Page 28 of The Cowboy's Downfall
“Maybe you should’ve thought of that sooner,” he said. “You sure you want me to answer?”
“Never mind. You’re right. It’s too late to worry about it. Don’t spoil the ending for me. Let it come as a surprise.”
Even though they were joking around, he had to admit that the cabin wasn’t looking like such a good idea anymore. One of the truck’s rear tires sank into a mudhole. He shifted into four-wheel drive and spun his way out, and he considered turning around, but he had his reputation to think of. He was no underperformer. Out of practice, perhaps.
They reached the edge of the badlands. The grass became sparser. Jagged ridges framed the star-speckled night sky.
Normally, Nix loved the badlands. Chunks of sandstone carved into pillars, with natural bridges spanning between bluffs, and boggy springs that turned ravines into rivers after a storm—this was wild country. He should have brought Shauna here during daylight so she could see how pretty it was, but his head hadn’t been the part of him that was doing the thinking.
He spun the steering wheel and deftly avoided a chunk of exposed wood that had once been the trunk of a tree a thousand or so years ago. The cabin wasn’t far now.
And then he saw it, picked up in the headlights’ wide beam—a smooth, round bump on the side of the road where no smooth, round bump had any business to be. He stomped the brakes and Shauna shot forward, one of her hands slapping the dash while she caught the convenient-as-hell grab bar with the other.
“Stay here,” he said.
He left the engine running, with the headlights on high, and got out to investigate.
A late calf, several months old, but still in need of a mama who was nowhere in sight. It was curled into a bundle until he got close. It shot to its feet and took off a few yards, although it didn’t go far. It appeared weak, so it had been alone for a few days. Grass had kept it alive, but it still needed its mother.
Hands on his hips, he contemplated the situation. There was no getting around it. His night, which hadn’t been going especially well to begin with, had just come to an end.
He returned to the truck, flipped the seat forward, and began rooting around in the pile of junk stored behind it.
“What’s going on?” Shauna asked.
Not what he’d planned, that was for sure, but this herd was part of Levi’s breeding program, and a heifer calf would be a big loss. “Looks like we’ve got an orphan. I’ll have to get it back to the ranch. But first I have to catch it. It’s wild, and I don’t have a bucket of grain to lure it close enough to grab it, so I need a rope. There’s got to be one in here somewhere.”
Hazel eyes brimmed over with pity. “Poor baby.”
“If you say so.”
Personally, he thought it was lucky. Either the weather, hunger, or a predator would have gotten it if they hadn’t happened along. He found what he was searching for buried under an old blanket, a grimy tool kit, and a coil of wire. Roping the calf in the dark might take more than one attempt, and it didn’t help to have a woman watching him whom he’d like to impress.
The calf hadn’t strayed far. And, since this was his lucky night, he only slid and fell on his ass in the mud once. Third toss was the charm. He wrestled it to the ground and tied its legs together. It bawled loudly, making its displeasure heard across half the county, unaware or uncaring that he was saving its life.
Nix eyed the truck, which was a good distance away, and calculated how far he’d have to carry his prize. At roughly two months, and bred for bulk, it weighed in between one-fifty and two hundred pounds. He could lift it, but it would fight him the whole way. He’d have to bring the truck closer.
Shauna stood next to the truck, watching. He knew what she saw as he strode toward her. Mud had seeped through the seat of his jeans and started to stiffen. Grass stained his knees, and his shirt wasn’t much cleaner. Behind him, the angry calf continued to bawl.
“You aren’t going to just leave it there like that, are you?” she asked, sounding anxious, and slightly more lawyerly, as if about to argue the calf’s case in court.
“No. But I’ll need the truck.”
The truck handled the grassland a lot better than the greasy road. He got the tailgate backed up and aligned with the calf.
Shauna followed him around to the back of the truck. The red taillights warmed her bare legs and picked up the pale pink of her dress. He had to give her credit. She wasn’t complaining, although that could change any minute.
“Can I help?” she asked.
He’d seen her ride a horse and he couldn’t imagine how much help she’d prove to be, no matter how well-intentioned she was. Especially wearing that dress and those suede ankle boots.
“I appreciate the offer,” he said, “but I’ve got it.”
He lifted the struggling calf into the back of the truck, then hefted the tailgate and slammed it.
Shauna stood on her toes and peered over the tailgate. “Aren’t you going to untie it?”
“No. If it stands up it might fall out of the truck.”
