The Cowboy's Spring Romance

by Shanna Hatfield

  Lindsay thought the table did look quite festive by the time they finished. Tommy wasn’t sure what time to warm up the food, since they didn’t know how long the men would be down at the barn.

  “Why don’t we go see how things are progressing?” Lindsay asked as they tried to keep Cass entertained. Tommy had given the little girl half an apple to munch on when she complained she was going to starve to death.

  “I don’t know, Miss Lindsay. Maybe we better stay here,” Tommy said, eying her shoes and nice clothes.

  “Please, call me Lindsay, and I think it will be fine.”

  Despite his better judgment, Tommy helped her find a pair of boots in the mudroom that she could wear and gave her one of the chore coats to put on. Cady’s boots and coat were too short and small for her to consider wearing. Tommy held Cass’ coat for her and Lindsay helped her put on her snow boots then the three of them walked to the barn.

  The air was cold, but not frigid, and stars glittered in the clear night sky. Their boots crunched over the crusty layer of snow and Cass giggled as she slipped and slid her way to the barn. Tommy took Cass’ hand when they got to the barn door.

  “Now, remember, Cass, the cows are already scared, so you have to be real quiet.”

  “I member Tommy. I’ll be quiet. I promise,” Cass said, standing still with a solemn look on her face.

  “Good girl, let’s go,” Tommy opened the door and allowed Lindsay to walk through first. She could hear low voices and the anguished moaning of an animal in one of the stalls. Tommy led them down the aisle of the barn and stopped outside a stall door where Travis and Henry, the hand who had been with them the longest, helped Trent.

  So intent on what he was doing he didn’t notice anyone else had arrived, Trent kept his focus on the heifer and helped her as best he could.

  Lindsay wasn’t certain Cass should be watching what was going on and whispered so to Tommy, who shrugged and said she’d seen them deliver calves multiple times that week. Fairly certain Cady wouldn’t want Cass witnessing it too close, she took Cass’ hand and walked her through the barn, admiring the horses and seeing two other cows in stalls in various stages of labor. By the time she returned to the stall where Trent worked, she had said hello to Danny, Larry, and Rex, the rest of the Triple T hands, who were keeping an eye on the cows.

  “Here we go,” she heard Trent say as Travis stepped beside him and helped pull the calf. Lindsay thought if a cow could scream, the poor little heifer would have done so as the calf’s head made an appearance. While Travis continued pulling, Trent cleared the calf’s nose so it could breath.

  By the time all four legs hit the straw-covered stall floor, Lindsay could see the baby take in a breath, then another.

  “It’s a boy!” Trent beamed, holding the calf up and giving him a once over. “A beautiful little bull.”

  Finished with her birthing duties, the cow turned her big, exhausted eyes to Trent, who gently placed the calf by her head. She sniffed the baby and began licking him. She let out a tired but satisfied moo.

  “You did a great job, little mama,” Trent said, gently rubbing the cow between her ears. Turning to Travis, they put down fresh straw, made sure there was hay and water for the cow and shut the stall door.

  “We’ll check on her after dinner,” Travis said, giving Trent a loud thump on his back. “You were awesome, bro. Nice job.”

  “Thanks, man,” Trent said, turning around and, for the first time, noticing his audience. He wondered how long Lindsay had been watching. When she smiled at him, he felt himself grin in return, despite his fatigue from the hard work he’d done the past couple of hours. His muscles ached and he was filthy, but he was running on the high he always got from helping bring a new life into the world and keeping the cow alive, too.

  “That was quite something,” Lindsay said, taking Cass’ hand in hers. She wanted to hug Trent and tell him that observing him deliver the calf was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen. Instead, she watched as Trent pulled off a pair of shoulder length gloves and put them in a garbage can by the door. Dressed just in the T-shirt and jeans, sweat ran down his neck, soaking into his shirt, despite the chill in the barn.

