Will gave a hearty belly laugh. “Little harder than it looks, eh?”
Kate pushed the monstrous bale off of her, sat up, and laughed. “Just a little.”
Will extended his hand and pulled Kate up as though she weighed as much as a feather.
She swiped the excess dirt off her pants and attempted to lift it again, without luck, and decided flipping it end-over-end all the way to the truck might work. Once she got it to the truck, she rested it on the tailgate and bent down to lift it into the truck. “It may take me ten minutes, but I’ll get it done.”
Will finished loading bales until a double layer filled the truck bed. He removed his hat, wiped his brow with a bandana, and replaced the hat. “Ready to ride?”
“I could drive,” she raised her hand like an eager schoolgirl.
“Not my truck.” He pulled keys out of his pocket as he headed for the driver’s side door.
“Seriously?” Kate couldn’t stifle her laughter. She glanced at the truck and back at Will. “You have noticed that it has more dents and scratches on one door than any car at the Demolition Derby?”
Kate grabbed the keys from his hand. “Come on. You worked really hard loading all that hay.” She nodded at the bales in the back. “It’s the least I can do.”
He rolled his eyes and sighed. “You ever driven a stick shift?”
“Sure.” Trevor had promised repeatedly to teach her. But after ten teeth-grinding minutes with her behind the wheel of his car, he’d mumbled something about worn-out clutches and never offered again. Kate didn’t mind. She didn’t think she’d ever have an occasion to need such knowledge. Now she wished she’d pressed the issue a bit more.
Sensing her hesitation, Will took the keys back. “Why don’t ya get in on the other side?” He climbed into the driver’s seat and closed the door.
Kate stared as he lifted a bungee cord off the seat, hooked it to the door latch on the outside, and stretched it into the cab. He hooked the other end to the gun rack on the inside.
“Are you kidding me? That looks real safe. Do I need one for my side?”
“No, but I wouldn’t lean too hard on the door. This ole’ girl’s reliable, but ya never know.” He winked, started the engine, and gave the dashboard a couple of pats.
Kate stepped around the back of the truck. Just before she reached the passenger door, her right foot sank down into a mud hole. When she raised her leg again, her foot came up without a shoe. The mud sucked it clean off.
She dipped her toe back where she’d last stepped, and felt nothing but cold, wet goo. She dragged her foot around in the gunk without success.
“What’re you doing out there?” Will hollered.
“I lost my shoe.” Kate leaned against the cold metal on the side of the truck as she squatted down, balancing on one foot and lifting the muddy bare one behind her. She carefully twisted herself around so she could search through the mud for her missing shoe. Unfortunately, the darkness blended with the black earth, making it impossible to see.
She dipped the tip of her finger into the mud, then dug deeper and deeper until her entire hand was submerged. Finally she felt something. She grasped the canvas edge and yanked. With a slurping sound, the shoe finally came out, dripping globs of slime.
It was ruined. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to put it back on. But her bare foot was freezing as it bobbed in the air. Kate hopped up in the truck and closed the door.
Will put the truck in gear and took off across the field, a sly grin on his face.
Kate had to keep one hand braced on the roof of the cab and the other on the door as the vehicle bounced over the bumpy pasture. The bobbing headlights revealed a large expanse of grass.
Will slammed on the brakes, tossing Kate against the dash. A deer scampered across their path, missing the truck by mere inches. Kate sat back in her seat and felt thankful for holding on tight. The truck remained in idle while Will craned his neck to see past her.
“What are we waiting for?” Kate asked.
“Where there’s a doe…”
Out of the darkness, a fawn shot across the beams of the headlights, following the path of its mother.
Will put the truck into gear. “Okay. We can go now.”
Kate grasped the door and the dash as the vehicle lurched. “How did you know?”
“I learned the hard way.” Will told her about his first nighttime encounter with a deer. He’d been driving an ATV, which he’d managed to swerve in time to miss a buck, but its mate sideswiped the four-wheeled vehicle, sending it tumbling across the grass. Will had been thrown clear, and the doe had left some of its fur in the front fender, but both limped away. The fawn hobbled past the overturned headlights moments later.
Kate couldn’t help but be impressed.
Will pulled the truck up alongside a small grouping of cattle, killed the engine, and hopped out. “We’ll unload some hay here.”
Kate joined him behind the tailgate. “I hope there’s some way I can help this time. I don’t want to just stand around and watch—”
“Shh.” Will held up his hand.
“What’s the problem? You don’t think I can—”
“Be quiet,” he said, pressing his eyebrows together. “Something’s wrong.”
When Kate stopped talking she heard a long, low bellow that sounded like a distant foghorn.
“She must be in labor,” Will mumbled.
“What? Who?” Surely she must have heard him wrong. Emma would’ve told her if a pregnant woman were living on her property.
Will bolted for his truck. For a second, Kate felt offended that he’d apparently forgotten all about her. But when she realized that he had left her standing in the mud and the dark, she scrambled to follow.
Chapter Six
“It sounds like the cow is over by the barn. I didn’t hear her a little while ago, she must’ve wandered up after we left.”
