Page 50 of Second Chance Saloon

Rea shot him a skeptical look. “No offence, Mr. Craigton but—”

Jackie put up her hand, cutting her off. “He’s an equine vet. He knows what he’s doing.”

Rea looked at him for a split second, then nodded. “Oh, okay, that’s perfect. Thank you, thank you so much! Can you go with him, Jackie? I know nothing about birthing horses.”

“Of course.” Jackie gave her a weak smile. “Call your mom and tell her I’m bringing a vet round to help.”

The fifteen-minute drive to Estrella and Bruno’s seemed to last for hours. Jackie worried the Jeep’s steering wheel might get crushed under her death grip. Half an hour might not sound like a lot of time when it comes to labor, but she’d seen it go wrong twice at the ranch.

“How much further is it?” Mitch’s sharp eyes focused on the road ahead.

“We’re almost there.” She blew out a shaky breath. “They’re good people. They love their horses. Why did this happen to them?”

“Hey, we don’t know yet what’s going on. It might be totally fine.”

Jackie shot him a quick dubious glance. “How often do you see complications during foaling?”

He chewed on his bottom lip. “Most of the time everything goes smoothly. Half of the time I’m not even needed, but the ranchers like to be overly cautious rather than risk not having a vet on hand if there are any problems.”

“When I was younger, one of the foals wasn’t in the correct position. He didn’t survive and the vet was barely able to save the mare.” She swallowed. “Do you think that’s going to happen here?”

“I have no idea; I haven’t seen the mare yet. But I can promise you I’ll do my best to make sure they both come through.” Mitch paused, hesitating. “By the time we get there, the foal might be born, and everything might be totally fine. Half an hour from contractions starting to water breaking is the standard time, but it can take up to an hour, or a little bit longer. Sometimes it can take up to three or even four. I’m glad they asked Rea to get you, though. That’s what I always tell my clients: if there’s no movement after half an hour of initial contractions, they should call me.”

His voice tugged on a bundle of her heartstrings. Whenever she was nervous before an exam, he’d talk through every single possible outcome with her, applying annoying logic and reason. He knew it helped her, every time, his voice soothing the anxiety flaring in her chest. She didn’t flatter herself by thinking he remembered that. Perhaps, it was part of who he was now: the logical guy who kept a cool head in difficult situations. She appreciated it all the same.

Jackie exhaled, her knuckles bone-white as she took the corner into Rea’s parents’ driveway. “I couldn’t do what you do.”

Mitch gave her a small smile as she parked the car. “You wanted to be a doctor.”

She switched the engine off. “It’s different.”

He arched an eyebrow like he wanted to ask her what the difference was, aside from the obvious, but Estrella ran out of the barn, waving her hands above her head. “Chula, you came!” she wailed.

Jackie slammed the car door behind her and thundered toward her. “How’s Lina doing?”

Estrella threw herself into Jackie’s arms with a force that almost knocked them both to the ground. “I don’t know, I don’t think it’s good. I’ve had horses my entire life, and every time labor comes around, I’m scared. But this time I thought everything would be fine.” She sniffed, pulling away and looking over Jackie’s shoulder at Mich. “You’re a vet?”

He nodded. “Mitch Craigton, nice to meet you Mrs.—”

“Estrella. Thank you for coming. How fortunate you were at the hotel and my Rea could find you. This way, please.”

The three of them entered the barn, illuminated by muted overhead lights.

“Do you know when she went into labor?” Mitch stepped into the stall that Estrella opened.

Jackie walked in behind them, her heart squeezing when she looked at Lina, pawing the ground in the corner. The mare walked in a circle, snorting.

Mitch went straight to her and put his hand on her neck, moving his gaze over her body.

“Bruno, my husband, came to check on her just over an hour ago. He’s back at the house and I’ve been with her ever since. She’s restless, keeps lying down and getting up, like she can’t find a good spot. We thought it was the normal start of labor. We’ve had foals in the past, so foaling isn’t new to us,” Estrella replied, pressing her trembling hand to her chest.

Mitch looked on the ground, touching the damp sand. “I think her water broke.” He came closer to Lina, who didn’t pay him any attention, her head turned to the corner. Kneeling, he waved to Jackie. “Can you turn your phone’s light on and shine it up here? I want to check how she’s looking.”

Jackie strode to him and dove on her knees. She stifled a gasp as she lifted her phone. Something was very red and very wrong. She’d never seen something like this. “What is that?”

“It’s a layer of tissue that surrounds the amnion and fetus. It comes in direct contact with the uterus.” His jaw hardened. He turned to Estrella. “Can you bring me some towels, a bucket of warm soapy water … Do you have any gloves?”

Estrella chewed on her thumbnail but nodded eagerly, running out of the barn before he could finish.