Page 16 of Charlie Takes a Chance

I turn around and walk down the hallway.

Charlie calls after me, “It doesn’t count if you have to pay them to be there!”

When I step outside onto the porch, I tell Jim to stay. I don’t want to think about her here alone while I’m in town. Jim will keep an eye on her.

CHAPTER 7

Charlie

By the timeI finish a little dinner, I have two options: go to bed or sneak down to the barn and look at that calf Max was talking about.

It’s not even a question, really.

There’s nothing as cute in this world as a baby calf, and I’m willing to fight somebody over that opinion.

I bundle up and grab my phone as a flashlight. The barn is down the slope on the other side of the line of trees, and it makes me a little nervous to walk there in the dark, if I’m honest with myself. I lock the door to the lodge and jump about a mile high when something nudges my hand.

“Jim! You scared me! What are you doing out here? Did that mean ol’ Max forget you? You poor thing.” I pat the top of his head, but that just revives the skunk smell. “Uggh. Gross. You can come with me, but don’t stand too close.” I start down the driveway. The dog is still sitting by the front door.

“Jim!” I call over my shoulder. Jim jumps to attention, abandoning his spot, looking like a sentinel.

Jim walks down to the barn with me, making me feel less vulnerable in the dark. I’d made the mistake of telling Bryce thatI was scared of the dark. He never let me live it down. His teasing wasn’t good-natured either—it was goading.

Every time I think about that man, the more annoyed I get. And that annoyance is mainly pointed at myself. How could I believe it was a good idea to date him? There were several red flags there.

Good riddance. Unfortunately, it left me in a bit of a funk. I couldn’t make a relationship work with Bryce, and I’m beginning to think I can’t make it work with anyone.

When we reach the barn, I slide the big door open just enough to squeeze through. I search the wall for the light panel, and after snapping the light on, I look down the long feed alley. Several cows have their heads in the bunk, munching on their dinner. They look content to be eating. No one even startles as I walk down the aisle.

There are two stalls at the end of the aisle. One is open to the outside and has a tall roan horse standing in it, nickering softly at me.

The other stall has something small and dark in it.

I just want to say hello to the bummer calf. I won’t mess with it. I won’t touch it. Never mind.

I peer over the wood siding of the second stall and find the baby calf. He’s curled up in the straw but lifts his head when I say ‘hi.’

He scrambles to his feet in an awkward order, as though he’s still deciding which legs he should use first. He moos at me, and those big eyes are more than I can resist.

I scramble over the wood panels and climb in with him. He immediately finds my fingers and starts sucking on them. His tongue is slightly scratchy and warm.

Jim flops down in the straw in the corner, and I set about making friends with the cutest thing on four legs. “You little precious,” I tell him, and his tail begins swinging happily.“You already had your dinner. If I give you more, you’ll get a stomachache.”

He nudges my arm anyway, determined to find the bottle of milk he thinks I’m hiding.

Maybe I should give up on men in general. Stick with animals. I like them better anyway. I could move to the country and be surrounded by animals and no people. Bend is turning into too big of a city for me. And the dating pool there? Well, it’s more like one of those kiddie pools that’s kept warm by something other than a heater.

Honestly, it sounds glorious. It was what I loved about spending time at my grandparents’ ranch—time in the quiet country. We were always busy, but it was a peaceful kind of busy. There were always animals to take care of and projects to be done, but it was a great time in my life. I felt at home.

I sink down into the straw, checking for a cow pie before I do. I wait a few moments for the calf to curl up next to me. He’s darling.

Once we’re snuggled nicely together, I pull out my phone and FaceTime Magnolia. I’m amazed there’s enough of a cell signal to get a call out down here.

She answers on the second ring. Her medium-length blonde hair is falling around her shoulders in beautiful curls. She has pendant earrings and a matching blouse on. She’s the one of us who’s put together.

Me? I’m just a hot mess—but heavy on the mess.

Magnolia smiles when the connection completes the setup. “How’s it going?”

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