To Court A Cowgirl. Jeannie Watt

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      “Best stand back.” Allie shot a look at him and then the corners of her mouth twitched. “First birth?” she asked dryly.

      Jason shrugged, feeling distinctly out of his element. “I saw puppies born once. I was six.”

      She laughed as she dropped the chains in the bucket. It wasn’t a full-on share-the-mirth laugh, but it was a start.

      “Were all of these—” he gestured at the two older calves lying side by side in the grass near their grazing mothers “—born like this?”

      “No. They came out the usual way. This mom’s a heifer—first birth. They have trouble sometimes.”

      Well, the cow seemed to be getting into motherhood now, licking her calf all over as the little guy started squirming. “What would have happened if I wasn’t here?” he asked.

      “I would have gotten the jack.”

      “I don’t want to know.”

      She laughed again as she peeled off the gloves and dropped them into the bucket on top of the chains, but when she raised her gaze back up to his, her expression grew serious. “Thank you for the help.”

      “Not a problem.”

      “After our discussion yesterday, I kind of thought—”

      “Let’s straighten a few things out, Allie.”

      “What things?” She looked both wary and curious.

      “I don’t hold grudges. It’s a waste of energy.” He held her gaze to make his point, noting that Allie’s lips were pressed together, as if she were afraid of something slipping out. “I’m not the enemy, Allie. Never have been. Never will be.”

      “I never thought of you as an enemy.”

      “Or treated me like a friend.”

      She gave a slow nod, pressing her lips even more tightly together as she glanced down at the gravel between them. When she looked back up at him he was struck by the shift in her expression, as if she’d just made a momentous decision. She drew in a breath and said, “Would you like to come to the house for a cup of coffee?”

      A half smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “Thank you, Allie. I’d like that.”

      * * *

      JASON FOLLOWED ALLIE into the house and sat down at the table after washing up. She poured him a cup of coffee from the stainless steel carafe she’d filled before going out to check on the cows that morning, her mind racing as she tried to get a handle on this situation. The one she’d taken pains not to think too much about, despite their previous conversation on the matter. As in how much her less-than-friendly attitude had to do with her preconceived notions about Jason, and how much it had to do with the fact that she found him ridiculously attractive.

      Definitely a mash-up of the two, but she was still trying to put her life back on track and it wasn’t fair that he should suddenly appear and introduce unwelcome thoughts and sensations.

      It also wasn’t fair for her to take her frustrations out on him...even if he did cause them.

      Jason took the cup she handed him and then waited until she’d sat down before taking a slow sip. Allie did the same, acutely aware that she was horrible at making small talk because she had no patience for small talk. But something needed to be said. The elephant in the room was growing larger.

      “Kind of reminds me of our chess matches,” he finally said.

      Allie choked a little and set her cup down. “You intimidated me.”

      “Right back at you.”

      “Bull.”

      He shrugged his big shoulders and settled back in his chair. “I’m not going to lie to you, Allie. Birthing that calf was gross.”

      “Birth is not gross.” And wasn’t she thankful for the sudden shift in topic?

      “Did you somehow miss that blue tongue? Or all the gunk that came out?” He spoke seriously, frowning a little for emphasis, but warmth lit his eyes and Allie found herself wanting to smile.

      Do not be charmed. Stop now. “All I saw was an addition to my herd instead of a loss.”

      “Do you have many losses?”

      “We used to have more until we started calving later in the season.”

      “It seems to me that you’d want to have them later. When it’s warm.”

      Allie smiled a little. “Not if you’re selling them. You want them to have as much growing time as possible before they go to market, which is why most ranchers calve in February. March at the latest. We’re missing out in some ways by calving in April and May, but making up for it in others.”

      Jason frowned at her. “It’s got to be nerve-racking, going to work and wondering if your cows might need a midwife.”

      “That’s just how it is for a part-time rancher.”

      “Do you think you’ll ever become a full-time rancher?”

      “No. As soon as one of my sisters comes home, I’ll move elsewhere.”

      “Out of the Eagle Valley?”

      “Maybe. But definitely off the ranch.”

      “You don’t like it here?”

      “I didn’t say that.”

      “No,” he agreed. “You didn’t.”

      But her tone and her body language had. After reminding herself that she didn’t need to protect herself from Jason, that he wasn’t the enemy, she said, “The ranch and I... We have our differences.”

      Jason took another slow sip of coffee and when Allie didn’t expand on her answer, he said, “My dad and I have our differences. I guess it happens to everyone.”

      Allie smiled in acknowledgment, glad for the shift of subject. She was the only Brody sister who had issues with the ranch, but she was also the only sister to suffer tragedy there twice. One quick and devastating and the other slow and torturous.

      “That’s life. So...how has the Eagle Valley changed since you left?”

      “I have been back a time or two.” He smiled ruefully. “But not that many. Mostly I was training or playing.” He stopped, as if analyzing his past, then his clear aqua gaze met hers. “A lot has changed. For one thing I miss the old movie theater. That new thing at the edge of town is ugly.”

      “Yes. I guess it was going to take too much money to bring the old theater up to code, so they shut it down.” Allie had also loved the historic brick theater with the balcony and classic early-twentieth-century woodwork. “You’re right. The new one isn’t the same.”

      They finished their coffee while СКАЧАТЬ