Kate and Will jumped into the truck. He fired up the engine and the vehicle lurched forward. When they reached the barn, his door flew open and his feet hit the ground running.
When Kate stepped out of the vehicle, her toes squished into the remaining goo inside of her shoe. She hobbled over to Will, kneeling down beside a cow with a bulging belly, lying just outside the barn. Its agonizing moans sent chills up Kate’s spine.
Will slid his hand inside the cow. The slurping sound almost made Kate wretch.
“It’s upside down.”
Kate wondered how a calf could be upside down inside its mama’s belly. She guessed it must be similar to a human mother’s breech birth.
“I need your help.”
“My help?” Kate stayed in her spot as if she had been cemented to the ground. She couldn’t begin to imagine what she could do in a situation like this. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out.
“Come over here.”
Kate crept toward the cow, knelt down beside Will, and gagged at the putrid stench. She turned her head and covered her nose with her sleeve, thankful she hadn’t eaten too much for breakfast.
“I need to get some things from inside the barn.” Will stood. “I’ll be right back.”
“You’re leaving me here by myself?” Everything in her pushed her to follow Will, but she chose to listen and stay put.
“Rub her stomach until I get back. Gently.” He disappeared around the corner of the barn.
Kate’s eyes grew big as she stared at the cow’s enormous belly. She stuck one finger out and forced herself to touch it. The hair was coarser than she’d expected. As she uncurled the rest of her fingers and ran her hand along the animal, she felt something moving inside. Sure enough, a living thing was in there, struggling for its life.
Will returned, carrying a silver metal chain with handles. He resumed his position by the cow’s legs, and murmured words of assurance to the animal. Soon two tiny calf’s feet appeared. Will slipped a metal contraption around its legs and began to pull.
Kate drew in a breath. �
��Won’t you hurt the baby?”
“The baby will be fine. Calves are tough,” he said in between grunts. Will’s feet were pushed against the animal, giving him more leverage to pull the calf out.
The calf’s head finally emerged and Will gave it one last tug. The calf slid onto the ground. It moved for a moment and all-too-fast became limp and lifeless.
“The calf’s not breathing.” Will massaged the its body. “Help me rub.” His hands moved vigorously across the calf.
Slime covered the small animal that was now fighting for its life. Kate joined in, no longer fearing the mess. Tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to see the calf walk and eat from its mother. “Lord, please let this calf live.” Kate knew God heard her cry for help. He cared about even the smallest of animals.
Will glanced in her direction. “Keep working on her.” He tickled the calf’s nostrils with his finger. The little thing sneezed, releasing a flood of mucous in Kate’s direction.
She recoiled in reaction. She drew in a whiff of a pungent stale odor. She wiped her face. No matter, she just wanted this calf to live.
The mother lifted her head and turned to see her new calf moving around.
“Will the calf live?” Kate felt tears building on her lashes. She looked at Will just as he turned, and the two locked stares.
“She will.” He blinked a few times before looking away.
A wave of warmth ran down Kate’s face and onto her neck.
He cleared his throat and said, “I think—uh, I think you did an amazing job for a first-timer.”
Kate took note of his strain to get the words out smoothly.
They both placed their hands on the calf in unison.
“You—you have a story for the newspaper now.” He panned his arm through the air as if showing a headline. “City Girl Helps Deliver Calf.’”
She didn’t want to think about the paper during what seemed like such an intimate moment.
“I’ve never heard anyone pray for an animal like that,” he said, breaking her train of thought. “But…I liked it.”
Will kept his eyes on Kate long after she finished talking. Her heart sped up and she placed the palm of her hand against her chest.
“Why don’t you go home, take a shower, and rest awhile,” he said, breaking his stare.
Kate remained surprised at her desire to stay and talk with Will. “Sure you don’t need any more help?”
Will gazed at the mother and baby. “I think everything will be just fine here.”
She reluctantly turned toward home and walked down the muddy road exhausted, cold, and covered in mucus. Kate felt a deep sense of fulfillment, like she’d just accomplished something worthwhile. Maybe for the first time in her life.
***
“Kate called you?” Will asked his boss Hal, on the phone. “When?”
“Yesterday. Said she wants some information on the mountain lion that got hit in the park. I thought you’d be the perfect person to talk with her, since you were the first one on the scene of the accident.”
Will wanted to be angry with her for going over his head. But after her help delivering the calf this morning, he couldn’t feel anything but grateful. “I’ll do the interview.”
“Good. I told her she should talk to the vet too, and go see the animal for herself. So I said you’d meet her there at three.”
“What if I’d said no?”
“I knew you wouldn’t.” It was apparent Hal knew his dedication.
Will said good-bye and hung up. He wanted to deny the twinge of excitement that he felt at the idea of seeing Kate again. He just wished it were for some reason other than an interview for a newspaper article.
***
Kate grabbed her camera off the kitchen table and slung the strap across her shoulder. She wondered if Will would be upset about her asking his boss to get her an interview with him. When she’d called yesterday to arrange it, she hadn’t cared. But after spending the morning helping him, she cared more than she expected.
