“Sweetheart, talk to me.” The panic in his voice is evident, but I just shake my head as I gasp for breath.
His eyes drop to my stomach. “Is it the baby?”
I shake my head quickly, eyes wide.
Liftingmy hand weakly, I point toward the barn. Toward the dead cow.
Lincoln glances over his shoulder, and the second he sees it, his expression changes. “Shit.” Despite the regret in that single word, relief floods his face.
His hand slides to my back, rubbing firm circles between my shoulder blades.
“Abbie. Sweetheart… you need to breathe.”
Lucy presses against my leg, whining softly. “Luce. I didn’t—I saw the cow—and I didn’t—she wasn’t answering—I thought…”
“She was upstairs with me,” he clarifies. “Started barking the second you started yelling.”
I blink at him, trying to drag air into my lungs. “The… the cow,” I gasp.
Lincoln looks back at it. “Lawson and Beau saw birds circling this morning. Knew right away what it was. Found her out in the north pasture. Looks like wolves got to her sometime overnight.” My brain does its best to keep up with his words as I continue gasping for air. “They dragged her back so Fish and Wildlife can come take a look. They’ll confirm it before we file the report. Lucy wouldn’t leave her alone, so I brought her up to the office.”
Another shaky breath drags into my lungs.
Then another.
The crushing grip around my chest slowly begins to loosen.
“I didn’t know,” I whisper hoarsely.
Lincoln’s hand keeps moving steadily across my back. “One of us was supposed to tell you. I guess everyone just assumed someone else did. I’m sorry, Sweetheart.”
I’m still bent over in the driveway, Lincoln’s hand rubbing along my spine, when the thunder of hooves suddenly rolls across the yard.
I look up in time just to see Beau jumping off Duke before he even fully stops. “What happened?” he demands, rushing toward us, a murderous expression on his face.
Lawson and Jasper are right behind him. Their eyes lock onto me immediately.
“What happened?” Lawson snarls.
Panic covers Jasper’s face. “Is she okay? Is the baby okay?”
Jasper drops to a squat beside me, one hand wrapping around my calf. “You okay, Red?”
Beau crouches directly in front of me, scanning my body for injuries. “Tell me what happened so I can fix it.”
Lincoln lifts a calming hand. “Everyone, relax. She’s okay. Just got a little scared.”
Beau’s brows knit together. “Scared by what?”
Lincoln gestures toward the tarp-covered cow.
Understanding dawns across their faces almost instantly.
Lawson exhales. “I thought you told her?” he asks Jas.
“I thought he did.” He nods at Beau.
“I thought—never mind. It doesn’t fucking matter.” Beau hooks his finger beneath my chin. “Look at me, Abbie. Remember what Jas and I told you. Look at me and breathe.”
