Page 27 of Falling For Her Cowboy
“Did he drink any?” Ridge reached for the calf. The small black cow tried to pull away, but Ridge kept a firm grip on him. He did a quick peek at his eyes and opened his mouth so he could check inside. It didn’t seem as if there were any other issues with the calf besides the gap and the twisted snout.
“A bit. He seemed to get tired, so I was giving him a break,” Melah said.
He reached for his bag and removed his stethoscope. Her quiet gaze caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. He listened to the calf’s chest and stomach, and everything appeared to be normal. He dropped the stethoscope on the ground and tried to urge the calf up on its feet.
“Is he okay?” Melah asked.
“He should be.”
The calf stood on his weak and wobbly legs. It glanced around, and its gaze landed on Melah. Ittook a few steps toward her. She stood and met it. Its gaze was on the bottle.
“Go ahead. See if he will take the bottle. I want to see how well he sucks on the nipple.”
Melah gave a nod and offered the bottle. The calf took to the bottle and began drinking. A small amount of milk came out. It wasn’t going to be as bad as he’d thought. The little guy would be different than the others but should be fine.
Melah sniffed again and let out a curse. She wiped her face with her shoulder.
“He’s going to be okay.” Ridge rested a hand on her shoulder.
She looked at him with her two big brown eyes filled with tears.
He nodded to the calf who had almost finished the bottle. “It happens quite often. Heifers reject their babies, and we take over and become their parents. He’ll grow to be strong and a regular bull or steer. We’ll just have to keep an eye on him to ensure he’s eating well.”
“That’s good to hear.” She tugged the empty bottle away from the calf and rubbed his head.
He stumbled away from her and gazed around at the open grassy area. She sniffed again,and Ridge felt her emotions were about more than the calf being rejected from his mother.
“What’s really going on, Melah?” He moved next to her and took her free hand in his.
Her gaze flicked to his for a brief moment before she turned away. A shaky chuckle escaped her.
“It’s just that, I know how the calf feels,” she whispered. She used the back of her arm to wipe her face again.
He drew her to him.
“What do you mean?” he asked quietly.
“My mom didn’t want me either. She gave up her rights to me the moment I was born.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze.
He used a finger to tip her chin up so she’d look at him.
She sniffed again. “My dad knew he wanted me from the moment he’d found out she was pregnant. She signed away her rights and left the hospital the day after I was born. My father said he hasn’t seen her since that day.”
Ridge studied the strong woman in front of him. She had done extremely well for herself. She had survived being a woman enlisted in the Army. She was a hard worker on the ranch. She had much to beproud of. He may not know her full story, but from what he did know, he was impressed by her.
He couldn’t even begin to know how it would feel to know that his mother didn’t want him. His had been loving, kind, and nurturing. It was a damn shame she was taken too soon from them, but at least he had gotten to know her and felt her love for him
“Oh, Melah,” he exhaled. He brought her flush to him and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
She leaned into him, pressing her face to his chest. Her shoulders shook while no sounds escaped her.
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
“It’s nothing you need to be sorry for. I’m sorry I got so emotional. Who would have thought seeing a baby calf get rejected by his mother would have me acting like this.” She barked a shaky laugh. She reached up and wiped at the trail of tears.
His hand found its way to her face. He used his thumb to wipe away the wetness she’d missed.
“There’s nothing wrong with showing emotions. Animals are always a weak spot for me,” he admitted.
