds later Ryan’s warm body was pressed against his.
“Does this mean you want us to be in a relationship, Callum?” Ryan asked.
“I wouldn’t have asked in the first place if I hadn’t been sure. You were the one that had to decide if you could handle my way of loving,” Callum reminded him. “And, by the way, I need a direct, clear answer on that.”
A smile that lit up the whole cab of the truck graced Ryan’s face. “Of course I accept,” Ryan said.
“There’s no of course about it, but now that you’ve accepted, I won’t let you back out.” Callum smiled at the beaming man.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Ryan retorted with a giggle, putting his warm hand on Callum’s thigh.
Before Callum could respond, ahead of him Graham was pulling up to Zaiden’s huge John Deere tractor. Parking the truck next to Graham’s, Callum saw the ranch’s redheaded farmer standing next to a horse, lying in the recently planted field. Even from where he was, Callum could tell the horse was a Belgian.
“Callum, she looks bad,” Ryan said, his hand squeezing Callum’s thigh tightly.
Callum turned off the truck and said, “Come on. Let’s see if we can help her.”
Getting out of the truck, Callum turned and lifted Ryan out. Once the man was steady on his feet, Callum hurried over to the horse. The closer he got to the animal the clearer the picture of the abuse she endured became.
Immediately he saw she was malnourished and dehydrated. Her coat was dirty and dull. The one spark of hope he had was that she wasn’t totally down on the ground yet. She still had her head raised, although her eyes were lifeless.
“I was heading to the next field over when I happened to see her,” Zaiden explained. “Whoever dumped her must have known once we’ve planted a field nobody usually goes near it until it starts growing. By rights, I wouldn’t have been anywhere near here for another week or two.”
Callum nodded at Zaiden before crouching down in front of the mare. Automatically he put his hand to her nose to let her smell it. Her breathing was so shallow he suspected she didn’t bother to scent him.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” he cooed. “Let’s see what has you feeling so bad so we can fix it.”
As he gently caressed the side of the mare’s face, Callum
took a small flashlight out of his vest pocket and quickly shined the light into each of the mare’s eyes. Both retinas had the same response, and there was no sign of any ulcers. It was a crude exam considering the conditions, but at this point Callum would take any positives he could get.
Callum noted her dirty ears and ran his hands gently down her neck avoiding the thick chain embedded in her neck. He could see infection had set in the weeping, bleeding, swollen skin surrounding the links of metal. Dees, who was standing slightly behind and to the side of him, inhaled sharply. Callum tried to keep his concerns for the horse under wraps. The poor thing didn’t need to sense his growing apprehension and anger at her condition.
He took a deep breath and continued his examination. Taking his stethoscope out of his pocket, Callum let his gaze run over the rest of the horse’s body. The sharp bones of her spine and hips clearly protruded through her skin. Her muscles were almost nonexistent. Although she was lying down, and he couldn’t see everything, she was partly on her side, and Callum did observe wounds on the insides of her grotesquely swollen back legs. Callum winced at her swollen front legs and the state her hideously overlong hoofs were in.
A glance at her hindquarters and buttock region showed more seeping abrasions. Callum’s heart dropped, and his stomach rolled when he saw the swollen and irritated vulva area. Putting the stethoscope into his ears, Callum listened to the animal’s insides and his heart wept.
Chapter Five
Taking the stethoscope away from his ears, Callum stepped away from the horse and looked at the ground. A hand crept into his. Desperately, he held on to Ryan’s hand, needing the comfort.
“How bad, Callum?” Graham’s voice broke the heavy silence and tension in the air.
Callum looked up at Graham. “She’s on the edge.”
Fingers squeezed Callum’s hand tight. “What do you mean?” Ryan asked.
“Animals will get to the point where nothing you do will save them. She’s just about there,” Callum explained, his insides sick. He couldn’t even reveal the worst part of the mare’s situation.
“What’s your recommendation?” Graham asked through gritted teeth.
Callum shut down his feelings and said the correct words. “Right now she’s checked out on us. If we can get her to show any life at all, any interest, even if it’s to object to what we are doing to her. Then she has a chance and we can take her back to the ranch. Otherwise, it would be best if I put her down.”
“Callum,” Ryan objected.
Taking Ryan by the shoulders, Callum bent down until they were eye to eye. “We have an obligation not to let her suffer. No matter how much it hurts us, we have to be merciful.” Callum moved Ryan a few steps away. “You need to stay out of the way. We’re going to try and get her up.”
Turning back toward the horse, Callum saw Adam, Graham, Dees, and Zaiden had already surrounded the animal.
“Just a minute,” he called, and ran back to the truck. Out of a drawer, Callum pulled a padded halter.
Back by the horse he carefully fitted the halter over the unresponsive mare’s head. When he finished, he looked up at the men. “Let’s do this,” he said.
While Callum pulled, the other men pushed, trying to get the horse to stand. When that didn’t work, they tried other techniques to stimulate the horse to move. Nothing worked. She had no reaction to anything they did.
Sweating, frustrated, and angry, Callum stepped back. “It’s no use. She’s not responding.”
Graham ran a hand over his face. “Well, I guess that’s it then.”
“No,” Ryan shouted.
Ryan rushed toward the horse. Callum watched helplessly from the other side of the horse as the man’s foot hit a loose rock, and he pitched forward. Ryan’s body hit the ground with a dull thump, and Callum heard the air forced out of his lungs from the impact.
“Ryan.” Callum took a step forward and froze.
