another, but that had to have been some years ago. From her understanding Brendan and Chase had been sharing women for quite some time, or had they?
* * *
Katlyn strolled past Tessa’s cabin, deep in thought, and about ran straight into Angus who was racing past. “Sorry, Katlyn. There’s trouble in the barn.”
Instead of heading off home, Katlyn followed Angus, who was a shifter of a different breed. He was a guard llama of all things.
High-pitched moans and groans were coming from one of the stalls, and when Katlyn finally made it there, Brendan, Chase, and now Agnus were in the stall where a white mare was sprawled out on the floor.
“What’s going on?” Katlyn asked, but when she began to see liquid pour out of the rear of the horse, she muttered. “Oh, my, she’s giving birth.”
“You might not want to see this,” Brendan said, as he was positioned near the mare’s head, cooing to her gently. “It’s okay, Clover. She’s one of us now.”
Chase was on the other side of the horse, massaging her neck. “It’s okay, girl. Just take it easy now.”
The sight of both Brendan and Chase so intent on calming the animal as she was so obviously in labor pulled at her heart strings. These men weren’t just her mates; they were remarkable in many ways. They actively worked the ranch right along with the ranch hands, something she hadn’t expected ranch owners to do, but what she didn’t realize before she came here was that she knew very little about how a ranch really was run in Wyoming. Brendan and Chase were partly mountain lions, and she’d found their animal instincts might just be of good use with their livestock.
Angus rolled up his sleeves and knelt near the rear of the horse. “When the foal is out, you’ll be amazed at the miracle of birth.”
Katlyn swallowed hard as more liquid poured out of the animal and said, “Okay, just tell me what I need to do and I’m there.”
Brendan raised a brow. “Are you sure you’re up for this? You’ll be giving birth at some point yourself and this might be too much for you to witness.”
Katlyn narrowed her eyes. “A human giving birth is much different than an animal.”
Chase smiled. “True, but there’s much more involved with an animal, and Clover is going to need all of the help we can give her.”
“ Which is exactly why I’m staying.”
She knelt next to Angus, who smiled at her before taking his attention to the mare now staggering to her feet, limping to the side as Brendan cooed to her, “Careful, girl, get back down now.” The mare knelt and was again lying on the floor, twisting her neck in Katlyn’s direction. When their eyes met, there was a silent communication between horse and human that couldn’t be put quite into words. She needed help, and Katlyn vowed that she’d do her best to do whatever was asked of her.
Clover flopped back down and groaned loudly as fluid continued to flood the straw beneath her. “It’s getting close now,” Angus explained.
Brendan and Chase whispered to Clover and Katlyn wondered what they said as the animal laid her head down for a few minutes. She lifted it again, baring her teeth momentarily, before a white bag came out of the horse with what looked like two legs inside, the legs of the foal.
Angus switched positions and told Katlyn, “We’ll just stand by and see if she’s able to push the foal out before we assist her.”
They watched as the sack was partially out of the horse now, and Angus ripped off the bag where it covered the head of the foal, rubbing it until he noticed the foal move. “Take it easy, mama,” Brendan cooed to her as Chase rubbed the horse gently on the side.
Katlyn bit her lip at how hard it seemed for the horse to push out her baby, but at this point, Angus moved back. Clover moaned, and more of the foal was visible. When only part of its hind legs were still inside the mother, she moved her head, checking on her brand new baby who’d tried to stand
The Haunting of Henrietta
Eleanor Coerr, Ronald Himler