Boughs of Holly

by Shanna Hatfield

  Holly was in the kitchen making a cup of tea when the sound of the dogs barking and one of the men shouting drew her gaze out the window.

  Three men on horseback rode out of the dense fog that had rolled in once it finally stopped snowing. Immediately, she recognized Seth on a huge gray-speckled horse. The animal’s legs, face, mane, and tail looked like he’d been dipped in black ink. Seth held something small and furry in his arms as he rode up to the barn.

  Curious, Holly hurried to where she’d left her coat and boots by the front door. She yanked on her boots, shoved her arms in the sleeves of her coat, and wrapped a warm scarf around her neck before she retraced her steps to the kitchen then made her way out the back door. She rushed down the steps and trudged through the snow no one had taken time to shovel toward the barn where the three men dismounted and disappeared inside the big red-painted building.

  “Get the drencher and spread straw in the end stall,” she heard Seth say above the loud protests of a red and white cow that suddenly appeared out of the fog and scurried inside the barn. The cow’s full pink bag swung like a pendulum beneath her broad belly.

  “Ivy, you better settle yourself down or I’ll lock you out. Do you hear me?” Seth’s tone was hard and commanding.

  The cow emitted a pain-filled sound, like her heart was being ripped right out of her.

  Worried the animal was injured, Holly ran around the corner and into the barn where Seth held a tiny calf in his arms that looked more dead than alive. Thick liquid the color of mustard oozed down the front of his chore coat and the left leg of the leather chaps he wore.

  Holly watched as two cowboys she had yet to meet but assumed were the hired hands Seth mentioned earlier sped to do his bidding.

  The baby’s mama, the cow Seth called Ivy, put her head down and bellowed then took a few frantic steps forward until she could sniff her little one.

  The sheer size of the animal would have terrified Holly if she was the one it was brushing against, but Seth didn’t seem bothered in the least.

  “Let’s lock her up,” Seth said to the shorter of the two cowboys.

  To his credit, the cowboy tried, but Ivy made it clear, with no chance for doubt or question, she was not leaving her baby.

  “Ivy, if you weren’t Pops’ favorite, I’d turn you into hamburger.” Seth glared at the cow and Holly stared in amazement as the cow scowled right back at him.

  Uncertain if she should offer to help or just stay out of the way, Holly felt something bump into her back and yelped.

  Four pairs of eyes, if she counted Ivy’s, turned her way. Cautiously, Holly glanced over her shoulder to see the horse Seth had ridden standing behind her. He stretched his neck and nudged her shoulder with his head, as though he thought she should move into the middle of the chaotic scene taking place in the barn.

  “Steele, knock it off,” Seth ordered the horse.

  The horse puffed out a breath and shook his mane, but he didn’t nudge Holly again.

  “Is Pops okay?” Seth asked, turning his icy blue gaze from the horse to her. “Do you need something?”

  “No. I just came out to see what was going on. Your grandpa is taking a nap right now.”

  “Good.” Seth tipped his head to the side twice, like he wanted her to come closer. “If you aren’t squeamish, I could use another pair of hands.”

  She grinned. “I’m a nurse, Seth. I got past squeamish a long, long time ago.”

  “Then come over here,” he said. Still frightened of the cow, she walked in a far circle around Ivy then moved behind Seth. “See that thing in Andy’s hands? Take it from him so he and Brian can get Ivy out of the way.”

  Holly smiled as the cowboy handed her a bag of liquid that made her think of an IV with a long flexible tube attached to it. A small plastic bulb was on the end of the clear tube. “I’m Holly, Mr. Stafford’s nurse.”

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” the cowboy named Andy said, touching the brim of his hat with his fingers in greeting. “That’s Brian over there.”

  Holly nodded to the cowboy on the other side of Ivy. “Hello.”

  “Howdy, ma’am,” Brian said, offering her a welcoming smile as he tipped his hat to her.

  “Now that everyone has met, let’s get this show on the road,” Seth grumbled. “Holly, step behind me and do not let anything you are holding touch anything else, but especially not the ground.”

