Page 81 of Knot Her Cowboys
Buttons acknowledged Riley with a soft whicker as our omega settled by the horse’s head and immediately got a lap full of mare.
Riley laughed. “Hello to you too.” She stroked a gentle hand down Buttons’s neck, our lovely horse soaking up the attention.
“Still no baby, hmm?” I got to my knees at her rump, laying a palm on her hip. We weren’t so far into labor that I was worried yet, but I’d keep an eye on her. “That’s okay. They come in their own time.”
“Do you have any idea what her baby daddy looks like?” Riley asked.
“Not a clue. We asked, but they didn’t know she was pregnant when they sold her. They have a lot of studs on their farm that are escape artists, so it’s anybody’s guess.”
“Buttons, were you romancing all the boys on your old ranch?” Riley scratched under the mare’s chin. “I bet you were living your absolute best life with all the handsome stallions. Do you think your baby will look like you or the secret daddy? A mini Buttons would be cute as hell.”
“The world will always benefit from more Buttons,” I replied with a smile. While we waited, I made sure all of my supplies were in order, most specifically the rubber apron that would hopefully spare me the worst of the mess.
Riley talked softly to Buttons, comforting her through the remainder of the labor, my heart squeezing over Riley being so tender. Her legs were probably going numb with a horse’s headon them, but she didn’t move an inch, devoting herself to her task.
“You’re so good with her.”
“’Cause she’s the best girl.” Riley kissed Buttons’s upturned muzzle, the mare sniffing at her face. “It’s easy to be good with animals when they’re so chill.”
“Still need the personality for it, though,” I pointed out. Buttons shifted and two little hooves poked out along with the muzzle, still wrapped in membrane. “We’ve got movement. Won’t be long now.”
“Oh my goodness, Buttons. You’re gonna be a mama any minute!”
I popped the membrane, internally wincing at the flood that followed, and cleared around the foal’s nose so it had no impediments to breathing.
Buttons got to her feet, Riley squawking at the sudden movement. Most horses didn’t require much assistance through this process, but it was good to be nearby in any case. Riley rose up and I tugged her out of the stall for safety.
Buttons didn’t need either of us, flopping back down a few minutes later before her foal slid to freedom with blue eyes and golden hair.
“Now what?” Riley asked, looking like she was itching to visit the baby, but she allowed Buttons and her new foal time to bond while we observed from a distance.
“We watch, make sure the baby is on schedule with standing and nursing, and that Buttons delivers the placenta.”
“How long does that take?”
“About three hours for all of it, usually. You don’t have to stay the whole time with me.”
“But I want to.” Riley peeked over the stall gate. “Baby looks nothing like Mom. Dad must have some strong genes.”
“Does help identify him, though. I’ll let them know and we can get the health records to keep on file.”
Riley was absolutely enraptured by the foal.
“I’m going to check over Buttons. Wait here for a minute.”
Riley nodded and I slipped into the stall, doing a quick vitals check on Mama and making sure she could stand comfortably. Baby wiggled their way to their feet a little before I finished, leaning on Buttons for support as they figured out the brand-new world. Mama nuzzled her new little one, working on cleaning them up a bit.
“So fucking cute,” Riley whispered. “I’m already in love.”
“Want to pet them?”
“Are we allowed?”
“Sure we are. I have extra gloves in my bag so you don’t have to touch them while they’re still juicy.”
Riley cackled. “That’s appreciated.” She dug out the gloves and pulled them on.
“You can love on them while I check vitals.”
