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“It takes a little practice,” he answered, grinning. “Besides, the horse isn’t as tall as you are short.”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with being short.”
“I didn’t say there was,” he said, stepping behind her.
Fee’s heart felt as if it stopped, then took off at a gallop when, without warning, he placed one hand at her waist and the other on the seat of her new jeans. Before she could process what was taking place, Chance boosted her up into the saddle. Her cheeks heated and she wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or the awareness coursing through her.
But when she realized she was actually sitting atop Rosy, Fee forgot all about sorting out her reaction to Chance. Wrapping both hands around the saddle horn, she held on for dear life. “This is even higher than I thought it would be. I really do think a shorter horse would work out a lot better.”
“Try to relax and sit naturally,” he coaxed. He reached up to gently pry her hands from the saddle. “You don’t want to be as stiff as a ramrod.”
When the mare shifted her weight from one foot to the other, Fee scrunched her eyes shut and waited for the worst. “I thought you said she would stand still.”
“Fee, look at me,” he commanded. When she opened first one eye and then the other, the promise in his brilliant green eyes stole her breath. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.” She wasn’t sure why, given that she hadn’t known him all that long, but she did trust him.
“I give you my word that I won’t let anything happen to you,” he assured her. “You’re completely safe, sweetheart.”
Her heart stalled and she suddenly found it hard to draw a breath. The sound of his deep voice when he used the endearment caused heat to fill her. Why did she suddenly wish he was talking about something besides riding a horse?
Unable to get her vocal cords to work, she simply nodded.
“Good.” He checked to make sure the stirrups were adjusted to the right length. “Now I want you to slightly tilt your heels down just below horizontal.”
“Why?” she asked even as she followed his instructions.
“Shifting your weight to your heels instead of the balls of your feet helps you relax your legs and sit more securely,” he explained. “And it’s more natural and comfortable for both you and Rosy.” He took hold of the mare’s reins, then reached for his horse’s reins, as well. “Now are you ready to go for your first ride?”
“Would it make a difference if I said no?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
Grinning, he shook his head. “Nope.”
“I didn’t think so.” Fee caught her breath when the mare slowly started walking beside Chance as he led both horses out of the barn. But instead of the bumpy ride she expected, it was more of a smooth rocking motion. “This isn’t as rough as I thought it would be.”
“It isn’t when you relax and move with the horse, instead of against it,” he said, leading them over to the round pen he had mentioned was used for training. Once he had his horse tied to the outside of the fence, he opened the gate and led the mare inside. “Hold the reins loosely,” he said, handing Fee the leather straps. He walked around the pen beside Rosy until they had made a complete circle. “Now, I’m going to stand right here while you and Rosy go around.”
A mixture of adrenaline and fear rose inside of Fee like a Pacific tsunami. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Just sit there and let Rosy do the rest,” he said calmly. “I promise you’ll be fine.”
As the horse carried her around the enclosure, Fee noticed that the mare kept turning her head to look back at her. “Yes, Rosy, I’m scared witless. Please prove Chance right and don’t do anything I’ll regret.”
To her surprise the mare snorted and bobbed her head up and down as if she understood what Fee had requested as she continued to slowly walk around the inside of the fence.
By the time Rosy had made her way back around to the gate for the second time, Fee began to feel a little more confident. “This isn’t as difficult as I thought it would be.”
“It’s not,” Chance said when the mare stopped in front of him. “Are you ready to take a tour of the ranch now?” he asked, patting the mare’s sleek neck.
“I...guess so,” Fee answered, not at all sure she was ready to ride outside of the enclosure. But Rosy seemed to be willing and Fee felt some of her usual self-confidence begin to return.
“Don’t worry,” Chance said, as if reading her mind. He opened the gate to lead the mare out. “Rosy is kid broke and you’re doing great for your first time on a horse.”
Fee frowned. “What does kid broke mean?”
“Her temperament and training make her safe enough to let a little kid ride her with minimal risk of anything happening,” he said, mounting his horse. “And I’ll be right beside you.”
As they rode across the pasture and headed toward a hillside in the distance, she reflected on how far out of her element she was. Up until today, her idea of adventure had been a shopping trip to one of the malls in the San Fernando Valley the day after Thanksgiving.