  As soon as she was safely tucked behind Seth’s broad back, Brian and Andy attempted to force Ivy down the aisle of the barn and into a stall through shouts, threats, and pulling on her with a rope and pushing on her wide backside. Finally, they retrieved a piece of metal fence paneling and shoved it against her rump until she had no choice but to move forward.

  The two of them worked to keep her contained while Seth set down the weak little calf in a pile of clean straw. His legs wobbled and the poor thing lacked the strength to bawl. Seth quickly straddled the calf’s neck, holding the baby upright with his legs. He tossed his gloves on the ground, then dropped his left hand down to support the calf’s neck.

  “Hand me the tube and hold that bag up high,” Seth ordered, although his voice was quieter, calmer.

  Holly watched in amazement as he expertly threaded the tube down the calf’s throat.

  “Flip that little switch there, on the tube,” Seth said.

  She flipped a latch upward and watched liquid flow down the tube and into the calf’s mouth. Seth carefully monitored the calf to make sure the liquid was going where it was supposed to.

  “What happened?” she asked, inquisitive now that she was assured Seth and his men meant to help and not harm the animals. Not that she thought Seth would anyway. In spite of his occasional gruffness, he had a gentle manner and kind eyes. Amazing eyes, actually, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on them.

  He glanced up at her. “Sometimes, if a calf is born in cold weather like this and doesn’t receive the care it needs, it get scours. It’s like bad diarrhea, caused by an intestinal infection. Ivy’s been holding out on us. We were going to bring her into the barn last week to wait for her to calve, but she put up a fuss at being separated from the herd, so I let her be. I didn’t worry about it overly much, because we check the cows every day when we feed. But between the guys being gone for Thanksgiving and Pops coming home earlier than expected, none of us realized Ivy had snuck off until this morning. She probably had this little guy Friday or Saturday. Andy found Ivy hidden back in the trees away from the rest of the herd. I should have brought her in last week, but she can be obstinate when she doesn’t want to go somewhere.”

  “I noticed,” Holly said, switching the bag from her right hand to her left as her arm grew tired.

  The calf’s legs quaked, as though he was about to fall over, but Seth kept him upright as the liquid slowly trickled into his stomach through the tube.

  Holly wondered how the poor little thing would survive, as close to death as he looked. “What are you giving him?”

  “Electrolytes. It’s the best thing for him right now. Another hour and he would have been dead.” Seth’s voice sounded strained as he spoke the last word.

  It didn’t surprise Holly he cared about his animals. A man who cherished his grandfather as much as Seth did had to have a great capacity to love all of God’s creatures.

  “I’m glad you found him.” Holly’s shifted hands again, arms tired from holding up the bag. The shouts at the other end of the barn made her question how long Brian and Andy could keep Ivy contained, because once the cow was loose, Holly planned to hightail it back to the house. She lifted her gaze from Seth and the sick calf to the barn doorway where three horses stood. Although none of them were tied up, they remained where the cowboys had left them.

  “Did you call your horse Steele?”

  “That’s right. Pops gave him to me for my twenty-first birthday. I raised him from the time he was born and trained him.”

  “He’s beautiful,” Holly said, admiring Steele�
��s sleek lines. “What is he?”

  Seth looked at her and grinned. “He prefers the ladies call him handsome. He’s a blue roan quarter horse stallion.”

  Holly studied Steele. “I’ve never been this close to a horse before, but he seems rather large, compared to the others.”

  Seth smirked. “He’s a stallion, that’s why. The one on his left is Molly. She’s a gentle mare that anyone can ride. The one on his right is a gelding named Jack. He’s a good, solid mount.”

  “Gelding? Is that a breed?” Holly asked, taken aback when Seth looked like he worked to swallow down a chuckle.

  He released a deep breath and shook his head. “No. It means Jack had a little procedure that prevents him from having children of his own.”

  Holly felt heat burn her cheeks with embarrassment.

  Taking pity on her, Seth changed the subject. “Have you been around cows? Dogs? On a farm or ranch before?”

