Chapter 4 #3
Beside him, Sage chuckled and leaned toward him. “Can’t argue with that logic, can you?”
He laughed along with her. “No, I guess I can’t.”
“Look,” Evan announced. “Here come the front hooves.”
Sure enough, the newborn was making its entrance into the world.
After much snorting and straining from Diamond Lil and several contractions later, the foal slid from the womb with a final gush of amniotic fluid to the soft cheers of the small crowd watching.
She was a beautiful animal, mostly white, with splashes of black on her nose and hindquarters.
The relieved mare began to clean her filly.
From where she stood behind him, Sage put her hands on Matthew’s shoulders. “Okay, buddy. It’s your turn to name her. Did you decide which name you wanted from the list we made?”
“Uh-huh. Since today is Tuesday, I’m going to call her Ruby Tuesday.”
Adam grinned at Sage. “A Rolling Stones fan, huh?”
“My dad was a big fan, so I grew up listening to every album they made.” She tilted her head toward the house. “Come on. Maddie came over to cook breakfast a little early after I called Evan about the foal.”
He looked down at his thrown-on attire. His run could wait until later. “Sure. Just give me ten minutes to clean up, and I’ll be right over.”
“Okay.”
After giving Jenna a wink and ruffling Matthew’s hair, he hurried back to his cabin, where he quickly made himself more presentable and pulled on the old pair of cowboy boots he’d found at a thrift shop in town.
When he entered the main house’s kitchen, Maddie handed him a heaping plate of pancakes and bacon, sans the grits.
Try as he might, he still couldn’t acquire a taste for them.
Taking a seat at the dining room table, he thanked Sage when she placed a mug of coffee next to his plate.
As he added cream and sugar, he glanced at her after she sat at the other end of the table.
Evan and the children were missing, probably still out in the barn with the newborn.
“So, what’s on the agenda today?” he asked.
“Evan mentioned he and Maddie were riding to Oklahoma City for some supplies and told me to see what you wanted me to work on today.” It was a four-hour round trip to the big city for the couple, and they made it every six weeks or so.
Maddie had family there, so they tended to make a full day out of it.
“Well, Jenna is going with them to visit Maddie’s great-niece, who is her age. And Matthew’s friend invited him over for the day to go swimming, so it’s just you and me. I was thinking of taking a ride up the ridge after we finish with the animals. Want to come with me?”
“A ‘ride’ like in the truck or on a horse?”
She chuckled. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how to ride a horse.”
“Well, I could,” he replied sheepishly, “but then I’d be lying.
Actually, I went riding once when I was fourteen.
It was my first year with the foster parents I ended up staying with for the rest of my teens.
There were four of us foster kids living with them at the time, I think.
Harry was a cop, and a guy he worked with had family who owned a dude ranch in upstate New York.
We went there for a long weekend. I had fun, but mostly I remember how much my thighs and rear hurt afterward. ”
“Ha! Yeah, there is that. But if I promise not to let the horses take off at a gallop and supply the Tylenol when it’s over, would you like to go for a ride? I could teach you.” A light blush appeared on her cheeks, and her gaze dropped to the floor. “I mean, if you want. You don’t have to.”
Her sudden shyness was endearing, but he liked her smile even better. “I’d love to. Besides, what good is a ranch hand if he doesn’t know how to ride, right?”
He got the response he wanted. A smile. “Um, right.”
The kitchen door swung open, and the kids came running in, chattering about the new filly.
Evan was right behind them. Soon, everyone was digging into breakfast, and it was another few hours before Adam and Sage found themselves alone in the barn.
She bridled two horses and led them out to the hitching post as Adam followed.
“What’s this big guy’s name?” He stroked the animal’s strong, elegant neck. A white chest and a similar patch on its right hindquarter offset its brown coat. “He’s a beauty.”
“And he knows it. That’s Othello, and this is Topaz.” She scratched the other horse’s nose before starting back into the barn. “I have to grab one of Mark’s old saddles up in the loft.”
“I can get it for you.”
She stepped over to the built-in ladder. “Actually, it’s probably easier if I hand it down to you.”
“You’re the boss.”
Laughing, she climbed and disappeared into the loft.
“And don’t you forget it.” It took a moment before she reappeared at the edge and carefully lowered the brown leather saddle into his waiting hands.
He placed it to the side on the ground and turned to make sure Sage descended safely.
She was halfway down the ladder when her foot slipped, and his stomach dropped as he lunged for her.