by R. C. Ryan
“Not for another week. By then, these babies will be running their poor mama ragged,” Jake said with a laugh.
A minute later he heard the beep signaling a text, and read aloud the message from Randy Morton: “‘Good for Honey. What a trooper. Wish I could be there. Thanks for standing in for me.’”
Jake winked at Cory. “Do you realize that if you hadn’t been here with Shadow, we would have completely missed Honey’s big event until morning?”
The boy’s eyes were shining. “Then I’m glad I was here. I mean, I didn’t do anything, but it’s nice to be able to share this with her.”
“I can tell that Honey liked having you here, too. As the days go by, she’ll welcome an occasional distraction so she can catch her breath. Those six are going to be a handful for their sweet mother. So, whenever you want to hold them, I doubt she’ll complain.”
“You mean it? I can hold them and Honey won’t mind?”
“Sure. Just give them some time to get their bearings, and to give their proud mama time to lavish a lot of love on them.”
Jake motioned toward the dog, whose eyes were now open, keeping watch on her babies as they began to curl up around her, their yipping falling silent as, replete, content, exhausted from their big event, they began to nod off.
He again touched a hand to the dog’s head. “I knew you would be a great mama, Honey.”
She licked his hand before turning her head to look at Cory.
The boy caught his breath. “Do you see how she’s looking at me?”
Jake nodded. “I think that means she likes you and she’s glad you’re here.”
“Really?” Cory reached out a tentative hand and brushed it over the golden Lab’s head. As she had with Jake, she licked the boy’s hand, bringing a wide smile to his lips.
It was, Jake realized, the first time he’d ever seen the boy completely, utterly happy, unhampered by all the drama that had been apparent in his life these last few days.
“If you two want to get some sleep, I’ll stay here and take care of a few things.”
Cory shook his head. “I’m not tired. I’d like to help.”
Meg nodded. “Me, too.”
“Okay. Time to clean up here and give Honey and her babies some fresh bedding.” Jake got to his feet and crossed the barn. He wheeled a cart over and removed the soiled hay, replacing it with fresh, clean hay. Then, from a row of shelves he chose several clean, folded blankets.
He motioned toward the pen. “If you two will take hold of the edge of that blanket, and pull it toward you, I’ll slip these underneath.”
With Meg and Cory tugging the damp blanket aside, Jake managed to replace it with a several fresh ones, barely disturbing Honey and her puppies. He bundled the soiled blanket into a plastic bag before laying out a supply of fresh food and water for Honey.
“Very efficient, Dr. Conway.” Meg gave a nod of approval at the spotless pen.
“It just takes a little planning.”
“I’m betting you’ve done this a time or two.”
He chuckled. “More like a dozen times or two.”
As the puppies snuggled close to their mother, Cory leaned his arms on the side of the pen, staring transfixed at them.
Jake touched a hand to his shoulder. “You may as well get some sleep now. They’ll probably rest for a few hours before they start pestering Honey again.”
Cory shook his head. “Is it okay if I just stay here and watch them? I won’t bother them at all. But I’m not tired and I like looking at them.”
Jake shot him a smile. “They won’t be bothered by having some company. You take as long as you want.”
He turned to Meg. “You ready to go up to bed?”
She couldn’t seem to tear her gaze from the serene mama and her pups. “Not just yet. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll stay here awhile with Cory.”
Jake saw the look of surprise on the boy’s face, before the look turned to one of pleasure as Cory turned to stare at Meg.
The two shared shy smiles before returning their attention to Honey.
Watching them, Jake couldn’t help smiling himself. “Okay, then. Guess I’ll head up to bed alone.”
He shot a final look at Meg and Cory, wearing identical looks of pleasure and satisfaction as they knelt side by side watching every tiny movement, no matter how insignificant, of Honey and her puppies.
Meg turned to Cory to whisper, “Have you thought of any names?”
Cory shrugged. “Not really. Except for that little one there.”
“The smallest one?”
“Yeah.” Cory laughed as the runt of the litter began nudging his litter mate aside to snuggle closer to its mother. “He’s Trouble. At least that’s what I’m calling him in my mind.”
Meg was chuckling. “Oh, Cory, that’s perfect.”
As Jake made his way from the barn to the darkened house, he felt a flicker of hope. Could it be that a dog and her puppies might possibly be the first crack in that thick, impenetrable wall between Meg and Cory?
If so, he thought, the miracle of birth wouldn’t be the only miracle that happened this night. An even bigger one might be the discovery that a brother and sister had finally found some common ground on which to build a future.
Meg and Cory had been watching Honey and her puppies for more than an hour.
“This is better than TV,” the boy said softly.
“Yeah. I’m so glad we’re here.” Meg touched a finger to one of the puppies, enjoying the downy softness.
“I’m glad Jake was here.” The boy yawned. “I was really scared.”
“I would’ve been scared, too.”
“You would?”
Meg nodded. “I’ve never seen puppies being born. I would have felt completely helpless.”
“Jake knew just what to do.”
“You like Jake, don’t you?”
Cory shrugged. “He’s really smart. About animals and stuff.”