  “It’s like watching a miracle every time,” Trent said, sending a warm smile her direction. He didn’t know where the thought was coming from, but he suddenly pictured holding Lindsay’s hand while she gave birth to their child. Shaking his head to dislodge the image, he turned toward the rest of the hands who stood watching them.

  “I’m going to get cleaned up. Tommy, can you get dinner ready while the rest of the guys watch our other two ladies in waiting? Then we can all sit down to a hot meal together.”

  “Sure, Trent,” Tommy said, hurrying out of the barn toward the house, taking Cass with him.

  Lindsay walked back to the house between Trent and Travis. Both of them were dirty and tired and she figured the last thing they wanted was to entertain a guest. Walking in the back door, Trent carefully helped her off with her coat while she took off the borrowed boots and padded into the kitchen. Slipping her heels back on, she helped Tommy warm up the meal while Travis and Trent made a beeline down the hall toward their rooms.

  Trent was soon back, smelling fresh and warm, while his hair fell in damp waves around his head. Lindsay clasped her hands together to keep from running her fingers through his hair. Picking up Cass, he kissed her cheek and asked her about her reading, then shot Lindsay a glance over Cass’ head that made her legs tremble while her heart slowly melted in a puddle.

  If she wasn’t fascinated with Trent before this evening, she was more than a goner for the handsome cowboy after watching him work to the point of exhaustion, yet still making sure Cass got plenty of attention once he was cleaned up. He was really someone special.

  “Well, Lindsay, it looks like you’ll be getting that Italian dinner after all,” Trent said as he watched Tommy set pans of the steaming lasagna on the table.

  “I’m sure this is way better than what the restaurant would make,” Lindsay said, trying to let Trent know she wasn’t upset by the change in their plans.

  Travis came out, looking clean and refreshed, and stepped outside to ring the metal triangle that would bring the hands in from the barn for dinner.

  They sat and joked, and ate the delicious meal. Lindsay enjoyed their teasing and laughter more than she would have thought possible. When she started to get up to help Tommy serve dessert, Trent pushed her back into her chair while Travis and Tommy served the cake along with cups of hot coffee.

  “That was a wonderful meal,” Lindsay said, eating the last bite of the moist cake. “I think I need to find more excuses to come eat with you guys.”

  “You don’t need an excuse,” Trent said. “You are more than welcome anytime.”

  The rest of the men, and Cass, echoed his statement.

  Looking at the clock, Trent told Cass she had better get ready for bed. She minded, but walked with slow dragging steps toward her room.

  When she came back, dressed in her pajamas, she asked if Miss Lindsay could tuck her in. Lindsay agreed and took her hand, following her to her bedroom. She listened to Cass say her prayers, tucked her in “just like Mama does” and read her a bedtime story. She thought Cass was asleep, but just as she stood to walk out of the room, she heard Cass whisper. “Night, Miss Lindsay. I love you.”

  Lindsay smiled. “Love you, too, Cass. Goodnight.”

  She heard the little girl sigh as she turned off the light and left the door open just a crack.

  Walking back to the kitchen prepared to help clean up, she found the table already cleared, dishes done and the hands gone. Travis sat in the big great room with a cup of coffee reading the paper while Trent sat at the counter, waiting for her. When he saw her come in the kitchen, he stood and walked up to her with a fire lighting his warm blue gaze.

  “I’m sorry about our date turning out so… different than I planned. Will you give me another chance?” he asked as he he
lped her on with her coat. It was getting late and he knew she needed to go home.

  “It was fine, Trent. Actually, I had a very good time. And yes, I’ll give you another chance. My calendar is still open Saturday.”

  “Perfect. Maybe we can go have our Italian dinner then,” Trent said, taking her hand and walking her to the pickup that he had run out earlier and started so it would be warm.

  “The lasagna tonight was absolutely delicious, so I got my Italian fix. I don’t care where we go, so why don’t you surprise me.”

  “Sounds good,” Trent said as he started down their long driveway toward the road.

  Driving up to her house, he opened the pickup door for her, took her hand and walked her up the front porch steps. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Lindsay.”

