Lasso My Heart

Lasso My Heart

All Rights Reserved

Lasso My Heart

Copyright Em Petrova September 2015

Kindle Edition

Cover Design by Bookin’ It Designs

Electronic Book Publication September 2015

Chapter One

Dixie looked up from folding the last of her husband’s worn jeans to see her big, muscled man at the screen door. His eyes were shadowed by his cowboy hat, but something was wrong—she saw it in the set of his shoulders.

“What is it?” She rushed across the kitchen to the door. She placed a hand on the mesh, and Josh raised his to press from the other side. His tension flowed into her, and she peered up to see his eyes, but she still couldn’t read him. He stood in the shade of the wide front porch.

“Calf’s coming forward upside down. I need your help.”

She glanced down at her jeans and tank top. “Good thing I haven’t gotten dressed for our anniversary dinner yet. Reservations are at six-thirty. Are we going to pull a calf and still make it?”

“We’re gonna try.” Josh turned and clomped away. If she didn’t know him inside and out, she’d still interpret his boots thumps. He was more worried than she’d ever seen him.

She grabbed her boots and shoved through the screen door, hopping across the porch as she yanked on her footwear. Questions flooded her mind, but her husband was already halfway to the barn.

By the time she reached him, he was on his knees before the big cow. Its big black body seemed to heave and shiver.

“How long’s she been laboring?” She leaned over Josh just as he slipped his whole arm up inside the cow. “Ack! Guess that rules out any anniversary sex. I know where your hand’s been.”

He twisted his head and gave her a wry grin, and she breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t so
worried he couldn’t still give her that bad-boy crooked smile.

Yet.

“By my guess, she’s been working this calf for about an hour.”

“Not long then. What can I do?” She braced her hands on her knees, watching disgusting goo run down her husband’s arm.

“Hell, it’s not going to come out this way. I have to turn it.”

“You’ve turned them before.” He’d owned the ranch before they’d even gotten married. He’d driven her up here and proposed on the sagging porch of the house, which he’d since fixed, and she signed up for the whole package deal with an instant “yes.”

“I haven’t turned a calf this difficult. And every time I try to push it back, the cow bears down and resists me.”

If they didn’t get the calf out, the umbilical cord could get compressed and the baby would struggle for oxygen. The cow could get too tired and stop trying to push. Dixie understood the seriousness, but she had a new red dress hanging in her closet and dinner reservations for two at the best steakhouse this side of the Mississippi.

Josh screwed up his face as he probed the innards of the animal. It gave a loud
mooooo
.

Dixie frowned. “Poor thing.” She started to move around the side of the cow, but Josh called her back.

“I’ve got a foot. I’m trying to find the other, but it’s tucked up. Push that bucket closer, will you?” His rough tone always burrowed deep into her and no matter the time or place, she wanted to jump him. This was one of those inopportune moments. She eyed a pile of hay a few feet off.

“Dixie.” He squinted up at her. Lines cut around his hard mouth and appeared at the corner of each eye.

She crash-landed back to the present. “Sorry.” She pushed the bucket of soapy water closer. Water sloshed, revealing the thick length of chain he was soaking to sterilize.

“Give me the end.”

She did, and he removed his hand from the inside of the cow to take it. “Ugh! Keep your cow slime to yourself.”

He chuckled, and some of the tension was broken. She settled a hand on his shoulder as he rooted around to find the other leg. “I was thinkin’ you look as pretty as you did the day we were married, Dixie.”

Her nipples pebbled at his slow, deep drawl. Oh yes, that hay was looking mighty inviting. She’d anticipated their first anniversary for more reasons than celebration. Josh had been out in the barn for two weeks.

When she’d married a rancher, she hadn’t considered that calving season would be like being single again. He got up at all hours to see to the expectant mothers. She’d roll over to snuggle him in bed and find him gone. At night he’d fall face-first onto the mattress without a glance at her sexy nightgown.

She’d hoped tonight would be just for them. But the animals came first.

The cow gave another low, guttural
moooo
, and she watched Josh’s face light.

“I got it.” He hooked the chain end around the tiny hooves sticking out. “Now for the hard part.”

“It can’t fit with the head angled that way?”

“No, and I can’t turn it.” Josh reached back in, past the calf’s legs. The noises of his arm moving around were appalling, even to a born and bred country girl like Dixie. She turned her head away.

“Aw, c’mon, Dixie darlin’. Are you getting squeamish on me?”

“I should be dabbing perfume in my secret spots, babe, not listening to a cow fart.”

Josh didn’t even laugh. He suddenly sat back on his heels, sweat running down his forehead into one eye.

She moved close again to offer him support. “You’re strong enough to get it out.” Her husband was six-four with enough muscle to knock out a whole offensive line in football. But in high school, he’d been too busy working to play sports.

Back then she’d had little interest in boys who did what her father did day in and out. She’d believed she’d marry a professional who wore a suit and tie to work, not a western shirt and Wranglers. But she’d quickly grown up and changed her mind.

She touched the hem of her tank top to Josh’s eye, wiping away the sweat that probably stung.

“Thanks, darlin’.”

“What can I do to help?”

“I’m not sure yet. I need to turn the head, but it’s going to take some work.”

“Want me to call Daddy? He could come up and help.”

“Nah, he’s probably got his own calves in the chute.”

Her father would drop anything to answer her call, but Josh was determined to run this ranch himself. He took pride in every chore. She loved him more for it, but just now she wanted to get this calf out, slip into her red, curve-hugging dress, and rush through an expensive dinner so she could straddle her cowboy and have some real fun.

“Stop looking at me that way, Dixie.”

She blinked away the visions of being seated atop Josh. “What way?”

“Like you’re going to do that trick with your mouth.”

