Needed a little Happy and then the aftermath comes. Hope you enjoy.
Angie
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Chapter 16
"He says he's a what?" Angie spat.
"He says he is a Maroney." Polly said, no louder than she had the first time. The table was silent. Everyone stared at her, including Carolyn.
"How do you know this Polly?" Carolyn asked. "And why didn't you tell us you had talked to him?" she asked.
"Ladies, I do not think this is the place to have this conversation," Jax interjected. "Perhaps it would be better to continue this out at the ranch."
"I agree." Angie snapped. "Opie, would you drive these three out? They have been drinking."
Sandy began to protest, but Opie put his hand on her arm. "Not a problem Angie. We will be right behind you and Jax. Ladies I will bring you back in to your vehicles when we are done." Opie said.
Angie got up from the table, "We will see you out there." She turned and headed out the door. Jax nearly had to run to keep up with her. When she got outside, she stormed over to the truck and started to open the driver side door. Jax pinned her between himself and the door, not letting her open it.
"You are in no condition to drive either, Angel. Give me the keys." He whispered into her ear. He stroked her hair and slipped his other hand around her waist. They stood there for a moment, not saying a word, and finally she handed him the keys. He kissed the top of her head and reached and opened the door. Angie climbed in the truck and slid across the cab to the passenger side. Jax got in and started the truck. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the ranch.
They drove in silence for about 5 miles before Angie started to talk. "How in God's name could Polly believe something like that line of bullshit this guy is feeding her? I mean are you serious?"
Jax reached his hand over and laid it on her thigh, "I know it sounds farfetched, but we need to look at this calmly. Obviously Mark had made something of this, or he wouldn't have taken a meeting with this guy," he said.
"Maybe he didn't know what the meeting was about?" Angie stated.
"That could be true, but maybe he did. We cannot assume anything." Jax said calmly. He took out his phone and started to dial.
"Who are you calling?" Angie asked.
"I am calling Juice. We need that info on Fahey right now. And I need him to go find Happy. You wouldn't happen to know where Maggie might be right now would you?" Jax asked.
"Probably up in the pasture checking mamas near the cabin, Why?" Angie asked.
"I am pretty sure Hap went to see her." Jax looked over at her and smiled a little. "He took off right before Opie and I headed for town. Look Angel, we will get to the bottom of this."
"I know. I am going to call Peter, and then Taggert." Angie said.
"Why Taggert?" Jax asked.
"I want to know more about the encounter he had with him, and whether he had him checked out," Angie said.
Jax talked with Juice while Angie talked with Peter. Angie tried to raise Taggert on the phone but he was still out helping move the herd she assumed. She left him a message to call her. When Jax finished talking to Juice he flipped his phone shut and looked over to Angie. "Angel, what are you going to do if he is a Maroney?"
"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," Angie said as she leaned her head against the seat and lost herself in her own thoughts for the rest of the drive.
Happy had gotten to the meeting place with Maggie just as she was climbing over the pasture fence. She had decided Happy had either gotten busy or was not willing to ride a horse with her. When she heard the Harley pull up she turned around and smiled. She climbed back over the fence and walked toward the trailer hooked to her pickup.
"Sorry I am late, we got involved in something and I lost track of time," Happy said. "So is this my ride?"
"It is. Happy I would like you to meet Gizzy. Come on, if we get busy we will be done in about 2 hours." Maggie handed Happy the reins and she walked over to the pasture fence. "Go ahead and mount up, ride down there just a little and there is a gate, I will let you in. Maggie untied her horse Snickers from the fence post and mounted the animal.
Happy walked to the side of the animal and put his foot in the stirrup. He hadn't told Maggie, but he had spent his youth riding horses. Sure it had been 20 years since he had been on one, but isn't it like riding a bike? He swung up into the saddle and settled in. He followed Maggie down to the gate and Maggie let him into the pasture.
"You look pretty comfortable in that saddle, you have ridden before," Maggie said. Happy just smiled at her. "Well have you worked cattle before?"
