The Maverick's Snowbound Christmas
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Karen Rose Smith
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HarlequinChapter One
Eli Dalton ran his hand over his pregnant mare’s side. He breathed in the scents of leather, straw, old wood and the dampness from snow that had begun to fall. Worry niggled in his gut. He’d been around horses all his life, and something just didn’t seem right with Amber’s labor. She’d been a wild mustang, and he’d gentled her himself. He couldn’t let something go wrong. He couldn’t lose her foal.
Leaving her for a few moments to get some perspective, he went to the barn door and peered out. Two or three inches of snow had already fallen. Any other time, somebody else would be around to give him an opinion. Of course, this weekend of all weekends, everyone was gone from the ranch. His parents had left for Missoula for an equipment auction, and Derek, the only sibling who was still living at home, had gone with them, as had his uncle and cousins. One of his sisters, Kristen, might have been some help, but she’d flown to LA with her husband to celebrate an early Thanksgiving with him. Eli’s gaze ran over the miles of fencing on the Circle D. Ranching and caring for horses had been embedded deeply in his soul from before he could remember.
He heard a noise coming from Amber’s stall. She was down. He rushed to her and ran his hand over her belly...looked into her eyes. She whinnied at him, and he knew there was only one thing to do. Call the veterinarian.
* * *
“Don’t you know your biological clock is ticking?”
Hadley Strickland pushed her wavy dark brown hair away from her face and glanced around the kitchen at the dishes being prepared for the Strickland clan, wondering how to exit this conversation. Her sister Tessa, who lived in LA, had a vacation home on Falls Mountain and was here for Thanksgiving, didn’t hesitate to probe, question or bully. Ever since she’d found her “happily-ever-after,” she was worse. Hadley was just glad her sister Claire wasn’t in the kitchen right now to weigh in on this conversation as well.
Hadley cast her dark brown eyes on her grandmother Melba Strickland, who was matriarchal and grandmotherly all at the same time. But her grandmother was no help at all because she asked, “Have you dated in the past few months?”
There were so many ways to answer that question. Hadley put in long hours at the veterinary clinic where she worked in Bozeman. She often covered for other vets when it wasn’t her turn in the rotation. She kept up on all the latest veterinary journals. On top of all that, she was qualifying for her pilot’s license. However, the simplest answer could usually turn the subject of the conversation in another direction much faster. She didn’t want anybody dwelling on her personal life.
She added cherry tomatoes to the salad she’d been fixing and said offhandedly, “I’m too busy to date.”
As a small animal vet, she was thinking of expanding horizons by owning her own practice someday. But for now, if she became a pilot, she might be able to help animals at a greater distance or in the wild. She knew someday her life would come together. But she also knew it might never include romance again. Her family didn’t know her secret, a secret that was embarrassing and showed how foolish a woman could be when she was wildly attracted to a man.
She could see Tessa was gearing up for another question when the cell phone attached to Hadley’s belt buzzed. She kept it there from habit because she was never without it. Gratefully, she plucked it out of its case, gave a sheepish smile to her grandmother and sister and checked the screen.
“It’s Brooks Smith,” she murmured. He was the town’s main veterinarian. She always stopped in when she was in Rust Creek Falls to check out his practice and talk to him about the latest advances in animal care. She even helped him now and then. Maybe he wanted to set up a time they could get together while she was in town. He and his wife, Jazzy, ran a horse rescue ranch, and Hadley was always fascinated by the work they did there.
She held up her finger to her sister and grandmother, indicating she was going to take the call. “Hi, Brooks,” she said.
“Hey, Hadley. How are you?”
“I’m good. What’s up?”
“I need a favor.”
“What can I do?”
“I’m tied up on a ranch near Kalispell. Dr. Wellington, a vet working with me, quit unexpectedly, and my backup vet, my dad, just had knee replacement surgery.”
Hadley knew Brooks and his dad coordinated their practices even though they were in separate locations. Brooks’s dad had been gearing back, hoping to retire soon.
“What’s the favor?” Maybe he wanted her to go in and check on animals at his practice.
“There’s a mare in labor at the Circle D, and Eli thinks she’s in trouble. No obvious signs, but he knows horses. She’s down in her stall, and he’s worried.”
Her grandfather, Old Gene as he was called, came into the kitchen and was studying the women with a probing eye. He spotted Hadley on the phone.
“So you want me to drive to the Dalton ranch and see if he needs help?”
“That sums it up. I know it’s snowing and you’re spending time with your family, but Eli wouldn’t put out a call without good reason.”
“I have all-wheel drive. I’ll be fine. Does he know you’re calling me?”
“He doesn’t know I’m specifically calling you. I told him I’d try to get somebody out there. I’ll call him back and let him know. Thanks for doing this, Hadley. I owe you.”
