All the good memories of them growing up came flooding back. Now, she’d miss reminiscing. Hailey walked over to the dining room table where Jacob, who was twelve, was there with Sissy, ten. Both looked so grown up.
“Hi, guys.” She smiled.
The kids waved. “Hi, Aunt Hailey,” Sissy said. The kids went back to a game they were playing on their iPads.
She might as well break the news now. “I got a job.” She held up a hand. “But it’s only for two weeks.”
As expected, there were a ton of questions along with a lot of congrats. “The bad news is I start tomorrow.” She pulled back her lips in a grimace.
Moans and groans followed the announcement, but they did seem to understand.
Her mom ripped off her apron. “Then we’ll have to pack in a week’s worth of fun tonight.”
That was one of the many things she loved about her mom. She always made lemonade out of lemons.
Dad and her two brothers came in shortly before dinner and gave hugs all around. They knew better than to stay and chat, as showers were needed before they could eat. Farmwork was sweaty by nature.
By the time dinner was done and cleaned up, they reconvened in the living room to chat. Being around family meant so much to Hailey. She understood that someday she’d be offered a job at some farm or ranch faraway, which would mean she’d only be able to come home for a week at a time, but until that point, she was going to enjoy all this family love. Seeing Dalia’s two kids get along so well made her yearn for children of her own. But at thirty-four, her internal clock was spinning out of control.
Then the rich sound of Jackson Baldwin’s voice echoed in her mind, and she let fantasy take over. Could he be the one?
Chapter Three
Tanner hadn’t slept much last night. When he finally did rouse this morning, Jackson was gone. The man got up at predawn and was out the door, working his section of the eight-thousand-acre ranch as if he owned every damned square foot. His daddy sure was lucky to have him.
Tanner fixed some coffee and waited for Cody to come downstairs. When he didn’t show, Tanner took the stairs two at a time and knocked on his son’s door. “Cody? You up?”
Maybe the kid had no idea just how early cowboys rose, though the poor kid probably hadn’t fallen asleep right away.
The door opened a few seconds later. His son had dark circles under his eyes and wore the same clothes as yesterday. Tanner couldn’t decide if he didn’t own any other clothes or if he hadn’t changed into pajamas last night. Come Monday morning, he’d have to enroll Cody in school, and that meant he needed to get his son school supplies and plenty of warm clothes.
“Want some breakfast?”
He shrugged.
That action seemed to be his usual fare. Tanner wished he knew what would excite the kid. Probably nothing. He couldn’t blame Cody. The death of his mom must be terribly hard. “Well, I’m hungry. Come on.”
Tanner turned to head downstairs, and Cody’s big feet plodded heavily behind him. Once on the ground floor, Tanner made his way into the kitchen. Standing in front of the island, he handed Cody a bowl and then retrieved a carton of eggs out of the refrigerator. “Can you crack open eight of them and put them in here?”
“Uh-huh.”
If the mixture was half eggshells, Tanner would eat the concoction and not complain. He wanted to show his son they were in this venture together.
While he took out the bacon, he watched Cody crack the eggs with one hand and beat them into froth with a fork. Even Tanner needed both hands.
“Where did you learn how to do that?” His awe was genuine.
A smile flashed across Cody’s face. “My mom showed me. After she got sick, I had to do all the cooking.”
As soon as the pride disappeared, a haunted look descended in the kid’s eyes, and Tanner felt like shit. Who else would have taught him? Way to go, Tanner.
In silence, they prepared the meal. Without being asked, Cody located a frying pan and cooked the scrambled eggs. In no time, the meal was done.
Tanner nodded to the pan in Cody’s hand. “Let me get a platter, and you can put the eggs on it.”
“I can serve from the pan. It’ll save us washing a dish.”
Tanner painted on a smile. “You are so right.”
Growing up, he’d never had to worry about wasting water or washing an extra plate. He poured each of them a glass of orange juice and sat down. Cody finished the meal in record time as if he couldn’t wait to get out of there.
