“So, who’s on the other end of that walkie-talkie? Someone special?” she asked.
“Well, either the sheriff or Wade. They’re special enough, I guess, but I don’t think that’s what you were referencing.”
“You got me there. Busted,” she said non-apologetically.
“It’s good to have a way to communicate with someone in case you need help.”
“No cellphones for ranchers?” Olivia asked.
“These walkie-talkies are more reliable.”
“Do all ranchers have them around here?” she asked. She was curious, because if she snuck out here sometime—not that she was going to—she didn’t need to get herself caught and try to explain her way out of that one.
“Yes,” he said.
“How about binoculars?” she asked.
Colton looked a bit surprised at first, but figured she must just be an overly curious woman. He guessed it made sense. She had never been on a ranch before, not past the driveway, anyway. “We keep them close by. Cattle and horses wander off. It’s easier to see them with a good pair of binoculars. And it’s cheaper than a helicopter.”
“Helicopters. Really?” Olivia asked.
Colton started laughing. “I was just pulling your leg.”
“Ah, the green horn thing. Well, if we’re going to play that way today, Colton Tisdale, you’d better be ready.”
“I consider myself warned,” he said. He looked over to the ATV and extended his arm out toward it. “Madam, your chariot awaits.”
“Let’s go haul some butt,” she said energetically. She didn’t have a cowboy hat on, but she waved an invisible one in the air with her hand, showing that infectious enthusiasm she seemed to carry so naturally.
***
Blazing along the pasture, Colton enjoyed going faster and faster when he could, because the way Olivia wrapped her arms around his waist indicated that she wasn’t completely fearless. It also indicated that she was kind of prone to that exhilaration that came with feeling a bit out of control.
He called back. “I’m sticking to the perimeter so I can make sure the fence is in good condition all the way around.”
“Great. I’ll help you look,” she called out.
Her words got carried away in the wind, lost from the sound of the throttle on the ATV, and when she was asked to repeat them, she leaned in closer and spoke right into Colton’s ear from behind. Then she stayed there, pressed a bit tighter against him. And for him, it was certainly both pleasant and distracting to feel her behind him like that.
When they were at the furthest back part of the pasture, the two noticed at the same time that one of the fence posts was leaning over. They pulled up to it and Colton turned off the ATV so he could have a closer look.
First Olivia got off and then he did. They both walked over to it and he knelt down, assessing the situation.
“How could one just fall over like that?” she asked.
“Oh, it could be anything. Soft soil right there, an angry cow giving it an aggressive nudge, or some kids who are just out to cause trouble.”
“That’s their idea of causing trouble?” she asked. She didn’t want to laugh, but she could not help it.
“When you’re in the country, the options for getting into trouble are a bit different than they are in the city.”
“Clearly,” she said. “So, how do we fix it?”
“We don’t right now, but I can mark down the post and the quadrant we’re in so I can get back out and do it. Have to turn off the low-voltage fence, get a replacement post, too.”
“Can we do that today?” she asked.
Colton looked at her to gauge if she was serious. It looked like she was, but he had no desire to take on that project. “No, we don’t need to today. I’ll have to check out the rest of the fence first, and then go to the lumberyard over in Deer Creek to get some supplies for it.”
“Oh, okay then,” she said.
Colton walked back over to the ATV, opened up the zipper on a pouch that was on the front of it, and took out a small notepad and a pen. He wrote down the information for the post and then hopped back on the ATV. “You ready?”
“Ready,” she said.
“How’s your backside doing?” he asked.
Olivia looked at him to see if he was flirting with her. That was certainly a rather provocative question. But she saw that he seemed to be thinking nothing but pure thoughts. Apparently she was not, though. He was so appealing to look at that it was challenging to not get a bit carried away. And when she wrapped her arms around his waist when he went faster on that ATV, she grew more appreciative of the physical toughness it took to be a rancher. It led to some fine, lean muscles.
“Well?” he asked, staring at her with his head turned slightly and his hand over his eyes, blocking the sun.
“Oh, sorry. My backside is fine,” she said.
“Well, good.”
The two took off again, this time Colton was moving along more slowly and Olivia was busy asking questions about the ranch.
“Where have all the outbuildings been located on the grounds?” she asked.
“To the best of my knowledge, they’ve always been located about where they are now. Why?”
“Just asking,” she said. “Did you ever tear any of them down?”
“Me? No. My parents left this place in as good condition as a ranch can usually get. When I was really little, my dad did replace a few of the outbuildings and got rid of a few small buildings that were crumbling and no longer needed. Repurposed the wood.”
“Really, that’s interesting,” Olivia said.
“It turns out that repurposed—or reclaimed—wood is a hot commodity to artisans and builders. Character pieces, I think that’s what they call it.”
“I think it’s great that something can continue being of use long after its use has worn out for one person. Don’t you?”
Colton turned his head to see if he could catch any expression on her face, but she had a dreamy look in her eyes and showed no signs of having any hidden intent. “Yeah, that’s nice,” he conceded.
