Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
M arissa Holloway drove home from Whispering Wind Ranch with her anger as her only company. By the time she arrived, she was in a rage.
I’ll show him. He can’t just throw me aside as if I was a piece of trash. Sure, I made a mistake . She smiled. And I’m still making that mistake, but Scott is worth it. No one has ever satisfied me like he does. If only I’d managed to keep Scott and have Ray, too, her life would be perfect. Now if Scott would just find a way to make some money. I can’t afford to support us both…at least, not in the style I’ve become accustomed to.
She drove into the garage, killed the engine, stepped out of the car, and slammed the door. Then she stomped into the house, set her purse and keys on the kitchen counter, and bellowed Scott’s name.
A few minutes later, he ambled into the kitchen dressed in boxer shorts and scratching his head. His hair was standing up all over…the look was not a good one. Scott was a lot of things. Sexy-looking in the morning was not one of them. Luckily for her, she found the other things he could do made up for the morning bedhead.
“Why aren’t you up yet? We’ve talked about this. You need to find a job. I can’t support us anymore. We’re burning through money at an alarming rate.” She wouldn’t tell him about the one-hundred-and-fifty thousand she was getting from Ray tomorrow. That was her money and she wasn’t about to spend it on Scott, regardless of how good he was in bed.
“Why don’t you just find some old guy to marry and then off him like the last one?”
She slapped his face. “What have we talked about? We don’t talk about how Reginald Holloway died. Got it?”
He rubbed his cheek, his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. “Got it.”
She knew he didn’t like it when she slapped him or when she reminded him to keep his mouth closed, and she didn’t care.
“Good. Now, get showered and dressed. I want you to concentrate on getting a job today.” Marissa lifted a hand and pointed her index finger. “Don’t even start about anything else. You need a job. I don’t care what you do, as long as you do something to bring in money.” She cupped his jaw and purred. “Just remember to save all that loving for me.”
He smiled and pulled her flush with his body. “You’re the only one for me, baby. Now and forever.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and rolled up on her toes, smacking a loud kiss on his lips. “And don’t you forget it.”
Scott lowered his head to hers. “Never.” He kissed her deeply.
Even his morning breath didn’t repulse Marissa. He was quite the kisser, and she’d take every kiss she could get. He made her feel alive in ways Ray never did…never could. Yet, she pulled away. She patted his face, her heart softening a little. He could find a job after lunch. “Go shower and I’ll take you to lunch.”
His eyes lit up. “Where are you taking me? Who knows, I might reward you when we get back.”
Now he had her. She knew his rewards involved rolling around in bed. After the morning she’d just had, she deserved a little roll. “Where do you want to go?”
“The Juicy Seafood. You know I can’t resist their boil-in-a-bag-of-butter seafood.”
“Okay, we’ll go there. If you get cleaned up in the next half hour.”
“Consider it done.” He took off like a shot for the bathroom.
Now was the time to call David Gardner and see if he could top Ray’s price. If he did, she’d call Ray and tell him she wouldn’t be at the lawyer’s office tomorrow.
She pressed his number into the phone. “Yes, David Gardner, please. Tell him it’s Marissa Holloway.”
She listened, then said, “Yes, I’ll hold.”
David was the blustery sort, and she put the phone on speaker and held it away from her unless she was speaking. He was just too loud to keep it close to her ear.
“What do you want, Marissa?” shouted David.
“Ray has given me a better offer for my shares in Whispering Wind Ranch. Do you want to up your bid?”
“What? He did not. You’re just trying to get more money. One-hundred-thousand is my best offer. Take it or leave it.”
“I’ll leave it. Ray offered me one-fifty. Goodbye, David.” She ended the call.
Almost immediately, her phone rang. She snickered. “Gotcha.” But when she looked down at the caller ID, she frowned.
“Hello.”
“Marissa, it’s Ted.”
“Where did you get my number?”
“I have my sources. I set the bear traps like you wanted. Soon, Ray will let the horses out into that pasture and at least one of them will get into a trap. That’s what you wanted and it will happen.”
She smiled. Her day was getting better and she couldn’t be happier. “That’s good. I want him completely stopped. I don’t need any of his horses in the races.”
“This should get them. If they get caught in one of those, the animals might never race again. If I find them, I can put them down as part of my job. Ray won’t be happy, but he won’t question my decision, either…I don’t think.”
She stood and paced. “No, don’t destroy the animal. Let that new vet take care of it. I hate having to do this, I just can’t think of any other way to stifle his expansion. I need to win those races. I need those purses to put my stable back in the black.”