“These eggs are the best I’ve ever had.” Tanner didn’t have to fake his compliment.
Cody tossed him another rare smile. Tanner made a promise he would do whatever he could to see the kid happy more often.
“How about I show you the barn? You’ll get to meet our roommate, Jackson Baldwin.”
“This is his house, too?”
“Yes, but we’ve been friends since grade school.” He wasn’t sure if that really explained much.
Cody picked up his plate and placed it in the sink. “I’ll clean them later if that’s okay with you.”
Tanner had to keep from letting Cody tug on his heartstrings. “Sure, though we do have a dishwasher.”
“That uses electricity.”
Tanner finished the thought. Electricity cost money. “We have solar panels and windmills that supply our electricity.”
Cody’s eyes widened. “For real?”
“For real. After we go to the barn, I’ll show you.”
“Cool.”
Who knew the production of electricity would be the thing to excite his son? After they bundled up, they headed to the barn. When they entered the large wooden structure, he expected to find just Jackson, not a beautiful, tall blonde with her arm up a bull’s ass. She seemed to be in full concentration mode, so Tanner held out his hand to stop Cody from charging in. He placed a finger over his lips.
Jackson stood at the midsection of the bull doing something. He glanced back at them and furrowed his brow.
The woman nodded to Jackson. “Okay, I’m feeling around for the three glands.” A small smile came to her lips. “The prostate feels good. Now, I’m locating the Cowper’s gland.” She sucked in her bottom lip as if she had to strain to find what she was looking for. “And finally the seminal glands. No lumps anywhere. It’s a go.” She smiled, and Tanner couldn’t take his gaze off her.
Jackson readied the large probe that would go in the bull’s ass. While he’d told Tanner about the procedure for breeding, Tanner rarely stayed around to watch. Now he knew why. Old man Higgins usually did that job, but he was currently in the hospital getting a pacemaker implanted.
One glance at Cody told him the kid might be a vet someday. His eyes were wide, and from the angle of his head, nothing would pull him away from this operation. Inwardly, Tanner smiled.
The competent-looking woman took the probe from Jackson’s outstretched hands, and as she slid out her right hand from the bull’s anus, she inserted the probe with the other. Good thing the head of the bull was captured in the chute or he’d be bucking something fierce.
“Keep the tail up, Jackson.”
She pushed in the anal probe, and Tanner winced. Yikes. He wouldn’t want to be that bull. The animal bucked and kicked the chute, but the metal protected the vet.
The woman stepped back and with her nongloved hand reached for the dial on the electro-ejaculator. Brows pinched, she rotated it ever so slightly while keeping her gaze on Jackson. She must be waiting for his signal the bull was spewing his semen.
“This is so cool.” Cody’s comment came out a whisper as if he hadn’t meant to say the words out loud.
Jackson held a collection bag. “Looking good, Doc.” Jackson stepped back and waved it. “Let’s hope this is enough.”
“I’ll take that. Why don’t you chat with your visitors while I check for viability under the microscope.” She removed the probe. “If the semen’s good, you can put your prize beef back in his p
en.”
From what Tanner recalled, if the semen wasn’t good, she’d have to repeat the process, something he bet she didn’t relish.
Jackson held up a hand. “This should only take a moment.” He tore off his gloves and dumped them in the trash bin. His gaze focused on Cody.
“Tanner. Who’s this?”
“My son.”
* * * *
Hailey couldn’t make out any more of the words, but Jackson, who a moment ago had been quite enthusiastic about his bull, now seemed rather upset. She tried not to eavesdrop as she continued with her stain, but their voices kept escalating.
“What’s the stain for?”
She jerked at the soft voice. It belonged to the young boy. “I’m studying the morphology and mobility of the sperm.” She held up a finger as she looked into the microscope. “If you’ll wait one second while I count these little suckers, I can let you take a peek.”
“Cool.”