“You owe me nothing. You know, Brooks, I mostly handle small animals. Horses aren’t my specialty.”
“You’re a vet, Hadley. That counts right now. I’ll tell Eli you’re coming, and I’ll text you his number in case you need it.”
Drew and Benjamin, two of Hadley’s cousins who were here for Thanksgiving, suddenly made an appearance in the kitchen doorway. Hosting family for the holidays, her grandparents had a full house. Drew and Benjamin were over six feet tall, and with their sudden male presence, the kitchen seemed very small.
“Are you really going out in this?” Old Gene asked.
Drew studied her with a worried expression. “This is supposed to be a monster storm. We could get a lot of snow in a short amount of time.”
“Then I’d better get going,” she said. “There’s a mare who needs me.”
And before anyone else could protest or stop her, she left the kitchen to dress in warmer clothes and boots.
* * *
Hadley veered down the lane to the Circle D, her vehicle’s tires churning up snow as she drove. She’d almost been relieved to leave her grandmother’s boardinghouse, and that was unusual. She enjoyed being with family. But on this visit there seemed to be pressure from her sisters, her grandparents and even her cousins to talk about her love life. She had no love life—with very good reason. No one knew why, and she wasn’t about to reveal it. Her parents were supposed to arrive for Thanksgiving next week, and that would mean even more pressure.
Pressure for what? Finding Mr. Right when Mr. Right didn’t exist? Pressure to be some woman she wasn’t? Pressure to get hurt again?
She took the fork in the lane that led to the house and barn. She assumed that if the mare was having problems, that’s where Eli Dalton would be. She thought about this rancher who was supposed to be one of the eligible bachelors in town. Their paths had crossed now and then, most recently at his sister Kayla’s wedding. But there were so many cowboys and ranchers in Rust Creek Falls that Hadley didn’t pay much attention to him. After all, she wasn’t looking.
As she climbed down from her vehicle and slammed the door, complete silence surrounded her. There wasn’t a creature stirring. Snow fell more heavily now, and she supposed they’d all taken cover as best they could. Montana was beautiful, but the winters could be harsh. Most humans and creatures living here knew how to survive and thrive. She was still trying to figure out the thrive part.
Opening the back door of her SUV, she grabbed her bag, closed the door and trudged to the barn. After she opened the door, her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light. As they did, she took in the scents—horses, hay, aged wood. She took a few more steps forward, and then she saw him. Eli Dalton was leaning low over his horse. She assumed it was his horse. The way he was caressing her, she saw so much caring just in the stroke of his hand. He was murmuring to her, encouraging her, and something in his tone made Hadley’s throat tighten. That was silly. She’d seen a man’s kindness to a horse before.
Eli’s hair was dark brown, thick, and fell over his brow as he leaned forward. He knelt by the horse’s back, his own back long and lean as he bent down to the horse’s belly and put his ear to it. His shoulders were so broad. Although he was kneeling, she could tell his legs were long. He was wearing the requisite worn cowboy boots that looked like his favorite pair. His navy insulated vest fell open over his green-and-navy flannel shirt. He was so focused on the horse, he was totally unaware that she’d come in.
She made sure her boots made a scuffling noise as she approached him.
He looked up as if startled from his concentration.
“I’m Hadley Strickland,” she said in explanation. “Brooks Smith called me to help you.”
He looked torn, as if he wanted to stand and approach her, yet he didn’t want to leave the horse. To help him with that dilemma, she went to him.
He held out his hand to her.
“I’m Eli Dalton. We met at Kayla’s wedding briefly. In the receiving line.”
As Hadley shook his hand and gazed into his eyes, her world seemed to spin a little faster. His grip was firm and warm and urged her breaths to come faster. Recognizing the red flags of attraction, she pulled her hand out of his clasp. “There was a lot of chatter and bedlam at the wedding,” she murmured for something to say. “That’s a wedding for you.”
He gave her an odd look, and she changed the subject. “So what seems to be the problem?” She looked over the horse again from her golden-brown coat to the white blaze, from her forelock to her nose.
“I’m not sure. Amber is a wild mustang I adopted. I gentled her. I’ve been with her every day. I’ve been around pregnant horses since I was three, and I know what pregnancy and labor is supposed to look like.”
“What are the signs that make you think something’s wrong?”
“This is a maiden mare from what I can tell, so I know she can foal a bit early or late. She’s not particularly high-strung, so I don’t think she’s resisting the normal process of delivery. Her udder has been swollen for the last five weeks. I’ve been cleaning her with warm cloths.”
“And she let you?”
“She trusts me.”
Hadley took that in. As she knelt beside Eli, she saw the thickened nipple. They naturally developed a thick waxy material. When the nipple got waxed, that was an indicator that the foal would be born within the next day or so. Even though Hadley didn’t often handle large animals, she knew each mare was unique. All the owner could do would be to evaluate all the signs for an impending foaling.