"No, that I haven't done, but yeah I have ridden a horse or 2 in my life," Happy said.
"Ok, here are the basics. You want to move fairly slowly when you are around the cattle, let them think it is just the horse with no rider. We are going to check them all out, looking for irregularities. We are getting close to delivery date on most of these heifers, so we might have some newborns, but mostly we are looking to see if any are in distress."
"What does distressed look like?" Happy asked, his face a little scrunched.
"She will be down, and probably be breathing hard. She will also be bleeding. If we have to help her deliver hopefully we can load her up and take her to the barn, if not we will deliver up here.
"Help?" Happy asked?
"Yeah, help. Don't worry, I will do the work, you just let me know if you find one." Maggie said, smiling at Happy.
"Ok, let's get going," Happy said.
The two of them rode through the pasture slowly. Maggie got down twice, checking out a couple of heifers. They were so fat the just stood there and let her walk up to them. Suddenly Happy rode up over a small ridge and found a heifer lying on her side. He turned his horse and waved to get Maggie's attention. She rode over to him and saw the heifer. "She looks like she needs some help," Happy said.
"Maybe, definitely looks like she is ready to give birth, let's check her out, come on," Maggie said as she dismounted. Happy swung down from his horse and walked over to the heifer. "You go up to her head and I will check things out," Maggie said.
Happy knelt down by the animal as Maggie examined her. "Easy girl, let's see how you are doing." Maggie said. "Alright girl. Hey Hap, can you go get those chains from my horse, looks like we are going to have to help this along a little."
"Sure," He said. He walked over to the horse and returned with the pulling chains. Maggie took the chains and reached in and hooked the chains to the legs of the calf.
"Hold her head while I pull," Maggie said. Happy moved to the heifer's head and held the cow. Maggie stepped into the chains and started stepping back slowly, using her body weight to slowly pull the calf from its mother. Soon the calf emerged.
Maggie unhooked the chains and waited to see if the heifer started to clean the little bull calf. When the heifer moved and started to lick the calf clean, Maggie stepped back and pulled Happy with her. "Let's see if she takes care of him."
"That was amazing." Happy said, putting his arm around Maggie. "Do you have to do that a lot?"
"No, but mostly it is with first time mamas," she said. "Big calves for their first time and all."
"Well that was great. I have never seen anything like that." He leaned down and kissed Maggie gently. "You were amazing."
"Happy," she said, turning away. She didn't try to break from his arms, but something was bothering her.
"What did I say?" He asked.
"Nothing," she said. "It is just that I am covered in birthing fluids and cow shit. Not exactly the sexiest of things."
"I don't care," he said. Happy put his hand under her chin and tipped her face to look at him. "I think it is amazing what you do. And I don't give a crap what you are covered in." He leaned down and took her mouth in a slow gentle kiss. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. She responded to his kiss and slipped her arms around his waist.
Just as Happy was tugging her shirt from her pants his phone began to ring. Happy broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. He groaned as he reached in his pocket and took it out. He looked at the caller id, Juice. "What do you want you jackass." Happy continued to run his thumb over Maggie's cheek as he answered the phone.
"You need to get to the main house. Jax, Angie and Opie are on the way out with the Sisters-in-Law. Big blow up at the tea party. Polly says Fahey claims he is a Maroney." Juice finally stopped talking.
"Got it." Happy flipped the phone shut and shoved it back into his pants.
"You need to go, don't you?" Maggie said.
"I do. But I want to finish this." Happy said. "Soon." Happy kissed Maggie with an intensity he had not done before.
"Come by when you get done. My place is the cabin next to the birthing barn." Maggie said, tracing her hand from his ear to his chin.
"I will," Happy said. He kissed her again and then walked over to his horse. "Do you need any help before I leave?" He asked before he mounted.
"No, I will be fine. I do this by myself all the time. I will see you later." Maggie said.
"Yes, you will."