“You’ll have it. Now, what time do I pick you up for our date? I want to take you to dinner and dancing. I don’t just want to sleep with you, though that is definitely something to look forward to.”
“What makes you think I want to be seen with you?”
“You probably don’t, but this is what you agreed to.”
“Fine, pick me up at seven. And don’t be late.” She ended the call before he could respond. Then her voicemail notification sounded. She listened.
“Marissa, it’s David. I want those shares. I’ll give you one-seventy-five. Call me with your answer.”
She quickly dialed Ray first. She got his voicemail, as she expected. He must be in the barn with his eyes on Maddy. He didn’t let anything take away from his time with her.
“Ray, it’s Marissa. I won’t be at your lawyer’s office tomorrow. I’ve accepted another offer.” She ended the call
Then she called David.
He answered on the first ring. “Where do you want to meet for the exchange?”
“I’ll see you at your attorney’s office tomorrow at nine.”
“Fine.” He hung up.
She grinned. This was going better than she could have hoped. Now, to decide what to wear on a date with a dirt-poor cowboy, after I take Scott to lunch, of course. She kept grinning. Her day was definitely looking up.
That night after treating Stormchaser and then working with Ray, Lyris was wired. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to settle her mind. Was she wrong in her dealings with Ray? Would the relationship be different with Ray than it was with Kevin? What if she was throwing away the chance for true love?
She and Ray definitely had a spark. He felt it as much as she did. She’d never been as at ease with anyone as she was with Ray…at least, until she’d given him her speech about not fraternizing with the boss.
Lyris groaned and placed her arm over her forehead to block out what she’d done. Would Ray keep hanging around like he said he would? What if he didn’t? Why was she even thinking about it? Did she want him to stick around?
No one was in her bed or her brain, so she could have it however she wanted it. And she wanted Ray.
But Ray was a rich man. Heck, he was a billionaire. He raised and raced thoroughbreds. He was part of a gaming empire. She wouldn’t fit into his life. She had the night of the gala, but he’d immediately removed her from there and took her on a joy ride to his old haunts. Places she wouldn’t be out-of-place, even though she was dressed in a fancy gown.
Was he embarrassed to be with her?
She shook her head. It didn’t matter. She was a vet and a darn good one. No one could take that away from her and if she wasn’t good enough for someone, that was his problem, not hers.
Part of her still wondered if she was making a mountain out of a molehill. Ray had seemed as uncomfortable at the gala as she had. Was he just taking her places he loved because he wanted to show her who he really was?
When she hit the barn the next morning, she was still in her head.
“You’re later than usual today.” Ray leaned against Majesty’s stall. The little filly hid behind her mother.
Lyris ignored his comment. “How’s our baby girl today?” She opened the stall and walked up to Majesty. “Hello, Mama. How are you today? Hmm?”
“They both seem to be doing well. I checked Black Beauty this morning. She’s responded great to having her foal pulled. Sometimes there is a lot of tearing, but she isn’t suffering from that. I’m very pleased with your work. All of your work. You’re a good vet, Lyris.”
She melted a little at the compliment, since, in her experience, most owners were stingy about giving them. “Thank you. It’s nice to hear that you’ve done good work, and it’s appreciated. I haven’t always had that respect.”
“That’s on the people you worked for, not on you.” He came into the stall and patted Majesty’s neck.
Lyris ran her hand over Majesty’s left flank before lifting her tail and checking for excess bleeding, as well as any swelling of the vulva. Luckily, the mare was fine. She dropped the horse’s tail and patted her flank. Then she walked around to her other side to get a look at the filly. The baby was all dry and fluffy now. She was steady on her legs and appeared to be doing well. Lyris held out her hand to her, trying to put her at ease.
The filly was still shy and hurried to the space under her mother’s neck. It was the only place she could go because Ray was on the other side of the mare.
“That’s okay little one. We’ll get familiar with you and become friends on your timetable. You don’t have to be afraid of us,” said Lyris.
Ray put his hand out to the baby and didn’t have any better luck.
The filly backed as far away as she could from him and still stayed away from Lyris.
Lyris backed off, giving the little one room so she wouldn’t be scared. When she did, the little girl hid totally behind her mother.
“It’s too soon. She’s too new. Once she sees that her mother allows us to tend her, she’ll become curious about us and then we’ll make some headway to getting her to trust us. I don’t remember you telling me if she’s somebody else’s or yours.”
“This little filly is mine. I was going to let Maddy name her but I want you to. What do you think?”
Lyris’s eyes narrowed. “Me? Why should I name her?” She patted her chest. “Why do you want me to name her?”
