Page 18 of Unyielding (Poplar Springs #3)

EIGHTEEN

DECLAN

“ I need you. Can you get over here now?”

Shannon’s panicked voice was enough to startle me awake.

“What’s going on? Is Belle okay?” I asked, sitting upright in bed and looking over at the clock. It was three in the morning.

“She’s foaling, but it’s dystocia,” she blurted out. “I only see one foot and I’ve tried to reach in and shift the foal, but it’s not working. Declan, help me help Belle, please!”

I was already pulling my shirt over my head and running for the door. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Keep her up and moving, okay? No straining.”

“Okay,” Shannon said, her voice muffled. “Please hurry.”

I raced to my truck and threw the flashing light on top.

One of the volunteer firefighters had given it to Ruth years before with the understanding that she would only use it in times of extreme emergency.

This certainly qualified. A problematic birth was about as extreme as it got.

I made it to Lost Valley in under ten minutes, my tires sliding on the gravel, and ran to the barn.

“Hey,” I said, rushing to where Belle was standing.

Shannon looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Please help her.”

Her anguished expression broke my heart. I was going to make it right. I had to.

Within a few seconds, I knew exactly what was going wrong. The foal had one foot turned back and the only way to correct it was to gently push it back into the uterus and reposition it for the birth canal.

“You need to hold Belle, Shannon. I’ve got to get in there fast and she might not like it.”

She nodded and moved to the horse’s head. “I’m ready.”

“Talk to her. Keep her as calm as possible.”

Shannon immediately began crooning to the suffering mare. “It’s okay, Mama, Declan’s going to fix you right up, but you need to stay calm for me.” She spoke quietly, heaping praises on the horse.

It was a procedure I’d done dozens of times, and even though I could complete it with my eyes closed, I felt a shot of nerves course through me.

I knew how much Belle meant to Shannon, and by association, how much she’d love the foal we were about to bring into the world.

I couldn’t afford to let anything happen to either of them.

The clock was ticking, so I had to work quickly and cautiously. One wrong move and a hoof could cause a tear to the delicate tissues inside.

“Everything is okay so far,” I said to Shannon, hoping that she believed me. “Belle’s doing great. Tell her that, okay? Keep talking to her. Let her know you’re there.”

Shannon had frozen while I was working, but the reminder was enough to shake her from her stressed-out trance and get her to refocus on her horse.

“You’re so strong, Mama,” Shannon said in a shaky voice, stroking Belle’s nose. “You’ve got this, you beautiful girl.”

“Yes, she does,” I said as I worked. “She’s an experienced mother and she’s being really patient with me.”

“She knows you’re trying to help her.”

I caught Shannon’s eyes for a second and something powerful passed between us. I couldn’t let on that the foal was more twisted up inside of Belle than I’d expected.

I worked in silence while Shannon murmured to Belle. The seconds ticked on, and I felt sweat bead on my brow.

This was hard. Incredibly hard. But there was no way I was going to fail.

“What’s taking so long?” Shannon asked.

“Nothing, we’re fine, just a little bit longer,” I lied. “Keep her calm. I need her to focus on you, not on what I’m doing.”

Just as I started to really worry that we’d run out of time, the foal untwisted, and I managed to gently pull the baby out enough that Belle could complete the labor naturally. Shannon rushed back and was there, choking back tears of happiness as Belle finished the job.

Declan and I stood side by side at the edge of the stall, watching the tiny filly test her legs.

“She’s perfect.” Shannon sighed as she propped her elbows up on the edge of the half-door.

The foal looked like she was the perfect mix of her renegade father and her sweet mother, with a streak of white running across her dark brown shoulders.

“She really is. Have you thought about what you’re going to do with her?” I asked.

Shannon whipped to me with her eyes wide. “Keep her, of course. There’s no other option.”

Of course. The filly was a way to hold onto Belle after she was gone and would also maintain the connection to Shannon’s mother.

“Right, of course,” I agreed. “That makes sense.”

She sniffled. “I don’t think I want to know the answer, but how close did we come to…”

“You definitely don’t want to know,” I said quickly. “All that matters is she’s here and they’re both healthy.”

I saw Shannon wipe away a tear. “For now. Belle’s old, and this pregnancy definitely took a toll on her. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with losing her.”

“Hey, hey,” I chided softly, turning to Shannon. “I get where you’re coming from, but why don’t we just focus on the here and now, okay? Today, Belle is in great shape, and she’s going to be an incredible mom to her new baby. Have you thought about a name yet?”

Shannon dragged her fingertips across her eyes and cleared her throat. “Not yet. Got any ideas?”

“Hm,” I said. “It has to be something special. Maybe a name that links your mom and Belle to her? I remember how your mom always loved to ride Belle down by the Tuckernuck River, so maybe something that has to do with water?”

Shannon chewed her lip.

“Um…” Her brow furrowed. “I can’t think of any cute options; I’m too wiped out. What about you?”

“Well, the Hopi Indian word for clear water is Pavita,” I offered. “Maybe something like that?”

“And ‘Vida’ is Spanish for ‘life’! Declan, that’s perfect . I love it.” Shannon caught me by surprise when she went up on her toes and kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you. For everything.”

I was caught off guard. Before I could do or say anything, she turned her attention back to the foal. Shannon smiled as the foal wobbled, her little ears flicking around her head as she took in the world.

“I’m happy I was able to be here to see it,” I said quietly.

“Me too.”

After the stress of the birth, the barn had finally fallen into a middle-of-the-night hush. I leaned into the peace, trying to flush out the last of the stress that had flooded my system. I arched my back, then stretched my shoulders, making my joints crack.

“Ouch.” Shannon laughed. “Sounds like you could use a massage.”