Callum had to blink twice at the sight before him. While Ryan was lying there not moving, the mare above him lowered her nose and began to nuzzle Ryan’s hair.
“There’s our sign of life,” Adam said.
Stepping around the horse, Callum knelt and touched the side of Ryan’s face. “Can you hear me?” he asked. The mare’s dry lips tickled the top of Callum’s hand.
Ryan’s eyes popped open, and he looked at Callum. “Ow?”
“Come on, let’s get you up. I’m going to have to be faster on the uptake from now on, so I can catch you,” he teased. “Does anything hurt?”
Slowly, the smaller man sat up. Callum caught Ryan’s dusty hand before it could touch the small scrape on his cheek. “Just my face,” Ryan answered.
“It’s not too bad,” Callum said.
“Aw man, Ryan. Are you okay? For a second there I thought you were going to land on the horse.” Tyler knelt down next to Ryan and Callum.
“I’m okay,” Ryan said. A cute giggle came out of his mouth when the mare started nuzzling his ear. Ryan turned and patted the horse.
“Damndest thing I’ve ever seen. I thought you were going to have to put her down,” Graham said. “I sent Zaiden back to get a trailer.”
Callum stood and watched Ryan and Tyler pet the mare. “We’re not out of the woods yet,” he warned.
“Something you want to share?” Graham asked.
He looked at his boss, turning the seriousness of the issues he was about to convey over in his mind. Graham jerked his head in the direction away from the others. “Let’s go talk over there.”
Callum walked with Graham and stood in front of his truck. He watched Dees take a bag of intravenous electrolytes out of the back of his truck. He knew Dees would get things set up for him. But first he had to talk to Graham.
“I know we still have to get her onto her feet and into the trailer,” Graham said. “How come I have the feeling your examination revealed a whole shitload of more troubles?”
“If my suspicions are correct, there’s a new game in town that I refuse to be a part of,” Callum stated.
“Be more specific,” Graham ordered.
“Premarin.”
“Shit!” Graham shouted.
Turning away, Graham stood with his legs spread, hands on his hips and head thrown back, looking out across his land. Callum knew his boss was working on regaining his composure. He also knew once Graham calmed down he would start planning. Unfortunately, Callum hadn’t told Graham everything.
“One more thing,” Callum said.
When Graham turned his head toward Callum, his eyes were blazing with anger, and his face was red. In a calm voice that belied his rage, he asked, “What?”
“The mare is pregnant.”
* * * *
Ryan took a moment to appreciate the quiet and being surrounded by Callum’s big body. They were both sitting on the floor in the corner of a large stall with Callum leaning against a bale of hay. Ryan relaxed between Callum’s bent legs and enjoyed the warm wide chest beneath his head and back. Callum had explained that because they knew nothing about the horse standing a few feet away, they would need to quarantine her for a while. Ryan suspected there were other reasons to keep the mare under wraps, but he figured he would find that out when Callum was ready to tell him.
“I think she’s about as stable as she’s going to be. Let’s go get some sleep,” Callum whispered tiredly in his ear. “I have an app on my phone. I can use it to watch her from that camera in the corner.” Callum pointed to the far end of the stall. “I’ll check on her every little while to make sure she not in distress.”
Ryan thought that was so cool. He had seen the television monitor Elliot had in the corner of the kitchen. When Ryan had asked about it, Elliot had explained to him that he helped Callum keep an eye on the pregnant mares. If they showed any sign of going into labor, Elliot let Callum know. Elliot did warn Ryan that if he didn’t want nightmares, he should avoid the whole birthing process. Ryan thought there must be a story there, but so far Elliot wasn�
��t talking.
It was a huge relief to Ryan that the mare was standing on her own in the corner. For a few hours, it had been touch and go with Callum and Dees running around like madmen working on the mare. Ryan didn’t know if it helped or not, but he talked and petted her throughout it all.
Now the night had passed, and it was almost time for breakfast. All Ryan could think about was how good a bed would feel right now, especially if it included Callum in it.
“Where do you think she came from?” Ryan asked.
“Have you ever heard of Premarin?” The tip of Callum’s finger ran over Ryan’s shoulder and traveled up his neck. Ryan couldn’t stop the shiver that finger created.
“It sounds like some kind of drug,” Ryan answered.
Callum dropped a kiss on the top of Ryan’s head. “It’s used as a form of hormone replacement therapy,” Callum said.
“What does that have to do with Maggie?” Ryan asked.
“Maggie?” Callum asked.
“She has to have a name. I’ve decided Maggie fits,” Ryan pointed out.
“All right, Maggie it is,” Callum agreed. “Premarin is created primarily from the urine of pregnant horses.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” It was a good thing Ryan was sitting. Otherwise, he would have collapsed in shock. Never in a million years had he ever heard such a thing.
“The latest way to make huge amounts of money is to set up farms and keep mares pregnant.” The bitterness in Callum’s tone was evident.
“But how do they…What do they…Does somebody run around with a bucket?” Flabbergasted couldn’t begin to describe how Ryan felt. He was sure he must be in the twilight zone.
“See those scrapes and rub marks on the inside of Maggie’s back legs?” Callum pointed a finger at Maggie’s thighs. “I’ve seen pictures of horses with those marks. They were taken of horses rescued from these collection farms. The workers attach urine collection devices to the horses, and from what I understand, these things are kept on during most of their pregnancy. They can cause all kinds of infections and skin problems.”
Callum's Love [Men of Crazy Angle Ranch: 5] Page 4