“Yeah.” Meg leaned back, keeping one eye on Honey and her puppies while she finished buttoning her shirt. She’d dressed so quickly, she couldn’t even recall putting on her sneakers.
Cory had gone very still, and Meg could see that he was fighting to stay awake. Without a word she entered Shadow’s stall and carried the sleeping bag over to Honey’s pen.
When she had it laid out, she nudged Cory to lie on it. When he didn’t protest, she knew she’d done the right thing.
Minutes later she zipped it, and he curled on his side, sound asleep.
She thought about going up to her room, but decided that this was the perfect time and place for some heavy-duty thinking.
She’d learned so much about a father she’d thought she already knew. But in truth, she hadn’t known Porter Stanford at all. The man his lawyer had described, and the man that Flora had praised to the heavens, was a complete stranger. The loving, emotion-filled letters he’d written to his long-absent daughter were heartbreakingly honest.
She’d spent a lifetime blaming him for every pain, every childhood misery, as though he’d been some evil sorcerer.
Now, she thought, it was time for some soul-searching. And time for some painful decisions.
She’d come here four short days ago thinking she could dispose of the ranch, land, and livestock in a week, and return to the life she’d made for herself in D.C. Now, having reconnected with her former life, she needed to rethink her original timetable.
What had Jake said that first night? It was a self-imposed deadline. There was no good reason why she couldn’t change it.
Of course, that would require some risk. She would have to request a leave of absence from the law firm. It wasn’t something she was looking forward to doing. She’d been given some high-profile cases, and the firm wouldn’t be happy about passing all that work off to the partners—to say nothing of the clients, who expected their money’s worth in defense.
Still, she needed to take whatever time necessary in order to make the best
decision possible, not only for her own future, but also for Cory’s.
Cory. She glanced at the boy asleep alongside Honey’s pen. He was a strange little kid. Much more comfortable, it would seem, in the company of animals than people. Still, she had to try to get through to him. She needed to know what it was he wanted going forward.
She remembered all the disturbing emotions of being yanked unceremoniously from the only life she’d known, to find her way among strangers in a strange new setting. Adults had made decisions that affected the quality of her life. It wasn’t something she wanted to put Cory through, if it could be avoided. And knowing that Judge Kirby Bolton had volunteered to be the boy’s guardian lifted some of the burden from her shoulders. Still, it would be nice to hear from Cory himself just what he wanted.
But what did she want? She might have come here thinking that all she wanted was to dispose of the ranch and return to the life she’d made for herself. Now, everything had changed. And all because of the letters her father had written, letters that confirmed what the people who knew him best had told her.
Knowledge is power. It had been her father’s favorite saying when she’d been a little girl. Now, those words had taken on a new meaning.
While the boy and dogs slept, Meg paced the length of the barn and back, mulling the decisions she was facing.
One of the decisions she’d been avoiding was what to do with her father’s ranch.
Her ranch.
She paused as the thought struck with all the forced of a thunderbolt. For the longest time she’d thought of the ranch as her father’s. Since relocating to a new place and new life, she’d divorced herself from the land she’d always loved. But now, it was hers. And she was, by heaven, going to get to know it intimately before making any decisions about its future.
She continued pacing. With each step she felt her resolve firming, and her spine stiffening. She’d been forced, early in life, to stand up for herself. Since coming back to Wyoming she’d turned into some weak, weepy female she didn’t recognize, leaning on neighbors, and especially Jake, for comfort and strength. It was time to morph back into the Meg Stanford she’d always been. No stranger was going to scare her off her land. And no law firm was going to guilt her into returning to the city unless she was ready to make that decision for herself.
She paused beside Honey’s pen and watched the dog, her puppies around her.
Some things, she thought, were just natural and right. Birth. Death. And a deep and abiding love for the land.
She took her cell phone from her pocket and shot off an e-mail to her law firm.
Feeling at peace with her decision, Meg dropped to her knees and listened to the soft sounds of the night. Cattle lowed. A lone coyote howled his mournful cry. And beside her, Cory snored softly.
As was her custom, Ela awoke at dawn and made her trek to the chicken coop at the rear of the barn to collect fresh eggs. With her basket full, she was returning to the house when she heard voices coming from inside the barn.
Curious, she opened the door, surprised to see all the lights on inside.
Cory and Meg looked up as the old woman approached.
“Look, Ela. Look what Honey’s got.” Cory was on his feet, as eager as a proud papa showing off Honey’s puppies. “There are six of them.”
“I see.” Ela set aside her basket and knelt down for a better look. “Did you see them being born?”
“Almost. I heard her panting and ran to get Jake. By the time we got here, they were all born, and she was licking them clean.”
Ela glanced over the boy’s head to smile at Meg. “And you woke your sister to share the good news with her.”
“I didn’t mean to, but Jake wasn’t in his room, and when I heard him in Meg’s room I just…” His voice trailed off as he was suddenly reminded of the scene he’d witnessed when he’d burst into Meg’s room. Jake and Meg were standing awfully close together, and he thought maybe they’d been kissing.
“Anyway”—he shoved aside the vision and forced himself to concentrate on his good news—“when Jake figured it was safe to leave Honey with her babies, I asked if I could stay, and Meg decided to stay with me. So here we are.”
