Page 25 of The Rancher

So did Ray. “She is, and she’ll be a great mother. Little Snow Princess is her first foal, but she’s already comfortable with her baby. She keeps her safe, lets her nurse and cleaned her up like the best mothers do.”

She nodded. “I agree. I saw on her chart that this was her first foal. She’s fantastic. I’ve seen mares practically kick their foal out of the stall. Those babies had to be removed because we were afraid their mothers would kill them. Those little ones had to be hand-raised and that is definitely not what we want to happen.”

“Do you need to do anything else here?”

“No, I’m done with Majesty and Snow Princess. What do you need me to do?”

“Come with me. I have some horses in the south pasture that need tending to.”

Oh, no way will I be in a vehicle with him alone. That would be too dangerous to my resolve. Especially since I’m having second thoughts.“Why don’t you just tell me what you want?”

“It will lose something in the retelling. I should show you.”

Lyris, you are all kinds of a fool.“Okay.”

Ray led Lyris to his candy-apple-red Ford F-350 truck and opened the passenger door, then closed it once she was seated. Then he walked around the front of the vehicle and climbed behind the wheel.

Lyris gazed at the scenery, what there was of it, during the ride. The truck headed away from the mountains. The landscape was mostly flat, with a couple of small hills thrown in. Tall June grass still covered the land, though it was mostly brown now. Groups of cattle grazed lazily while their calves nursed and frolicked.

Small groups of three to four trees dotted the countryside, while snow fences ran along parts of the highway. The scene wasn’t what people thought of when they thought of Colorado, and yet most of the state looked like this. Only about a third of the state was covered by mountains.

The truck left the highway at the Barr Lake exit. Then headed east from there.

They’d been driving on the one dirt road for about fifteen minutes before Lyris finally spoke up. “How long until we get to your property?”

Ray chuckled. “We’ve been on my property for the last ten minutes. The turn for the barn is just ahead.”

True to his word, they came to a road on the right side less than a minute later.

He made the turn.

Lyris saw a large brown barn in the distance. Less than five minutes later, they were parked outside the structure.

“Here we are. I have all the supplies you’ll need in there.” He jutted his chin toward the building. “Come on.”

She removed her seatbelt.

Ray was around the front and to her door before she could open it. He held it open and extended her a hand.

She looked at it and then up before taking it. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Lyris put her hands in her front pockets for something to do with them. “Where to now?”

“The barn. I’ve got several horses that need your help.”

She cocked her head and furrowed her brows. “Out here?”

“Yes.” He turned and walked toward the barn. When he reached it, he stopped and turned. “I apologize in advance for having to bring you out here, but you’ll understand when we get inside.” He opened the door and walked through.

She followed and found herself in a ten-stall barn. The last stall on the left was for hay and straw. The last two stalls on the right were an office and a tack room.

Ray led her to the second stall on the left.

Inside was a beautiful bay mare. She was obviously pregnant and already rolling to her back, trying to get relief from the labor pains.

The next stall also held a mare. This one was a golden Appaloosa. She, too, was acting as if she was in labor. She was pacing circles around the stall.