Shannon Vannatter - Winning Over The Cowboy

“I’ll be there in five.” No hesitation in her voice.

He ended the call. Slid his phone in his pocket, stepped inside the barn to get supplies, took them out near the cow and then went back in to wash up.

As he finished preparations, he heard footfalls and walked outside, his hands held up in the air like a surgeon waiting for a nurse to cover them with gloves. The cow lay on her side, where he’d left her.

“She’s been at it awhile. I might have to pull it,” he said to Landry as she approached.

“My hands are smaller. Let me, if it comes to that.”

“You’ve done this before?”

“Once.” She kept up with his hurried pace. “Do you have a head gate to restrain her?”

“We do, but she’s already down. She’s tame and this isn’t her first calf, so we should be good to go.”

What else was this woman capable of? She was nothing like his sister, who cringed and gagged over baiting her own fish hook.

“How long has she been like this?” Landry asked.

“I knew she was ready a few hours back, and she lay down an hour ago.” As they neared the cow, he saw one hoof. Only one.

“That means the elbow is caught.” She ran her left hand down the russet-colored hide.

He was completely stumped, couldn’t believe she actually knew that. “That just happened during the time I went to call you.”

“We’re here to help you, hon.” She looked up at Chase. “Does she have a name?”

“Penelope. The gloves and lubricant are in the top of the supply box.”

“Okay, Penelope.” She picked up the poly sleeve, slid her right hand into it. It was so long, it wadded up around her shoulder. “Let’s get down to business.”

Penelope flinched, moaned a weak moo as Landry went to work.

“I know, Penny. It’s okay. I’m just gonna see what’s going on.” She gritted her teeth. “Poor girl. You’re already hurting and I’m making it worse. Pet her, Chase.”

“Feel anything?” He ran his fingers along the cow’s neck. “Do you know what to do?”

“There we go. I freed the elbow.” She pulled off her glove and patted Penelope’s hip. “Do your stuff, girl.” She turned to Chase. “Let’s give her a little privacy.”

He was in awe. She really knew the ropes. “We need to keep an eye on things.”

“Over by the barn. She’ll relax better.”

He followed, then settled beside her. Tried to cram his growing respect for her down. Just because she knew her way around a ranch didn’t mean he wanted her owning half of his.

She caught him staring. “What?”

“Who are you, Landry Malone?”

She grinned. “I grew up on a ranch with cattle, worked at a dude ranch for years, and my cousin is a vet. I watched my first calf birth at nine, saw my first pull at twelve, pulled one at seventeen.”

“So, your folks own a Christian bookstore and a ranch?” Sounded like her family had plenty. Like she didn’t need to scam anyone.

“The ranch belongs to my grandparents. I spent lots of time there.”

“You’re nothing like Eden.”

“No.” Her gaze stayed on Penelope, but her smile widened. “Your sister didn’t like to get dirty, hated the smell of farm animals and was afraid of worms.”

“Don’t tell me. Y’all went fishing and you had to bait her hook?”

“Every time.”

“Me, too.” What could Eden have had in common with her? “What made y’all friends?”

“I guess she reminded me of my sister.” She turned to face him, frowned. “And Eden said I reminded her of you. Not sure if that was a compliment.”

He chuckled. “She probably just meant the outdoorsy thing.” Landry wasn’t afraid to get dirty, but that didn’t affect her femininity. He almost wanted to apologize for giving her a hard time. Almost wanted to trust her. But just because she could release a calf, it didn’t mean she wasn’t out to get his inheritance.

“Maybe we could go fishing sometime.”

“Maybe.”

“The other foot just came.” Her awed whisper caught him off guard.

He’d forgotten all about poor Penelope.

Within an hour they had the calf standing.

“So sweet.” Teary-eyed, Landry watched the calf find its legs, the mama nuzzling it along. “Can I name her Petunia?”

“Go for it.”

This was supposed to have tested her mettle. But again, she’d risen to his challenge. He couldn’t let his guard down, though. He had to shake her down if he wanted to keep his family’s ranch in the family. Not in the hands of the interloper his sister had forced on him.

* * *

By lunchtime, Chase’s stomach growled as he smelled the aroma of garlic, onion and tomato sauce drifting from the kitchen. But he didn’t have time to stop and eat. Monday brought lots of errands to run.

From looking at Landry Malone, dainty, pristine, girly, he never would’ve imagined her willingly tackling messy jobs. Nor could he have redone the website if he’d tried. He’d have to do better if he planned to trip her up today. But he was running out of ideas.

In the kitchen, his parents and Landry wore matching food prep hats while they worked.

Mom cleaned the buffet warmer. Dad scrubbed the grill. Landry disinfected the counter, a smile on her face. As if they’d worked together for years. A team. And they had been, several years ago. Back when he’d let his family down—done his traveling thing—Landry had been here to pick up his slack.

But the only thing he knew for certain about her was that she was beautiful. Even with her wavy mane covered by the goofy-looking cap.

He looked over at his mother and saw that she was measuring him. “Have you eaten lunch?”

“I’ll grab something in town.” He cleared his throat. “I have to pick up the new bedspread and run several errands. Need anything?”

Both his parents shook their heads.

Landry bit her lip. “Could I come along?”

No. He did not want to haul her around. “Sure.”

“I need a few things, and I can’t really remember the layout of the town. Is there a Walmart?”

He chuckled. “Thirty minutes away in either Boerne or Kerrville. We have a Dollar General and a grocery store.”

“That’ll work. Just let me get my purse.” She hurried past him, leaving a cloud of flowery perfume mixed with fruity shampoo in her wake. Despite the fact that she’d cooked manicotti and a host of other spicy dishes for lunch.

He followed and waited in the foyer while she went to Granny’s private quarters. A few minutes later she was back, her purse slung over her shoulder.

“I’m ready.” She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail. He’d never been a fan of the style, but she made it look good.

“Let’s go.” He strolled to the door, opened it for her.

Once in the truck, her flowery smell intensified. His vehicle would never be the same.

“So, tell me how you came to live here for a while.” He chanced a glance at her, then backed out of his parking spot. “Back when you were in culinary school with Eden?”

“They never told you?”

“Might have.” He pulled onto the highway. “But I probably wasn’t listening. It’s a guy thing.”

“At least you admit it.” She snickered. “I learned a long time ago—if you don’t talk about trucks, sports, business or livestock, men don’t listen.”

“Brothers?”

“No. Just a sister. A dad. Male cousins. Ranch-hand coworkers.”

“Isn’t Aubrey close to Dallas?”

She kept her eyes on the road. “It is, and I could have gone to school in Dallas. But I was eighteen years old and had never been away from home. I wanted to spread my wings, so I chose the San Antonio option.”

“And Eden invited you to live at the dude ranch?”