  “Not really. I had a pet goldfish once, but it went belly up on day three of being in my care.”

  “You just hadn’t perfected your nursing skills yet,” he said, slowly removing the tube from the calf’s throat. “Thanks for helping with that.”

  She took the tube and stepped back as Seth lifted the calf in his arms and carried it to where Ivy bellowed, grunted, and butted into the gate of the stall that Andy and Brian had finally managed to push shut.

  “Ivy! You better not charge out of there because I’m coming in with your baby. Stop it!” Seth barked at the cow.

  Much to Holly’s surprise, the noise quieted as Andy swung open the gate and Seth moved inside. Too afraid of the cow to get too close, Holly waited in the aisle until Seth reappeared.

  “Put feed and water in there for Ivy, please?” Seth asked his hired men as he walked back toward Holly.

  It was then that the stench of the yellow staining Seth’s clothes reached her nose. She wrinkled it and moved back.

  The smile he gave her lit up the whole barn as he kept walking toward her, even though she hastily backed away from him. “Don’t I owe you payback for dumping coffee all over my coat the other day?”

  “No. I… that’s not necessary.”

  Seth’s long strides ate up the ground between them. “Want a big hug, Miss Jones?”

  She shook her head, wondering if Seth would really smear that mess all over her, especially when they both knew she didn’t have any clean clothes. “No, thank you. I’m not that kind of girl,” she said in a teasing tone.

  Seth laughed and moved past her to grab the reins of the three horses, leading them into the barn. Holly sidled away toward the door, unsettled by the large animals. If she cared to admit it, even the cowdogs intimated her. When she’d stepped outside earlier to see how badly the snow had buried her car, and it was bad, the dogs had barked at her. Too afraid to discover if they were friends or foes, she raced back inside.

  From a safe distance, she watched as Seth removed Steele’s saddle and blanket, setting them inside a room full of saddles, bridles, and colorful saddle pads. The smell of leather and horses filled the air. The scent was unfamiliar to her, but not unwelcome.

  He walked back to the horse then held a hand out to her. “Come over here.”

  Hesitant, she approached him, ready to run to the house if anything moved too quickly for her liking.

  “They won’t bite,” Seth said in a voice barely above a whisper. He took her right hand in his and lifted it to Steele’s shoulder, guiding it with a slight bit of pressure.

  Heat radiated from the horse, or maybe it was Seth’s hand over hers. Steele had a thick winter coat, but beneath that she felt muscle and power and strength. When she took a breath, an earthy scent filled her nose, one she found quite appealing.

  The horse turned his head and looked at her, but didn’t twitch or quiver. Instead, he almost seemed to smile.

  “I think he likes you,” Seth said, moving her hand up to a spot on Steele’s back. “That’s his favorite place to have rubbed.”

  In response to the attention, Steele closed his eyes and puffed out a contented breath.

  Holly grinned. “He truly is beau… handsome. He’s very handsome.”

  Seth smiled down at her and dropped his hand, taking a step back. “He likes to think so.”

  She let her hand slide down the horse’s neck then made a move toward the door. It was time for her to go back in and check on Sam. However, the look in Seth’s gaze, a look that melted the ice in his eyes and warmed her from the inside out, made her stomach flutter in response and glued her feet to the cold floor of the barn.

  Not once, in all the years of her career, had she experienced romantic feelings for any of her patients or their family members. It went against her own creed of keeping her work and private life separate.

  Yet, as Seth stood there, covered in malodorous filth and somehow still more ruggedly good-looking than any man she’d ever encountered, she felt something new and strange, something wonderful and terrifying, pulsing between them.

  Afraid of her feelings, of what they might represent, she turned and hurried back to the house.

  Once she removed her outwear and washed her hands, she checked on Sam. The old man was wide awake, sitting in bed watching reruns of an old western. He smiled at her as she moved next to the bed.

  “Did you get some fresh air, Holly?” he asked, leaning back against the pile of pillows propped against his headboard. “Your cheeks are rosy and your eyes are sparkling.”

