7
Wednesday afternoon had Zoë venturing outdoors to explore the ranch. Dinner plans were well in hand and, with nothing to do before she had to begin preparations, she decided to see the men in action. Despite having their duties described to her, she wanted to see them at work, curious as to what they did all day while she was indoors.
She’d just finished exploring the house. Well, the main level of it anyway. Already having felt intrusive doing that much, she hadn’t dared ventured upstairs. The great room she’d first seen on Sunday was impressive with ceiling to floor windows on one side, broken only by narrow walls in between the giant panes of glass. It was a warm and inviting space with leather furniture and a massive fireplace constructed of river rocks. Her favourite room was the den, again with leather furniture, an over-stuffed armchair catching her eye, and featuring a wall lined with bookshelves. It was an enticing place to read although not many titles had appealed to her, the books seemingly comprised of history tomes and crafting guides. Ethan certainly hadn’t purchased the latter, and she’d noticed other feminine touches throughout the rooms. She wondered if there was an ex-Mrs. Collins, or perhaps even a deceased one. Then again, Ethan didn’t come across as wounded or bitter, more just a bit of an asshole, really.
She tucked the sweater’s collar around her throat to block the brisk wind. It carried a chill with it, one that hadn’t been present much this spring, but winter’s end was often marked by gross variations in weather. A few trees dotted the property but this corner of Alberta was prairie land, ripe for harsh winds. Never having been in this part of the country before, she found a stark beauty to the prairies, an untamed charm, with vast skies running into expansive views. There was a feel of freedom to the place. Strange, considering it was almost a prison to her, the ranch being a small area she didn’t dare stray far from. Bison Bluffs was the extent of how far she’d venture and then only when necessary. Hiding was just that and, until she received word, the ranch was where she’d remain, safely tucked away from big cities, crowds of people, or any place the men she’d eluded could find her.
Following the sound of lowing, she rounded a huge barn and spotted a long fence. Behind it she clearly saw cows and men on horseback. She strode toward it until furious barking caused her to halt. Two dogs leapt over the fence and barreled toward her, still barking. As she stood still, debating what to do, knowing she shouldn’t run from them, a third dog, a Boxer, clumsily clawed its way under the bottom fence rung and then followed its comrades.
At a loud whistle, all three dogs stopped in their tracks and quieted. The sound of hoof beats drew her eyes past the dogs to Ethan atop a horse. Despite her ongoing fear of the dogs, she couldn’t look away from the captivating sight of him. In obvious complete control of the massive animal, his straight posture was commanding and relaxed at once, and he and the horse seemed to be a single entity, moving with a conjoined smoothness that was breathtaking. Ethan brought the horse to a stop, dismounted, hopped the fence with a surprising grace, and then employed long strides to cross the distance between them. Oh, God! She moaned inwardly. He does wear chaps. If she’d ever seen a sexier-looking man, she couldn’t recall. Cowboy hat, boots, well-fitted jeans, and chaps. Like most women raised in cities, the idea of a cowboy was an enticing one to her, but one that had seemed distant and unobtainable. The physical manifestation of that fantasy was striding toward her and she resisted an urge to bite her lip. He stopped a few feet from her and the dogs gathered around his legs. When he held up a hand, the dogs sat, the Boxer on one side of him, the other dogs on the other.
“Um.” Her cheeks felt heated. Maybe it was him—why did he have to be so hot?—or perhaps the feeling he’d caught her doing something she shouldn’t have. Surely, he didn’t expect her to stay in the house when she didn’t have work to do in the kitchen, but the look upon his face made her wonder. He appeared to want an explanation for her presence and, seeing how she’d ended up inadvertently interrupting his work, she forced herself to clarify. “I wanted to see what you guys do during the day. I thought you’d have the cows further out by now.”
“Most of them are, but this group is pregnant and due soon, so we keep them close to the barn, just in case.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” She looked to the dogs again, still wary of them and then back to Ethan when he chuckled.
“Don’t worry about the dogs. They just barked to alert me someone was here. Now that I’m interacting with you, they won’t view you as a threat, and won’t bark at you again.”
She wasn’t so sure about that. While the Boxer seemed relaxed, the other two stared at her with a scary intensity. One had weird eyes, sort of like broken marbles, and it unnerved her. Still, this was the most Ethan had spoken to her since the interview, and she wanted to keep the conversation going.
“There are more dogs than these three, right? I’ve heard them barking and it sounded like way more than three.”
“The other four are out with the rest of the men.”
“Wow. Seven dogs. What are their names?”
“These two are Happy and Sneezy and this dunderhead,” he said as he motioned to the Boxer, “is Dopey.”
When she frowned uncertainly, he snickered. Smiling at his upbeat mood, never having seen it before, she shook her head. “You had me going there for a minute, thinking you named your dogs after cartoon characters.”
“As if. These two are Mouse and Kelly, and the Boxer is Butthead.”
Now she chuckled. Admittedly, the dog didn’t appear very bright, staring at her vacantly with his tongue spilling out of the side of his mouth, but the moniker seemed harsh. “That’s kind of mean.”
“No, it’s warranted believe me. He’s about as sharp as a mashed potato.”
She snort-giggled at that and Ethan grinned in response. “It’s still kind of mean,” she insisted. “He can’t be that stupid.”
“Yeah, he can. He’s stunned, truly. He suffered a brain injury just after he showed up here.”
“Oh, that’s terrible. What happened to him?”
