Page 31 of Charlie Takes a Chance

I barely make it into the bathroom in time, and I’m reminded how much I hate puking.

The only time I overdrank, I puked. It was my 21st birthday. I hated it and never made that mistake again. I’m now a two-drink-maximum guy.

I’m not sure how long I’m kneeling next to the toilet, but somewhere in the haze of wishing I could just die instead of suffering through this, I hear a tentative knock on the door.

“Max? Can I get you anything?” Charlie calls softly.

“I’m fine,” I croak. And now my embarrassment is complete.

“You didn’t sound fine when you were calling dinosaurs a minute ago. It woke me up.” Her tone is pitying rather than angry, and somehow that makes it worse.

“I’m going to work.” I stand slowly, holding onto the counter as I shuffle toward the door.

I pull it open and stare down at Charlie. She grimaces as she looks at my face. “Food poisoning?”

I nod slowly.

She shakes her head. “You can’t go to work.”

“Cows gotta eat,” I whisper as I stare past her at the front door. Honestly, I’m not sure how I’m going to make it up into the hay loft. My entire body is aching. Maybe I can lie on the hay elevator, and it can roll me up there.

“Max,” Charlie says slowly. “You need to go lie down. You look…ill.”

I lean against the doorframe. I wish it was a casual look, but the way Charlie is staring at me, I know I look like I’m on the verge of falling into a heap on the ground. “I don’t know if I can make it out there. Maybe if I drive the truck to the barn.”

Charlie shakes her head. “Go get in bed. I’ll feed the cattle.”

Those words snap through my haze. “No—you don’t?—”

“I can handle feeding a few cows and calves. Is it only the ones in the main barn?”

She’s serious. She’s going to go feed for me this morning. I could kiss her I’m so grateful. I grab the door frame to keep from sinking to the ground. “You don’t have to do this. This isn’t what you signed up for when you came here. There’s too much. It’s the main barn and the other two on the far side of the hill.”

“Please. I can find the barns. I’m not that directionally challenged.” She shrugs as she walks away. “This doesn’t mean I like you. I just don’t think I could drag your passed-out body back from the barn, and I don’t have good cell service down there.” She cackles—actually cackles—as she walks away. I close my eyes and rest my cheek against the cold door frame.

Luckily, I fed the big bales out in the pastures yesterday, so those ones will be fine for a couple of days. If Charlie actuallyfeeds the cows, then I’ll be able to check on them this evening when I’m feeling better.

“Is the milk replacer in the mud room?” she yells as I do a slow shuffle back toward my room.

She even remembers the bummer calf.

I turn around to find her standing at the end of the hallway with the calf bottle, her socks pulled high over her yoga pants, and her big puffy coat on.

“One to two ratio. Really, you don’t have to do this.” I’ll crawl down to the barn. I can’t expect her to know how much to feed everyone.

“You don’t have to worry. I used to help my grandpa on his ranch. Believe it or not, I’ve thrown some alfalfa bales and fed a calf or two,” she explains with a smile. “This makes me a little homesick for their ranch.”

“I—” I clear my throat. “You didn’t say anything before.”

Charlie shrugs. “It wasn’t important.”

“But now it is?”

“I can practically see the panic rolling off of you.”

I sigh. “You don’t have to do this.”

“St. James?”

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