In the dim light from the lantern he’d left burning, he could see the sheen of sweat on her flanks, the tension in her muscles as she paced.
Then finally, she lifted her tail, and a gush of fluid splashed onto the straw. That had to be it.
As Willow dropped to the ground with a groan, he pushed to his feet and slipped out of the barn.
Things could happen quickly now, and he hated for Mandie to miss any part. Seeing new life come into the world was, indeed, special.
When he stepped into the house, the place lay dark and still, the embers of the fire casting a faint glow in the main room. He moved quietly down the hall and paused at Mandie’s door so he could knock.
“Mandie?” He kept his voice low. “The foal’s coming now.”
A rustle of movement came from within, then a moment later, the door opened. Mandie stood before him, a shawl thrown around the same dress she’d been wearing before bed. Some of her dark hair pulled loose from her braid, framing her beautiful face in a way that made him want to pull her close.
Her eyes glimmered with excitement. “Is everything all right?”
“So far.” He stepped back to allow her passage. “But we should hurry. She’s already down.”
She strode ahead of him, and he had to lengthen his steps to keep up. He followed her out the door and across the yard, then grabbed the barn door for her as they both slipped inside.
Mandie slowed inside the barn and crept forward to stand outside the opening to Willow’s stall.
The mare lay on the ground still, but faced a different direction than when he’d left her. This angle gave them a somewhat awkward view of her abdomen, with all four feet facing toward them as the mare lay flat and grunted. She was pushing through a pain, and a glimmer of white appeared by her tail.
He moved up beside Mandie and pointed to the spot as he kept his voice low. “There it is.”
She jumped beside him, as though she’d not expected him to speak. When she sent a quick look up at him, he couldn’t help a grin.
A grunt from the stall pulled their attention back to Willow. The mare was obviously straining, the rippling muscles easily seen where sweat plastered her thick coat.
He kept focus on that white bubble at the horse’s tail, larger now than before. The white glimmer expanded, inch by painful inch. One end darkened, and a tiny black hoof broke through the slippery bubble.
Mandie gasped beside him, the sound almost drowned out by Willow’s heavy breathing. “Is that...a foot?” Her whisper held a tremor of awe.
Enoch nodded, his chest tight with anticipation. “The front feet come first, then the nose.”
Tension in the air thickened as they waited for the next hoof. And waited.
At least a minute must have passed since their first view of the foot, but no more activity. His eye tracked back to the mare, up to her shoulder. Willow bobbed her head against the stall floor, then raised it, tucking her chin tight to her chest. Veins rose across her shoulders and abdomen. Everything in the horse fought to expel this new life.
Mandie grabbed his arm. “Something’s wrong.” Panic laced her voice. “We have to do something.”
He covered her hand with his own to steady them both. “She’s all right.”
Her gaze flicked to him, filled with concern. “The baby’s not moving.” Her words edged with panic. “What if it’s twisted inside?” Her hand gripped even tighter around his arm—a touch of warmth he hadn’t realized he craved until now.
He kept his voice low, hopefully calm enough to soothe both females. “It’s just the shoulders. That part’s always tricky. Once they’re through, you’ll see—the little one will start moving.”
Mandie turned her gaze forward again and tensed as the mare gave an awful groan and pressed flat against the ground.With a whoosh, the foal spewed halfway out, the white bubble pulling away to reveal a tiny brown head. From ears to shoulders was still covered with white though.
“Oh.” Mandie breathed the sound, probably not realizing she’d spoken.
He couldn’t help watching the woman instead of the horse. In the lanternlight, with such wonder on her face, her beauty stole his breath. Made his chest ache too much to let in air.
Mandie’s fingers dug into his arm, forcing his focus back to the mare and foal. “Is he breathing?”
Enoch studied the foal. The nostrils flared the slightest bit. Good.
Before he could reassure Mandie, Willow moved. With a final massive effort, the horse surged to her feet, and the rest of the foal slipped out onto the straw, tearing away the white bubble with a tangle of spindly legs.