A slow smile spread across her face. She flicked his ear with her tongue. “It’s totally what I’m planning, babe. Let’s get this calf out.”

“Hell yeah.” With determination, he pushed inside the cow. It issued a grunt, and Josh did too. His biceps bulged as he attempted to turn the head.

After five minutes, he rested back on his heels again, panting. “She’s fighting me. It goes against nature for someone to be moving the calf. The cow just wants to push.”

“What do we do?”

Time was winding down. Dixie felt every tick of her internal clock. Their reservations were getting closer. If this calf wasn’t born soon, they’d never have time to get dressed for dinner.

Also, the calf could die.

Josh’s blue gaze caught hers and held. “I’m not sure we’re going to make dinner, darlin’.”

She normally loved how he was able to read her mind, but not today. “No, we’ll make it. I won’t curl my hair.”

A soft smile tipped the corners of his mouth. “You’re gorgeous without curls. But I don’t think we have time even if the calf was born this very minute.”

She stomped a boot into the hay. “Seriously?”

He gave a single nod, his handsome face cut with guilt. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“Damn right you will.” She hit her knees beside him. “Let’s get this calf out so you can start the making it up to me part.”

* * * * *

Josh sat back on his heels for the third time, his mind galloping over the possibilities. He hadn’t grown up on a ranch or he might have seen this type of birthing before.

He was born to ranch, though, and he’d spent his whole life learning everything he could about it. The minute the old Lang place had gone up for sale, he’d been on their doorstep with his life’s savings and a promise from his bank for more. A few hours later he’d gone into town and bought Dixie a ring.

Now he was failing his cattle and his wife. He’d never seen her so unhappy—had sworn he’d never put a frown on her pretty face. Her eyes were darker than normal too—a sign that she could unleash her anger any minute. How was he going to get this calf into the world so he could make things right with Dixie?

“Would you get me a stick, Dixie darlin’?”

The crinkle between her dark brows deepened. “Stick?”

“A couple feet long. Something I can grab onto.”

When she pushed to her feet, he was distracted from his job long enough to marvel at her grace and beauty. Even with soiled hay stuck to her shins, she stole his breath.

As soon as she left the barn, he patted the cow’s side. “C’mon, girl. Let’s get this baby out so I can go back to making my wife smile.” He hadn’t been a terrific husband the past few weeks. The ranch had taken up all his time, and he’d been so busy keeping it going that he’d forgotten to take care of the most important thing in his universe—Dixie.

The chores were piling up, and he’d grown the herd enough that maybe it was time to start thinking of hiring some help.

“Is this long enough?” Her curvy legs in tight jeans were enough to make a man fall to his knees if he weren’t already there. Dammit, he had to get this calf out so he could throw those delectable legs over his shoulders and make Dixie scream.

He shook himself and accepted the stick. “Perfect.”

She shoved the pocketknife she’d used to cut the branch into her jeans. As a rancher’s daughter, she was always prepared. The fact that Dixie was an equal partner in all things gave Josh a thrill daily.

“What are we going to do?” She knelt beside him again despite the cow gunk.

His chest expanded. “First, I’m going to kiss your pretty little mouth. Give me some sugar.”

Eyes lighting, she swayed toward him. The instant their lips collided, he knew he was in deep trouble. She was pent-up—he could taste it. He groaned as her sweet, intoxicating flavor filled his head.

He held the kiss, battling the urge to pin her to the hay and plow into her tight body. Pulling away from her was one of the most difficult things he’d done in his life. “More of that later, I promise.”

“You’d better. This ranch is taking up all your time.” It was unlike her to voice it—she must really be upset about their reservations.

He stared into her dark brown eyes just as he had 365 days ago and spoke another vow. “I swear it. Now find me more chain in that bucket.”

She fished in the soapy water and found the end. When she handed it to him, he closed his fingers around hers. This time she didn’t protest his slimy fingers. Maybe he could save this night, after all.

Holding the chain, he reached inside the cow. The calf’s feet were out though the head was still up there a ways. The posture was correct—head first. But the calf needed to be spun. Once that happened, the animal would slip right out with minimal effort on his or the cow’s part.

“I’m going to use the stick as leverage to twist the legs.”

“Ohhh.” Dixie’s breathy tone didn’t help the tightness in his jeans. He shifted into a better position, drew the chain and calf closer and slid the stick through the loop end at the opening.

For two solid minutes he worked the calf around. The cow
moooed
and Dixie coached all three.

“C’mon, babe. You’ve got this. Oh poor Marianne, you’re going to be a great momma. Baby, you’re giving us a lot of trouble. You’d better fetch a good price at auction.”

Josh tossed his head back and laughed. “That’s a true rancher’s daughter—thinking of the profit, not the romantic side of a calf being birthed.”

“You love me for it.”

“I love you for a lot of things, but I can’t stop thinking about the mouth trick.”

“Get this calf out and I’ll show you how serious I am.” Her flirty tone gave him a boost.

He maneuvered the calf back up into the uterus to give him more ability to move it.

Everything happened at once—the calf slid belly down. The cow pushed. In a rush, the calf was deposited in the hay. Dixie threw her arms around Josh, and he thrust his tongue between her lips.

For five full heartbeats he forgot about ranching and kissed his wife. As he swiped his tongue over hers, the calf sneezed. They pulled apart with a laugh.

The cow caught its breath, heaved itself to its feet and nosed her baby. Josh hugged his wife to him and together they watched the new addition to their ranch family shake its head and sneeze again. Dixie’s laugh, the way her dark hair spilled over her breasts and her dancing eyes were what he’d always remember about this day.

“Happy anniversary, Dixie darlin’.”

“Happy anniversary, lover. And a happy birthday to this little guy.”