Tame a Wild Wind (7 page)

“Fine.
 
Sam
gimme
cookie.”

“So I see.”
 
She grinned at Sarah.

Sam had the good sense to look sheepish.
 
He gave Sarah a little squeeze.
 
“That was supposed to be our secret, Sweet.”
 
Then he smiled at Cassie.
 
Those butterflies she’d felt earlier and thought were embarrassment were back.
 
Her stomach turned over once or twice.
 
She wasn’t a school girl and knew exactly what she felt.
 
Lust.
 
Not just desire but full blown lust.
 

Lust for the man holding her baby in his arms, feeding her cookies like she was his own.
 
Caring for her when Cassie couldn’t.
 
Doing all those things that a father would do.
 
Cassie’s heart was melting faster than a snowflake in summer.

*****

Sam had to get out.
 
He’d almost tripped over his own feet, once he’d gotten going.
 
The minute Sarah had kicked off those blankets and Cassie’s bare breasts popped free, he’d lost all train of thought.
 
His mouth had gone dry and his eyes wanted to jump out of his head.

He’d have made a clean getaway, too, if not for Sarah.
 
She’d come running after him, naked, yelling his name.
 
How could such a bit of mischief be rolled up into one sweet, curly blond baby girl?

She’d followed him, running as fast as her little legs would go until he’d stopped and scooped her into his arms.
 
He took her to the kitchen grabbed a dish towel and wrapped it around her, knotting it at the waist.

He’d tried to put her down but she wrapped her arms around his neck and shook her head.
 
Sighing, Sam sat down at the end of the table.
 
RJ was on his right eating his breakfast.

“She’s not going to let you go, you know.”
 
RJ stated calmly.

“Sure she will.”
 
He tried to unwrap Sarah’s arms from around his neck.
 
She shook her head again.

“No, she won’t.
 
She’s decided you belong to her,” said RJ around his mouthful of cornmeal mush.

“She’s just a baby,” said Sam, exasperated.
 
“She thinks everything belongs to her.”

Bridget came in took one look at Sam and Sarah then went to the pantry.
 
She came back with a plate of sugar cookies, set them in front of Sam and went to the icebox.

“Sarah.
 
Do you want a cookie?” Sam asked.

She sat up straight and nodded her head.

“What do you say first?”

“Pease.”

“That’s right.
 
Here you go.”

Cassie came in looking deliciously rumpled.
 
She blushed when she saw him with Sarah, went to RJ, gave him a cookie and a kiss on the head before getting a cup of coffee and a cookie for herself.
 

He noticed her giving him sideways glances while she sipped her coffee then looking quickly away.
 
Damn!
 
Did she feel it too or was he just reading too much into it?

RJ’s voice brought Sam back from his reverie.
 
“Mom.
 
I want to go with Davy out looking for mustangs.
 
I’m old enough now.”

“No.
 
You’re not old enough and you know it.”

“But…”

“RJ.
 
You know better.
 
We discussed this and you agreed with your father and I.
 
Not until you’re twelve.
 
You’re only nine.
 
I’m telling you now this is not going to happen.”
 
She looked at him closely.
 
“So what is it you really want?
 
You’re not fooling me.”

“Ah, Mom.
 
It’s not fair.
 
Ian gets to help his dad work the horses.
 
Why can’t I help you train the horses.”

“Okay.”

“I’m old enough and I…okay?”
 
He dropped his spoon into his bowl.

“Okay.”

“You mean it?
 
You’ll let me help you train the horses?”

“Yes.
 
Now that Sam’s here, I can concentrate on the training and you can help me.
 
There’s more to training than just racing.
 
You know that, right?”
 
Cassie put her elbows on the table, steepled her fingers and said again, “Right?”

RJ was too eager by half and Sam figured Cassie had something special in mind to keep the youngster busy.
 
Sam had been RJ’s age and knew he wanted to be a man.
 
Especially with his father gone, he felt like he was the man of the house, but Cassie was making sure he stayed a boy for a while longer.
 
She was a wonderful mother.

“Bridget, will you take care of Sarah.
 
Call me if she has a relapse.
 
Sam you’re on your own.
 
Mr. RJ, you come with me.
 
We have horses to take care of and we have to check on Sheba.
 
She’s about to foal.
 
How would you like to watch that?”

“Really?
 
You’d let me?”

“You’re old enough now to see what goes on when a horse has a baby.
 
The foals are so wobbly.
 
It’s really quite funny.”

Sam wondered about that.
 
