Ben flushed red.Fuck it. He could play along too. He bent down and kissed her slowly on the lips. Fuck, she tasted good. And he didn’t care about any bloody meeting. He held on to his resolve, just, and pulled away. It would only be an hour.Not much could happen in that time.He swallowed hard. A lot could happen.
Ben glanced at Evie. She looked more relaxed than he felt. He sighed heavily. The thing about being a farmer was that sometimes you needed to accept help from the most unlikely people.
He put his hands on Raven’s shoulders and looked into her dark eyes.
“Ring me.”
“I will.”
He left before he changed his mind.
Why did I call him boyfriend?It had been worth it to see the reaction on his face. The glimmer of shock, then of approval was priceless. The way it rolled off her tongue was natural. It felt like this was the next step between them—to start a relationship.
She looked around her. The smell was no longer an issue. She was somehow used to the animal earth smell and how the straw smelled fresh. There was a calmness in the shed that she wasn’t used to. The alpacas were quiet, the goats bleated every now and then, none of them were bothered that they were on show here. People came in, walked around, and left. There were lots of kids looking at the animals.
Could this sort of be my life?That was what it meant if she did agree to a relationship between her and Ben. Well, it was the closest to farm life that she could get to. She leaned back resting against the bale of hay behind her. A life that had previously scared her was starting to call to her.What about my life plans?All she’d really focused on now was her graphic design experience, and that wasn’t working out anywhere near how she’d planned. Sure, she hoped to get married and have kids, like in five years or even a bit longer, once she’d established her own business as a graphic design artist. Her thoughts were interrupted as her phone vibrated.
It was a message from Ben. The hour was nearly up. This was the longest she’d sat in one place without doing anything.
Ben:How’s Evie doing? How are you doing with it all?
That was sweet that he was also asking about her. It made her smile. She typed her response.
Raven:I’m good. And Evie is too.
Raven couldn’t believe that Evie was in labor and simply standing there as if it were no big deal. Guess animals don’t get the support like humans do? She didn’t think she could be calm about it all.
Ben:Great. Finishing up. Will be there soon.
Raven tried to think of what to type back. This year, she’d really hoped to have his phone number, and now that she did, she was at a loss for words.
She looked up. Evie had something coming out from her. There was a whoosh, and the baby was pushed out in a mess of liquid and blood.
Fuck. When did this start to happen? She’d only glanced at her phone for a moment. And that was to answer Ben’s text message.
With trembling hands, she rang Ben.
He answered straight away.
“It’s born. I mean I just blinked, or something, and fuck, the baby’s here. There’s blood everywhere. Fuck. What do I do?”
“Nothing. I’m coming.” He hung up.
She stood up.Should I go near the new mom and baby?She didn’t think so. The baby was moving at least. And so was mom. Fuck. She didn’t know how to process what she’d just seen. It was fucking amazing. She wanted to ring her parents and tell them she’d just witnessed a baby alpaca being born. That would knock their socks off. But then, of course, she couldn’t as then she’d have to explain why she wasn’t at work. This was way better than being at work.Maybe I could be a farmer’s wife?After all, she had gone along with Jason’s teasing that she was Ben’s girlfriend. She liked being referred to his girlfriend. But then, I nearly missed it.
Hurry up, Ben. She’d feel much better if Ben were here. The baby alpaca was a wet mess in the straw.At least it’s moving. Should I help it?She had a strong stomach so the blood didn’t bother her.Fuck, I wish I knew what to do. It was then she decided that there was no way she could live on a farm. Her stress levels were ramping up. She felt helpless.I couldn’t deal with this every day. No way.She twisted her hands around her phone. There were no more messages, and it seemed like Ben was taking his time. She looked around. There was no one around who even looked remotely like they were from a farm. She figured they were all at the meeting anyway.
Thank God. She saw Ben rushing down the row. He slowed down as he approached. He took one look at Evie and the baby and smiled.
Raven exhaled with relief. If Ben was smiling, then all must okay. He stood at the edge of the pen, not too close to disturb them.
She moved to stand by him. “She’s fine?” she whispered.
Ben grinned. “Yes.”
“Phew. I thought, well, I don’t know how you can stand there so calmly.” Her eyes welled with tears. The little fellow was trying to stand. He was very wobbly on his legs. His mom licked him encouragingly.
Ben slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her into him tightly. His strength enveloped her. “You were fine. I’ve had a lifetime of this. And you did exactly what I asked you to do. You rang me.”
