Page 12 of Dairy and Deadly

She tossed her ponytail over her shoulder. “I’ve been called worse.”

He guffawed and kept nursing the calf.

As soon as Short Stack finished his bottle, Ashley moved to the filling station to draw up the fourth and final bottle. To her disappointment, the last calf in the room hadn’t so much as stirred from her nap.

“I’ll handle Brie.” Johnny’s voice grew sober.

She studied the sleeping calf. “Brie, as in cheese?”

“Yep.”

“Why can’t I handle her for you?” Thoroughly puzzled, Ashley sought out his gaze again.

He angled his head sadly at the sleeping calf. “She’s not thriving.”

Concern clutched her insides. “By not thriving, I assume you mean…”

“She may not make it, Ash.” Resignation glinted in his eyes. “Welcome to the world of farming. The good, the bad, and the ugly parts of it.”

“What’s wrong with her?” She was nowhere near ready to accept that the scrawny little creature curled up on the floor couldn’t be saved.

He shook his head. “She was born premature and has struggled ever since. To make things worse, her mama rejected her. Wouldn’t let her nurse,” he sighed. “Probably knows she’s not long for this world.”

Ashley bit her lower lip, moving closer to the small creature. “Hey, Brie,” she called softly, not wanting to startle her.

The sleeping calf didn’t move. Half afraid the critter had already passed over the rainbow bridge, Ashley reached out to run her fingers over the soft downy fur on her head.

The calf shuddered and gave a pitiful moan.

“That’s right. Wake up, little one.” She leaned closer to brush the fat red rubber nipple against the little heifer’s mouth.

Brie shuddered again. Then she lifted her head to stretch and yawn. Her limbs looked way too thin, like mere twigs that could easily be snapped in two.

Though Ashley’s heart ached over the calf’s fragility, she took advantage of the tiny animal’s yawn to pop the nipple in her mouth.

Brie’s eyes popped open. Seeing Ashley’s unfamiliar features hovering over her, she pulled back in alarm, but she didn’t stand or attempt to scramble away.

Ashley followed the calf’s mouth with the bottle, tipping it up and gently brushing the nipple against her tongue. A few droplets of milk leaked out. It was enough to coax the tiny creature into latching on.

Ashley ever so slowly took a seat beside her on the floor, stretching her feet out in front of her. After a suspicious staring match, Brie snuggled closer, dropping her chin against Ashley’s leg while she continued to drink.

“Well, I’ll be!” Johnny finished up with the other calf and moved across the room to crouch down beside Ashley and Brie. “A woman’s touch,” he added in a quieter voice. “Who would’ve thought?”

Ashley met his gaze and found it harder to breathe with the way he was looking at her — with new respect, utter fascination, and that same awareness that always seemed to be there between them.

“Just earning my keep.” Like him, she kept her voice down, not wanting to startle the little calf. “She’ll be my special project until she starts thriving. You have my word.” It felt good to be a part of something bigger than herself. This was more than learning the nuts and bolts of dairy farming to better position herself to solve a case. This was making a difference in the world, one tiny calf at a time. Maybe to some folks it wasn’t much, but Ashley longed to feel needed right now…if only by a motherless baby cow.

Her words raised a wrinkle on Johnny’s forehead. “Not every animal makes it, Ash. No matter how hard we try.”

“This one will.” Way down deep, she was confident she could save the calf. It was unfortunate she’d been born premature and even more unfortunate that her mother had rejected her, but Ashley knew a thing or two about rejection. Her dad hadn’t approved of her attending the police academy and had barely spoken a kind word to her since. Her new stepsister, Blaire, had been quick to capitalize on their rift, spreading half-truths to make it worse. It was clear she was jealous of Ashley and anxious to take her place in her father’s affections. She even acted jealous about Ashley’s engagement to Martin. Ashley honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Blaire made a play for him now that he was back on the market.

Not my concern anymore.

She had bigger fish to fry these days, starting with the little calf whose head was still resting on her knee.

As her hand crept down the animal’s soft neck, a surge of protectiveness filled her. Like Brie, she’d suffered her fair share of losses —her mom, her career as a police detective, and her engagement.

She was tired of losing. So very tired! “You’re just gonna have to live, sweet thing, you hear?” she whispered.

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