These appeared viable, but she was required to check another set. From the way the kid kept glancing behind him, his chin trembling, he was a lost little soul. Her motherly instinct kicked into high gear. “You want to take a look?”
Excitement flicked across his eyes. “Sure.” The kid stepped up to the microscope and adjusted the lens as if he was no stranger to the device. “Awesome.”
“You ever think about being a vet?”
He stood back, looked up at her, and shrugged. “Maybe. I like science a lot.”
“Me, too.”
He glanced over to the bull. “Do you ever get afraid of the bull kicking you and stuff?”
“All the time. That’s why I’m super careful. Samson is in the chute for a reason. He can’t hurt me that way.” She held up a finger. “But when I put the semen in the cow, trouble can occur.”
“Like what?”
“If the cow decides to sit down and I don’t get my arm out fast enough, I can end up with a broken arm.”
He worked his lips as if he needed to think about that. “Oh.”
The boy seemed to want to connect with her but wasn’t quite sure how to do it. She tried to help. “What’s your favorite topic in science?”
His lips twisted to the side. “Space. I also like robots. They’re cool.”
“I’m more of a biology person, but I also like looking at the stars and learning about the mythology behind their names.”
“Me, too. I like Cassiopeia the best. It’s a Win the sky.”
Hailey put the slide down. Most people usually talked about Orion or the Big Dipper. “Really. How did you know about that one?”
“My mom used to show me the stars and talk about their stories.”
“That’s great. So tell me about this Cassiopeia.”
His shoulders straightened as if he was about to give a lecture, and Hailey failed to keep the smile off her face.
“Cassiopeia was a woman. She was vain and told everyone how beautiful she was. As a punishment, the gods forced her to wheel around the North Pole on a throne. They told her if she let go, she’d fall off and die.”
“Wow. I bet she’ll be careful how she acts in her next life, won’t she?” He nodded.
She glanced at the men standing outside the barn door. Their voices had lowered, and both Jackson and the other man appeared more relaxed. That was a good thing.
Samson snorted, drawing her attention back to the bull. He clearly didn’t like having his head in the chute. “I have to do one more slide. Want to watch?”
He gave her what she considered a smile as he stepped next to her. She removed the first slide and placed the new one under the prongs. “I’m Hailey by the way. What’s your name?”
“Cody.”
“Nice to meet you, Cody. You live here?”
“Kind of. I just met my dad last night, and this is where he’s staying.”
The pieces fell into place. Jackson had told her he roomed with Tanner Crenshaw, which she assumed was the tall man with Jackson. No mention was made of a child, however. Oh, crap. Maybe that’s why Jackson’s body language had changed as soon as he spotted Tanner with Cody.
“I guess you’re new to Sanctuary then?”
“Yeah. My mom just died.”
She almost dropped the semen specimen. “I’m so sorry.”
He shrugged again. “She was sick for a long time.”
“I’m still sorry.” She couldn’t imagine the pain this poor kid must be going through. He’d probably be happy talking about anything other than his sadness. “Where did you live before you came here?”
“Denver.”
“This will be a big change I bet.”
“I guess.”
“I need to check this.” She glanced through the microscope at the second slide to get confirmation that both semen specimens were good. It looked perfect. Jackson would be happy. Bull semen of this quality would bring a lot of money. She turned off the microscope and placed the specimen in liquid nitrogen.
“Do me a favor and tell Mr. Baldwin that he can put the bull back.” The kid hesitated as if she’d asked him to step in a snake pit and find the one snake that didn’t bite. “On second thought, let me ask him. It’ll probably take both men to do the job. Stay here, will ya?”
His chest contracted. “Sure.”
Her head had spun when she’d met the incredible Jackson Baldwin. He was everything she’d fantasized about in a man. Tall, broad shouldered, stubble on his face, perfect teeth, and the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. She bet he’d have tattoos on his arms and chest and take charge when in bed—not that she’d ever get the chance to sample him.