On her way to Cortez, a neighboring town, Kate stopped at the local shoe store and invested in a pair of sneakers, hoping to impress Will with her practical attire. Hopefully this time they would stay clean.
The Wild Animal Rescue Center sat a few miles outside of town. The scenic drive through the valley calmed her. The expanse of space led up to miles of mountainous terrain. Pinyon pine and juniper trees dotted landscape around Cortez.
Kate pulled into the parking lot and turned off her engine. By the time she’d taken off her seat belt and grabbed her camera and notepad, Will had emerged through the glass office door and started walking toward her car.
The minute she opened her door his gaze darted to her feet. “I wondered when you’d figure out fancy shoes don’t work too well around here.”
Kate flashed an I’m-already-figuring-you-out smile as she followed him into the vet’s office.
He introduced Kate to the on-duty staff who explained that the vet, Cathy, had been called out on an emergency.
Will led Kate to a back room. He opened the door and ushered her inside. Standing on the safe side of the large cages at the zoo was the closest Kate had been to a mountain lion. This cat was beautiful, and Kate was thankful for the opportunity to see her at close range.
She spanned almost five feet in length with sandy brown colored fur. A strip of white ran from her mouth down the center of her chest. The cat lay on the floor underneath a wire mesh cage, her chest rising and falling rhythmically.
“Is she unconscious?”
“Mountain lions are nocturnal, and they sleep off and on throughout the day. Although she is still a bit sedated.”
Kate set her purse and notebook on a table beside the door. She placed the camera strap around her neck and peeked through the viewfinder. The flash illuminated the room and the cat’s eyes opened. Her sandy brown-colored head popped up.
The movement startled Kate and she instinctively stepped back. “I’m going to have to swallow my heart, since it’s now in my throat,” she whispered. Will chuckled.
As the animal lay her head back down, her brown and pink nose twitched. Wiggling her whiskers, she dozed off again.
“Can I ask you some questions about the accident?”
“Sure. Let’s go into the other room where we can sit down.” Will led her to a small office.
Kate set her camera case on a counter. She pulled a pen out from behind her ear, sat in a plastic chair, and opened her notepad to a clean page. After Will sat, she asked him how he’d found the mountain lion, what happened, and finally, if he knew who did it.
He sat across from her with his arms folded in front of his chest. His answers were stiff, and without any of the camaraderie they’d shared over the calf-birthing incident. As Kate scratched down her notes, she wondered about the cause of the dramatic change in his demeanor. Maybe he really did have a problem with her going over his head.
“This will be a great story in helping revive the Wintervale paper,” she assured him.
The door opened and one of the assistants informed them Cathy had returned.
“She can answer your questions about the mountain lion’s condition and prognosis,” Will said. He stood up and moved to the door, looking eager to be finished with the interview.
“I appreciate your help,” Kate said. She tried to read his face, but it was no use.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, if you’re still game to help on the ranch.”
“Of course.”
“See you then.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked out the door.
***
Back home, Kate turned her thoughts to dinner. Trevor was meeting her at one of the local restaurants at six. It would be her first chance to really talk with him after that shocking announcement of his engagement to Victoria.
Kate couldn’t get Will out of her mind. He was so different than any man she’d ever known.
Nothing at all like Trevor, she realized. H
e was outspoken, let her fend for herself, and closed off. Affectionate and exciting hardly described the laid back, rough-around-the-edges cowboy. She had no idea whether he ever wanted children.
What am I doing comparing Will to Trevor?
She still wondered why her heart didn’t leap when she was with Trevor, like it had with Will earlier that morning. Perhaps delivering the calf had clouded her emotions.
Determined to get her relationship with Trevor back on track, she slipped on a cute red dress with matching heels in her closet. She checked her reflection one last time before heading to the restaurant.
Trevor looked handsome in his polo shirt, neatly tucked into his Levi’s. His perfectly arranged blonde hair contrasted sharply with Will’s unshaven, tousled look.
“You look great,” he said, hugging her before the hostess took them to their table.
When they were seated Trevor said, “I’m really sorry about the way you had to learn about my engagement to Victoria. I didn’t mean to spring it on you like that. I guess I just never had the courage to tell you about her.”
Kate stuffed her feelings by taking a sip of water, but almost choked when she saw Will walking up to their table.
“Hey, buddy, what’s goin’ on?” Will reached out to shake Trevor’s hand.
Trevor stood, grabbed his friend’s hand, and slapped him on the back. “I guess you’ve met my girl,” Trevor said, pointing across the table to her.
My girl? Kate wasn’t sure how to interpret that.
“We’ve met a few times.” Will tipped his cowboy hat at her. “She’s been helping me at Emma’s ranch.”
“Kate?” Trevor sat down, unfolded his napkin, and placed it back in his lap. “I didn’t think she would set foot near an animal to save her life.”
“Oh, she’s been a tremendous help.” Will wrapped his calloused fingers around his belt buckle, the size of a small dinner plate, and smiled.
Trevor raised an eyebrow at her.
“Is that so unbelievable?” Kate wasn’t sure if she should laugh or be offended.
Finding Kate Page 4
