Page 33 of The Hardest Part

Reaching for the door handle, Billy nodded. “That’ll keep me busy enough, I reckon.”

“Us.” Jake grabbed onto his brother’s arm to stop him from opening it.

He paused before pasting a sorry-ass smile on his face. “Right.”

“You okay?”

Billy couldn’t hide it if he tried. Something troubled that brilliant mind of his.

“Yeah.” Shoulders slumped, he sat back, staring down at the floorboards. “They’re startin’ to round up the cows. It’s almost time.”

So that’s it.

Calving season.

And once it began, there’d be no time for anything else—Emily, included. It was all work, on very little sleep, until the last calf was born. That was just the way of it.

“Kellan said he shortened breeding from ninety days to sixty this time, so we’ll be done in April,” Jake offered. Calving came around nine months later and lasted just as long.

“I know,” Billy muttered, his shrug half-hearted. “His dad wants to try out doin’ two controlled breedings this year, so there’s weaned calves to market both spring and fall.”

With a growing herd of over thirty thousand, it only made sense. Besides, when it came to ranch business and making money for Brookside, Matthew Brooks was seldom wrong. Kellan, neither.

“It’s a good move,” he concluded, clasping his brother’s shoulder. “Cattle prices hit their high in spring.”

“Costs more to feed ‘em through the winter too, but what do I know?”

“I’m sure Kellan and his father have taken all that into account.” Jake looked over at Billy, staring through the passenger window, his warm breath fogging up the cold glass. “I know what’s weighin’ on your mind.”

“Do ya?” His head whipped around. “And what’s that?”

“Emily.” He knew because it weighed on him, too. “Bein’ gone from her when it’s the only place you wanna be.”

“Won’t deny it.” Lips pursed to the side, his brother finally made it out the door.

Jake followed him. “I get it, Billy, believe me.”

“Maybe.” He put his hat on his head. “But it don’t change nothin’.”

Sleet stung his face.

Billy swiped at it, and trudging through the muddy field, he searched for newborn calves in trouble or mamas in distress while urging them toward the barn. It was pleasant, in the fifties, only this afternoon, but a late-season storm bringing eight to ten inches of snow and temps below zero come morning meant the death of them if they stayed out here.

Thank fuck they had the cows sorted, with the ones due to calve the soonest pastured closest to the maternity barn. Billy pushed them inside, counting one hundred and fifty in the large group pen. Three had water bags bulging, two dropped newborns the minute they were out of the weather, and one had a pair of hooves peeking out her backside. No doubt another fifty would calve before his grueling shift was through.

He missed Emily.

It didn’t matter Billy saw her just a few hours before. That felt like forever ago. She and Arien came by with supper for him, his brother, and the boys. A hale and hearty beef stew, fresh-baked biscuits straight from the oven, thermoses of strong black coffee, and a blueberry pie. Just seeing her warmed his insides.

“I had to come kiss this handsome face,” she squealed, jumping into his arms. She didn’t care that he was dirty and reeking of cow. Emily clung to him, peppering kisses all over his windburned cheeks, before scrambling off him to see his brother.

She squeezed Jake, holding him tight while his hands skimmed up and down her back. If they exchanged words, Billy didn’t hear them, but then they were all too tired for talking.

Huddled together, they sat on hay bales, scarfing down their dinner. The girls sat with them, Emily between him and Jake, and Arien between Tanner and Kellan, wide-eyed with surprise they could consume that much food so quickly.

Her eyes flitting around the barn, Arien wrinkled up her nose. “The horse stalls smell better. It stinks in here.”

Billy couldn’t disagree.Cowshit. Not that horseshit smelled like roses. But along with the scent of sweet oats and hay, it hit different, he supposed. Maybe he was inclined to it, but like Arien, he was more at home with the horses.

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