Page 2 of Unyielding
He went silent again and put on his stethoscope. It felt strange to see him so in his element with Belle. Declan always had a gift when it came to the various animals on the ranch. During the summers when he’d worked here, he’d shown an affinity for everything from the barn cats to the stallions, but the way he handled Belle was something else entirely. He was so focused on the mare and so disinterested in me that I had to wonder if Declan even remembered that ridiculous night under the mistletoe all those years ago.
Because thinking about it still made me blush.
Josh had invited Declan over for our annual Christmas party when the two of them had been home from college for winter break. Seeing him again had reignited all my fantasies aboutthe two of us together. He’d been as sweet with me as ever throughout the evening, and when the opportunity to show him how I really felt about him had presented itself, I’d jumped on it, literally. When I saw him standing beneath the mistletoe in the shadows, I’d walked straight up to him and kissed him right on the mouth.
For a brief moment in time, it was the most incredible sensation I’d ever experienced, and the way he initially responded made me think he felt the same way. That is until Declan pushed me away. I asked him why and I’ll always remember the look he gave me as he mumbled something about “girlfriend” and “sorry” right before he walked away.
Ever since, he’d been friendly to me but distant.Actuallydistant, as if a bomb would go off if he got within five feet of me. The only exception had been at my parents’ funeral, when I’d felt like Iwouldexplode if someone didn’t hold me together. And… he had, wrapping his arms around me and letting me cry on his shoulder. It helped a lot. Until my brother walked up and Declan let go of me like I was radioactive. And now here we were. All these years later, I still had no idea how to act around him.
“How long has she been off her feed?” Declan asked, bringing me back to the present.
“Well, I wouldn’t say she’s off it completely…” I ventured carefully, realizing exactly how alarmist I was going to sound.
“So, she’s still eating?”
I wrinkled my nose and nodded. “Yeah, but she’s picking at it. She used to inhale her food. Lately, she’s not even into the hay cubes, which are her favorite.”
“Is she getting turned out enough?”
Declan had paused with his hand resting on Belle’s back, and I realized that I was staring at him. I needed to stop focusing on him and focus on the reason he was there.
“Uh, yeah. Of course. She’s not super excited to be out in the field, so she’s out for about two hours, plus we take turns hand walking her.”
“Hmm, okay.” Declan leaned down and fished around in his bag. “I’m going to take her temperature real quick. Keep an eye on her, would you? We don’t want her to get agitated while I’m using the thermometer.”
I tried not to watch him as he worked, especially given what he was about to do, but it was tough to keep my eyes off him. The years had given him a calm that made him seem different from the Declan I used to know. It suited him, and Belle seemed to appreciate it too. The horse barely shifted as he worked on her hind end.
“Normal,” Declan announced. “Everything is normal, even her eating habits.”
I frowned. That couldn’t be right. “No, she’s always had a huge appetite. It’s weird for her not to eat,” I insisted.
“Shannon, how many pregnant mares have you foaled?” Declan asked with a gleam in his eye.
“You seriously want me to count?”
Growing up, I always knew that I would follow in my mom’s footsteps. When my parents died on that awful night in a plane crash, I took over the ranch’s breeding program. So there was no way I could give him a number on the spot.
“I actually don’t expect a number. I’m trying to make a point. I want you to realize that maybe you’re being alittletoo worried about this beauty. I know she was always your favorite, so I get it.” He stroked the horse’s flank.
“My mom’s too,” I murmured before I could stop myself.
Declan gave me a sad smile. “I remember. She was very protective of her. I felt privileged when she allowed me to work with her.”
I leaned over and kissed Belle’s nose. “I have to do everything I can to protect her, you know? This was an unplanned pregnancy. And at her age… She’s precious to me.”
“Of course she is,” Declan said softly. “I remember seeing your mom riding her those summers when I worked here. They were so in tune with each other. It was beautiful to watch them together.”
My eyes welled unexpectedly, and I wiped them quickly, before Declan could notice.
“Hey, I think you already know that Belle is just fine,” he offered gently. “It’s normal for pregnant mares to go off their feed as they get bigger. As long as she’s eating and eliminating normally, and her temperament seems normal otherwise, it’s just part of the natural progression.”
I nodded. “I wanted to be sure, you know?”
“Of course, I get it,” Declan answered. “I worry when my dog, Ford, skips a meal.”
“You have a dog?” I smiled. “Is it a yellow lab like you always wanted?”
“Nope, I rescued a broken-down, beat-up mixed-breed dog. He was a mess when I adopted him, but you should see him now. Total stunner.”
