“I just washed my hands,” she said. “Let me helpyou.”
Help him? His brows furrowed. He didn’t need any help, but when his gaze met hers, the words got trapped in his throat. She shrugged, chewing on her lower lip, anxious. Did she really want to do this? Especially in a couture dress?
Even if she opened a B&B, chances of her ever doing this again were slim—her father didn’t own much livestock, and Jack would move his animals to his other ranch. But… wasn’t country living what she wanted—at least until it swallowed her up and spit her out? A salacious part of him wondered. “She’s heavy.”
Lola positioned herself closer to the animal. “Let metry.”
No one births an expensive cow just to try. And if he were in his sane mind, he would have denied her. Earl restrained the cow, and said something that fell into the background.
Jack checked the calf puller and showed them to her. “Here. The feet are out, and I’ll loop those around. You need to pull and if you have any trouble I’ll step rightin.”
“Okay. Cool.”
She let out a groan, and pulled back, her hands clasping on the metal chains. She gritted her teeth, and his eyes flew to her whitening knuckles as she clenched the chains and pulled for twenty minutes until the calf came out. When the calf was out, Lola celebrated, and Jack immediately cleaned the little animal’s nose with his fingers, wiping the amniotic fluid out. “We need to make sure she’s breathing.”
“I’ll take it from here on, boss.” Earl said, bending down to tickle its nose with a piece of straw.
“Did I do something wrong?” Lola asked, her eyes widened. “Will the calf be okay? Crap. I screwed it up, didn’tI?”
A chuckle floated up his throat. “She’s breathing fine and the momma is tired. They’ll both be good.” He watched her wash her hands and dry them. A raw emotion stirred his chest. “You were amazing,” he said, his voice oddly shaky.
Lola chewed on her lower lip. “No big deal. There’s something magical about bringing life into the world.” Her eyes gleamed with a sense of wonder, and his gut clenched. “I kind of likeit.”
He leaned into her, and she shot him a glance as sweet as a caress. “I kind of want you… naked. In myroom.”
