Having The Rancher's Baby. Cathy McDavid

me, it is.”

      Reaching the trees, they dismounted and pushed branches aside to investigate. Joey had been right. The cow stood with her head down, guarding the lifeless body of her prematurely born calf.

      “Oh, man,” Cole said, his shoulders slumping. The poor thing never had a chance.

      * * *

      “YOU STAY HERE with the cow,” Cole told Joey, after they’d taken time to assess the situation. “I’ll ride to the ranch, get my truck and see who’s available to help. We’ll load the calf in the back, and you lead the cow to the ranch. I think the vet should check her out, just to be on the safe side.”

      He headed to where Hotshot was tied, trying to remember if the vet’s number was programed into his phone.

      “Sounds good,” Joey said.

      Both of them had kept a reasonable distance from the cow in case she became aggressive. Her calf may not have survived, but there were no guarantees she’d willingly abandon it.

      Finding a patch of shade to escape the sweltering heat, Joey pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll call Violet.”

      Cole ground to a halt. “Don’t do that.”

      “Shouldn’t she know? She’s in charge.”

      All Cole could think about was how news of the premature calf might upset her. She already struggled with mood swings—her words, not his. News like this would have her leaping out of bed or off the recliner, wherever she happened to be resting, and racing to the rescue.

      “I’ll call her,” Cole said, though he wouldn’t until later. Much later.

      It was too hot to gallop Hotshot, but that didn’t stop Cole from trotting him the last mile to the ranch. There, he located Leroy, the wrangler who had blabbed about Cole and Vi leaving the bar together, and, handing over the reins, instructed him to look after Hotshot.

      “Make sure he’s cooled down before you put him up.”

      “Will do.”

      “You seen Josh?”

      “Said he was going to the house.”

      Cole found his brother in the office, staring at the computer screen. He glanced up the second Cole entered. “I swear I’m going cross-eyed staring at these spreadsheets.”

      “Forget them. We have a problem.”

      Josh stood. Cole was still feeding him details as they climbed into his truck. After a quick stop at the tack room for a plastic tarp, they sped out the gate leading to the pastures and up the dirt road toward the hills, clouds of dust spewing from the rear tires. Minutes later, the road narrowed to a horse trail and the going got rough.

      “What are you doing?” Josh asked when Cole drove the truck off the trail and onto rocky, uneven land thick with low-growing vegetation.

      “Taking a shortcut.”

      “Are you sure about this?” Josh anchored one hand on the dash to keep himself from coming off the seat when they bounced over a rotted tree trunk.

      “Hang on,” Cole warned. “There’s a gully ahead.”

      Joey was still waiting in the same patch of shade when they arrived, thankfully in one piece. Cole credited his driving skills. Josh had a different opinion.

      Together, the three of them devised a plan. Cole would rope the cow. Hopefully, she’d come willingly—she already appeared to be losing interest in the calf. Just to be sure, they’d brought along a bucket of grain as added incentive. As soon as Joey left with the cow, Cole and Josh would take care of the calf.

      Cole reached behind the seat for his lariat. He seldom went anywhere without it, a habit he’d formed years ago. Automatically adjusting the size of the loop, he slowly approached the cow, who stared at him with trepidation. About twenty feet away, he stopped. Josh and Joey watched from the truck.