Having the Rancher's Baby by Cathy McDavid Page B

There, he located Leroy, the wrangler who had blabbed about Cole and Vi leaving the bar together, and, handing over the reins, instructed him to look after Hotshot.
    â€œMake sure he’s cooled down before you put him up.”
    â€œWill do.”
    â€œYou seen Josh?”
    â€œSaid he was going to the house.”
    Cole found his brother in the office, staring at the computer screen. He glanced up the second Cole entered. “I swear I’m going cross-eyed staring at these spreadsheets.”
    â€œForget them. We have a problem.”
    Josh stood. Cole was still feeding him details as they climbed into his truck. After a quick stop at the tack room for a plastic tarp, they sped out the gate leading to the pastures and up the dirt road toward the hills, clouds of dust spewing from the rear tires. Minutes later, the road narrowed to a horse trail and the going got rough.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” Josh asked when Cole drove the truck off the trail and onto rocky, uneven land thick with low-growing vegetation.
    â€œTaking a shortcut.”
    â€œAre you sure about this?” Josh anchored one hand on the dash to keep himself from coming off the seat when they bounced over a rotted tree trunk.
    â€œHang on,” Cole warned. “There’s a gully ahead.”
    Joey was still waiting in the same patch of shade when they arrived, thankfully in one piece. Cole credited his driving skills. Josh had a different opinion.
    Together, the three of them devised a plan. Cole would rope the cow. Hopefully, she’d come willingly—she already appeared to be losing interest in the calf. Just to be sure, they’d brought along a bucket of grain as added incentive. As soon as Joey left with the cow, Cole and Josh would take care of the calf.
    Cole reached behind the seat for his lariat. He seldom went anywhere without it, a habit he’d formed years ago. Automatically adjusting the size of the loop, he slowly approached the cow, who stared at him with trepidation. About twenty feet away, he stopped. Josh and Joey watched from the truck.
    â€œCome on, old girl.” Cole raised the lariat over his head. “There’s a bucket of grain waiting for you when this is all over.”
    It took only one try for Cole to lasso the cow. She resisted at first, shaking her head and bellowing angrily. Then she resigned herself to her fate and followed the tug on the rope to the feed bucket Josh held out.
    Once Joey and the cow were on their way, Cole and Josh gathered up the premature calf, wrapped it in the tarp and placed it in the truck bed. The vet might want to inspect the remains in order to determine what, if anything, had caused the cow to abort.
    Because he was in a hurry, Cole took the same bumpy shortcut home. Josh pressed a hand to the crown of his hat, holding it in place.
    â€œYou must like living dangerously.”
    â€œI’d rather get this handled before Vi returns for her afternoon shift,” Cole said. This week, she’d been working two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, with a trip home in between.
    â€œHow’s she doing?”
    â€œStill sick, but the baby seems fine. She’s being very careful.”
    â€œThat’s good. She must be relieved.”
    â€œI don’t think she’ll stop worrying until the baby’s born.”
    â€œHave you two decided on anything yet?”
    â€œWe haven’t had much time to talk. I did call that attorney, though.” Their future sister-in-law, Reese, had recommended him. “The guy sounds knowledgeable enough, and what he said made sense.”
    â€œI hear a but.”
    â€œHe’s abrupt. This is a baby we’re talking about, not a piece of property Vi and I are sharing.”
    Josh chuckled. “And so it begins.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œStep one to being a father.”
    Cole didn’t know how to respond. Was he really starting to see himself in the role of a