“Will she let me examine her?” Hadley asked.
“If I stay here and talk to her, she will.”
“All right, let me get my gloves on and we’ll do it.”
Hadley tried to forget that Eli was there as she checked signs of the rump and tail-head muscles softening. “Any changes in behavior?”
“She’s been more affectionate lately and separated herself from the other horses.”
“What about appetite?”
“She hasn’t eaten today.”
“I see you laid down straw.”
“I’ll switch it to shavings a few days after birth. Usually this is a natural process, but something’s bothering me about it.”
“Nothing specific?”
“No, but I didn’t want to get in trouble with the snowstorm. It was better to have someone here to help than me not having the expertise to handle anything unusual that comes along.”
Aha, Hadley thought. Eli was a planner. Rumor had it that he was steady and responsible. His attitude today proved it.
Hadley continued her examination, then stripped off her gloves and put her stethoscope back in her bag. “All we can do is wait. This could be a couple of hours, maybe more.”
They both heard the howl of the wind against the side of the barn. “Maybe you should leave. Go back to the boardinghouse while you can still get out.”
“Brooks is a friend, Mr. Dalton. He asked me to help so I’m here to help. I’m staying.”
Eli had to be a good six foot four. She was only five foot four. He studied her with probing green eyes from her green jacket to her cowl-necked pullover sweater to her skinny blue jeans and boots. “All right,” he said, “But call me Eli.”
“And I’m Hadley.”
He nodded. “It’s good to have backup here, Hadley. Thanks for coming out. Have you eaten lunch?”
“No. I didn’t think to grab anything to bring along.”
“I’ll go up to the house and get us something.” He nodded to the horse. “We have to keep up our strength so we can help her.”
“Amber, did you say?” she asked.
“Her coat’s that color,” he explained. “And her eyes.”
A man who noticed the color of a horse’s eyes. Eli Dalton was intriguing her more and more.
* * *
As Eli trudged through four inches of snow to the farmhouse, he knew he shouldn’t feel hot. It was just the stress of worrying about Amber. It wasn’t his blood running faster every time he looked at Hadley Strickland.
Although he’d more than noticed her when they’d crossed paths in the past, he’d never gone out of his way to chat her up. There was good reason for that. He knew her type all too well. She was educated and career-minded just as Elaine had been. His thoughts wanted to take him back twelve years, but he resisted as he always did. He had no intention of ever getting involved with a woman like that again. Since then, “serious” hadn’t been on his mind.
He knocked the snow from his boots before he went into the house. Once inside, it didn’t take him long. His mom always had the refrigerator stocked. After all, hungry ranch hands needed fuel. He scooped together sandwiches with thick bread and lots of meat and cheese, then slipped them into ziplock bags and put those into a grocery bag. He grabbed packets of mayonnaise and mustard from the refrigerator shelf. His mom kept plenty in there to put in lunch boxes for when they were out for the day fixing fence or other repairs. Next, he brewed coffee. When it was ready, he poured it into a large thermos, grabbed a tin of cookies, a few foam cups and paper dishes, then pushed everything into another grocery bag. Picking up both bags and the thermos, he headed out again.
In the barn once more, Eli spotted Hadley standing at Amber’s stall. The mare was back on her feet.
“She’s not ready,” Hadley said. “I think she’s trying to help herself.”
“You mean let gravity help her,” Eli amended.
Hadley looked at him then, her gaze locking to his.
He felt a jolt of elemental attraction that he attempted to dismiss.
“I told you I don’t have a lot of experience with horses,” she reminded him.
With difficulty, he transferred his focus to Amber again rather than Hadley and gave her an out if she wanted it. “I hate to tie you up here if it’s not necessary.”
“But you’re still worried.”
Apparently she could read him. He didn’t like that. Over the past dozen years, he’d dated...but never seriously. He tried not to let women read him. Still, he answered her truthfully. “I am worried. Not only about Amber. The snow’s getting deeper, and you might not be able to get out if you don’t go now.”
She laid her hand on his forearm. “I think taking care of a horse in labor is more important than my getting back to town.”
The sincerity in her voice rocked him almost as much as the feel of her hand on his arm.
They stood awkwardly for a few moments because they both knew what Hadley staying would entail. They’d be cooped up here together, almost perfect strangers who knew nothing about each other. She pulled her hand away from him.
They might be strangers, but he was becoming more curious about her.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go into the tack room and have some lunch. Dad had that area of the barn renovated so he could use it as an office as well as a tack room. He made sure it was safe for a gas-fed infrared heater. It’s not toasty, but it’s warmer than the barn.”
Hadley followed him to the tack room.
“Living in Montana, I’m sure you’ve been snowed in before.” They might as well get to know something about each other.
