His teeth showed in the darkness, a crescent of a smile. “Got it!”
His shoulders shifted back and forth as he eased the other foot into view, then a pink nose appeared. Victoria shuddered, let out a loud bawl and then the calf was on the ground. It was over in a split second.
The gate rattled as Cole jumped over it. He called out, “I’m coming!”
Cole stopped and stared at the calf. “Guess I’m too late.”
Beth couldn’t believe her eyes. She’d heard about the miracle of birth, but had never experienced it first hand and miracle was the only word to describe it. Beau dropped to his knees in the mud and cleared the baby’s nose, then helped the cow find her baby. The cow licked the calf who shook his head, then let it drop to the ground. The calf was dark, with a wide white face, and he was all legs. The group watched anxiously, but the calf made no move to stand.
Aidan shook his head, “This isn’t right. He should be trying to get up.”
Beau pushed himself up out of the mud and said, “You all stay here and keep an eye on them. Keep his nose out of the mud. I’ll be right back.”
The calf’s head dropped to the ground again, so Beth knelt in the mud, and held him as the cold mud soaked through her jeans. His head was wet, but warm and soft. The cow continued to lick her baby, and every now and then her rough tongue scraped across the back of Beth’s hand.
Minutes passed like hours, and she could almost feel the life seeping out of the calf as his eyes drooped closed. Tears welled up at the
thought that he might not make it, after they worked so hard to get him into the world. Cole dropped to the ground beside her and yanked his sweatshirt off, then rubbed the little guy. As his hair dried, the dark red of his coat began to show through. They were so engrossed in the task at hand that none of them realized that Beau was back until he pushed Cole out of the way.
He nudged Beth with his elbow. “Hold his head up.”
She did, and watched as Beau held up a cloth bag with a small hole cut into it and opened the calf’s mouth. The little guy’s pink tongue poked out of his mouth, then he began to suckle at the bag. Within moments, his eyes fluttered open and he began to suck in earnest. Beau lifted the bag, tempting the baby to reach for it, and Beth supported the little guy’s body as he began to struggle, then got his feet under him. The cow continued to lick, nearly knocking him off his still wobbly legs. Gradually, Beau moved the bag close to the cow’s udder and helped the newborn calf find his mother’s milk.
Beau stood up straight and turned around, his smile bright in his mud-spattered face. Beth grinned back, then Cole clapped them both on the back and Katie hugged the cow around the neck. The adrenaline had kept them warm, but now that the initial excitement was over, they began to shiver. Beth’s teeth chattered, but she couldn’t quit grinning.
Beau shrugged his shoulders, then punched her lightly on the arm. “Welcome to spring on the ranch!”
She shuddered, her eyes glued to the red calf with the white face, “Will he be okay now?”
Beau nodded and Aidan said, “I’m going to lead her to the barn.”
Cole nodded towards the house. “Boss, you and Beau go on up to the house and clean up. I’ll help get the new mama and her baby in outta this weather.”
As Beth and Beau walked across the yard, their boots squishing in the mud, she pointed to the bag hanging limply in his hand. “What was in that?”
He shrugged, “Just an old home remedy.”
“What’s the secret ingredient?”
He looked at her and cocked one eyebrow. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret.”
Charlotte held the back door open for them, then held up a hand to stop them as soon as they got in the door. “You two stop right there and shed those dirty clothes.”
Beth looked down at herself, then at Beau. The housekeeper had a point. She shrugged and started peeling off layers, and he did the same. She got down to her pink thermal underwear, and he got down to his red union jack suit. Charlotte gathered up their dirty clothes and headed for the laundry room, leaving them alone.
Beth looked up at him, the emotion of the night’s events overwhelming her. On impulse, she reached up to put her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek, dirt and all. She whispered, “Thank you.”
His cheeks flushed and he pulled back. “Just something I learned when I was growing up. It was nothing.”