“Well, he just appeared one day. Some idiot must have dumped him here to be rid of him. It happens, people leaving cats and dogs on farms, figuring one more animal won’t make a difference, but he’d obviously never been around livestock before. The bulls scared him but he chased my girls. I’d already talked to folks around here asking them to put out the word I had a Boxer that needed a home, but nobody wanted him. I had no intention of keeping him and Cole, the veterinarian in town, put a notice up in his office. Still no one wanted him, and I didn’t want to, but I was set to take him to the shelter in Lethbridge. He couldn’t work cattle and dogs here have jobs to do. Anyway, one day he got too close to one particularly spirited heifer and she booted him in the head.”
“That’s awful! He could have been killed.”
“Easily, yeah. I thought he was done for but rushed him to Cole anyway, and sure enough Cole saved him. After all Butthead went through I didn’t have the heart to take him to the shelter. He’s still a shitty working dog, but he learned his lesson about getting too close to the cattle.” He shrugged. “But he truly is dumb as dirt.”
His last comment drew a smile from her again. “Well, he looks like a great companion.”
“That he is,” he agreed. “He follows me everywhere and he’s a fun dog. He’s always doing something wacky. Truthfully, I thought he was stupid before he got kicked. He’s definitely worse now, but he was stunned before. Like all foam and no beer.”
When she chuckled, once more finding Ethan’s insights funny, he grinned again. Like the others before, it was lop-sided, and she found it endearing. “You’re certainly full of insults for the poor thing. How many of those do you know?”
“Tons. He has an intellect rivalled only by garden tools. He’s as much use as an ashtray on a motorcycle.”
She laughed loudly and so vigorously she doubled up. Ethan must have found her reaction amusing because he kept going, even when she waved her arms for him to stop.
“He couldn’t pull a greased string out of a cat’s ass. He's so dense light bends around him.”
Howling with laughter, not having heard those expressions before, she held her stomach. It felt good to laugh and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed as hard. Certain she couldn’t take any more of Ethan’s hilarious put-downs though, she shook her head.
“Stop. You’re killing me here.”
Wiping under her eyes as she stood straight again, she glanced at Butthead. He cocked his head, and his expression was so vacant it set her off into gales of laughter again. When she finally composed herself, Ethan stared at her. She thought he looked about to leave and, scrambling to come up with something to talk about, she remembered the odd eyes on the one dog.
“What’s wrong with that dog’s eyes? She can’t be blind if she’s driving cattle, right?”
“She’s not blind. Her eyes are strange, I agree. It’s called cracked glass eye and it’s a peculiarity of her breed. Both of these girls are Catahoula Leopard Dogs.”
“I’ve never heard of them,” she replied, thinking they looked like mixed breed dogs and not purebreds, and truly not seeing much similarity between the two. “Are they a really good herding breed?”
“Lots of breeds are. My dad insisted on using Catahoulas though. He wasn’t fond of heelers and while these dogs are a little mouthy, their prey drive is low. They won’t get aggressive with the cattle and that’s what my dad was after. He got a couple of them years ago, fell in love with the breed, and then wouldn’t even think of using another. Since I’ve taken over the ranch, I’ve only had to get one new dog, but I got a Catahoula. Tradition, I guess.”
“So, your parents are retired then?” she asked, hoping he wouldn’t relate a more tragic end to their tenure on the ranch.
“Yep, seven years ago. I’d tell you they live in Calgary, but they’re hardly ever there. They travel a lot.”
“Enjoying their golden years, I take it.”
“That they are.”
He resumed staring at her. She had the distinct impression he was studying her, again. Maintaining her bright smile, she tried to look innocent for his benefit and, after a moment, he lifted his chin in the direction of the barn.
“The first calf of the season was born yesterday. Do you want to see him?”
“Yes, I’d love to.”
Ethan whistled and pointed to the fence and the two female dogs ran back to the area, practically flying over the fence. Their compliance with hand signals amazed her but she reasoned it made sense for the dogs to be trained that way as with a large herd of cattle they might not always hear a verbal command. They walked to the barn in silence, Butthead following them. Inside the barn, she blinked a few times to adjust to the dimmer lighting after the sunniness outside. She nodded to Jeff when they passed a stall he was mucking. At the sound of lowing, and a high-pitched moo, she drew closer to a stall. She could only see the calf’s legs as he was on the opposite side of the cow. Disappointed, she was about to turn away when the calf bounded around his mother, hopped on all fours, and then nuzzled under her to nurse. He was fuzzy and adorable. She turned to Ethan to see him grinning like a proud father.
“He is so darn cute! What’s his name?” she asked.
“Well, they don’t get named unless they’re staying here. Mind you, he’s a big boy, I might keep him for a breeding bull.”
He seemed hesitant to say anything else on the matter. She’d clearly heard what he wouldn’t give voice to, that, if he didn’t keep the calf as a breeding bull, then it would go to the abattoir when weaned. River Rock Homestead was a veal farm. Some people might object to that but she’d come to grips with where the food she served came from long ago.
“You could just name him Osso Buco until you decide,” she suggested, trying to lighten the mood again.
“That I could,” he agreed with a smile. “Fine. Osso it is.”
Delighted she’d named the sweet little calf, she placed her hands on the gate to watch Osso for a bit. Ethan joined her and, standing beside her, placed a hand close to hers on the railing. Her peripheral vision caught him looking at her, not Osso. Pleased with how friendly he was today, she felt her job seemed more secure and breathed an inward sigh of relief. Maybe Ethan wasn’t the hard-ass she’d thought him to be. Testing him, she shuffled sideways a bit, drawing closer to him but not touching him. She was so close she could feel the heat of his body and she discreetly breathed in his scent. He smelled like manly soap, sunshine, leather, and sweat, and the aroma was intoxicating. Best of all, he hadn’t moved away from her.