If Ela saw the discomfort in Meg’s eyes by what the boy had just revealed, she didn’t let on. She stood and picked up her basket of eggs. “You have an hour or more before breakfast will be ready. I am sure, as I tell the others your good news, that you will have many visitors admiring Honey’s babies.”
Before walking away she paused to stare at the two of them. “My people believe that to witness new life on the very day that marked the end of a life is a very rare and special gift indeed, for it is the way of things. Each life must have a beginning and an end. It is a good sign that the two of you were here to share in this very special time together.”
When she was gone, Cory and Meg fell silent, lost in their own private thoughts. It was obvious that her words had touched a chord in each of them.
It didn’t take long for the news of Honey’s litter to spread to the rest of the family. All of them came streaming out of the house and into the barn for their first glimpse of Honey and her babies.
“Will you look at that?” Cole said.
Cole and Big Jim stood beside Honey’s pen. Both men were smiling broadly.
“We had to come as soon as Ela told us the news.” Big Jim bent to pet Honey’s head, while Cole ran a finger over the downy back of one of the pups.
“Oh, how precious.” Cheyenne let go of Quinn’s hand and dropped to her knees beside the pen, while Sierra, standing with Josh, lifted her ever-present camera to record the scene.
Phoebe hurried out with a dish of cooked rice and ground beef. “For energy,” she explained as she offered it to Honey, who began wolfing it down. “Our new mama will need all the strength she can get, feeding six hungry babies.”
The family gathered around, cooing over the puppies and praising Honey, and all the while asking questions of Cory, who was only too happy to relate the story, time and again, to each of them.
Cole looked around. “Where’s Jake? Shouldn’t our vet be here?”
“He was here in the night. When he was sure they were all right, he went up to bed.”
“Why didn’t you go too, son?” Big Jim asked.
Cory shrugged. “I wanted to stay here and just look at them”
“I can see why.” Cole glanced at Meg, kneeling beside Cory. “Have you been out here all night, too?”
She nodded. “After seeing these babies, I was too keyed up to think about sleep.”
“I don’t blame you.” Sierra pointed to two of the puppies tumbling over a third, and the three of them stuck on their backs, legs all tangled, doing their best to get untangled and back on their feet.
While everyone roared with laughter, she snapped picture after picture.
“Look at this one.” Cheyenne pointed out the smallest, trying to nudge his way between two bigger puppies.
“That’s Trouble,” Cory said.
Quinn arched a brow. “Is that his name or his reputation?”
“Both,” Cory said with an air of importance. “He spent the whole night fighting the others for a spot near Honey. Every time he wakes up, he causes trouble.”
Big Jim winked at the boy. “I think since you’ve been here from the beginning, you have a right to name him, son. And now, I’d better get to my chores, or the rest of you will be eating breakfast without me.”
“Same here,” Josh said, as he turned away and picked up a pitchfork.
One by one the others drifted away to see to their chores, leaving Cory and Meg alone.
She dropped a hand on Cory’s shoulder. “Maybe you and I ought to lend a hand with those chores. After all, we don’t want to be unwelcome guests, do we?”
With a laugh Cory followed Meg to help himself to a pitchfork from one of the hooks along the wall of the barn.
For the next hour they mucked stalls and listened to the te
asing conversations of Quinn and Josh and their wives.
When the chores were complete, and the others were heading toward the house, Meg turned to Cory. “I think we’d better go inside and grab a shower.”
Cory was reluctant to leave the pups for even a little while. “Do I have to?”
Meg gave a negligent shrug of her shoulders. “I’ll leave it up to you. But I’d hate to have you miss out on Phoebe’s really great breakfast.”
As she turned away, Cory got to his feet and started after her.
At her look of surprise he shot her a grin. “I guess I don’t mind taking a little time to eat.”
She ruffled his shaggy hair. “Smart boy. Especially since Honey and those babies aren’t going anywhere, and you can be back here within the hour.”
Chapter Seventeen
By the time everyone had gathered for breakfast, Jake was just stepping into the mudroom after a visit to the barn. He washed at the big sink before taking his place at the table.
“Did you see Honey?” Cory asked.
Jake nodded. “Sure thing. She’s looking well rested. I think, after we eat, I’ll start examining her babies and recording their vitals for Randy. Would you like to be my assistant?”
Cory’s eyes went wide and his mouth opened and closed several times before he was able to make a sound. “You mean it?”
“Of course. I figure if you’re going to lend a hand, you may as well get used to handling the puppies.”
The boy ducked his head, but not before the others saw the smile of pure pleasure alight in his eyes.
Jake glanced past Cory to Meg. “You want to lend a hand, too?”
“I’m happy to.” She chose her words carefully. “Afterward, I’ll be leaving. I’ve decided that it’s time I return to my own place.”
Everyone turned to look at her.
Big Jim set aside his coffee. “What about the intruder? Have you had some news from Chief Fletcher?”
“No news. I figure the intruder has had more than enough time to break in and help himself to whatever he can find. But his time’s up. I’ve made up my mind. I’m going home.”