But she had to admit that riding a horse wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realized she was actually enjoying the experience. And if that wasn’t unusual enough, they were traveling across a deserted expanse of land where wild animals roamed free and she wasn’t all that afraid of being something’s next meal. Unbelievable!
Fee glanced over at the man riding beside her. What was it about Chance that could get her to do things that were totally out of character for her and without much protest on her part?
Staring out across the land, she knew exactly why she was willing to step out of her comfort zone and try new things. She trusted Chance—trusted that he wouldn’t ask anything of her that she couldn’t do and wouldn’t allow anything to harm her.
The realization caused her heart to skip a beat. She didn’t trust easily and especially when it came to men. The fact that she had already placed her faith in Chance was more than a little disturbing. Why was he different?
It could have something to do with the fact that so far, he was exactly what he said he was—a hard-working rancher who was more interested in drawing attention to the quality of the beef he raised than being in the limelight himself. Or maybe it was the fact that he was vastly different from any of the men she knew in L.A. Although great guys, most of them would rather sit behind a desk in a climate-controlled office than be outside getting their hands dirty.
She wasn’t sure why she trusted Chance, but one thing was certain: she was going to have to be on her guard at all times. Otherwise, she just might find herself falling for him and end up out of a job.
* * *
As they rode up the trail leading to the north pasture, Chance was proud of the way Fee had taken to horseback riding. At first, she had been extremely apprehensive about getting on a horse, but she’d at least had the guts to try. That was something he admired.
In fact, there were a lot of things about her that he appreciated. She was not only courageous, she was dedicated. He didn’t know any other woman who would go to the lengths she had in her effort to do her job and do it right. Fee was willing to do whatever it took to get him to agree to be the spokesman in her ad campaign, even if that meant getting up at a time most city dwellers thought was the middle of the night and riding a horse for the first time. And from what Sage had told him, she was sensitive to others. Apparently, Colleen had tentatively offered to let Fee use their upcoming wedding as part of the PR campaign to improve the Lassiters’ image, but she hadn’t wanted to exploit their big day and had politely declined.
“Rosy and I seem to be getting along pretty well,” Fee said, bringing him back to the present.
“So you’re having a good time?” he asked, noticing how silky her hair looked as a light breeze played with the blond strands of her ponytail.
“Yes,” she said, giving him a smile. “I didn’t think I would, but I really am. Of course, I might not feel the same way if I was riding a different horse.”
“I was pretty sure you and Rosy were...a good match,” he said, distracted by the faint sound of a cow bawling in the distance. Staring in the direction the sound came from, he spotted a large black cow lying on her side about two hundred yards away. It was clear the animal was in distress. “Damn!”
“What happened?” Fee asked, looking alarmed.
“I’m going to have to ride on ahead,” he said quickly. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be within sight and Rosy will bring you right to me.”
Before Fee had the chance to question him further or protest that he was leaving her behind, he kicked Dakota into a gallop and raced toward the cow. The bay gelding covered the distance quickly and when he reached the cow, Chance could tell that not only was she in labor, she was having trouble delivering the calf.
Dismounting, he immediately started rolling up the long sleeves on his chambray shirt. He could tell from her shallow breathing that the animal had been at this awhile and was extremely weak. He was going to have to see what the problem was, then try to do what he could to help. Otherwise there was a very real possibility he would lose both the heifer and her calf.
“What’s wrong with it?” Fee asked when she and Rosy finally reached the spot where the cow lay.
“I’m pretty sure the calf is hung up,” he said, taking off his wristwatch and slipping it into the front pocket of his jeans. He reached into the saddlebags tied behind Dakota’s saddle and removed a packet of disinfectant wipes.
Fee looked genuinely concerned. “Oh, the poor thing. Is there anything you can do to help her? Should you call the veterinarian?”
“The vet will take too long to get here.” Walking over to the mare, he lifted Fee down from the saddle and set her on her feet. “I’m going to need you to hold the heifer’s tail while I check to see what the problem is,” he said, taking several of the wet cloths from the packet to wipe down his hands and arms. “Do you think you can do that, Fee?”
He could tell she wasn’t at all sure about getting that close to the animal, but she took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
“Good.” He couldn’t stop himself from giving her a quick kiss. Then catching the cow’s wildly switching tail, he handed it to Fee. “Hold on tight while I see if the calf’s breech or it’s just too big.”