She let her arms drop and said, “No, it was amazing. You really do have a way with animals. It was like that cow knew you were there to help. If you hadn’t been there-“
He put his arm around her shoulders and guided her down the hallway. “But I was there. And I always will be. Now, go take a long hot shower. You kind of stink.”
She grinned up at him, sure he was right, but realized she didn’t care. She didn’t care what she looked like, what he looked like. All she knew was that this man was special, this ranch was special, and she’d never felt more at home.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Beth woke with a start. She rubbed her neck, irritated with herself for having fallen asleep. She ran the numbers every way she knew how, but in spite of her best efforts, she had failed. The last couple of days had been tough, admitting to Charlotte and Beau that she had let her father down. She’d wandered around the ranch, forlorn and lost. It was time to give up on this dream and go back to the life that she knew.
The financial ledgers were spread out across her father’s desk, and the legal pad to her right contained her scribbles and notes. She still gripped the mechanical pencil in her right hand. It was a time of reckoning, and she was scared to death.
It occurred to her that a year ago, she wouldn’t have thought this would be such a big deal. When her father’s Will had been read, she thought it’d do her good to get out of the City for a while, to get over Quinn’s betrayal, to adjust to being an orphan. She was already comfortable financially, so the money wasn’t that big of a deal. It was a bit of a challenge, yes, but not a do or die situation. Now, a year later, it was.
She cared about the people here at the Diamond J Ranch as family, not merely as employees. They supported and cared for her, and taught her more in the past year than she ever could have imagined. Ironic that she finally found a family, and was going to lose it. It was down to the wire, and no matter how many times she ran the figures, she couldn’t show a profit for the past year.
“Breakfast is ready!” Charlotte called from the kitchen.
Beth rubbed her eyes and rolled her head back and forth to work the kinks out. Dejected, she headed for the kitchen, and what would most likely be her last breakfast as the owner of the ranch. Bright sunlight streamed through the window over the sink, mocking her with its brightness.
It was going to be a beautiful spring day. Under the terms of her father’s will, if she was unable to show that she could run the ranch at a profit, it was to be sold at auction.
Beau would buy the ranch, and life would go on for him, Charlotte, Aidan and the others just as it had before she showed up. They were her friends, but they would own the ranch, not her. She would have no reason to stay.
Perhaps it was for the best. The Diamond J had been their home much longer than it had been hers. Still, she felt betrayed. They could’ve been more supportive, done more for her. What if Beau hadn’t bought that mustang? What if he had put more effort into her marketing ideas? What if his aunt hadn’t caused problems in the neighborhood? Had that hurt their reputation?
She poked at her scrambled eggs, unable to summon any appetite. Charlotte busied herself at the counter, where she whipped up a batch of peanut butter cookies. Beth was aware of the glances Charlotte snuck over her shoulder, but pretended not to notice.
She flinched when she heard the crunch of gravel, followed by Shep barking on the front porch, then a solid knock at the door. She pushed to her feet, walked to the front door and answered it herself.
She greeted Mr. Cooper, and they exchanged plea
santries.
He smiled at her, almost apologetically, and cleared his throat. “Well, you know why I’m here. It’s time for the year-end evaluation of the Diamond J Ranch, to carry out your father’s final wishes.” His black suit seemed to mirror his demeanor.
“Before we get down to the nuts and bolts of it, why don’t I show you around the ranch?” Beth said, putting on a brave face. She worried about what would happen to the people who called the Diamond J home. In spite of the fact that she had failed, she was still proud of the ranch. She accomplished so much in the past year and her heart broke at the thought of losing all she had worked so hard for. Could she convince him the Diamond J was more than numbers in a ledger?
The attorney considered the offer for a moment, seemed about to decline, then nodded and said, “You know, that would be nice. Your father thought a lot of this place, and I haven’t been here since he passed away.”
As Beth and Mr. Cooper walked towards the barn, she pointed out the things she liked best about the ranch, and related some of the things that she had learned during the past year. The lawyer listened politely, then shared a personal story about visiting the ranch, and the trail ride that her father had taken him on, which happened to be his only experience with riding horses.
