Page 50 of A Cowboy Holiday
“He’s got a golf game.”
“Yep.”
Hazel was lying in her stall, panting while Lou, Josh, and Tanner huddled nearby.
Tanner passed me an apron. “She been up and down, very restless.”
“Dilated?” I asked.
“Not nearly enough,” Lou reported, peeking at his watch. “There’s no point in all of us hanging around. This could be a while.”
“You’re right. I got this, Lou. And Phee’s at your house, Josh. If you don’t mind having her for a bit, I’ll stay for the duration.”
“Yeah, of course she can stay. Do you have plans tonight?”
“Not really. We’re celebrating tomorrow,” I replied.
“Well, if you’re sure,” Lou hedged, already sidling toward the door. “Tanner?”
“Go on. Merry Christmas.” Tanner squeezed the older man’s shoulder and escorted him to the exit.
The three of us kept an eye on Hazel in shifts. Josh left to give Angie a chance to wrap some presents in peace. Tanner was gone for an hour, taking his dogs to Jax’s house and delivering a few gifts to friends in Christmas Town. Then I had some last-minute things to pick up for Phoebe in town.
By later afternoon, Hazel still hadn’t fully dilated, and holiday celebrations on the ranch were in full swing.
“Go on, Josh. I can handle this.” I glanced at Tanner. “Wecan handle it. Tell Phee I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“All right. Text me. Oh…and Merry Christmas.”
So here we were on Christmas Eve in a barn with a laboring cow.
“How many Christmases have you spent like this?” Tanner asked conversationally.
“A lot. You?”
“Same. Our dog had her litter on Christmas day when I was twelve. Best Christmas ever. We got to hold puppies all day. Our pig had her litter two days before Christmas another year. That was unusual. Like this. I mean, most ranchers plan breeding based on warmer weather. What was Dennis thinking?”
“He wasn’t thinking of anything but making money off the herd,” I huffed.
Tanner grinned. “It ended all right. You met me.”
“I did.” My tone was too serious. I tried to soften it with a smile that probably came across as a facial tic. Damn, I really was an awkward asshole.
“And you wanted my ass.”
I smacked his butt. “Watch your language around the new mother.”
Tanner snickered. “Sorry, Hazel. I—oh, there we go.”
Her water bag broke with a whoosh.
“That’s it, girl.”
“About time. We’re five hours in already.”
“She’s swollen,” I said, pulling on a pair of heavy-duty gloves to examine her just as her body tensed with a contraction.
“A few more of those, and she’ll be ready to push.” Tanner brushed hair from his forehead. “Geez, we sound like we’re talking about a human.”