Page 37 of Caden's Situationship

I nodded. “Tea would be nice.”

Caden had just stepped back inside when I heard noise to my left. Looking over my shoulder, I wasn’t even shocked to see …

“LeeLee. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

She mooed and took a couple more steps toward the porch. For a second, I considered running into the house because, after all, she was a huge cow. Then I thought about everything I heard about LeeLee lately and figured we had to get a few things straight.

“Here’s the thing, Ms. LeeLee,” I said, getting out the chair and sitting on the steps. “I know you care for Caden, but I want you to know I care for him, too. And while I can’t replace the kind of love you and he share, I really want us to become friends.”

I stared at those huge, black eyes and waited for another moo. In hindsight, I was well aware that I was talking to an animal that wouldn’t talk to me back. However, things had been crazy since I got to Arkansas, and talking to LeeLee wasn’t that strange considering everything else I’d done.

Rising from the steps, I walked closer to her. “I’m not sure if you’re supposed to pet a cow, but I’m going to pet you now. Is that okay, Ms. LeeLee?” To that, she mooed. The old Cordelia would have never been caught dead petting a cow, but ironically, petting her felt kinda normal. LeeLee even let her heavy head rest in my hand.

“Wow,” I whispered to her. “You really are a sweet girl, aren’t you?”

“Am I interrupting something?” Caden asked, causing me to drop my hands and turn to him.

“Um.” I looked from him to LeeLee as if she could help explain the moment we shared. Instead of helping me out, she mooed and walked away.

“That heifer,” I muttered, placing my hands on my hips. “To leave instead of staying while I explained what just happened.”

“No need.” He laughed, placing two cups of tea on a small table. “I was gonna sit out here with you while I waited for the tea to brew, but I didn’t know you scheduled bonding time with LeeLee.”

“She came up right after you went inside,” I explained, walking back up the stairs to sit beside him. “Since I know she’s a special animal, I figured I needed to be more comfortable around her.”

“So you decided to pet her,” Caden stated. “Typical Cordelia.”

“Don’t you pet her?” I asked.

Caden shook his head. “Not really. Every now and then, when the vet can’t make it to the ranch, I check her out and I may pet her to soothe her while I do so, but that’s it.”

“Wait, so all this talk about pet cows and y’all don’t actually treat them like pets?”

Caden grabbed his stomach and doubled over laughing. “We milk cows, Cordy, we don’t pet them.”

“How was I supposed to know that?” I asked, laughing along with him. “I guess you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.”

“You can’t,” he agreed. “To be honest, I haven’t petted an animal in an affectionate sort of way since my dog Jax passed away last year.”

“Oh no.” I clutched my chest, still remembering what it was like when my Teacup Pomeranian passed away years ago. “I’m so sorry to hear that. What kind of dog was he?”

“A chocolate Labrador who I was blessed to have had for ten years. He was a stray when I found him in town and at the time, it seemed like fate that we found each other. Hardest thing I ever had to do was see him in pain and make the decision to put him down.”

My heart saddened. “I’ve been there before. It’s not easy when your dog passes. They become a part of your family.”

He nodded. “Jax used to go everywhere with me and after he was gone, I didn’t have it in me to get another dog. Some people don’t understand, and as crazy as it sounds, I could tell that LeeLee knew I was hurting. She followed me around the ranch even more than usual for months after it happened.”

I smiled. “She really is a unique cow, isn’t she?”

“She is. But now you know you don’t have to pet cows.”

“Quit teasing me,” I told him, playfully punching him in the shoulder. The second time I popped him, he grabbed my arm and pulled me in for a kiss, careful not to hit the table. “What was that for?”

“For being so great with everyone tonight. They all love you.”

“I loved meeting all of them, too,” I said honestly. Leaning back in my chair, I picked up my tea. “Chamomile and peppermint?”

Caden nodded. “You’re good.”

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