“Your father assured me this dapple gray he put me on was bomb proof. And he wasn’t kidding. That horse wouldn’t go fast if his life depended on it.”
Beth giggled, “Yeah, that’s Dingo. But let me tell you, when he sees a rattlesnake … “
She told him about her first experience with riding on the ranch. He laughed out loud when she told how she had passed out on her first ride.
Beth was proud of the ranch, and was eager to point out the changes that had evolved over the past year. Her father loved the ranch, but she added her own special touches to the place over the past year. She showed Mr. Cooper the freshly painted red barn trimmed in white, the well-organized office, the tack room that smelled of saddle soap, and the feed room that now featured convenient, rodent-proof containers that were color coded.
Each stall now had a card holder next to the bronze nameplate that held a large index card containing information about feed, worming and breeding. The barn smelled of fresh hay and straw, and the aisle was neatly raked, thanks to the efforts of Aidan.
Beth spoke to each horse by name, and reached through the stall door to pet each eager nose. When they reached the arena, they stopped to watch Beau working a two-year old on the lunge line. The sorrel was flashy, with a wide blaze down his face and white stockings. He was muscular, and his hindquarters were well developed. The horse’s
ears swiveled as he listened to Beau’s instructions. Beau acknowledged the visitors with a brief nod, but continued to concentrate on the gelding.
They left the arena and walked down the other aisle. Beth noticed a distinct frown on the older man’s face when they reached the mustang’s stall. The red horse stood tall, his head held high. He snorted and pawed the floor of his stall when they approached the door. She repeated what Beau had told her about the mustang’s strength, stamina and agility, which would make him an asset to the ranch’s cutting horse breeding program.
Mr. Cooper shook his head. “With all due respect, Beth, I disagree. Your father chose each and every breeding animal with great care. You have his pedigree books – he studied them the way an artist studies the great Impressionists. He said the most important part of the breeding program is the stallion. The stallion is the hub of the operation – without a top quality stud, you don’t have a top drawer program.”
She listened, her head down. He was right. She remembered the argument she had with Beau regarding how to replace her father’s stallion when he had died last summer, how furious she had been when he defied her and bought the wild stallion, and how impressed she had been with the mustang as his training progressed.
She bit her tongue, though – it just didn’t matter anymore.
As they left the barn, Beth turned the conversation to the cattle, and invited the attorney to join her for a quick ride on the Gator parked just outside the barn. It gleamed in the bright sunlight, and Beth smiled as she realized that Cole had waxed the vehicle. Beth took the driver’s seat and the attorney sat beside her, his briefcase clutched on his lap.
He examined the vehicle. “How many of these all-terrain vehicles do you have?”
Beth blinked, stopped to think. “I’m not really sure. We have this, a Mule, and a few four-wheelers.”
“Mmmm-hmmmm,” he murmured. “I don’t recall your father using so many vehicles. He always used horses. This is a ranch, after all.”
She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She hadn’t questioned Beau about the purchase of the Gator or the Mule. She assumed they were standard equipment. Perhaps she had put too much trust in her foreman.
The wooden fencing along the front of the ranch and the driveway had been painted white, and gleamed in the early summer sunlight. The grass was green and a rainbow of flowers bloomed along the graveled paths, thanks to Charlotte’s green thumb. They passed large pastures where the polled Herefords grazed peacefully.
Beth stopped in front of the pasture where the bull was kept, anxious to direct the attorney’s direction away from the vehicle they were in. Beth hopped out and approached the fence. Mr. Cooper watched in amazement as the animal approached Beth and let her reach over the fence and scratch his wooly face. She grinned as she remembered what she was like when she had walked into his office a year ago – now she was petting a 1,500 pound bull!