“I have,” she agreed with a nod. “If I’m at the clinic, I keep the animals company. I’ve always been able to entertain myself with a good book, and I carry one wherever I go.”
“Do you have one with you now?” he asked as he pulled a wood captain’s chair next to the desk chair.
“I have one in the SUV.”
Hadley was glancing around, and Eli tried to see the tack room area through her eyes. It was orderly with saddles on sawhorses and harnesses and bridles hanging on pegs on the wall. The concrete floor, absent of straw or any debris, made the space safe for the heater. The heater kept the room between fifty-five and sixty degrees when it was running. He kept his jacket hanging on a peg behind the door. If it came to it, Hadley could use his coat as well as her own. Eli’s gaze swept from the computer and flat-screen monitor on the scarred wood desk back to her.
She caught him watching her. “What?”
“I just wondered if you were cold.” He reached for the bag of sandwiches to give his hands something to do. For some reason, he was so tempted to push back the waves of her hair from her cheek. That was a crazy idea.
“I’m cold-weather friendly,” she told him with a smile. “Even though I spend most of my hours in the clinic with small animals, I do like to hike and cross-country ski.”
He arched his brows. “Good to know.”
A few minutes later he’d laid out everything he brought into the tack room and poured the coffee into the insulated cups. She looked at all of it a bit wide-eyed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Her cheeks reddened. “This is really thoughtful.”
He chuckled. “Making a few sandwiches and brewing coffee?”
“You brought chips and cookies, too.”
There was something in her voice that made him study her. “Why do you think that’s thoughtful? I need to eat as well as you.”
“Never mind,” she said, her cheeks growing a little redder.
He handed her a sandwich. “We could be here a while. We need stuff to talk about. Feel free to spill anything you want.”
Now she laughed. “It’s no deep, dark secret.”
Although those were the words that came from her very pretty lips, a shadow passed over her eyes. That shadow convinced Eli that maybe Hadley Strickland did have secrets. He waited.
“I’ve just come to expect men to think about themselves first.”
To lighten the mood, he grinned at her. “I did. I was hungry.”
She gave him a steady look. “Let’s just say I think your momma taught you well.”
That gave him pause. “She did,” he agreed. “Though with my brother Derek, I’m not sure he had his ears open.”
Hadley laughed. “He does have a reputation.”
“You’ve heard about it from Melba and Old Gene? Or maybe your sisters?”
“My sisters mostly. Not that we talk about men every time we get together.” There was amusement in her voice, and he wondered what they did talk about. Family? Their goals and dreams?
After taking a few bites of his sandwich and having a swallow of coffee, he asked, “How long are you staying in Rust Creek Falls?”
“I plan to stay until after Thanksgiving. My mom and dad will be joining the rest of the clan here.” When she said it, she wrinkled her nose slightly. When she did, he noticed freckles on her cheeks. She had such a beautiful natural look.
He cleared his throat and asked, “You’re not glad your mom and dad are coming?”
She looked thoughtful for a moment then shrugged. “Oh, I love spending time with Mom and Dad and the rest of my family. It’s just that sometimes they gang up on me because my life isn’t as settled as theirs. As long as I can keep the conversation on everybody else, we’re good.”
In the silence that followed, Hadley’s cell phone beeped. She’d opened her coat, and now she pulled the phone from a holder on her belt. Eli couldn’t help but glimpse under her coat—at her softly rounded breasts, her slim waist. She wasn’t tall either. Just how well did she handle the animals she treated?
When she seemed to hesitate about answering the call or text message, he encouraged her to do it. “You’d better use your phone while you can. Service is spotty out here on the best days, and on days like this, it can cut out anytime.”
She checked her phone and smiled. “It’s my grandmother. She wants to know if I got here safely.” Her thumbs worked the small keyboard, and then she returned to eating her sandwich.
“What did you tell Melba?”
“That I’m midwifing and don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“And you added, Don’t worry about me,” he guessed.
“You obviously understand the protective family.”
“I’m protective myself at times.” After all, he was the oldest. He’d learned responsibility at a young age. He’d not only learned it but accepted it. Taking care of those around him came naturally to him.
Suddenly Hadley put her sandwich down and looked over her shoulder.
“What is it?”
She put her finger to her lips to shush him, and seemed to listen intently. Then she got to her feet and was careful to step softly toward the shelves to the rear of the tack room.
“A field mouse could have made its way in here,” he began.
But Hadley paid no attention. Instead she bent over to the lowest shelf, moved a box of grooming equipment and scooped up something. When she turned around, in her arms she held a kitten.
At that moment, Eli knew he was in big trouble. Hadley Strickland standing there with a kitten in the crook of her arm was a sight that made his blood run fast and his heart increase its rhythm. Just what he didn’t need—an attraction to a well-educated woman who probably considered ranch life foreign to her. He had to get his libido under control and do it fast.
