She smiled, happy until she thought of her parents. “He had to have known how upset my dad was going to be when he didn’t inherit the ranch.”
“Since your father didn’t want the ranch when Cal was alive, I imagine Cal figured your father wouldn’t be that upset not to have it later.”
Her parents didn’t want the ranch, just the money from its sale. The thought pricked her now. The house, the barn, everything her great-grandparents and grandparents had built here would be gone once her parents took control of the property.
What would they do if she changed her mind and didn’t turn Coyote Glen over to them at the end of the year?
Kate already knew the answer. They’d been hurt when her grandfather hadn’t given them the ranch. They’d be doubly crushed if she did the same thing. Coyote Glen should have been her father’s all along. Kate couldn’t renege and wound her parents just because she liked ranching more than she’d expected.
Marigold’s coat grew shiny with sweat, and her breathing was labored. Finally, the foal’s front legs emerged from its mother, shrouded, veil-like in the birth sack. Landon cut away the sack and took hold of the foal’s legs. “I’m giving her traction to push against,” he explained.
The foal’s nose peeked from between its legs, so that the little horse looked like it was diving into the world.
Marigold panted and made moaning sounds. A minute passed. Marigold stopped pushing. The foal didn’t seem to be breathing.
“Come on, mama,” Landon said. “You can do this.”
The horse seemed to disagree. She didn’t push. The veins stood out on her bulging stomach.
“You’re a good girl,” Landon said, still soothing. “Come on.”
He kept speaking to her in that low, calm voice. The horse contracted again, feebly pushed, and despite what Landon said about only holding the foal’s legs for traction, he pulled. “Help me with the foal’s head,” he called to Kate. “Hold it up.”
Kate bounded across the straw, bent over, and took the foal’s wet head to keep it from scraping across the floor. The little horse’s nose had a white stripe, tinged pink from blood. Large black eyes blinked up at her.
“Just one more contraction,” Landon said.
Kate didn’t look at him or Marigold. She was staring at the foal’s eyes, so new and trusting. The animal slid all of the way out to the ground, glistening wet. Its thin legs splayed everywhere.
“A filly.” Landon took the towel and wiped the foal with gentle strokes. “This will help stimulate her breathing.”
The animal’s ears lifted and she sniffed the air. Such a beautiful girl. Marigold shifted and turned her head to look at her daughter. She softly knickered and the filly answered with a noise that sounded almost like a mew.
Kate had known Marigold was going to produce a foal, and yet it still seemed like an amazing feat, like the horse had just performed a stunning magic trick. Somehow the whole world had been made new with the birth of this wobbling creature. If Kate had been in Seattle, she would have missed this moment and was suddenly so glad she was here.
Chapter Sixteen
The next dayafter Landon finished his chores, he headed to Coyote Glen to check on the filly and see Kitty. As he parked his truck, Dewayne came out of the barn and ambled over.
“How’s the filly?” Landon asked through the window. When he’d left last night, the foal was on her feet and nursing well enough. Kitty had been glued to the pen, completely in love with the animal. She’d started calling her Daisy.
“Good.” Dewayne spit his tobacco on the ground. “I heard you helped deliver it.”
“The vets were on other calls.” Landon cut his ignition. “I told Kitty I’d bring her a foal halter I wasn’t using. Where is she?”
Dewayne nodded to the house. “Sleeping it off. Too much excitement for her last night.”
Landon should’ve thought of that possibility before he drove over here. Looked like he would miss seeing her today. He got out of the truck and handed the halter to Dewayne. “I’m surprised you didn’t notice Marigold was so close to foaling.” That had bothered him since last night. Even though the horse was two weeks away from her delivery date, Dewayne should have checked her and noticed the signs: her udder filling out and the foal dropping low into her belly. If Dewayne hadn’t been able to stay at the ranch, he should have at least warned Kitty to expect the foal soon.
“Guess I was too busy to check.” Dewayne gazed past him at the house. “It’s not the same working for Ms. Benton as it was for Cal.”
Surely Dewayne hadn’t expected Kitty to be the one checking Marigold. She didn’t have the experience for that.
“Before I left,” Dewayne went on, “I talked to Jeff Benton. He said he turned down your offer, said it was too low.” Dewayne snorted. “The way the Bentons act, you’d think they actually like the place. But they just want to get every last cent they can.”
“They turned down my offer?” This wasn’t news he’d expected to get from Dewayne.
Dewayne’s gaze shot back to Landon. “Miss Benton didn’t tell you?” He let out another snort. “No, I guess she wouldn’t. She wants to get all the free help possible before telling you to go pound sand. Ain’t right.”