I rolled my head from side to side. “Yeah, I’ve had this pain along my right shoulder for weeks now. It’s killing me.”

“Where?” Shannon asked.

“All along here, from my spine out to my shoulder,” I said, running my hand along the tender spots.

“Well, I bet tonight didn’t help,” Shannon said, the corner of her mouth kicking up. “You were pretty contorted for a good long while.”

“Story of my life,” I answered, rolling my shoulder. “I’m learning to live with the pain.”

Shannon frowned. “That sounds terrible. Let me help. Sit on that bucket,” she said, pointing to an empty watering pail. “Just turn it over.”

“No, it’s late, you don’t have to,” I protested.

Shannon pulled out her phone. “I’d be getting up in an hour anyway. And I’m definitely too wired to try to sleep now. I’m here, you’re in pain, let’s do this.” She cracked her knuckles dramatically.

I swallowed hard. I could definitely use some TLC, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep myself together once Shannon put her hands on me.

That kiss had been surprising enough. At Josh and Zoe’s engagement party, I’d been afraid to pull her too close while we’d danced together.

Everything about being near her set me on fire, from the way her body felt wrapped in my arms to the hints of her perfume every time I spun her around.

I didn’t deal well with feeling out of control, didn’t want it to turn me into someone who acted on his emotions and didn’t think through consequences, like my parents.

But I had a long day ahead of me and trying to navigate it with aches and pains would make it feel that much longer.

I’d survived the kiss. Surely I could keep myself in check through a quick, friendly massage.

“Okay, if you don’t mind I’d appreciate it. Thank you.”

I flipped the pail over, sat down, and let my head fall forward.

Shannon moved behind me and paused for so long that I began to wonder if she’d changed her mind. I was just about to hop up when I felt her thumbs press against my skin.

“Oh, wow…” I sighed as she worked on me. “That feels incredible. You really know what you’re doing. But not for too long, okay?”

“Shhh,” she scolded gently. “Let me work. I think I found the knot.”

Sure enough, her fingers homed in on a spot near my shoulder blade that felt as tender as a bruise. I jumped when she pushed on it.

“Give me a few seconds to focus on this,” she murmured. “Take deep breaths and let them out slowly as I push, okay?”

A mix of pleasure and pain radiated from the area as she pressed and rubbed, making me want to groan.

I hadn’t been touched like that in too long, and the feeling of being cared for mixed with who was doing the caring lit a fire within me.

When Shannon’s breasts grazed against my back, I felt myself go immediately hard.

I shifted and cleared my throat.

“Sorry, did that hurt?” Shannon asked as her hands stilled along the back of my neck, butterfly soft against my skin.

She was killing me.

“Yeah, I mean no.” I squeezed my eyes shut over how absurd I sounded. “Maybe a little. But it’s a good pain.”

“Great, then it’s working,” Shannon said as she started doing some sort of deep press along the muscle.

Her strokes were long and sensual, and a few times her fingers skimmed lower beneath the neck of my T-shirt, sending goose bumps up my arms. I relaxed into the sensation, trying to ignore the throbbing below my waist. When Shannon finally stopped, I felt like I was in a trance.

“Better?” she asked in a soft voice.

“Mm-hmm,” I said with my eyes still closed. I felt like I couldn’t move, and I certainly couldn’t stand up.

Shannon patted my shoulders to signify that she was done and started to walk away. I reached out and grabbed her arm, accidentally pulling her off her feet and sending her into my lap.

“Whoops!” She laughed, balancing on my knees.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that,” I said, still holding onto her arm. “That was extra rude, because I didn’t say thank you for the massage and now I just manhandled you.”

“It’s fine,” Shannon said, looking into my eyes. “I haven’t sat down in hours, and you make a great chair.”

I blinked at her, afraid to move and break the spell. Shannon’s wrist was still captured in my hand, and I let my thumb glide along the smooth skin.

She shivered, her eyes locked on mine.

I knew that if I didn’t make a move now, in the early morning stillness while the rest of the ranch was still asleep, I might never get another chance.

And even though the cautious part of me warned that this could lead to danger, the desire I felt was too powerful to ignore.

The fact that she was still perched on my lap, her lips slightly parted, made me feel like she was waiting for me to do something.

Anything.

This .

I pulled her closer while I leaned into her, pausing at the very last second before our lips met.

Shannon was almost panting, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Her free hand reached up and snaked behind my neck, and she leaned an inch closer to me like she was unwilling to bridge the gap but desperately wanted to.

It was all the invitation I needed.

I pressed my lips to hers hungrily, still half expecting her to jump away from me. But she kissed me back with an intensity that shocked me.

Shannon’s tongue dragged against my lips for an instant, and I adjusted her in my lap so that she was straddling me, pulling her even closer so that she was seated directly on top of my hardness.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe. After so many years of imagining this moment, the chance to kiss her again for real seemed almost too good to be true.

It dawned on me that my fantasies hadn’t even come close to the reality of having Shannon Cafferty in my arms.

I grabbed onto her thighs and squeezed, wishing I could touch and explore every inch of her. I didn’t want the kiss to end, but we were in a busy barn shortly before sunup. We were going to get caught making out like high schoolers if I didn’t stop.

I pulled away slowly and Shannon’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“I swear I can hear truck doors slamming,” I whispered, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. “We can’t take this any further right now. But I’m hoping we can try again some time.”

She smiled shyly at me. “I’d like that.”

I asked the question before I had a chance to second guess myself.

“Can I take you out? On a real date?”

Surprise flashed across her face followed by a couple more emotions, but her expression quickly settled into delight.

“I’d like that, too.”

We stared at each other, smiling stupidly, until the sounds of the ranch waking up made it clear that it was time to put the fantasy on hold.