Gage, Ronna - Three Hearts One Love (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Ronna Gage

hands and rotated the calf’s hips. “Rotating the hips helps position the calf to slide out. Hopefully one more push will do it.”
    Jaxon looked over at Karma and then at Dylan. “Who is going to wash my clothes?”
    Karma and Dylan looked at each other. In a time of crisis, it would be just like Jaxon to make a joke, even if it did come out in a selfish manner. “That’s what I love about you—your sense of humor,” Karma stated without thinking.
    Jaxon and Dylan looked at each other and smiled. “I’ll bet!” they agreed together.
    Bertha thrashed and grunted. “This is it now. Here we go.” Up on her back haunches, she grunted once more, and out came the little bull, along with the remnants of the water sac, the bloody placenta, and mucous, spilling out on the floor of the stall. Karma immediately went to the little calf. “His breathing sounds labored,” she informed her team—the two loves of her life, who now would lose their friendship because of her.
    “What do we do?” Jaxon asked, picking membranes and straw off his clothes. “Turn him upside down like a kitten?”
    “No!” Dylan and Karma almost yelled.
    “I saw you do it last week!” Jaxon reminded her.
    “I’ve seen her do it too, but kittens and calves are very different,” Dylan stated.
    Jaxon looked at his clothes and then at Dylan’s and Karma’s. “And less messy.”
    Karma lifted the calves back feet a little off the ground. Fluid oozed out from his nose and mouth. “That should do it.” She set the calf next to his mother. Bertha looked the newborn over. Satisfied he turned out okay, she licked his head, cleaning him of the birth debris. “Ah! I always love this part,” Karma sighed, clutching a hand over her heart. “Only a mother could be that gentle.”
    “Or a father,” Dylan stated behind her.
    Jaxon walked up to her. “Who’s going to clean up this mess?” he asked.
    She looked up at him dumbfounded by this whole series of events.
    “We thought you could handle that,” Dylan suggested with a teasing smile. “We did most of the work.”
    Jaxon chuckled. “I don’t think so.” He turned toward the gate. “I’m taking a shower.”
    Dylan looked at Karma. Her guilty conscience almost got the better of her. She froze in anticipation of an accusation. S he had no excuse or logical explanation to give to either of them. Bracing for the first barrage of questions, she maintained her gaze on the cow and her calf.
    “We need to talk,” Jaxon said beside her.
    She nodded.
      “Let’s clean this up, bed her down, and then we can talk at the house,” Dylan suggested.
    Except for clinical questions and instructions, Karma, Jaxon, and Dylan worked in civil silence. In the vast guilt and dread of her heart, comfort didn’t exist. The atmosphere mounted with tension as each man glanced at her, making the barn almost unbearable.

Chapter Seven

    Karma walked between Jaxon and Dylan, each one holding one of her hands in his. The short walk to the main house gave her enough time to feel the onslaught of emotions by their simple touch, which tantalized her body in a sweet assault of warmness that almost distracted her from the confrontation awaiting them.
    In the house, Jaxon let go of her hand and then sat down at the bar. Dylan stood on the other side leaving one stool open for her. Karma braced herself for the showdown. I will leave here with my head held high no matter the outcome . She didn’t know what to expect really. Regret, dread, love, and disappointment entwined in her heart and ran rampant like a virus into her soul, creating more tense ranges of nerves within her. She’d miss the days of lying with each of them, making love on rainy days, skinny-dipping in Dylan’s stock tank, cuddling on the couch with Jaxon during a movie. She turned away from their stares.  
    Jaxon stood up from the stool, and then paced the floor in mild agitation.
    Karma held her breath. Here goes the first strike.
    “What’s