LITMIR.BIZ

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did large animals, cows, horses, goats and sometimes llamas. They had a mobile unit for things like this.

      But when push came to shove, they helped each other out.

      And when push came to pulling a calf out of its mother they definitely helped.

      Bennett took care of the cord and then turned his focus back to the mother.

      Kaylee moved to the calf, who was glassy-eyed, and not looking very good. But she knew from her limited experience with this kind of delivery that just because they came out like this didn’t mean they wouldn’t pull through.

      She checked his airway, brushing away any remaining mucus that was in the way. She put her hand back over his midsection and tried to get a feel on his heartbeat. “Bennett,” she said, “stethoscope?”

      “Here,” he said, taking it from around his neck and flinging it her direction. She caught it and slipped the ear tips in, pressing the diaphragm against the calf, trying to get a sense of what was happening in there.

      His heartbeat sounded strong, which gave her hope.

      His breathing was still weak. She looked around at the various tools, trying to see something she might be able to use. “Dave,” she said to the man standing back against the wall. “I need a straw.”

      “A straw?”

      “Yes. I’ve never tried this before, but I hear it works.”

      She had read that sticking a straw up a calf’s nose irritated the system enough that it jolted them into breathing. And she hoped that was the case.

      Dave returned quickly with the item that she had requested, and Kaylee moved the straw into position. Not gently, since that would defeat the purpose.

      You had to love animals to be in her line of work. And unfortunately, loving them sometimes meant hurting them.

      The calf startled, then heaved, its chest rising and falling deeply, before it started to breathe quickly.

      Kaylee pulled the straw out and lifted her hands. “Thank God.”

      Bennett turned around, shifting his focus to the calf for the first time and away from the mother. “Breathing?”

      “Breathing.”

      He nodded, wiping his forearm over his forehead. “Good.” His chest pitched upward sharply. “I think Mom is going to be okay too.”

      They stood watching for a moment as the calf stood up on shaky limbs, taking its first few tentative steps. It was all a good sign, but they had both seen enough to know that there was no such thing as out of the woods.

      “Give me a call,” Bennett said to Dave. “If you need anything, anytime of night, give me a call.”

      “I will. I’m going to set up in here tonight.”

      “Good. If he makes it through the night... Well, the odds will be pretty good from here.”

      Dave shook his head. “I didn’t know how stressful all this was.”

      “I know people don’t understand,” Bennett said. “How you can care so much about animals you raised for food. But I know. They’re your livelihood, and your whole life on top of it.”

      Dave nodded. “They are.”

      He shook Bennett’s hand, then turned and shook Kaylee’s too. As his hand close over hers she realized what a mess she was. She looked down and saw that her skin was streaked with the aftereffects of touching the recently birthed cow. A fine accessory to go with her flirty date dress.

      They collected their gear, and Kaylee followed Bennett outside.

      They both looked...well, a little bit ragged.

      “You’re wearing a dress,” he said again.

      Yes, she supposed that bore paying attention to, considering her typical uniform was plaid button-up shirts and worn jeans. If she was feeling really fancy maybe a belt with some rhinestones on it.

      “I was on a date, Bennett,” she said, articulating the Ts a bit more sharply than necessary.

      “Were you?” he asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest and leaning against the truck.

      She pushed her now-completely-tangled red hair off her face. “I was.”

      “Anyone I know?” he asked, his tone overly casual.

      He was asking so he could cast aspersions. It was what he did. And it rankled. He was never going to be her boyfriend. And yet he took great delight in judging every single one she’d ever had and finding them unworthy.

      “Depends,” she said, keeping her tone sweet. “Do you know Clarence the dachshund?”

      He arched a brow. “I do not.”

      “Well, I had a date with Clarence’s owner. And since you don’t know Clarence that doesn’t mean anything to you.”

      “I didn’t think we dated the owners of patients,” he said, frowning.

      “Well, that’s much easier for you, Bennett. If I eliminated every man in town with a pet then I would never be able to date.” She pretty much didn’t. And actually, tonight was the first time she’d been on a date in over a year.

      Bennett let out a very masculine-sounding sigh, and she ignored the slight shock wave it sent through her. “Do you want to come over and have a beer?”

      She really, really needed to say no. She was supposed to be on a date with another man, she was definitely not supposed to end the night platonically hanging out at Bennett’s house again. It was her default. She did it too often.

      She had done it all throughout his dating Olivia Logan, feeling so pointlessly jealous of everything the cute, petite woman was. Certainly everything that Kaylee wasn’t. Refined. Fine-boned. Short. Definitely able to wear giant heels around any man without towering over them. Not that she would tower over Bennett in heels.

      At six-four he was definitely tall enough to stand next to her in most shoes. Which had made his association with Olivia even more irritating, since the woman was barely five foot three. That was how that always worked. Tall men with tiny women. Irritating for women like her.

      But he and Olivia had broken up a few months ago when Bennett had failed to propose quickly enough for Olivia’s liking, and then, much to everyone’s shock, Olivia had gone and fallen in love with Luke Hollister, who was her polar opposite.

      She was from the town’s most prominent family. She was prim. Luke was...not.

      She hadn’t really been able to gauge how Bennett felt about it, and selfishly, she hadn’t really wanted to either. She was just relieved. Relieved he hadn’t married her, because even though she didn’t harbor hopes of marrying him herself, if Bennett did get married, things would change.

      She didn’t want that.

      “I...”

      Bennett’s phone rang, and he fished it out of his pocket and answered it. “Hello?” He frowned.

      Kaylee took a moment to take stock of her appearance. Her dress was rumpled now, and she was...well, she was a mess. And Bennett still wanted to have a beer with her. Well, because she was like a guy to him, really.

      He would invite a guy over to have a beer even if he was dirty.

      “Really?” Bennett sounded suddenly irritated. Or maybe, irritated wasn’t quite right. Intense. “Really,” he repeated. “We’ll talk about it later. I’m out dealing with a calf.”

      He hung up the phone, and looked at Kaylee. “That was Wyatt.” Wyatt Dodge was Bennett’s oldest brother, and the boss at Get Out of Dodge Dude Ranch.

      “Really?” She unconsciously parroted Bennett. “What did he say?”

      “Luke

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