Page 35 of In Plain Sight

I knew he was trying to reassure me, because the last breach birth we had ended badly and I had been devastated. It was pretty common knowledge that I adored the animals and would do anything for them. Bran already knew that, and if he’d had any doubts, they had already been put to rest throughout the night. I loved the fact that he hadn’t once complained or questioned my decision to stay the night to be there for Mellie.

I watched with bated breath as Clara, Doc, and Davidson worked to free the second calf. They had to wait until the head started to peek before they could assist with the delivery. The second that happened though, they sprang into action.

“Ruby, Bran, come on over here and give us a hand,” Clara called.

I didn’t hesitate as I jumped up and walked towards them, Bran close on my heels.

“What can we do?” he asked when I was unable to speak, still worried about the calf.

“I need you each on one side and as we pull, you’re going to watch the head and help gently lower the baby to the ground. What we don’t want to happen is have the calf drop head first,” Clara explained.

I had helped deliver all sorts of animals before, but the excitement and nerves never ceased. I knew all the things that could go wrong in the next few minutes. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case this time. Doc issued orders and Clara and Davidson literally pulled the calf from Mellie while Bran and I supported its head and guided it safely to the ground.

The calf immediately made cute little noises and squirmed around, trying to get off its back.

The vet team swarmed in, reuniting the firstborn who was already standing on wobbly legs and ready to try to suckle from Mellie.

“It’s a girl!” someone shouted and this time there was no reserve in celebration as everyone cheered and I cried like a freaking baby.

Bran hugged me close. “That was amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

I beamed back up at him.

“Thank you for letting me be a part of this. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

Both calves appeared healthy with good weights. Nearly all my siblings surrounded us, supporting something that was important to me. That made the night pretty close to perfection in my book.

After another hour of monitoring the newborn calves and watching them successfully nurse, people started showing signs of exhaustion. Lily and Thomas apologized and said goodnight, with Shelby and Peyton right behind them.

“If you don’t mind me working with you, I’d love to come over on my nights off and work on fighting skills some more,” Peyton said hopefully.

I wondered if she was still worried about my outburst of jealousy.

“I’d really like that,” I told her honestly.

Lizzy and Cole headed back to Clara’s, but Clara and Gage hung around a little longer, even after Doc, Davidson, and the team of vets called it a night. I knew that meant there was no foreseeable threat and the babies had been given an all-clear, but they were so tiny, and I wasn’t ready to just let them be.

It was four in the morning when Clara finally declared them perfect and apologized. She was exhausted and couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. I offered her my apartment to sleep a few hours before trying to drive home, but Gage had been sleeping on a bale of hay for a while and was rested enough to get them back home safely. I hugged them both and thanked Clara a thousand times.

Bran hadn’t once dozed off, though I could see how tired he was. He just smiled and pushed on right by my side. My heart swelled with love.Love?Just love. It happened quickly, but somewhere amidst the madness of the night I had let go of any barriers between us and I was falling helplessly in love with my mate.

I sat down on one of the blankets and he joined me. Mellie and the babies were on the other side of the room as they happily nursed and gained confidence on their legs. Bran took a seat beside me and I rested my head on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around me. He turned and kissed the top of my head as I sighed.

“That was freaking amazing. You were incredible,” he said.

I beamed with pride but tried to shove off his compliment. “I bawled like a baby. I rarely ever cry, except where these guys are concerned.”

“You truly love the animals,” he said.

I wasn’t one to hold back my thoughts or my feelings. I turned to look at him and smiled. “I do. I love you, too,” I said, before closing the gap between us to seal my words with a kiss.

Bran

Chapter 13

I froze. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. The toothpaste, the clothes. I’d even left the toilet seat up knowing how much it would upset her, yet here she was confessing her love for me? My heart soared in happiness, but gloom filled me as I understood the impact of what I’d done. Hearing her say the words aloud made everything so much worse.

Still, when her lips touched mine, nothing else in the entire world mattered but my mate. I pulled her onto my lap and let her straddle me as she deepened the kiss. I pulled back and dared to look around.

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