  “Happy Valentine’s Day to you,” she said, ready for the kiss she was sure Trent had nearly given her earlier. She had wanted him to kiss her on any number of occasions and now she felt the need for his lips on hers tugging at her with a force she couldn’t deny. Half-closing her eyes when he leaned toward her, she was in misery when he kissed her cheek and stepped back.

  “Thanks, Lindsay,” he said then hurried back to his pickup.

  Lindsay stood on the porch watching him leave, trying to figure out exactly where things went wrong. She was almost positive Trent wanted to kiss her as badly as she wanted kissed. For the life of her, she couldn’t think of what was holding him back. If he didn’t get around to kissing her soon, she might take matters into her own hands.

  Chapter Eight

  Romance is a love affair

  in other than domestic surroundings.

  Sir Walter Raleigh

  “Dude, you’ve got to get your mind in the game and off the pretty schoolteacher,” Travis teased as they rode through the herd two days later. Cass was at school and they were trying to gather in the cows that looked close to calving. So far, they hadn’t lost any babies or mothers, but they still had about three more weeks of calving to get through.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Trent said, feigning ignorance. In truth, he felt consumed with Lindsay. He regretted not taking her in his arms and kissing her passionately Valentine’s night, but after his plans for a romantic evening went so far awry, it just didn’t seem like the right time.

  Travis leaned over in his saddle and slugged Trent on the arm. Trent turned to glare at his younger brother.

  “Don’t make me take you down and show you whose boss,” Trent warned Travis, although they both knew he was teasing. Mostly.

  “Trey, and thank goodness he’ll be back tomorrow. I’m glad he and Cady could take some time away for a honeymoon, but I can’t wait for them to get home,” Travis said, shaking his head. “I know more about fairies, some little girl named Ashley, and Cass’ bedtime rituals than I ever wanted to learn.”

  Trent laughed. “You aren’t the only one, you know. I had more than my share of school duty.”

  “And that’s such a hardship for you,” Travis goaded his brother. “I’m sure it just pains you to have to see that fine-looking teacher of hers on a regular basis. Too bad she doesn’t appear to have better taste in men than she does, or I might ask her out myself.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Trent said defensively, his voice dropping while his eyes narrowed.

  “You’re hopeless, you know that?” Travis said, laughing at him.

  Trent grinned. “I don’t know any such thing, except we better hustle up and get these cows back to the barn.”

  Trent and Travis slowly drove the cows back to the corral by the barn where a dozen other cows alternated between pacing and lying on the ground, a sure sign they were in the beginning stages of labor.

  At a quarter to noon, Trent’s watch alarm blared and he hurried to his pickup to get Cass.

  When he pulled up at the school, Cass was standing outside holding Lindsay’s hand, waiting for him. Jumping out of the truck, Cass ran into his arms and he swung her around before setting her in the booster seat in back. He could smell Lindsay’s unique scent floating around him, knowing she was nearby. Turning, he smiled into blue eyes that beckoned him to step closer, to lose himself in a kiss. Instead, Trent took a step back and bumped into the open pickup door.

  “Hi,” he said quietly, giving Lindsay a thorough once-over from head to toe and very much liking what he saw.

  “Hi yourself,” she said with an impish grin. “Things busy out at the ranch today?”

  “How’d you guess?” he asked, glancing down at his manure coated jeans and dirty coat.

  “It looks like you’ve had an interesting morning,” she said, staring at his legs. “More babies on the way?”

  “Yep,” Trent said. He hoped the stench from his jeans and boots wasn’t too off-putting. “We’ll probably have a dozen more before the day is over. You should come out and see Fred.”

  “Fred?” Lindsay asked, wondering who Fred could be.

  “The little bull calf you watched being born. Cass named him Fred.”

  Lindsay laughed and Trent warmed at the sound.

  “I’ll have to come see him sometime soon. I’m looking forward to Saturday.”

  “Me, too. I’ll try and email or call you later so we can make some plans.”