It wasn’t just his physical attributes that drew her. He was a man who cared about animals and about this ranch. As soon as they’d begun preparing Samson for the extraction, she’d had to work hard to concentrate on her job. It wasn’t how she imagined meeting the sexy man though. She had her hair pulled back tight, was wearing god-awful goggles, a glove up to her armpit, and a baggy lab coat, but her job was part of who she was. Any man she fell for would have to take her for better and for worse.
Then there was the second man. Tanner Crenshaw. Tall, dark hair, and brooding. Oh, yum.
She stepped outside. “Gentlemen?”
Jackson turned toward her. “Semen good?”
“It’s perfect. I think your prized piece of beef might hurt himself if he has to stay in the chute much longer, however.”
Jackson sucked in his bottom lip and turned to Tanner. “You willing to help me move him?”
“Let’s do it.”
After a little bit of prodding, the men removed poor Samson from the chute. The bull bucked and gave them a hard time, but they managed to get him corralled without injury to either human or animal.
Not waiting to see if the men would continue their rather animated discussion, she returned to her makeshift station to clean up.
“Cody.” The tall man motioned his son to leave.
Cody looked up at her. “Bye, Hailey.”
She grinned. What a cutie. “Stop by anytime. I’ll be around for another two weeks.” As if she’d pulled the plug, the light in his eyes dimmed.
“Oh.”
Did he think she lived here? Oh, my. Her heart cracked.
* * * *
Jackson’s stomach had actually hurt when he first found out Tanner had a son. He twisted around to look at the boy, and even a blind man could see he looked just liked his daddy.
Cody was gazing up at Hailey Hunter as if she was a goddess, and he couldn’t blame the kid.
Jackson placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, feeling bad at his initial reaction. “I’m sorry I kind of freaked. I was surprised, that’s all.”
Tanner scrubbed a hand down his jaw and frankly looked like hell. “It’s cool. I know you’re not happy with having a kid underfoot. Hell, I don’t want to mess up your chances with a woman.” He nodded to the good doctor. “If you want us out of the house, we’ll go.”
“Bullshit. We’re a t
eam. Always have been.” He shook his head. “I’ve only just met Hailey, but hell, if she can’t handle the two of us and a kid then she’s not right for us.” He dragged his palm over his head. “I’m sorry I reacted poorly when you first told me. I’m not in a good place right now.”
“I’m sorry about your dad. I know how much you care about him,” Tanner said.
His jaw tightened. “I’ll be honest. When Dad dropped the bomb that he had prostate cancer, I thought I’d shit a brick.” He still hadn’t accepted it completely yet. His dad was his pillar of strength and had watched over his family like a king. How could he get cancer?
Now it was Tanner’s turn to look sympathetic. “I’d be devastated, too, if it had been my dad. Your father’s only sixty-four and looks the picture of health.”
“I know.” Jackson glanced to the sky, trying to gain some composure. He would not shed tears in front of his best friend. He’d done enough crying and praying last night. “You should have seen Mom. She couldn’t stop bawling.” His gut twisted again. Seeing his mom in agony might have been worse than learning about his dad’s fate.
“I wish I’d been there.”
“No, you don’t. Still makes me sick.” Jackson shook his head. “You want to know the worst part?”
“There’s something worse?”
“The prodigal son, Drew, waltzes in after being away for a billion years, and everyone makes a big fuss. When he was putting his luggage in his old room, Mom actually said not to tell him about Dad because it would upset him. Fuck. I didn’t think it was fair to Drew. It’s his dad, too, so when he came back to the living room, I broke the news.” He shook his head. “Now I wish I’d never told him because the great Dr. Drew pulled his shrink shit on us and insisted we all express how dad’s failing health was affecting us.”
“For real?”
“Yeah.”
“That must have been hard. Know what I think?”
This should be good. “What?”
“Forget about all your troubles and do your magic with the good doctor.”
Jackson’s lips lifted for a second. “She’s hot, isn’t she?”
Pleasure in Sanctuary [Sanctuary, Montana 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3
