"Shame you missed it, Danny. 283 had its calf while you kids were at school."

Danny froze.

He attempted to smile at Dale. It faltered and felt like failure. "Yeah. Shame. Maybe next time?"

Maybe not.

Dale gave him an even look back for a little too long. Danny fidgeted. The man's mouth quirked up and he turned back to hang up the milker he'd just removed from a cow, carrying it out into the alleyway.

"We'll just file that under, not quite yet. Hm?"

Danny sighed in relief. "That'd be great, yeah, thanks."

Shaking his head with a smile, the man continued by Danny in the alleyway and to another pair of stalls, hanging the milker up between them.

"It's the miracle of life," Dale called out. "You should go over and look. Door right under the haymow. Go on. It's safe to look. I won't ask you to try feeding it, no worries."

"Not it!"

"Not it!"

"No way! I still have my reading to do tonight. You should let me go in early, Dad."

"You should do that. Go in and get it done, Jon."

Jon pumped a fist and bolted. "See ya!"

"You better be reading!" Edi yelled after the boy.

"Elizabeth will do it."

She shrugged. Mumbling. "Fine. Can I do that now since we're almost done milking?"

"Go ahead. Matt. Grab that milker next to you. That cow's been done for at least 30 seconds with you standing right there."

Matt's head spun, leaning over to squint underneath, then jumped into action, into the stall to remove said milker.

"Coming?"

At the muted question as she went by, Danny twisted around. "Uh, yeah, sure."

He headed over the door while Elizabeth got the bottle ready, swinging open the top half to peer in.

There it was. Easily spotted. The area was filled with corn stalks for bedding, a fresh pile of straw on the backwall to the milk room. It was nearly all black and tiny.

Well. Tiny was relative. The calf easily weighed more than Katie. Or even Jon. And, as it ambled over toward the half open door with a couple little stumbles, likely as tall as his waist. Fuzzy and clean of anything. And cute, with those big eyes on him.

Kind of amazing. Already walking and getting around on its own.

"Hey there."

Danny reached out to scratch at it.

Fuzzy soft.

The calf ducked its head away, then butted forcefully against Danny's hand.

Maybe Elizabeth's mood was catching. He pulled his hand away, simply leaning on the bottom door to watch the calf bleat and butt its head against the door. A frown furrowed at Danny's face.

Danny wasn't quite sure why, but Dale's words on the miracle of life sat uncomfortably inside of him.