While Fee held the tail out of the way, Chance knelt down at the back of the animal. He wished that he had some of the shoulder-length gloves from one of the calving sheds back at ranch headquarters, but since that wasn’t an option, he gritted his teeth and proceeded to do what he could to help the heifer. Reaching inside, he felt the calf, and sure enough, one of the legs was folded at the knee. Pushing the calf back, he carefully straightened its front leg, then gently but firmly pulled it back into the birth position.
“Will she be able to have the calf now?” Fee asked, her tone anxious as she let go of the tail and put distance between herself and the cow.
“I hope so,” he said, rising to his feet. Using more of the wipes, he cleaned his arm as he waited to see if the heifer was going to be able to calve. “I’ll have to check my records when I get back to the house, but I’m pretty sure this is her first calf.”
When the cow made an odd noise, Fee looked worried. “Is she all right?”
“She’s pretty tired, but we should know within a few minutes if she’ll be able to do this on her own,” he said, focusing on the cow to see if there were any more signs of distress. When he saw none, he walked over to Fee.
“And if she can’t?” Fee asked.
“Then I become a bovine obstetrician and help her out,” he answered, shrugging. “It wouldn’t be the first time and it won’t be the last.”
“This is definitely one of those jobs you mentioned that most people would consider disgusting.”
“Yup.” He noticed the heifer was starting to work with her contractions and that was a good sign she at least wasn’t too exhausted to try.
“Maybe a lot of people find something like this distasteful, but I think it’s rather heroic,” Fee said, thoughtfully. “You care enough about the animals on this ranch to make sure they’re well taken care of and if that means getting your hands dirty to save one of them or to help relieve their suffering, then that’s what you do.”
He nodded. “I’m responsible for them and that includes keeping them healthy.”
Chance had never really thought about his job the way Fee had just pointed out. Sure, he liked animals—liked working with them and being around them. He wouldn’t be much of a rancher if he didn’t. But he had never really thought about what he did as heroic. To him, taking good care of his livestock was not just part of the job description, it was the right thing to do.
“Oh my goodness,” Fee said suddenly when the calf began to emerge from the cow. Her expression was filled with awe. “This is amazing.”
Confident that the animal was going to be able to have the calf without further intervention on his part, he used his cell phone to call ranch headquarters. He needed to get one of his men to come out and watch over the heifer until she and the calf could be moved to one of the holding pens close to the barn.
When the calf slid out onto the ground, Chance walked over to make sure it was breathing and checked it over while the heifer rested. “It’s a girl,” he said, grinning as he walked back to Fee.
“Is the momma cow going to be all right?” Fee asked.
He nodded as he draped his arm across her shoulders. “I think she’ll be just fine. But Slim is sending one of the boys out here to see that she gets back to the ranch, where we can watch her and she can rest up a little. Then she and her baby will rejoin the herd in a few days.”
Fee frowned. “Why was she out here by herself to begin with?”
“Livestock have a tendency to want to go off by themselves when they’re in labor,” Chance explained.
“For privacy.” She nodded. “I can understand that.”
He watched the cow get up and nudge her baby with her nose, urging it to stand, as well. “She had probably done that yesterday when the men moved the herd and they just missed seeing her. Normally, our cattle calve in the spring, but she apparently got bred later than usual, throwing her having her calf to now.”
“But they will be back at the ranch house and I’ll be able to see the calf again?” she asked, looking hopeful as, after several attempts, the calf gained her footing and managed to stand.
“Sure, you’ll be able to see her.” He grinned. “But I somehow got the impression you didn’t like big animals all that much and might even be a little afraid of them.”
“This one is different,” she insisted, her voice softening when the calf wobbled over to her mother and started to nurse. “It’s a baby and not all that big yet. Besides, the fence will be between me and her momma.”
Seeing the cowboy he’d called for riding toward them, Chance led Fee over to Rosy. “Our replacement is almost here. Are you ready to mount up and finish checking on the grazing conditions before we head back to the house?”
“I suppose,” she said, lifting her foot to put it into the stirrup. “This would be a whole lot easier if Rosy was shorter.”
As he stepped up behind her, Chance took a deep breath and got ready to give her a boost up into the saddle. Touching her cute little backside when she’d mounted the mare the first time had damn near caused him to have a coronary. He could only guess what his reaction would be this time.
