Denim & Diamonds (24 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY

T
he winter drug on forever. It was dark when chores started in the morning, and dark when chores were finished in the evening. Beth felt like the Michelin man most of the time, with long johns under her clothes and sweatshirts layered over t-shirts. Even the nights were cold, so she slept in flannel every night and piled on the quilts. The sun tried to shine, but more days than not it was little more than a bright spot in a gray sky.

Even Christmas had been a small break in the monotony of winter.

Then one morning she walked into the kitchen and knew something was different. Charlotte beamed as she straightened the cheery yellow table runner down the center of the big kitchen table. The ranch hands were all laughing and smiling.

Beau pointed to her usual chair and said, “Join us!”

She sat and scooted her chair in, then looked around the table. “What’s the occasion?”

Cole slid the platter of bacon out of the way and
Charlotte sat the platter of blueberry and strawberry muffins in the center of the table. Beau grinned, “It’s spring, bay-bee!”

She nodded in understanding. Of course, March 21. Spring had sprung.

Joe scooped up a spoonful of scrambled eggs and said, “Did y’all see the buzzards yesterday? They were circlin’, a whole bunch of them, over towards the east.”

Cole nodded, “That’s a sure sign. Anyone seen any robins yet?”

As she listened to the conversation swirl around her, she felt her own mood buoyed along with them. It had been a long, hard winter, a lot different than winter was in the City. There, her sidewalk and parking lot was cleared for her. Here, she shoveled the walks right alongside the guys.

Charlotte
spread butter on her muffin and said, “My favorite part of spring is the babies. Can’t wait to see those little foals and calves running through the pastures. Beau, when do you think the first babies will arrive?”

He chewed and swallowed, then said, “Actually, we’ve got a cow that’ll probably calve any time now. She looks ready.”

Cole’s brows pushed together. “We gotta keep a close eye on her. Aidan’s been sneaking her extra grain, and she’s awful big.”

Aidan threw a balled up napkin at Cole. "Not a lot of extra grain!"

Joe nodded as he reached for another piece of bacon, “This’s her first baby, right? We’re talking about the cow that Katie named Victoria, right?”

Beth felt a tingle at the thought of babies. She’d never been around any animal giving birth, and was disgusted and intrigued by the thought. Some of her friends had dogs that had puppies, but she didn’t have any pets growing up. Maybe that’s why she liked living on the ranch. Every season held new experiences for her.

When breakfast was over, she helped Charlotte clean up, then hurried out to the barn to help Aidan clean stalls. A warm front had moved through and the sun shone brightly. After the first stall, she shucked her heavy coat off and after the third she shed her hooded sweatshirt.

The people she worked with at the firm would’ve been shocked at her, with bits of straw in her hair and dirt under her fingernails. She was shocked herself to find she enjoyed manual labor, especially when the promise of warm weather was on the breeze. Even the clouds that rolled in that afternoon couldn’t dampen her mood.
 

The smell of
Charlotte’s chili drew Beth and Beau into the kitchen before the table was set that evening. Beth got the plates out of the cabinet and made it halfway around the table when Aidan burst through the back door. He panted, eyes wide as they swept across the room.

“Come quick!
Victoria’s having her baby and something’s wrong!” He dashed back out the door without waiting for a response. Beau was the first one out, with Charlotte and Beth hot on his heels.

Beth ran as fast as she could, and she felt the first raindrop before she got halfway to the pasture. Lightning flashed and she saw the dark hulk of the cow huddled against the fence beside the driveway. The yellow glare of the big security light threw harsh shadows that jerked as they ran.

They all climbed the gate, up and over in a matter of seconds. The cow mooed. Her head hung low, her back was arched and one tiny hoofed foot stuck out. Beau walked up to the cow and ran his hand over her heaving sides as he talked to her. Her muscles contracted and she pushed again, but the slick hoof just moved an inch or so.

Thunder boomed in the distance and cold rain pelted the group. Beth’s heart pounded in her chest and she felt faint as she watched the poor cow suffer. Aidan stroked
Victoria's head, murmuring to the animal. Beth hesitated, not sure what to do, then reached out and touched the cow. Her coat was slick with sweat and rain, and her muscles were quivering. She was in distress.

Beth cleared her throat and said, “Do you want me to call the vet?”

Beau shook his head, “Not enough time. We’re gonna have to pull the calf ourselves.”

Cole nodded and said, “I’ll get the comealong.”

He jogged away through the mud. Aidan continued to talk to the cow, his low voice a steady murmur under the sound of the rain. Beth shivered in the cold and rubbed her arms. The rain plastered her hair to her head and she blinked the water from her eyes. Victoria shuddered again and her head dropped lower, until her nose nearly touched the mud. Beau moved to the back of the cow and motioned for her to join him.

“Here,” he directed, “hold her tail up and out of the way. She can’t wait any longer.”

Beth did as she was told. Beau rubbed his hands together then pushed his sweatshirt sleeves up to his elbows and grasped the hoof with one hand. He ran his other hand along the visible leg, then the cow bawled and jerked. Beth lost her grip on the tail and it slapped down in Beau’s face. He frowned at her, but didn’t budge. She grabbed it again and held on firmly with both hands while she watched Beau continue to work with the baby.

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

B
eth 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 pleasantries.

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?