  “Sounds good,” Lindsay said, wanting Trent to at least take her hand, but realizing it was probably best if he kept his distance at the moment. She was all for romantic gestures, but she didn’t think manure had much place in romance. She certainly had no desire to spend the afternoon explaining how she got cow poop on her clothes to a bunch of inquisitive first-graders.

  Trent closed Cass’ door, got in the truck and waved as he left the schoolyard.

  Running by Viv’s, he picked up lunch then drove home with Cass chatting merrily in the backseat.

  “Uncle Trent?” she asked as they pulled up at the house.

  “Yeah, goofball?”

  “You stink,” Cass said as he helped her out of the pickup.

  “Well, that’s not very nice to say, is it?” he asked as he carried their lunches into the kitchen.

  “No, but it’s true. Shouldn’t you wash your pants before you eat lunch?”

  Wash? Trent and Travis had completely forgotten about laundry since Cady had been gone. They’d been pulling on dirty jeans to work with the cows since they just got dirtier. In somewhat of a panic, he told Cass to go change her school clothes.

  Running to the laundry room he looked at the growing pile and decided he better get busy if he was going to make a dent before Cady got home. Digging around and finding their work jeans, he set them in the deep utility sink to soak, trying to get the manure and dirt out of them, including the pair he wore. Sorting through the clothes, he pulled out Cass’ things and tossed her darker colored jeans, sweatshirts and socks in with his and Travis’ shirts. Making piles of light clothes, white clothes, towels, and clothes that were ripe enough to get up and run away, he looked both ways before making a mad dash to his room where he pulled on clean jeans and changed his shirt.

  By the time he returned to the kitchen, Travis was there, also wearing clean jeans, listening to Cass who was sitting on a bar stool swinging back and forth and talking about what she did at school that morning.

  “Ashley said that you’re not really my uncles,” Cass said, giving Travis a dubious glance.

  “Is that so? Isn’t Ashley the one nicknamed Pigpen?”

  “Yep,” Cass said, nodding her head until her curls bounced.

  “Do you really think you should listen to a kid nicknamed Pigpen?”

  Cass giggled. “So you really are my uncle?”

  “Of course,” Travis said, sitting down next to Cass and pulling her onto his lap while Trent poured three glasses of milk.

  “Our brother is your daddy, isn’t he?”

  “Yep. The judge said so.”

  “Well, then, that makes both of us your uncles. So, you just don’t listen to everything Ashley tells you
. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Cass agreed then gave Travis one of her stranglehold hugs. Although tired of the duties of caregiver, he had enjoyed getting to know Cass better and spending time with her.

  “I’m starved, let’s eat,” she said, as Travis set her back down on her stool and Trent gave thanks for the meal.

  Later, while Cass napped, Trent alternated between doing laundry and doing research online. He Googled Lindsay’s name and was surprised to find she played basketball on the women’s team for Oregon State University. He even found some photos of her taken during a few games. Although she looked younger, it was definitely Lindsay. From what he read, she was really good, too. Everyone expected Trent to be a big basketball star in school because of his height, but his first love was football and he spent most of his junior and senior years studying rather than participating in after-school activities.

  Trent kept digging online and found photos from Lindsay’s days in Prineville as homecoming princess, and an article about her scoring the most points during their playoff basketball game her senior year.

  Grinning, he could picture her taking a shot that would either make or break the game and making it.

  Deciding to do a little fishing for information with her, he sent Lindsay an email. He didn’t have to wait long for her response to arrive.

  He gave her a list of questions and she answered them all.

  Do you like museums?

  Yes.

  Do you like history?

  Yes.

  Do you like to eat out for breakfast?

  Sometimes, depending where and what is being served.

  Do you have the whole day Saturday open or just Saturday night?

  The whole day is yours, if you want it.

  Do you like me?

  Maybe. But I can’t tell you. If I did like you, I’d write a note and give it to Ashley to give to Cass to give to Tommy to give to Travis who might share it with you. That’s how things are done, you know.

  Trent read her responses and laughed, especially at the last one. He quickly wrote her back and waited for her to reply.