The minute his palm touched the seat of her blue jeans, a jolt of electric current shot up his arm, down through his chest and straight to the region south of his belt buckle. His reaction was not only predictable, it was instantaneous.
Feeling as if his own jeans had suddenly gotten a couple of sizes smaller in the stride, he waited to make sure Fee was settled on Rosy before he caught Dakota’s reins in one hand and gingerly swung up onto the gelding’s saddle. He immediately shifted to keep from emasculating himself. Fee hadn’t been on the ranch a full twenty-four hours and he was already in need of a second cold shower.
As they started toward the north pasture, Chance decided it was either going to be the most exciting two weeks of his life or the most grueling. And he had every intention of seeing that it was going to be the former, not the latter.
* * *
While Chance called his mother to make arrangements to take Cassie for ice cream the next day, Fee helped clean the kitchen after dinner. “Gus, it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. He knew exactly what to do and everything turned out fine for the momma cow, as well as for her baby.”
She still couldn’t get over the efficiency and expertise Chance had demonstrated with the pregnant cow. What he’d had to do to help the animal was messy and disgusting, but he hadn’t hesitated for a single second. He had immediately sprung into action and taken care of her and her calf to make sure they both survived.
It was hard to believe how many facets there were to Chance’s job. He not only had to keep extensive records on all of the livestock, he had to be a land manager, an experienced horseman and an impromptu large-animal veterinarian. And she had a feeling that was just the tip of the iceberg.
“Don’t go tellin’ him I said so ’cause I don’t want him gettin’ bigheaded about it,” Gus said, grinning. “But that boy’s got better cow sense than even his daddy had. And that’s sayin’ somethin’. When Charlie Lassiter was alive there was none better at ranchin’ than he was. He knew what a steer was gonna do before it did.”
Fee remembered Chance telling her that his father had run the ranch when he wasn’t out on the rodeo circuit. “How did Chance’s father die? Was he killed at a rodeo?”
“It was one of them freak accidents that never shoulda happened.” Gus shook his head sadly as he handed her a pot he had just finished washing. “Charlie was a saddle bronc and bareback rider when he was out on the rodeo circuit, and a damned good one. He always finished in the money and other than a busted arm one time, never got hurt real bad. But about three years after he stopped rodeoin’ and went to ranchin’ full time, he got throwed from a horse he was breakin’. He landed wrong and it snapped his neck. Charlie was dead as soon as he hit the ground.”
“That’s so sad,” she said, drying the pot with a soft cotton dish towel before hanging it on the pot rack above the kitchen island.
“The real bad thing was Chance saw it all,” Gus said, his tone turning husky.
“Oh, how awful!” Fee gasped.
Gus nodded. “After Charlie started bein’ at home all the time, that little kid was his daddy’s shadow and followed him everywhere. It weren’t no surprise to any of us that Chance was sittin’ on the top fence rail watchin’ Charlie that day.”
Fee’s heart broke for Chance and it took a moment for her to be able to speak around the lump clogging her throat. “How old...was Chance?”
“That was twenty-four years ago,” Gus answered. He cleared his throat as if he was having just as hard a time speaking as she was. “That would have made Chance about eight.”
She couldn’t stop tears from filling her eyes when she thought about Chance as a little boy watching the father he idolized die. Although she’d never really known her father and hadn’t been all that close to her mother, she couldn’t imagine watching someone she loved so much die in such a tragic way. That had to have been devastating for him.
“Well, that’s taken care of,” Chance said, walking into the room. He had called his mother to let her know what time they would be stopping by the main house tomorrow to take his niece to get ice cream. Marlene was keeping Cassie while Hannah and Logan were on their honeymoon, and she could probably use a break. “Mom said she would have Cassie ready tomorrow afternoon for us to come by and get her.”
Without thinking, Fee walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist to give him a hug. She knew he would probably think she’d lost her mind, but she didn’t care. The more she found out about Chance Lassiter the more she realized what a remarkable man he was. He’d suffered through a traumatic loss as a child, but that hadn’t deterred him from following in his father’s footsteps to become a rancher. And from what she’d seen at the wedding a few nights ago, he had gone out of his way to become close to the half sister and niece that he hadn’t even known existed until just recently.
“Don’t get me wrong, sweetheart,” he said, chuckling as his arms closed around her. “I’m not complaining in the least, but what’s this for?”
