Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Seth
“Is it an infection?” I asked the vet as she looked at the results of the thermometer test from one of my cattle. One of my milking cows had a fever and wasn’t doing well.
“Mastitis. I’ll give her some antibiotics,” she said.
“Thanks, Doc.” Moving my business into dairy had been a learning curve, but we were getting there. I was testing with a small amount of dairy cows, and then once I got the hang of the ins and outs, I’d go big and buy all the equipment I needed.
As I made my way into the hay barn, I saw Ella stepping into her office. It was her first day back since her mom had come, and I was eager to welcome her.
When I rapped my knuckles on the door, she told me to come in.
The moment I stepped inside, I knew that something was wrong.
She was wearing a pretty sundress that clung to her swollen belly, and her hair was in loose curls around her shoulders.
But she was biting the inside of her cheek, and she looked nervous.
“Everything alright?” I asked. I hadn’t known this woman long, but I knew her well enough to know that something was bothering her.
“Yeah… I just have to tell you something. Something hard.”
Oh, Lord. I steeled myself. It wasn’t good, not from that look on her face.
“You can tell me anything,” I encouraged.
She softened then. “You’re such a good man,” She said almost to herself, and my body relaxed.
“What is it, Ella? You got triplets in there instead of twins?”
She laughed at my joke. “No. But…I’m moving to France to be with my mother for a year. I’ll go right after the twins are born. I can’t do this alone.”
It was like a knife to my heart, my biggest fear. I took two steps closer to her. “You could stay here. You won’t be alone. Maggie and I can help. You can move in with me and stay in the guest room and—”
She reached out and drew her fingers over my lips, and my heart skipped a beat.
Was there desire in her eyes, or did I imagine it?
“I can’t heal from the loss of my husband while raising my twins with the handsome single cowboy next door,” she said flatly.
She called me handsome. That was the only thing I took from that sentence at first, but then the rest of her words wormed their way into my heart, and all I felt was loss and pain. She was leaving; I’d come on too strong, and now, she was leaving.
She pulled her fingers from my lips, and I nodded.
“Whatever makes you happy.” I mustered a soft smile.
She reached out and tapped my chest. “You’re a good man, Seth. I have two months until maternity leave, so I’ll work until then?”
No. No. No. Don’t go. I’ll back off, and you can stay, and your mom can live here. I’ll even pay for it. Lord, don’t let her go.
“Okay.” That was what I said instead. “Maggie is gonna have to start doing the paperwork again. I know she’ll love that.” My voice was sarcastic, light, easy.
Ella smiled. “I’m gonna go tell her. I’ll be right back.”
I swallowed hard. “What are you doing with the house? Selling?”
She’d leave, and I’d never see her again.
She winced as if my words caused her physical pain. “I hope not. I’m still waiting on God to work out the details.”
That made me feel better. Heck, I’d rent the place from her for a year and turn it into an office if that’s what it took.
“You gonna apply for a French visa for your diaper chicken?” I asked.
She frowned, looking sad, and I wished I hadn’t joked about her beloved feathered friend. “I’m still working that out, too.” Tears lined her eyes.
Seeing tears in that woman’s eyes just about killed me. “I’m sorry. I was joking. If you need someone to watch Honey. I could probably—”
“Would you, Seth?” She threw herself into my arms and clung to my chest in desperation, and the smell of her coconut shampoo overloaded my good sense.
Diaper chicken in my house? Never.
“Of course I would,” I told her.
Relief rushed over her face, and she looked up at the ceiling. “See, God’s working it all out,” she said before she left the room.
My heart slid into my stomach when I realized I’d just fixed a very big problem for her and made it easier for her to go.