Tame a Wild Wind by Cynthia Woolf Page B

process until she could see that the legs were out and now it was time for the hips.  
    She let Sheba rest and try to deliver the foal herself.   The hips were the widest part of the foal and the hardest to deliver.   Hopefully, Sheba would be able to do this without help because Cassie didn’t think she was strong enough to pull the foal out.
    “Sam, were going to give her about twenty minutes to recover and rest, she should start pushing on her own by then.    If she doesn’t you’ll have to pull the foal out.   Okay.”
    “Sure.   I’ve pulled calves, this can’t be that much different.”   Sam said, rolling up his sleeves.
    Twenty minutes later, Sheba still hadn’t delivered and wasn’t contracting any more.   They waited another ten minutes.   Still nothing.
    “Okay, Sam you’re going to have to pull it.   I’ll keep her calm, while you do it.”
    Cassie moved around to Sheba’s head and Sam went to the rear.  
    “Ready?” asked Sam.
    “Ready.”
    Sam pulled the foal, slowly the hips and butt came out of Sheba, the rest of the foal quickly followed.   Sheba and the foal rested, linked together by the umbilical cord.
    After about fifteen or twenty minutes Sheba got to her feet and started licking the afterbirth from the foal.   The foal rolled over and tried to get to it’s feet.   It got it’s hind legs up and was on it’s knees in front.   Then it stood up, wobbled a couple of steps and fell down.   It tried again and was able to make it over to Sheba, who encouraged the baby with soft nickers .   When the foal got over to Sheba, she nudged it to start it nursing.
    It looked like mother and baby were going to be all right.
    “Wow.” said RJ from the other stall.   “That’s really messy.”
    Sam and Cassie looked at each other, their hands and arms covered in blood and fluid, and laughed.   “You’re right.   It’s messy.”

CHAPTER 5

    Sheba’s foal was a colt.   Cassie let RJ name him.   He decided on Trouble after what the baby had put his mother through.   Cassie thought that was fine and very appropriate.   All the names they used for the horses would be changed once they got back to the Kentucky farm anyway.   Once there they would be given a name based on their lineage.
    Sarah had to go see the colt, excited about a new baby.   “Hi, baby horsey,” she said giggling when the new colt wobbled and nearly fell down.   “You not walk good but tat’s okay.   You a baby.”
    Sam held her while she admired the little colt, so she wouldn’t go running to him and get trampled by mama in the process.   He couldn’t help noticing Cassie’s family was feeling more and more like his.   He already loved the kids and was well on the way to loving their mother.
    He was thirty-seven years old and time was a wastin ’.   He’d been too long without a woman.   That was it.   But that didn’t explain why he felt so good holding Sarah and smelling her sweet baby scent.   Or why he wanted to teach RJ about being a man and why he didn’t just want to bed Cassie.   Why he wanted more from her.   It didn’t explain why he wanted the whole package.
    *****
    The storm raged outside.   April showers bring May flowers, my ass, thought Cassie.   This storm was going to bring flooding.   She heard the screams of the horses, heard their fear.   This was thunder snow.   A snowstorm accompanied by thunder.   It only happened in early spring and even then was a rare phenomenon.   But this was June and made it even more unusual.
    Cassie didn’t worry so much about the mustangs the corral was strong and wouldn’t break.   And they were used to the weather.   They grew up in this.   But the thoroughbreds were different.   They were high strung to begin with.   Skittish.   It was what made them good race horses.
    She put on her slicker with the collar turned up and pulled her Stetson low. then went out into the storm.   When she got to the stables, all the