Amelia watched as the mare labored to bring her foal into the world. She lay on her side as the spasms rippled through her body. It seemed to be going well so she went to sit near the mouth of the cave watching the rain pour down.
Lightning split the sky and it crackled. Another one of those summer storms that would keep her and the mare here for a while and the sleeping gear she packed in her saddle would come in handy. If the mare gave birth soon, otherwise she'd stay up the night with her.
In a few hours, it'd be night and she didn't know how much time remained until the foal was born. She had some water and some dried meat in her bag to eat later if she felt hungry. She sat and waited and her mind wandered back to what happened the previous day. The men that Darrin sent were not to be trusted and they'd been sent out to target Bella and her ranch. She and the others had worked so hard to fix the property up and to get it running again. Rosie and Scarlett were working on the garden when she left and Bella would be teaching Clara and other women how to train the horses including on a lunge line.
It's been some of the best weeks in her recent history at least. Coming back to Paradise had helped her even as it made parts of her life more difficult. Mainly the parts of her life involving Ethan who she'd left behind last year. If he had hurt feelings over it still he didn't mention it to her and he seemed intent into getting their relationship back on course.
She thought he'd been seeing Martha but he had told her that he wasn't even as that woman continued to make a play for him. But she had her secrets that she couldn't tell him and he knew it. When he learned them he wouldn't want her any longer.
It'd be like saying goodbye to him all over again and she didn't want that. The mare neighed from the corner and she saw that the spasms that rippled her sweat drenched body had increased. That must mean the foal would be born soon.
Ethan spurred his horse to a gallop as the rain came down in sheets all around him. The horse didn't mind the change in weather and continued on as Ethan steered it away from a couple downed trees. The wind had picked up and whistled through the trees, while blowing dead foliage around.
He kept a sharp look out for any signs of Amelia or her horse but saw nothing. It would be getting dark soon and he knew she packed to sleep in the outdoors but he worried about her anyway. Truth be told, he didn't know what to make of the woman who'd returned. The woman whose beauty struck him as it had when he first saw her even when she didn't like him. She hid that beauty, tucked it away underneath men's clothes and tying her hair up in braids or wearing it up but it didn't matter to him. He knew what he wanted in his life and it was her.
But he didn't expect so much resistance from her about their future. She just kept pushing him away without explaining why. It hadn't been what he'd expected at all and he didn't know what to do about it.
He peered up ahead and he saw some caves alongside the rock face so he turned his horse in that direction in case she took cover in any of them.
Hoping to find her there safe and sound, he galloped over to them.
Amelia watched as the mare struggled to give birth. God, did it have to be so difficult? She didn't know how she'd ever handle having a baby herself but then she figured it wasn't something she had to worry about any time soon. The mare tried to stand up with the foal's head flopping so Amelia went over to take a look.
She realized quickly that the foal's position needed some shifting to be able to come out smoothly. So she stuck a hand inside, and the mare's muscles squeezed it hard. She grimaced and tried to shift the foal and sort out the umbilical cord so it wouldn't strangle the baby. It was hard work and her muscles ached, with the progress coming along so slowly due to the mare's labor. But finally she pulled her hand out and not long after that, the foal slid out of the mare right into the dried grass, soaked in amniotic fluid but its eyes opened and it tried to lift its head.
Amelia took some of the dried grass and used it as a towel to dry the foal and she checked to make sure its nostrils were clear of any fluid so it could breathe. Its sides began to move up and down and the mare stood up and poked at it with her nose, curious. Amelia knew that maternal instinct would kick in soon enough and the mare would then encourage her foal on its feet to nurse.
Foals were awkward getting on their feet because their legs were so gangly in comparison to their body. One of their leg bones never grew after birth and it was just a matter of the rest of them catching up. Soon enough as she watched, the foal figured out how to move its spider like legs to get on its feet and wobble next to its dam. The colt looked to be sorrel taking after its dam.
Amelia felt happy, euphoric even because although she'd help deliver her share of foals, doing so inside a cave was a first. Her muscles ached and she felt tired so she relaxed sitting in the cave watching the mother and son get to know each other. She'd be stuck here for a while even if the rain stopped. She had to figure out how to get the calf on her horse so she could carry it back to the ranch while towing the mother. But it'd help if another person helped her so she might have to ride out tomorrow and then bring someone back to help her.
She'd worry about it then as she sat and her eyes begin to flutter as she nodded off.
Ethan found the caves and he got off his horse to search inside them, but most of them were empty. He moved to one that was slightly larger and he looked inside it. Light still filled its mouth and he saw a woman asleep near the mouth and a horse lying in some dried grass with a new foal next to her. Another mare stood not too far away. Amelia must have brought the mare here to have her baby.
He went back to get his lantern and lit it before returning with his horse to put it next to the standing mare. Then he saw that Amelia had woken up and was looking at him.
"Ethan…what are you doing here?"
He walked over to her as she got on her feet.
"Looking for you," he said, "Bella and the others were getting worried."
She smiled.
"I'm fine…more than that I'm happy that the mare gave birth to a nice looking colt."
He glanced over at the pair and then back at her.
"He looks very nice," he said, "Were you planning to bring him back in the morning?"
She nodded.
"Yes but it'll help that you're here," she said, "He's pretty big."
"I'll hoist him on the saddle for you," he said, "when we head back in the morning…It'll be night soon and the rain's coming down hard."
She walked over to her horse.
"Got some bedding and supper what about you?"
He smiled.
"Got some of that too….you hungry?"
She shrugged.
"A little bit…mostly tired because I had to move the foal…so she could drop it…"
She went to get her sleeping gear to set up near the mouth of the cave. Ethan got some jerky out and tossed her a piece.
"I'll make a fire," he said, "Near the mouth…there's some wood in the next cave that should be dry enough. It'll get cold out here tonight."
She nodded and he left here there while he went to fetch it. She never imagined that he'd come out looking for her but now that he was here what would she do?
Ethan returned a couple minutes carrying some wood and she helped him start a fire while trying to figure out how they'd pass the time alone together.
She ate her jerky in silence while he leaned back against the wall.
"Rain's really coming down."
She nodded and sipped from her water flask looking at the embers flickering in the fire. The smoke was pulled out of the cave and the warmth stayed inside of it.
"So how did your talk with Darrin go," she asked, "Will he pull his men off of us?"
Ethan sighed.
"I don't know. More are coming in a couple of days," he said, "but he won't be sending them to the ranch anymore."
She looked at her hands.
"I don't trust them. They could be outlaws for all we know about them."
Ethan ate some of his jerky.
"Nothing so far on the ones that are here," he said, "but since I don't know the names of the others, can't check them out."
"It should be outlawed," she said, "When I ran the bank I just relied on the marshal and myself."
Ethan remembered when she'd shot and killed a teenage bank robber, she hadn't told anyone when the boy's father threatened to avenge his son's death when collecting the body. He'd gotten wind of it from John Taylor and had showed up in her house to help her.
"You know his men are committing the crimes."
Ethan nodded but knew he had to be careful before he did or said anything.
"Got to find proof first then I'll act."
She rubbed her forehead.
"That's how a lot of them are Ethan," she said, "They're criminals…and they work for powerful men who wash their hands of the bad things they do."
He knew that and he didn't want anything like that in Paradise.
"I think I'll go check on the mare and her foal."
She got up and he watched her go over there, his mind working.