“Hey, what’s going on over there?” she asked, an excited look spreading across her face.
Colton looked and saw a cow lying down in a dip in the pasture, making her tough to see. “Good eye,” he called out. “Looks like that cow is getting ready to birth.”
He stopped the ATV and turned it off.
“Why’d you turn it off?” she asked. “Aren’t we going to go check it out?”
“Cows don’t like to have anyone near them when they’re giving birth. They don’t take kindly to it. So, better to be cautious than to get yourself kicked by one that you’ve spooked.”
“How can they do that if they’re ready to give birth?” she asked.
“They are fast, despite that. Never underestimate them,” he replied. He smiled at her, thinking that statement was good advice. He shouldn’t probably underestimate Olivia, either.
“But what if she has problems?” she asked.
“That’s another reason for binoculars,” he replied. “We can tell all we need to from right back here.”
“Hey, there aren’t any bulls in this field, are there?” she asked, suddenly feeling nervous. She looked around as she continued, “I’ve heard plenty of stories about them and what can happen if you’re not expecting it.”
“Well, some of those stories are true and some are not so true. And others, well, they involve stupidity and people asking to get a bull’s horn where the sun don’t shine.”
“I can assure you, I’d never ask for that,” she said. She gave a nervous laugh and glanced down toward her butt. The amount of pain something like that would send jolting through the body was unfathomable to her.
The cow made a noise that sounded like it was in pain, and it made Olivia’s heart ache. The poor thing. “Are you sure she’s okay, Colton?” She folded her arms, resting on the side of the ATV now and looked completely worried.
/> “As far as we know. It’s almost time, though. I can tell from the way she sounds.”
“Cow whisperer,” she teased.
“Not really,” Colton said, looking at her and freezing at the sight of her sparkling eyes. She was so incredibly beautiful. “I’ve seen enough cows being born that I’ve learned to look for the signs.”
“Shouldn’t she be in the barn or something?”
“Nope, she’s great where she is.”
“Well, do we need to call a vet or something? Is one on your walkie-talkie hotline?” she asked.
“No vet needed, Olivia. If we called a vet for everything like this, we’d make no money. When you work a ranch you learn how to handle things like this yourself, as much as possible.”
“You know how to help a cow deliver?” She seemed horrified at the thought.
“If needed, of course.”
Colton love Olivia’s series of reactions to the cow preparing itself for delivery. It was so natural for cows, just as it was for humans, but she seemed to think that nature couldn’t guide that poor cow to delivery.
“There’s no need, unless the calf is breach,” he said.
“How can you tell that from way back here?” she asked.
“Again, the binoculars. They’re as necessary as feed on a large ranch. You have to try to observe as much as you can without actually having to walk all the land.”
“That would be impossible,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Yes, it would,” he said.
Olivia looked over at the cow with concern still on her face. Although only Colton could hear her, she said, “It’s okay, Mama Cow. You’ll be just fine. Colton here’s an expert.”
“Let’s run back to the stables and get a few things to temporarily mend that fence post. Then we can check on the cow again and make sure everything’s good.”
“Sure. But when we get back can I watch everything through the binoculars? I am so curious. It’s like a documentary playing out in real time. Never would have guessed that would be a part of my day.”
“It’s funny how what’s commonplace for one person is so fascinating to another,” he said. And he truly was fascinated by her fascination. “Now, let’s get going. Everything’s under control here.”
Off they went and although Olivia was behind Colton, he could tell that she kept turning around to look at the cow. Her entire body swayed to one side, making him adjust his the other way as he blazed across the pasture.
And thirty minutes later the two were back.
“Let me look,” Olivia said eagerly, reaching for the binoculars. Her arm brushed across Colton’s chest and they both paused. Then she quickly rebounded, leading him to believe she maybe didn’t feel what he had.
She put the binoculars up to her eyes and adjusted them, focusing on the cow in the distance. “There’s something blobby by her,” she said and then shoved the binoculars toward him. “Look!”
“Well, the water sac is out. She’s close now.”
“This is crazy. I feel like a slacker for not doing anything to help that cow,” she said.
“You’re helping her best by leaving her in peace. Why don’t we go and get that post back up while we’re waiting for her to give birth.” Colton offered this, trying to be considerate of Olivia’s obvious fascination. While this was all new for her, it was not new for him and in his eyes, that fence post was the more urgent issue.
“Okay,” she said.
Again, their eyes locked. A raw, honest assessment of what they thought might be happening between the two of them was evident on both their faces in that moment. In their eyes, a clearly inviting look was present.
They walked over to the fence and Olivia crouched down, holding the post up while Colton secured it with a few nails and some twine. “It’s a temporary fix, but it’ll do until I get the supplies to fix it good and proper.”
“How often do you have to replace these things?” she asked, looking down the long line of fence in front of her. “This is massive.”
