Page 35 of Fall or Nothing

Once she settled, Ash dropped beside her and ran his hands along her belly, then moved quickly behind, checking the position of the foal.

“Good,” he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to us.

Carter reached for the stall door to exit.

Ash stopped him. “Where do you think you’re going? The men are all out working. I need you right here.”

The kids came running to see what the commotion was about. I exited the stall and kept them still and quiet, not to spook Sassy. I wasn’t worried about them seeing the birth—they were ranch kids and had seen plenty.

Ash moved into position behind Sassy, his mouth easing a fraction as she strained. “Damn. The foal’s coming fast. No room for mistakes.”

“Fast is bad?” Carter asked.

“Too fast means we don’t get a second chance if something goes wrong.” Ash shrugged out of his jacket, tossing it aside. Carter did too, handing me my dad’s coat.

“Stay back, give her space—but be ready,” Ash instructed.

“Yes, sir.” Carter didn’t hesitate and got into position.

Whatever else I thought I knew about him, he proved he wasn’t a man who flinched from being told what to do when it counted. If anything, there was something sharper in his focus now, something locked in, as if the rest of the world had narrowed to just this one moment in time.

There was no chance to process that further. Sassy’s whole body bore down, an agonizing groan tearing out of her.

“There are the front legs and the nose.” Ash kept his voice down, hands on knees to watch.

The next contraction and the hooves were out to the knee. Another, and the stomach of the foal appeared, wrapped in a membrane that looked like nothing should be able to survive inside.

Another painful sound tore out of Sassy, and the foal slid free of her.

“Amazing,” Carter whispered.

Only the foal lay still for a few terrifying seconds. Sassy didn’t move to check on it either. We all waited in silence.

“Clear the membrane. Get its nose free,” Ash snapped, moving to Sassy’s head to check on her.

Carter hit his knees without hesitation, hands steady as he cleared the membrane. Fluid and blood soaked his shirt, but he never flinched. Something in him had clicked into focus, calm, capable, and protective.

I couldn’t look away. Desire stirred inside of me despite the chaos. This man kept surprising me.

He never once let up until the foal finally moved and lifted its head out of the sack. He fell backward, both hands braced in the straw. “It’s alive. Ash, it’s breathing.”

“Good,” Ash cried. “Let’s see if Sassy will take over from here.”

I glanced back at the mother. Her head had dropped, her breathing shallow and fast, her eyes half-closed in a way that had nothing peaceful about it.

“She looks exhausted,” I cried.

“Sage, call Dusty to get an emergency vet here.”

By the time I returned, Carter had the foal half cradled against his chest, rubbing it down with towels, more certain of his actions like something in him had clicked into place.

“Come on, Sassy. You’re a fighter. You can do this, girl,” Ash’s voice cracked, rubbing her neck, and he didn’t seem to care who noticed. “We’ll need to watch for the placenta.”

The next two hours were tense. The foal eventually stood on its own in the first hour, a good sign. But Sassy was too weak to nurse.

“It needs colostrum. It should try to nurse now.” Ash shook his head. “We’ll need the bottle kit?—”

“I’ll get it, Dad,” Ro jumped down from the gate and ran into the storage room. I followed behind to make sure she grabbed the right things.