“Can I come?”
He heard the panic in her voice. “Come on.” He walked around to her side, took her clammy hand and helped her step out of the truck. As they approached the friendly cow, they maintained awareness of the large animal and, unfortunately, not awareness of the large pile of cow patties they stepped into.
“It’s getting better every minute. C’mon, Mabel. Get going,” he called.
“See? Wellies.” A small smile lit her face. Wes had teased her earlier about her lime green boots.
“You win.” He was happy to see some of her fear abate.
The big cow swished her tail and headed back up the hill she came from, Wes and Ellie following. Five hundred feet later, Mabel headed onto her pasture, and Dixon Knolls met them, looking embarrassed. “Sorry. She’s a sly one,” the heavily bearded man muttered.
Wes puffed out a breath. “Mr. Knolls, did Mabel get out yesterday morning?”
“Why are you asking?” his tone grew defensive.
“She’s identifying every weakness in your fencing. She may have caused an accident. I would strongly advise you keep her in your corral and feed her there until you run the entire perimeter. I’ll be happy to help you in any way I can; we share a common boundary.” Wes handed him his card. “Please call.”
“Thank you,” the man said.
“You hear that, Mabel? Behave,” Eleanor called. The cow turned her head and mooed. Ellie giggled, but her hold on Wes tightened.
Wes’s body tensed with awareness. He was growing more attracted to her by the minute.
* * *
Eleanor chewed her lip. Her heart still pounded, but not from fear. She wasn’t sure what she expected when Wes Crockett, who stood a head taller than her, was built like a surfer, and had a fair complexion turned ruddy by the March air, took care of her again.Get a grip, girl,she warned herself.You’re playing where you don’t belong.
The Lovettsville home where the sick horses were kept was in shambles. The sheriff’s office was called for a domestic dispute, and on entrance to the house and property, they found seventeen animals in cages or pens filled with urine, feces and waste, most malnourished.
“Mr. Crockett, thanks for coming out here this afternoon. If you can’t take them, we will have to put them down. They are going to need a lot of care that we cannot provide,” the animal control officer said about a pair of horses.
Walking behind the animal control officer, Wes escorted Ellie into the small corral, ankle-deep in feces, and approached the sad pair. When her hand roamed over the mare’s flank, she startled at the small thud she felt beneath her palm. “Wes, she’s pregnant.”
“Do you think they can be saved? They both are suffering.” He ran his hand down the male’s rear leg and inspected his hoof. “He’s got fungus.” His eyes met hers. “First thing that needs to be done is pull these shoes and bathe them. I’ll have Luke call our vet and farrier; they’ll meet us at the barn,” Wes said.
“You’re gonna take them? Help them?” she squealed. Without thinking about her actions, she jumped up, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Thank you for trying.”
Wes caught her, his hands supporting her thighs as she wrapped her legs around him. He lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.
Eleanor sighed into his mouth and melted into his body.Oh, God.Awareness took over, and she disentangled her legs, sliding down his body to the ground. Her voice shook. “I…I guess we should load them into the trailer.” She had no idea what to do.
Closing her eyes, she could still feel his lips against hers. She was fat. Her body was scarred. And she had secrets. No, this could never happen.
* * *
Dusk was approaching by the time the two horses were unloaded into a corral at the Chase barn. Veterinarian Corina Welch led the stallion into a wash stall at the stable. Gently, Luke and another farmhand washed him down, pulled his shoes, and picked his hooves. A farrier trimmed, wrapped and treated each hoof before applying salve to sores on his cannons and ergots.
After providing an initial set of inoculations, Corina left the area to talk to Eleanor and Wes. “I think you got to him in time. I’ll run these bloods and let you know. They will also need a special diet.”
“Doc, whatever they both need,” Wes said.
“Refeeding can present health problems for both of them. I haven’t looked at the mare yet, but for days one to three,feed approximately one-sixth of a flake of leafy alfalfa every four hours. He is willing to drink, so I asked Luke to give him some saltwater and then all the fresh water he wants. Let me look at Momma,” Corina said. Wes listened, but his eyes never left Eleanor.
Eleanor stared into the distance. “I need to change and head to my meeting, then I will be back in time for the next feeding.” She turned to leave, and her stomach growled loudly.
He cocked his head. “I made you overdo it today. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just a little hungry.” She looked down.
