Page 24 of Roping Her In

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The only light in the cabin came from the fire, and Jake sat with his back to it, which meant Hailey couldn’t quite read his expression. It honestly didn’t matter, because she wasn’t going to climb up and down off the top bunk for the next five hours, and the fire wouldn’t last that long.

Jake still held his right arm curled protectively to his body, and he’d just swallowed four painkillers as if he did so on a regular basis. She needed to get him into bed before he fell asleep, and she’d really like to get out of her wet clothes before the chill from kneeling on the frosty ground settled permanently into her bones.

When Jake still didn’t move, Hailey returned to the hearth and sat beside him. She unlaced her boots and set them near his jeans in front of the fire to dry. Her socks came next, and then Hailey unzipped her coat. It wasn’t too bad, as her daddy had been a lifelong farmer and rancher and had bought her the best winter gear. She tossed it on the other side of the woodpile and faced Jake again.

“Come on,” she said. “You’re gonna have to lay on your left side. So that means your head toward the kitchen, and I’ll climb in behind you and get us all tucked in.”

With his broader chest and shoulders blocking the fire, Hailey would need to rely on his body heat for warmth, and she normally took several long seconds to get herself tucked in under normal conditions, so this should be an adventure.

“I’ll put another log on the fire while you get in bed,” she said.

Jake scoffed, but he didn’t argue because he really couldn’t, and they both knew it. She stood and turned her back on him, and to her great relief, he got up too. She made a smaller pile of wood in the spot where he’d been sitting, so she wouldn’t have to move their clothes when she got up later. She opened the grate, which created a screeching sound in the otherwise silent atmosphere of the cabin, and took her sweet time poking through the coals and then adding another log. The flames licked merrily around it, and when Hailey felt certain that she hadn’t heard any movement behind her in at least thirty seconds, she turned and faced the bed.

The firelight now illuminated Jake’s face, and he watched her with wide eyes and a mouth that seemed zipped closed. She smiled at him and then averted her eyes to the top bunk, where she pulled down all of the bedding, including the sheets from the mattress.

“How’s the bed?” she asked.

“It’s not great,” he admitted, his voice barely louder than the crackling fire. “But it’ll do.”

“Yeah, it’s not outside,” Hailey said as cheerfully as she could. “Did Garrett respond?”

She moved around the back of the bunk and decided on the spot to create a makeshift wall with the blanket from the top bunk. The cabin wasn’t huge, and the heat from the fire should fill it soon enough. But if she made a barrier behind her, the heat would stay in the lower bunk area with her and Jake.

She quickly tucked it under the mattress and through the frame, pulling down the top of it enough to hold the bottom up. It still hung down past the lower mattress, and Hailey parted it like a curtain and carefully climbed into bed behind Jake.

“He said he’ll get some straw and take it out to them,” he said. “This was seven minutes ago. He asked if we wanted him to take us back to the cabins.”

He paused for a moment, and Hailey honestly wasn’t sure what to do.

“I’m going to tell him no,” he said. “He’ll need to bring out the cow transport, and there’s not enough room for both of us in it—unless one of us wants to ride in the back with the momma cow and her baby.”

“I think we’ve got a pretty decent setup here,” she said. “But I’ll do whatever you want.”

His shoulders moved slightly as he texted. “I’ll tell him to just deal with the cow and the calf. We’ve got a fire going, and we’ll be fine until morning.”

“Then what?” Hailey whispered, because she had no idea what morning would bring. The ATV would still be out of gas, and Jake would still be injured.

“Then we’ll know that momma cow and her baby are all right,” Jake whispered back. “And Beau will bring out his truck that has enough comfortable seats for us to get back, and he’ll arrange for some cowboys to come get the ATVs.”

Hailey nodded and scooted a little closer to Jake’s back. “I’m sorry,” she said. “There’s not much room back here.”

“I’ll move forward.” He edged away from her a little bit, and Hailey chased after him. She slid her hand over his waist simply to have something to hold onto so she wouldn’t spill out the back of the bunk. Pure warmth flowed through her when he layered his arm over hers and then laced his fingers through hers.

“Sorry,” she whispered again. “I feel like I’m going to fall.”

“You can use me as an anchor,” he said. “I don’t mind.”

Hailey closed her eyes and let herself drift in the dark sea with Jake keeping her safe, warm, and tethered to something real. Pure exhaustion rode through her, but sleep felt far away.

“Just so you know,” Jake said. “The births are almost never like this.”

“No?” She giggled against his back. “But this is my first experience, and everything will be easier than this.”

“Let’s hope so,” Jake said. “We usually take those that are about to deliver to the birthing shed, and you’re just out there monitoring them.”

“How many calves are you expecting this year?” she asked.