“Because you were here at her birth in case Majesty needed help. She didn’t, thank God, but still I know you could take care of her if necessary, just as you did with Black Beauty. I think it’s only fair you give her a name.”
She let out a deep breath. “What was her sire’s name?”
“He’s Court Royal. He’s a beautiful black, just like Majesty. I’m surprised the filly has white socks. I was hoping for another solid black.”
Lyris placed an index finger on her chin. “Hmmm. Court Royal and Majesty.” She snapped her fingers. “I think she should be Snow Princess because of her white socks. If she was all black, I’d just name her Princess.”
Ray grinned. “I like it.” He wrapped his arms around Majesty’s neck. “What do you think, sweetheart? Is Snow Princess a good name for your baby?”
Majesty swung her head up and down.
Ray laughed. “I think she likes it.”
Lyris chuckled. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a horse who seemed to understand what a person is saying, that wasn’t trained to do it as a part of some circus-type show. She’s amazing.”
“She understands some questions and responds accordingly, so I guess, in a way, she’s trained.”
Lyris patted Majesty’s left rear flank. “You’re an amazing horse, you know that, girl?”
The horse swung her head up and down.
Lyris laughed.
So did Ray. “She is, and she’ll be a great mother. Little Snow Princess is her first foal, but she’s already comfortable with her baby. She keeps her safe, lets her nurse and cleaned her up like the best mothers do.”
She nodded. “I agree. I saw on her chart that this was her first foal. She’s fantastic. I’ve seen mares practically kick their foal out of the stall. Those babies had to be removed because we were afraid their mothers would kill them. Those little ones had to be hand-raised and that is definitely not what we want to happen.”
“Do you need to do anything else here?”
“No, I’m done with Majesty and Snow Princess. What do you need me to do?”
“Come with me. I have some horses in the south pasture that need tending to.”
Oh, no way will I be in a vehicle with him alone. That would be too dangerous to my resolve. Especially since I’m having second thoughts. “Why don’t you just tell me what you want?”
“It will lose something in the retelling. I should show you.”
Lyris, you are all kinds of a fool. “Okay.”
Ray led Lyris to his candy-apple-red Ford F-350 truck and opened the passenger door, then closed it once she was seated. Then he walked around the front of the vehicle and climbed behind the wheel.
Lyris gazed at the scenery, what there was of it, during the ride. The truck headed away from the mountains. The landscape was mostly flat, with a couple of small hills thrown in. Tall June grass still covered the land, though it was mostly brown now. Groups of cattle grazed lazily while their calves nursed and frolicked.
Small groups of three to four trees dotted the countryside, while snow fences ran along parts of the highway. The scene wasn’t what people thought of when they thought of Colorado, and yet most of the state looked like this. Only about a third of the state was covered by mountains.
The truck left the highway at the Barr Lake exit. Then headed east from there.
They’d been driving on the one dirt road for about fifteen minutes before Lyris finally spoke up. “How long until we get to your property?”
Ray chuckled. “We’ve been on my property for the last ten minutes. The turn for the barn is just ahead.”
True to his word, they came to a road on the right side less than a minute later.
He made the turn.
Lyris saw a large brown barn in the distance. Less than five minutes later, they were parked outside the structure.
“Here we are. I have all the supplies you’ll need in there.” He jutted his chin toward the building. “Come on.”
She removed her seatbelt.
Ray was around the front and to her door before she could open it. He held it open and extended her a hand.
She looked at it and then up before taking it. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Lyris put her hands in her front pockets for something to do with them. “Where to now?”
“The barn. I’ve got several horses that need your help.”
She cocked her head and furrowed her brows. “Out here?”
“Yes.” He turned and walked toward the barn. When he reached it, he stopped and turned. “I apologize in advance for having to bring you out here, but you’ll understand when we get inside.” He opened the door and walked through.
She followed and found herself in a ten-stall barn. The last stall on the left was for hay and straw. The last two stalls on the right were an office and a tack room.
Ray led her to the second stall on the left.
Inside was a beautiful bay mare. She was obviously pregnant and already rolling to her back, trying to get relief from the labor pains.
The next stall also held a mare. This one was a golden Appaloosa. She, too, was acting as if she was in labor. She was pacing circles around the stall.
All the stalls appeared to be overly large and allowed for the horses to make circles.
The third stall on the right held yet another mare, this one a gorgeous chestnut with a red body and black mane and tail, in the throes of labor. She was laying on her side and breathing heavily.
Lyris removed her flannel shirt, leaving her in a white t-shirt. “I want to start with the bay. She seems to be the furthest along.” Before walking to the stall, she turned on Ray, hands on her hips. “You couldn’t bother to tell me this yesterday? We could have missed it, and one of the mares could have died in birth or the mare and the foal. What were you thinking?!”