“It is, but if you keep up with it as they start getting compromised, it’s not such a big deal. Having cattle get loose, now that would be a big deal.”
“What would happen?”
“If it’s dark, they could get struck by a vehicle, which wouldn’t fare well for either involved. Or they could cause problems in other farmers’ crop fields. Cows have minds of their own, do what they want to do.”
“Just like humans,” she commented.
“Exactly.”
“Okay, time to check on our mama cow again,” she said suddenly.
“Will that make you feel better?” he asked.
“Indeed, Mr. Tisdale.”
“Well, I’m not going to be the one to begrudge you your peace of mind. Anyway, we want to pay attention to what direction the calf’s hooves are if they’re visible.”
“Oh, the breach thing, right?”
“Right, and let’s hope all looks well. Or we will have to step in.”
“And if you weren’t around?” she asked.
“That’s when the cow and calf would both run the risk of dying.”
“That would be horrible! But what about the whole anger thing? How do you get close to her in a field safely?”
“It’s tricky and if it comes to that, I’ll quickly call Wade to see if he will come over to help. No offense, but he’s stronger and has done it before.”
“No offense taken,” she said.
Colton smiled at her and saw the soft etches of concern across her face. It made her look more serious and wise, a bit less playful, but it was also very appealing.
“Well, I’m officially nervous about what you’ll see through those binoculars.”
“Don’t worry, Olivia. It’s rare and I didn’t mean to startle you. I forget that this stuff is common for a guy like me. Sorry for being so crass.”
“It’s okay,” she said.
The two sat there in silence for a bit, each watching the cow and occasionally stealing a peek at each other.
Olivia finally said, “There’s something kind of beautiful about watching this process unfold. Even if I’m practically clear across the pasture.”
“There sure is,” he said. He looked at her and at that moment, as they sat in the pasture just waiting, he longed to lean over and kiss her. The moment seemed right, and it was all he could do to lasso his emotions and rope them in to stop that from happening.
“Hey, I see the hooves!” she said suddenly after taking another peek through the binoculars. “Make sure they’re the way they should be, Colton.”
He grabbed the binoculars. “They’re good, no breach.”
She raised her hand to offer a high five, looking like she’d had a personal triumph through the calf’s proper positioning. He connected to her raised hand and was surprised at how much sting that she had with the aggressive slap. Then she was soft and gentle again. “Yay, good job, Mama Cow.” The way she breathed a sigh of relief made the tendrils of her hair move upward ever so slightly.
From there, the cow went through her process and delivered a small calf. The two watched in fascination as the calf began to squirm, wanting to be freed of the sac of fluids that had surrounded it. Its proud mama began to lick it clean and nudge it with all the love in the world.
“Amazing,” Olivia said, a sincere awestruck sound to her voice. “What happens now?”
“The cow will eventually get up and go eat, probably leaving the calf hiding right where it is. Then she’ll come back.”
“What? Won’t the calf be scared? What if it wanders off?”
“First, the calf won’t be scared. It knows its mama’s bawl and its mama knows its bawl. It’s instinct. And baby calves are quite obedient to their mamas and rarely wander off.”
“The calf will just wait? That’s incredible. I don’t think that I’d have been a very good calf. My mom always said that I was off crawling way too early, disappearing in a single second if she turned her b
ack on me.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” he said, laughing.
When she looked at him, she was so impressed with everything about him. He was calm and confident and in control. It made her want to lose control and fling her arms around him and kiss that handsome face of his all over. Today’s experiences had been so out of the ordinary for her and from the fresh air, the unplanned adventure, and Colton’s whole disposition, her heart had snuck a door open and let him in.
“I realize I’m probably driving you crazier than a little kid might with all my questions. But I have one more,” she said.
“Ask away. Don’t mind.”
“What about coyotes?” she asked.
“They are around, sure, but we haven’t spotted any on this land for about two years now, so I think we’re good.”
“Even the coyotes fear big, bad Colton Tisdale,” she said with a laugh.
“You got that right,” he said. He reached over and plucked a piece of grass out of the pasture and held it up. He looked at it and smiled. And in turn, she looked at him curiously.
Then he reached over and tickled the edge of her nose with it. Her nose began to twitch and she swatted her hands at it like it was a pesky fly. “Oh my gosh, why’d you do that?”
“Wanted to,” he said. He turned around and could not wipe the smile off his face. The look on her face and that sweet twitch of her nose bewitched him and made him feel so alive in a way that he couldn’t credit to fresh air alone.
***
Dusk had set in by the time that Olivia and Colton had gotten back to the ranch. Olivia’s abundance of energy was still at an all-time high. She’d been completely enthralled by her day at the ranch and it was genuine. And that calf—although she had to watch from afar, it was easy for her to imagine what a doctor must feel like when delivering a baby. She’d never really thought about having kids before, why bother with no man in her life after all, but after seeing that, she couldn’t help but speculate about it … just a bit.
Cherished Moments (Cherish Cowboys Book 2) Page 4
