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She tugged gently, and the little lamb came slipping out. She grinned at it while another cowboy started to wipe it down.
“That seemed easy,” Todd said.
“There’s another one,” Laura said, retrieving the lambing ropes. “My guess is she couldn’t get them out because they’re both crowded into the birth canal.” She went back in for the second lamb, and now that there was room, he came out easily too.
The mother sheep bleated and got to her feet. She went to her lambs and started caring for them, and Laura watched them with immense love pouring through her. When she realized she might be acting a little creepy, she cleared her throat and got to her feet. She removed the gloves and tossed them into the nearby garbage can, suddenly embarrassed that all eyes seemed to be stuck on her.
She looked at the cowboys now cleaning up the birth and then Todd. He grinned at her, those dark eyes sparkling with what Laura could only categorize as a combination of mischief and delight.
The heat inside her doubled, and her face flamed. She ducked her head and took a couple of steps away from the pen. “Should we go finish the interview?”
“No, ma’am,” Todd drawled at her. “The job is yours if you want it.”
Laura blinked, surprise flooding her. “Really?”
“The salary was published on the listing, and if you need a cabin, we can provide one here on the ranch. You’re welcome to live in town too.” He opened the door to the lambing shed and gestured for her to go first. “You’re okay being exclusive to the Texas Longhorn Ranch?”
“Yes,” Laura said, finally getting the word out. “Yes, I want the job.”
“Great,” Todd said. “Let’s go get some paperwork done.”
* * *
“I’m not kidding, Mom,”Laura said later that day. She did a pirouette in her hotel room. “I got the job at Texas Longhorn Ranch, and I’m going to live out there. I saw the cabin and everything.”
Her mom whooped, and that made Laura laugh. “Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you.”
Laura sighed as she sank onto the loveseat, pure happiness streaming through her. “Thank you, Mom. How’s Daddy doing?”
“Really great,” she said, pulling the phone away from her mouth, probably to check on him. “Every day, he’s moving better and feeling better.”
“I’m glad.” Laura paused, some of her joy fading. “Chestnut Springs is quite far from Hidden Hollow.”
“Don’t you worry about that at all,” her mom said. “We’re fine here, and Eddie’s here with his family. It’s what? An hour? You can come any time you want.”
“Maybe I should—”
“No maybe’s,” her mom said, and Laura appreciated that. “You’ve been looking for a job like this. We’ve all been praying for it for months. This is the answer we’ve been waiting for. Don’t worry about us. This is your next step, Laura.”
She nodded, tears coming to her eyes. She didn’t want to speak through such a narrow throat. She rarely cried, but her mom would hear the emotion if she tried to say something.
“And a cabin,” her mom said. “That’s amazing, Laura. Oh, honey, you’ve done it.” Her voice broke, and that caused Laura’s own emotions to surge too.
“I love you, Mom,” she said, not caring if her mom heard the strain and the pinch in her voice now.
“I love you so much, sweetie,” she said. “When do you move in?”
“Todd—he’s my new boss—said the cabin is ready any time I am.” She took a deep breath and exhaled it out. “I’m going to come home and get my stuff tomorrow. Then make the drive back here on the weekend. So I’ll be home for a few days before I come back here.”
“Sounds wonderful,” her mom said. “I’ll make those onion-smothered pork chops you love.”
Laura grinned, the weight of this huge change in her life pressing on her suddenly. “Mom, you don’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I will. Call me when you leave in the morning.”
“All right.”
“All right. I love you, dear.”
