him. He’d never considered trying to pass on his knowledge before, but the more he thought about this gig, the more he liked it.
The sun had begun its descent behind the Big Horn Mountains by the time he arrived at the ranch. He drove straight to the barn and parked next to a cherry-red van with a wheelchair mount on the back and a vanity plate that read COOKIN. The van was empty but the driver’s door was wide-open.
The van probably belonged to the mare’s owner, Aria Danes. According to Rosie, Aria had been three years behind him in school, so he didn’t remember her, but now she worked at the bank where Rosie and Herb had an account. Weird license plate for someone who was in banking, but maybe the lady had a dark sense of humor. If so, he’d enjoy that.
The foal was intended to be a morale booster for Aria’s older brother, Josh, who’d taken a bad fall during a riding event and had mobility issues. Brant vaguely remembered the guy although they’d never been friends. Rosie had heard about Aria’s plan and had offered to board Lucy in exchange for the educational value a pregnant mare and her foal would bring to the curriculum. Rosie loved win-win situations like that.
Brant walked over and closed the van’s door. Aria had left her keys in the ignition and her purse lying on the passenger seat, but that was no problem around here. She and her brother were probably too excited to think about the van.
He understood that. He’d begged to go along every time his foster father had been called out to deliver a foal. Watching the process had convinced him that his future would involve helping those vulnerable babies get a good start in life.
The sound of low-pitched voices drifted through the open barn door. According to Rosie they’d created a birthing stall by taking down the partition between two regular stalls at the far end of the barn. That was where everyone was gathered, including Rosie, Cade and Cade’s girlfriend, Lexi. Herb was probably inside the stall with Lucy.
Brant spotted Cade’s easygoing gray cat sleeping on a blanket thrown across a hay bale. There was no sign of a guy in a wheelchair, but a young woman paced the width of the aisle, head down and arms folded against her stomach. Because he was a guy, he noticed the curve of her breasts and hips.
But he was also a horse trainer who recognized the tension eddying around her. Unwelcome tension. If she had a sense of humor, dark or otherwise, it wasn’t showing.
The skirt of her purple-flowered sundress swirled around her knees with each impatient step. Wavy dark hair that hung to the middle of her back rippled as she moved. Aria Danes was wound tight and that was not good for this impending birth.
Rosie started toward him, followed by Cade and Lexi, but just then the woman glanced up, unfolded her arms and marched in his direction. Rosie paused and motioned Cade and Lexi to do the same.
“You’re Brant. I remember you now. You look the same, only bigger.” Her eyes, an unusual shade of violet, reflected her agitation.
Time to diffuse this bomb. He touched the brim of his Stetson and smiled. “Bigger and I hope better. Pleased to meet you, Aria.”
“Thank God you’re here.” She didn’t return his smile as she tilted her chin to meet his gaze. “Rosie says you have a magic touch with newborns.”
“Now that’s a fact.” He lifted his hat slightly and settled it back on his head. “I can make them appear and disappear, float three feet in the air, change color—”
“Rosie also warned me you like to kid around.”
“On occasion.” And that obviously wasn’t working for her, although he’d heard a muffled snort from Cade.
“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”
“I can see that.” He snuck a quick glance over Aria’s shoulder and his three railbirds were still there taking in the show.
She folded her arms again and frowned. “It’s very important to me and to...to my brother that this foal gets a good start in life.”
“I promise to give it my all, ma’am.” He adopted the soothing tones he used with a nervous horse. “But with all due respect, things will go a lot smoother if everyone stays calm and relaxed.”
She blinked. Then her cheeks turned pink. “Oh, um, I didn’t mean to sound so...” She trailed off with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I’ve been on edge ever since Rosie called me at the bank this afternoon. She said you were on your way, but when I got off work and found out you weren’t here...”
“Well, I made it.” From the corner of his eye he caught Rosie giving him a thumbs-up.
“Yes, you did.” Some of the strain eased from Aria’s expression.
He counted that a small victory. “What about Josh? Couldn’t he come with you?”
Disappointment flickered in her eyes. “No, he... I couldn’t convince him to come. And, to be fair, there’s no set timetable for this, is there? It could be awkward for him if it goes on all night.”
“I suppose it could.” But he wished she’d been able to talk her brother into coming out to be a part of this. It might have done him a world of good. “What do you say we go on down there and check on Lucy’s progress?”
“Absolutely.” She clapped her hand to her forehead. “And I just realized I’ve been keeping you from your family. Not nice.”
“I’m sure they understand that you’re stressed.”
“That’s no excuse.” Straightening her shoulders, she turned, but by that time Rosie and company had resumed their stations right outside the stall, as if they hadn’t been lined up behind her listening to every word. “Rosie, I apologize for intercepting him.” She walked toward the group and Brant followed. “I was just...glad to see that he’d made it.”
“We’re all glad.” Rosie came forward and gave him a fierce mom hug. Usually she dolled herself up when one of her boys was headed home, but today she’d been helping with Lucy and wore practical clothes—an old shirt and faded jeans. Her blond hair was in disarray and her usual red lipstick was AWOL.
As he wrapped his arms around one of the two most important people in his life, he breathed in the cherished floral scent that he associated with comfort and security. The top of her head didn’t reach his shoulder, but she was a bigger person than anyone he knew besides Herb. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you, too, son.” Then she stepped back and winked at him. “Good thing you made it.”
He grinned back at her. “You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet, little lady. Wait’ll I show you my floating foal trick.”
Cade stepped forward and grasped his hand before pulling him into a quick dude hug. “I can hardly wait, bro.”
“I’ll bet.” Brant was glad to see Cade looking so good—tanned, fit and happy.
“Yeah, I haven’t seen that trick in ages.” Lexi, one of the main reasons for Cade’s happiness, moved in for her hug. A bundle of energy with a curly mop of brown hair, she was the daughter of Rosie and Herb’s closest friends and had been part of Thunder Mountain life for years. “Every ranch needs a resident magician.”
Aria’s frown