Ray mimicked her stance, his hands on his hips. “I didn’t find out until this morning that they were all in labor. My men didn’t know, because yesterday the mares were fine.”
Lyris let out a long breath. “I’m sorry. This is just a mess. What’s the bay’s name?”
“Junebug. These are my riding horses not my breeding horses.”
“I knew they aren’t thoroughbreds. American saddle horses if I was to guess.”
“You’d be right. They are good animals and will make great mothers. This is Junebug’s third foal. The previous vet said she’s having twins. We don’t expect both of the babies to live. It would be a miracle if they do.”
“I haven’t lost a foal yet and I won’t start now. Do you have gloves available?”
“Yes, let me get them.” He left the stall.
Lyris walked over to Junebug and sank to her knees next to the huge animal. She ran her hands along the horse’s belly. Her stomach was hard and Lyris knew she was near to birthing.
Junebug was now laying on her side.
Lyris pressed on her stomach. She counted legs and felt both foals. One was already in the birthing position. She stood and walked around to the horse’s rear and lifted her tail.
The mare was ready, and the foal was just starting to exit the birth canal.
The foal’s arrival was imminent.
Junebug stood and walked around the stall. With each step she took the foal came farther out.
Lyris made sure to stay out of her way.
Finally, after about twenty minutes of her walking, the first foal dropped.
The mare bit and pulled at the sack the foal was in until it opened, then she pulled it away from the baby.
Lyris helped her. Normally, she wouldn’t, but a second foal was on the way, and she wanted Junebug to concentrate on birthing that little one.
Ray returned with the gloves. “Sorry—holy cow we have a foal.”
“It’s a colt. Do you have a towel handy to dry him?”
“I found the gloves under the towels and brought both. That’s why it took me so long.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’ll be okay. I mostly use them so I don’t pass anything on to the animals.”
“I understand.” He looked over at Junebug. “She looks ready for the next one.”
“Yeah, it won’t be long now.”
The second baby got stuck.
Lyris donned the gloves and put her hands and arms in to help Junebug by repositioning the foal. It was a messy business but necessary if Junebug was to deliver the foal. After getting the foal in the right position, she guided the sack until the foal was about halfway out. Then the birth was entirely Junebug’s show.
After the birth, Lyris checked Junebug for damage. She had some tearing but not to serious. While Junebug was busy with her foals, she wanted to see if the bleeding continued. Once they got her back to the ranch, she would put in a couple of sutures if she was still bleeding substantially.
Junebug took care of the placentas for both colts. Eating it helped to increase her milk production, so Lyris let her consume them. She would need all the milk she could get to feed two new babies.
Lyris removed the gloves and tossed them in a trash bag Ray found in his truck. “This one is a colt, too.” She wrapped her arms around the mare’s neck and hugged her. “You did a great job, girl.” She stepped around the mare and visually examined the colts.
Both were on their feet—wobbly—but standing, nonetheless. They were skittish, as all newborns were.
Lyris, so as not to crowd them, walked around Junebug’s rear, even though crossing in the front would have been quicker. Once she was outside the stall, she closed the gate and turned to Ray. “Shall we see to the other two?”
He waved his hand toward the gate. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Then let’s get to it so you can take me home. I’m tired, and it’s going to be a very long day.” He had no idea just how long, but she did. Two more horses to get through the process. Hopefully, no more twins. Another set of twins would be a miracle. Multiple births were rare. Even more rare was to have two full-term healthy babies. Junebug was already amazing to have achieved that.
Lyris wouldn’t leave until she could check both mares after the births. She’d nearly lost a horse that had continued to bleed profusely after giving birth. That would never happen again. Not on her watch.
The other two mares had no problems delivering and caring for their foals.
“It looks like you have two more fillies to add to your herd.”
He leaned against a column between the stalls. “So it appears. I’ll keep those two here, but I want Junebug and the twins to come back to the ranch. I’ve called for a trailer. I’d like you to stay until it arrives and we get the horses loaded.”
“That’s fine. I like the idea of being able to keep an eye on the twins. It’s unusual for a horse to carry both babies full term. Junebug is amazing. And it appears that she’s producing enough milk for them, but I want to be able to supplement it, if needed. I don’t want anything to happen to them. This is a long way to come if there is an emergency. I don’t anticipate it with the other two mares, but with the twins, it’s more likely something could happen.”
He nodded. “They are vulnerable now and I don’t want to lose either one.”
“You won’t. Not as long as I’m here. I’ll do everything I can to make sure they get strong and stay safe.”