Page 20 of Seducing the Sheriff
I regarded Buttercup for a long moment, then I sighed. “It’s a good thing someone loves you.”
I swear she was laughing at me.
But not long later, a truck with a trailer arrived, and two men dressed in plaid shirts and well-worn denims hopped out. The older one headed to me while the young one ambled over to Buttercup who stood patiently, as if she’d never caused a moment of trouble.
“You the sheriff?” The old man had the craggy face from years of working outside and his voice sounded like my boots crunching in dry leaves on the ground in late Fall.
“That’s me. Cash Lawson. Are you Tobias Crane?”
“He is.” The man jerked his thumb at the younger man, now loving on Buttercup. “He’s my son. I’m Zeke Crane. Sorry about old Buttercup, Sheriff Lawson. She can be a real princess. We’ve just moved in and the guys from the movers left the gate open when they drove away. Buttercup was out the gate and down the road before we realized she was gone.”
They were lucky to have only one walkabout cow. “You need to talk to the State Troopers about this. Buttercup took out one of their own. She’s got a mean back kick.”
Zeke Crane grimaced. “Understood. I’ve been on the receiving end only too often.”
“Why do you keep her?” I asked without thinking, but he didn’t seem to take offense as his exasperated expression softened.
“My son brought her into the world. He was only eight and on his own. It was a difficult birth, but he succeeded. She was always going to be his cow.”
I heard the pride in his voice and understood. I mean, I kind of understood. I’m not a country boy, but I’ve lived in rural areas long enough to understand the affection farmers have for their animals. That made me think of Greg. I really hoped he stuck with sheep and not cattle. Sheep had to be easy to handle, right?
I watched as Tobias Crane led Buttercup to the trailer. I expected her to cause a song and dance about getting on the trailer, but she walked up the ramp as sweet as anything.
There was some muttering from one or two of the Troopers, but most of them seemed unsurprised that Buttercup turned sweet as pie for the young man who brought her into the world.
I let Zeke talk to the Troopers about any citations. The cow would be on its way home, we could open the highway, and the day would return to normal. I had one job to do and then I’d head to the office. I walked over to a trooper guarding the back of the ambulance with a bored expression. He looked as if he were what my mom would say: well-seasoned.
“How is he?” I asked, nodding at the closed doors.
“He’s fine,” the trooper said cheerfully. “His leg is bruised, not broken. The rookie’s a city fella. Next time, he’ll learn not to get so close to livestock.”
So much for sympathy for his co-worker.
“I’m glad it’s not bruised. I thought I heard a crack.”
The trooper’s expression turned gleeful. “That was his brand-new, real expensive, phone. The screen is shattered.”
I flinched. “Poor guy.”
The trooper shrugged. “Just another day at the office.”
We exchanged wry smiles, totally unsympathetic. Yeah, this was a typical day at the office…with added cow.
I left Sanchez to liaise with the troopers, and I headed back to my office to write my report. Between the shoplifter and old Buttercup, it had been a busy day.
I had a forlorn hope I’d see Greg too, but the business with the cow had taken a lot longer than I expected and of course, I was approaching the office when I received another call.
“Sheriff. It’s Dean. Are you nearing Charming? Mrs. Torres is in labor. She tried to drive, but the baby’s coming quicker than expected. The ambulance was held up by a cow and her husband is on the other side of the county. He’s on his way. Could you go check on her. This is her first baby.”
I was a trained paramedic, so I wasn’t surprised to receive this call. Moms in labor weren’t my favorite callout. There was so much that could go wrong, and the last thing a new mom needed was an uncertain sheriff at the business end.
However it was my job, and I was better than nothing.
“I was almost at the office. Give me her address and let her know I’m on my way, Dean.”
“Will do, sheriff.”
Dean rattled off the address, and I typed it into the GPS as I was still learning my way around this side of the county. She was nearer Bobcat Stump and as the highway was now open, there was a good chance the paramedics would arrive before me.