He’d seen a horse foal, it wasn’t a pretty site and there was nothing funny he could remember.

*****

Cassie and RJ headed for the stable.
 
Once there Cassie grabbed two curry combs.
 
The spiral metal blades worked best for removing the loose dirt and hair from the horse.

“All right, to begin with we’re going to groom each horse.
 
First we’ll curry them.
 
You know how to do that right?

“Mom.”
 
RJ rolled his eyes at her.
 
“I’ve been watching you and the other ranch hands for years.
 
I think I know how to curry a horse.”

She laughed at his antics.
 
“Of course you do.
 
Just make sure you don’t hurry, give each horse plenty of time.”

“There is one thing I don’t understand.
 
Why do we curry and then brush them?
 
I thought the curry was to take off the loose dirt and hair.”

“Good question.”

RJ beamed.

“The curry comb does get the majority.
 
We use the brush to get anything that is left and to give the coat a nice shine.”

“What do we do next?”

“Well,
you
are going to start mucking the stalls.”

He made a face.

“I told you there’s more to it than just the racing.
 
I’m going to work on their feet.
 
You can watch but I don’t want you trying this…yet.
 
It’s too dangerous.
 
The horse could kick and easily kill you.
 
These are powerful beasts.
 
They weigh upwards of 2000 pounds.
 
They won’t mean to kill you, it will just happen because you catch them unaware.
 
Now go down the side of the horse.
 
You can pat him as you go.
 
You want the horse to be aware of you.
 
When you get to the back, stay on his side and grab his fetlock and bring up his hoof.
 
Rest the hoof on your knee and clean it out around the frog with the hoof pick.”
 
She was working on Samson and showed RJ what she meant.
 

“After you’ve done that take this large metal file and file the rough parts of the hoof.
 
We only do this to the colts and fillies that have no shoes yet.
 
John Bergstrum, the blacksmith, does it to the grown horses when he gives them new shoes.
 
We get the horses new shoes every year, sooner if they throw them.”

“That’s interesting.
 
I didn’t know about the shoes.”

“Yes, horses wear metal shoes to protect their hooves just like we do our feet.”

“No not that.
 
I know they wear shoes.
 
I meant I didn’t know about the filing or the once a year.
 
I’ve never watched Mr. Bergstrum shoe a horse.”

“Maybe we’ll make that a special trip for the next time we have to take one of the horses in or if we get him to come out here, you can watch him work.
 
Now you go curry Delilah.”

“Mom, don’t we have men who do this?
 
Why do I have to do it?”

“Yes, we do have men who usually do this work,” she said as she continued to pick at Samson’s hoof.
 
“But we need to know how to do it, too.
 
We, as the owners of these great animals, must know how to take care of them.
 
What if, someday, we couldn’t afford to hire men to do it?
 
What would happen to the animals then?”

“They could get sick, huh?” RJ said quietly.

“Yes, this isn’t just grooming.
 
If Samson gets a rock in his hoof, it hurts and he can’t walk without pain much less run.
 
I think you’re beginning to understand.”

RJ nodded then went to curry Delilah.

Cassie smiled.
 
A new lesson had been taught and understood.
 
She was so proud of her son.

*****

Cassie went to check on Sheba and found her on the ground writhing in pain.
 
She was foaling and from the sounds of it something was not right.

“Davy!” she yelled for the stable hand.

“Yeah, Miss Cassie.” he answered.

“Go get Doc Johnson as fast as you can.
 
Sheba’s starting to foal.
 
Tell him to bring his bag.
 
It looks like it might get ugly fast.”

RJ had heard his mother’s call.
 
“What’s wrong, Mama?
 
Why is Sheba on the ground?”

“She’s having her foal, Sweetheart.
 
Will you go get Sam for me?”

“Sure.”
 
He took off running.

Cassie dropped to her knees next to Sheba.
 
“It’s all right girl,” she cooed.
 
“We’ll get that baby out of you and it will be all right.
 
Let’s get this tail wrapped up, shall we?”
 
She continued to talk softly to the mare while she worked to wrap her tail in cloths she’d put in the stall specifically for that purpose.

“Now let’s have a look and see what’s happening, okay, girl.
 
Here we go.”
 
Cassie lifted Sheba’s tail and gazed at the sack protruding from her.
 
Her water broke when she lay down and now she was moaning and pushing.
 
Cassie saw her muscles move with each contraction.

She examined the thin sack and saw two feet, one slightly in front of the other.
 
They were the rear feet, the hooves pointing at Sheba’s tail.
 
The foal would probably have to be pulled.