Winning Over The Cowboy. Shannon Taylor Vannatter

and removed it. Minutes ticked past. Where was Chase? Surely he’d settled the newlyweds by now. She perched on the side of the tub. Still, listening, waiting.

      A key clicked in the lock.

      Showtime. She flushed the commode.

      “No!” Booted footfalls went into high gear and he bolted through the door.

      She looked up at him with a satisfied grin.

      “It’ll flood.” He jerked the plunger out of her hand.

      The water level in the toilet swirled dangerously high. High enough to make her second-guess herself. But then it drained with a whoosh that matched her expelled breath.

      “How did you do that?” His jaw dropped as he set his tool down. “I tried the plunger. Three times. I thought I’d have to turn the water off and pull the commode up to find the blockage.”

      “Well, it’s a good thing I got it, because I’ve seen how you turn water off.”

      His mouth twitched.

      She held her hand up—still encased in a long latex glove, a big, rusty belt buckle with the image of a bucking bronc in her palm. Probably won at a rodeo.

      “You reached down there and pulled that out?”

      “It’s not my first rodeo.” She dropped the buckle in a baggy, set it on the counter as if it was all in a day’s work.

      “I believe one of our guests reported that missing a few months ago.”

      “Something tells me he won’t be wanting it back.” She tugged her glove off, dropped it in a trash bag. “You’d think he’d have heard it clank in there before he flushed.”

      “Good job.” He ground out the compliment with a frown for good measure. “Be sure and disinfect before you prepare food for our guests,” he said as he stalked out of the bathroom.

      Her smile widened as she soaped disinfectant up to her forearms in the sink.

      She was a lot tougher than she looked, and Chase Donovan would soon realize that.

Chapter Three

      Five days since her arrival, and Landry had risen to every challenge Chase had thrown her way. But he was determined to have her gone. This ranch was his family’s legacy, and he wouldn’t give that up to some stranger.

      Wonder how she’d feel about helping him with a pregnant cow?

      Chase ducked inside the shade of the barn. Fresh hay mixed with the scent of animal. The smell alone should be enough to send her packing. By the time the calf was ready to come, he’d probably be on his own.

      He probably shouldn’t conspire against her today, on a Sunday. But he couldn’t help it if the opportunity had presented itself. A grin tugged at his lips as he tapped her number in his contacts.

      “Hello, Chase.”

      “Are you on the rotation to attend church this morning?”

      “Um, no. I told your folks there’s no rush. I don’t want to disrupt anything.”

      Yet she’d disrupted everything just by showing up here. “Have you ever seen a calf being born?”

      “A couple of times.”

      “Never mind, then.” She kept surprising him. “I thought you might want to witness.”

      “I do. But I guess I should help prepare for the lunch rush.”

      “We’ve got it.” He heard his mom’s voice in the background. “You go. Have fun.”

      “Where are you?” Landry asked him.

      “In the far west corner of the pen behind the barn. Wash your hands and arms up just in case.” That should give her pause.

      “I’ll be there in five.” No hesitation in her voice.

      He ended the call. Slid his phone in his pocket, stepped inside the barn to get supplies, took them out near the cow and then went back in to wash up.

      As he finished preparations, he heard footfalls and walked outside, his hands held up in the air like a surgeon waiting for a nurse to cover them with gloves. The cow lay on her side, where he’d left her.

      “She’s been at it awhile. I might have to pull it,” he said to Landry as she approached.

      “My hands are smaller. Let me, if it comes to that.”

      “You’ve done this before?”

      “Once.” She kept up with his hurried pace. “Do you have a head gate to restrain her?”

      “We do, but she’s already down. She’s tame and this isn’t her first calf, so we should be good to go.”

      What else was this woman capable of? She was nothing like his sister, who cringed and gagged over baiting her own fish hook.

      “How long has she been like this?” Landry asked.

      “I knew she was ready a few hours back, and she lay down an hour ago.” As they neared the cow, he saw one hoof. Only one.

      “That means the elbow is caught.” She ran her left hand down the russet-colored hide.

      He was completely stumped, couldn’t believe she actually knew that. “That just happened during the time I went to call you.”

      “We’re here to help you, hon.” She looked up at Chase. “Does she have a name?”

      “Penelope. The gloves and lubricant are in the top of the supply box.”

      “Okay, Penelope.” She picked up the poly sleeve, slid her right hand into it. It was so long, it wadded up around her shoulder. “Let’s get down to business.”

      Penelope flinched, moaned a weak moo as Landry went to work.

      “I know, Penny. It’s okay. I’m just gonna see what’s going on.” She gritted her teeth. “Poor girl. You’re already hurting and I’m making it worse. Pet her, Chase.”

      “Feel anything?” He ran his fingers along the cow’s neck. “Do you know what to do?”

      “There we go. I freed the elbow.” She pulled off her glove and patted Penelope’s hip. “Do your stuff, girl.” She turned to Chase. “Let’s give her a little privacy.”

      He was in awe. She really knew the ropes. “We need to keep an eye on things.”

      “Over by the barn. She’ll relax better.”

      He followed, then settled beside her. Tried to cram his growing respect for her down. Just because she knew her way around a ranch didn’t mean he wanted her owning half of his.

      She caught him staring. “What?”

      “Who are you, Landry Malone?”

      She grinned. “I grew up on a ranch with cattle, worked at a dude ranch for years, and my cousin is a vet. I watched my first calf birth at nine, saw my first pull at twelve, pulled one at seventeen.”

      “So, your folks own a Christian bookstore and a ranch?” Sounded like her family had plenty. Like she didn’t need to scam anyone.

      “The ranch belongs to my grandparents. I spent lots of time there.”

      “You’re nothing like Eden.”

      “No.” Her gaze stayed on Penelope, but her smile widened. “Your sister didn’t like to get dirty, hated the smell of farm animals and was afraid of worms.”

      “Don’t tell me. Y’all went fishing and you had to bait her hook?”

      “Every time.”

      “Me,