When they reached the pasture where the broodmares and their foals were kept, Beth felt like she was going to burst with pride. The mares grazed as the ATV approached, but the foals watched curiously, their broomstick tails flipping back and forth. A few came forward, and a couple stood behind their mothers, peeking out from behind them to watch the strangers approach. Mr. Cooper had to admit they were fine looking animals.
After Beth had given the attorney the tour, she turned the Gator towards the main house. The two were silent, deep in their own thoughts. Back at the house, Beth led the older man to her father’s library, her expression solemn. Charlotte met them at the door, wiping her hands anxiously on her apron.
“Want me to bring in tea?” Charlotte asked, concern lining her face.
“No,” Beth took the seat behind her father’s desk, where she waited for the gavel to fall. Mr. Cooper took a seat in one of the leather chairs facing the desk and placed his briefcase on the desk. He flipped it open, removed a sheaf of papers and scooted the briefcase to the side.
She swallowed hard, sat up straight and folded her hands in front of her to keep them from shaking.
“I see you’ve been running the numbers yourself, Beth,” he said as he gestured to the piles of papers littering the big desk.
“Yes, and I can’t say that I am pleased with the result,” she said, feeling dejected and forlorn.
“Nor am I. I’ve gone over your books several times, trying to make this work. Your father wanted you to succeed, but you aren’t managing the ranch well. This is a business, and you aren’t running it like a business,” he said gently. The words stung, and she winced.
“I don’t know how binding my father’s Will is, but if there is any way—”
“I’m afraid it’s ironclad,” the attorney interrupted. “Your father’s wishes were deliberate and precise. With all due respect, Beth, I am surprised that you failed. What makes my job very difficult is that you were close. You allowed the purchase of a stallion that held no value whatsoever, you made personal loans to employees without collecting, you gave bonuses at Christmas when the ranch didn’t have the money to spare. That’s just the tip of the iceberg – the parties you threw, the new fence you put up, buying the highest quality feed. The list goes on and on, I’m afraid.”
Every word was like a knife in Beth’s chest. It physically hurt to have him point out her multitude of failures. Then came the final twist.
“I’m afraid the ranch will be sold, because the books do not show a profit. Pursuant to the terms of your father’s Will, you and the staff will have ten days to remove yourselves and your possessions from the property. The livestock will be taken to the sale barn and sold to the highest bidder.”
She felt lightheaded, and fought to keep the tears from spilling over. Even if Beau and Charlotte were preapproved, would they have enough credit to be able to make an offer on the Diamond J? Her head was spinning, and she thought about Dingo. Who would take care of him? What would happen to him? What would Charlotte do? And
worst of all – would Beau ever forgive her? Would she ever see him again?
“Excuse me, Boss, but I need to make a payment.”
Beth’s head swiveled to the left. Aidan stood in the doorway, his worn hat clenched in his hands. He stepped forward and handed her a fistful of cash, “You loaned me money last summer to get a new transmission for my pickup. I’m payin’ you back, with interest, just like I promised. Sorry it took me so long, ma’am.”
Beth took the money, dumbfounded. She recalled giving him the money for the repair, but they hadn’t discussed the terms of repayment. She hadn’t expected him to pay it back. He excused himself, and backed against the wall.
She and Mr. Cooper stared at each other. Before they could speak, Joe appeared at the door.
“Hey, Boss, I need to make a payment, too,” Joe said. He pulled nervously at his goatee, then placed a handful of wadded bills on the desk in front of Beth. “That’s my payment for the money you loaned me in April when I didn’t have enough money to pay my taxes. Thanks, again.”
As soon as Joe took his place beside Aidan, Katie walked in. She grinned from ear to ear, holding up a check.
Beth blinked. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you graduating from college this weekend?”
“Yup. But I had something I had to do first.” With a flourish, she handed the check to an open-mouthed Beth. “My dad told me to give this to you. He says he owes you rent for all the nights you let me spend the night here, and board, too, for all the food I eat here. He says I lived here more than I lived at home since junior high.” Katie winked, “And he’s right!”
Denim & Diamonds Page 19
