Page 18 of Tame Me Daddy

Chapter 3

I counted each step as I walked toward the cattle pens on my fifth day at Warwick Ranch. The leather of my new boots creaked with each movement, still stiff and unfamiliar against my ankles.

Maya walked beside me, her confident stride making my careful steps seem childish in comparison. But today I felt different—just a little braver than before.

"Those boots treating you right?" Maya asked, nodding toward my feet.

"Better than my old sneakers. But they’re a little stiff." I flexed my toes inside the protective leather.

“Need breaking in. They’ll be good in a couple days.”

"Thanks again for taking me to town last night."

The boots had cost nearly a quarter of my first week's pay, but Maya had insisted they were essential. "Your feet are the foundation," she'd told me while I tried them on, "like the roots of a tree."

We approached the holding pens where the younger calves waited. Their soft moos and restless shifting created a constant background hum that had terrified me just two days ago. Now it felt almost musical—still intimidating, but with a rhythm I was starting to understand.

"Morning, babies," Maya crooned to the calves, her voice dropping into that gentle cadence she reserved for the animals. Her hands moved with practiced ease over the gate latch.

"Watch me first," Maya instructed, entering the pen. "Remember what Grant showed you about your approach. They read your energy before anything else."

Maya demonstrated again, her movements slow and deliberate. Her body language spoke without words—confidence without aggression, authority without threat. The calves responded to her like she was speaking their secret language.

Maya's expertise with animals was something I envied. In just three days, I'd seen her calm a spooked horse, treat a goat's infected hoof, and deliver a lamb that had gotten turned around—all while keeping up a steady stream of soothing Spanish words that seemed to work like magic.

"Your turn," she said, stepping back.

I swallowed hard and approached a calf that had been giving us trouble since yesterday—a stubborn little thing with a patch of rust-colored fur between his eyes that matched his temperament. He'd refused to move for me before, planting his hooves and staring me down until I'd retreated in defeat.

"Hey there," I whispered, keeping my voice low and even like Maya's. "Let's not fight today, okay?"

The calf watched me, his big eyes wary. I moved slowly, keeping my shoulders relaxed and my breathing steady. When I reached out, I made sure my movements were smooth, not jerky with nervousness like before.

To my amazement, the calf allowed me to slip the halter over his head. He flinched once but stayed put as I secured it.

"That's it," I murmured, hardly believing my luck. "Good boy."

The calf followed me with only minimal resistance as I led him to join the others. My heart thumped with pride—a small victory, but mine all the same.

"You're getting it," Maya said, handing me a rope with an approving nod. "Your whole energy is different today."

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. "Thanks. I think I'm starting to understand what you mean about body language."

"It's like dancing," she replied, checking the gate latch. "Once you learn the steps, your partner follows."

As we worked through the morning, moving calves from one pen to another for vaccination prep, I found myself thinking about the wooden horse figurine Grant had gifted me. It sat now onmy windowsill in the small bunkhouse room I'd been assigned, next to the toy car I'd found by the creek on my first day. Both were little treasures—small enough to hide if anyone came in, but visible to me as comfort objects.

"After this, we should check the fence line near the creek," Maya was saying, interrupting my thoughts. "Grant mentioned—"

"Rodriguez!" A sharp voice cut through our conversation.

We both turned to see Ryder approaching, clipboard in hand, his weathered face set in its usual stern expression.

"You're needed at the north pasture," he said to Maya. "Got a heifer in labor that's having trouble."

Maya's face immediately shifted to concern. "Is it the spotted one? I told Grant she might have complications."

"That's the one," Ryder confirmed. "Doc Peterson's on his way, but they need someone with experience until he gets there."

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