Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Finally, I reach the light of the barn, stepping inside onto the soft straw floor. I stride in the direction of the shadow and find Dusty in a stall with a horse who seems to be restless, dancing around somewhat on its hind legs.
“Dusty?”
“Bianca.” His head whips in my direction, concern immediately etching itself into his brow. “You should be inside where it’s warm, darlin’.”
I lean my cheek against the frame of the stall entrance. “It’s warmer with you.”
His chest rises and falls. “I want nothing more than to be back in that bed with you, but my mare is in labor.” He looks me over and grunts. “Damn. Look at you in my shirt.”
“It’s huge,” I giggle.
“I’m huge.”
I bite my lip. “I noticed.”
His swallow is loud enough to hear across the stall. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are hell on my concentration.”
“Sorry.” With a sly smile, I push away from the wooden post, venturing further into the stall, regarding the mare with wonder. I’ve never seen a horse up close like this. Only in movies. Or when the occasional police officer rides one in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. She is nothing short of majestic. “So, wow. She’s having a baby horse?”
His chest rumbles with mirth. “Yes. A baby horse.”
“Am I in the way or…can I do anything to help?”
“I want you warm in bed, Bianca.”
“Really, I can help.” For some reason, I want to be a part of this. Bringing an animal into the world. Helping this mare through this stressful time. More than anything, though, I want to be a part of this with Dusty. “Tell me what to do.”
He observes me for a moment, then leans down and kisses my forehead. “All right, city girl. There is a storage locker at the rear of the barn. Get me some clean bedding to put down on top of the straw. I think she’s looking for a place to lie down for a spell.”
“Yes, sir,” I say, jogging out of the stall to retrieve the bedding.
A couple of minutes later, I return with an armful of blankets, handing them off to my farmer. “Now, you stand back, darlin’. She might back up or roll over suddenly and I don’t want you getting crushed. I’m having heart palpitations just thinking about it.” He hands me one of the blankets I brought. “Wrap yourself in this. I don’t want you cold.”
I am quite happy to do what this man says. Unusual, to say the least. Normally, I don’t love being bossed around, but Dusty doesn’t boss me around because he’s on a power trip. He genuinely has my best interest at heart. Wrapped in the blanket, I move to the far corner of the stall and watch Dusty ease the mare down onto the bedding where she rolls around a little. As she does this, Dusty leaves the stall briefly and returns with a large, white cloth, wrapping it around the mare’s tail. And then she’s back on her feet, her sides heaving, nostrils flaring with great bursts of air.
When something moves out of the corner of my eye, I realize there’s a gray horse watching the proceedings from outside of the stall. “Is that the horse that came to the house?”
“Yes,” Dusty said, stroking the mare’s neck. “That’s Buggy, my stallion. He came to let me know that Lady was in labor.”
A crank turns in my chest. “Is that…normal?”
He shoots me a grin. “It’s normal on this farm.”
Another horse sticks his head into the stall directly above me, watching the mare with what appears to be quiet worry. “Is this a magical farm?”
“Some days I wonder if it might be.”
“If one of them starts talking, I’m out.”
Dusty lets out a hearty laugh. “That is yet to happen, but some days I wouldn’t mind a decent conversation. I talk to some of my Army buddies on the phone once in a while. But besides the vet and the man at the hardware store, I don’t have the chance for much human interaction. It’s pretty isolated out here.”
“Yeah.” I try to keep the next question buried, but it claws its way out. “Do you think you could ever be happy in the city?”
He rubs at the back of his neck. “I don’t think I’d fit, darlin’. Plus, my grandfather left me this land, this farm. I could never abandon it.”
“No, of course not,” I say quickly. “It’s magical, after all.”
“Yeah.”
He looks at me for long moments, starting to say something else, when suddenly the mare is back on her feet, a sense of urgency filling the stall. For the next ten minutes, I watch in wonder as the mare gives birth to her foal. I don’t think I blink once the whole time. I’m witnessing a miracle and somehow, I’m not grossed out by the blood and muck that comes along with it. When it’s over and the mare is cleaning off her baby, I blink and heavy tears roll down my cheeks. My heart is beating so fast.