Page 52 of Second Chance Saloon

Jackie positioned her hands so that she was on the left of the cut he was about to make. “Ready.”

Slowly, Mitch moved the blade across the sac. He paused, and Jackie craned her neck to look inside, where another white membrane glistened.

Taking the knife in his left hand, he palpated the contents of the sac with his right hand. His eyes briefly locked with Jackie’s. “I can feel two legs and the nose.”

“Is that good?”

“Yes, that’s what you want.” The knife was in his right hand again. “I’m going to open the bag now.”

Jackie nodded, even though she wasn’t sure why, as he wasn’t looking at her, his attention completely focused on the job at hand.

There was a soft “pop” as he cut into the second sac. Mitch threw the knife on the ground, straightening his back and putting both of his hands inside, pulling the membrane out of the way. “Get the other side,” he told Jackie.

Holding her breath, she stuck her hands into the opening, pulling the sacs away, just like Mitch was doing on the other side. Everything got a bit fuzzy after that; time disconnected, as if someone pushed up the playback speed. The moment her fingers wrapped around what she realized was a leg, her brain went haywire. Before she knew what was happening, amid them both pulling and Lina’s contractions kicking in, Jackie took a deep breath and when she exhaled, the foal was out.

Mitch cleared the remnants of membrane from the foal’s nose. It opened its mouth, drawing in a shallow breath. Its eyes fluttered open, and Mitch brushed away some of the sticky fluid off its flank. “Welcome to the world, little one.”

Jackie held up a towel to mop up some of Lina’s blood. “Is the foal okay?”

Mitch smiled at her. “He seems to be. We still need to watch him for any signs of low oxygen. Whether he stands on his own and begins nursing … Time will tell. But it’s a good sign he’s breathing on his own.”

Jackie let out a relieved sigh, tension bleeding from her posture. “He?”

Mitch nodded. “Lina must also deliver the placenta. That’s normally up to three hours but all should hopefully be good.” He sat back, legs crossed, and closed his eyes, exhaling a shuddering breath.

Jackie watched him for a moment, mesmerized by the sight. This wasn’t the same young Mitch who had never been on a horse before she taught him how to ride. It wasn’t the same shy boy who didn’t know if he could hold her hand as they walked through campus. This older Mitch was so much better. He was still the same person, she realized, but the years had only helped him grow into himself. It wasn’t just his confidence or life experience; he’d had a chance to become the person he dreamed of being.

And who didn’t find competence hot? Not her.

“Do you want to go get Estrella?” Mitch asked, tearing her away from her musings.

Jackie scrambled up to her feet, brushing off the dust from the front of her dress. There was a splotch of blood at the front, which she wasn’t sure would come out. But it didn’t matter. Adrenaline pumping in her veins rendered her memory porous. Now, all she craved was a warm shower and … well.

Her gaze flicked to Mitch, and she swallowed a ball of desire lodged in her throat.

Damn it.

“Jackie?” Amusement tinged his voice as he caught her staring.

She coughed. “All good. I’ll tell her now.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Mitch

The unending string of “thank yous” and compliments, ranging from his skill to his looks, painted his cheeks crimson. Mitch wasn’t sure who—whether Estrella or Bruno—was more thrilled to learn that both mare and foal were going to be all right. Estrella put Bruno on speakerphone, explaining that today was one of his “bad” days. There were tears and laughter, followed by a fully laden plate of cocadas and a pitcher of milk.

Mitch insisted on staying with Lina and Gus, the foal, until he was certain Gus was nursing fine.

Bruno said he’d keep them company, but Estrella shouted into the speaker that he’d better stay in his chair and she would be back in a moment. Strings of vivid Spanish words carried her out of the barn, leaving Mitch alone with Jackie once again.

They sat on the ground, their backs pushed against the wall, their knees almost touching.

Mitch’s pitter-pattering heart beat so loudly that he was certain it broke through the horse sounds.

“Didn’t you use to hate coconut?” He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, biting back a smile as he watched Jackie devour her third cocada.

“Tastes change.” The tip of her tongue swept across her lip, tantalizingly slowly, to lick away the crumbs.