  “I did,” she said, adjusting his covers. “Is there anything I can bring you? A cup of tea or coffee? Something to eat?”

  “I’m fine for the moment. And you don’t need to sit in here and hold my hand. I like to watch these old shows. Makes me remember my younger days.”

  “I’ll leave you to it, then,” she said, leaving the room. She returned to the kitchen and wondered if the men would care if she fixed something for lunch. Although she had little opportunity, she did love to cook. Before she could open the refrigerator to see what was available, she heard a noise like a lid dropping and then water began running. She followed the noise back to the foyer. She opened a door she assumed led to a closet and found herself in a laundry room.

  A door on the other side of the laundry room was closed. She pressed her ear to it and could hear water running through it, too, like a shower. Apparently, the laundry room connected to Seth’s bathroom.

  Holly retraced her steps to the kitchen and busied herself making a pot of vegetable soup. While it simmered, she found cornbread mix in the cupboard and soon slid a pan of it into the oven to bake.

  Through her work doing home health care, she’d learned to make herself at home. It didn’t take her long to become acquainted with the location of everything she needed in the kitchen. She’d just taken three bowls from a cabinet near the sink when Seth walked into the room. Water droplets clung to the ends of his hair and he smelled like soap and virile man.

  Holly’s mouth felt so dry, she couldn’t even swallow as she stared at him.

  He gave her a questioning look as he stepped over to the stove. “Something smells good,” he said, lifting the lid on the pot of soup and inhaling a deep breath.

  “It certainly does,” she muttered, thinking of his enticing aroma, not the soup.

  He set the lid back in place and faced her. “You didn’t need to cook for us, but thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Your grandpa is watching TV and said he didn’t need me to sit in there and hold his hand, so I wanted to do something useful.” Holly took the cornbread from the oven and set it on a potholder on the counter by the bowls. “Will the calf be okay?”

  “Most likely. We’ll keep a close eye on him today. I called the vet and she’ll come out to check on him when she can get here.” Seth took glasses from the cupboard and filled them with water, setting them on the table. “I wouldn’t normally call her for a case of scours, but if anything happens to Ivy or her offspring, Pops wouldn’t take it well.”
/>
  “Is he that way about all the cattle, or just Ivy?” Holly asked as she ladled soup into three bowls then set the bowls on plates.

  “Just Ivy. He bottle-raised her and she’s been his pet ever since. She’s a good cow, but he spoiled her to the point we can hardly do anything with her when we need to.”

  Holly had seen that in action. While Seth set the plates on the table, Holly sliced the cornbread and set it on a platter then placed it on the table, too. “I think everything is ready. We just need to get Sam.”

  “I assumed you planned to bring him out here to eat since you had the table set for three.” Seth walked with her past the entry foyer and down the short hall to Sam’s room.

  “Hey, kids. Is it about time for lunch? I’m starving,” the old man grinned at them as they walked in together.

  Holly nodded. “I made soup and cornbread for lunch and we want you to come join us.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Sam said, appearing eager to see something beyond his bedroom walls. “Give me a hand, son.” He reached out a hand toward Seth.

  Once he was upright, Holly slid a walker in front of Sam. She and Seth walked on either side of him as he shuffled to the kitchen. He sank onto a kitchen chair with a sigh. “Whew. That was a workout.”

  “Are you in pain? Do you need anything?” Holly asked, bending down by Sam’s chair.

  “No, honey, I’m fine. This soup smells wonderful.” Sam bowed his head and offered thanks then the three of them picked up their spoons and ate.

  “It’s good soup, Holly,” Seth said, taking another bite. “Thank you, again, for making it. We certainly don’t expect you to cook for us.”

  Sam waggled his spoon at Seth. “Speak for yourself!”

  Seth grinned and looked back at Holly. “But if you do plan to cook, you’re welcome to use whatever you can find. We have plenty of beef and pork in the freezer. There’s even stew meat, you know, to go with vegetables in soup.”

  Her eyebrow cocked as she held his gaze. “I’m a vegetarian.”

  “Of course you are,” Seth grumbled, then turned his attention back to his meal.