To Tame her Heart

delivery

The crew work bright and early for the second day on the ranch. It was Breezy and sunny . The perfect kind of chill morning. The guys wanted to take some roping lessons. Ask for the ladies the general consensus was for them to go Sunday by one of the many ponds on the ranch. Zoe thought the girls were missing the point but she didn't bother to say anything. They all hustled about getting ready for the day. The cabin only contains two showers so they took turns and shifts.    Meantime they also made a quick breakfast of soft fluffy, french toast and fried potatoes. 

" man you girls can cook! " mumbled Drake with his mouth full of food and the other two guys quickly agreed. 

" Thank you!" The ladies said in unison.

   After breakfast the crew went their separate ways. The guys got roping 0lessons from Xander and Jake. Sam was probably the best at it as he was the first with the least amount of time to catch a steer. They had several mishaps, including Drake catching Jason by the ankle and knocking him over. But the guys overall had fun. Meanwhile the ladies gathered some towels, a few books, sunblock and a few other necessities and rode out on one of the golf carts to find the perfect spot. It took a few tries and about a half hour before they finally agreed on a spot. Had the guys been around there would have been catcalls and the like. Instead it was fairly peaceful aside from all the giggling. The ladies were all reading different books except for Zoe, she was looking at pictures from her portfolio. Zoe was in photography class at school and was trying to decide on her next project. 

The day passed on uneventfully. Around lunch time Jake , Xander and the guys showed up with lunch that had been prepared by Jake's fiancée Nicole. Man was she an amazing cook! She made them fried chicken sandwiches, scratch made ranch dressing for dipping, potato salad and sweet tea. Everyone talked and ate. The guys shared some stories from their morning making the girls chuckle. 

After lunch everyone but Zoe wanted to go back to the cabin and play cards. Zoe wanted to explore the Ranch some more. She had enjoyed the previous day immensely. Drake tried to talk her into staying with the group. However, he didn't stand a chance when Jake asked if anyone had explored the ranch since it was the last day of their weekend. Zoe used that to her advantage and assured Drake she would be fine. 

Zoe went back to the cabin with the crew for a quick change of clothes. She put on a pair of blue jeans, a plaid tank top and a pair of sneakers. She pulled back her unruly hair into a messy ponytail and headed once again to the barn.  When she arrived Jake and Xander seemed to be tending to the horses. One of them seemed restless. Curious as to the animal's needs Zoe approached the stall. Inside was a beautiful white stallion with hazel eyes. The horse seemed very distraught. 

Just then Xander walked up. " Her name is Snowfire. She's about to give birth anytime now so stay back ." Zoe felt bad for Snowfire; she could almost feel the horse's pain. Ignoring xanders warning she approached the for to the paddock and stuck out her hand for Snowfire to smell. Amazingly to Xander , Snowfire licked it with a painful groan. 

" that means she will let you in  to help her or soothe her if you want. Hmm.. She hasn't really let anyone near her in three days. You must have a magic touch!"  Jake looked up and took notice at Xanders words. Both men seemed in awe of Zoe. 

Zoe decided she wanted to help. She borrowed a pair of rubber boots from Jake and climbed in the paddock with Snowfire. With instructions from Jake and Xander she was able to relax the horse enough for Xander to enter the paddock and check on her progress. Xander signaled Jake it was time. Snowfire let out a loud groan and out came the fouls legs. Two more and the baby would be out. The mama to be was getting tired. Xander told Zoe to reassure her, and when she did out the foul came. He immediately tried to stand and fell. Zoe laughed. He was super cute. The foul was a golden reddish color with a white star shaped birthmark right between his eyes. Soon after mama and baby were doing fine and Zoe stepped out of the paddock to watch them. 

    Jake and Xander were behind Zoe talking amongst themselves, shortly after Jake approached her " How would you like to name him? We have a tradition here on the ranch. When someone helps birth a new baby they get to name it. ``Jake said. She looked over at Xander who nodded . Zoe was super excited she hugged Jake and said. " are you sure? He's not mine , wouldn't one of you rather name him?" Both men reassured her that it was ok for her to name him.

" How about midnight star?" Zoe suggested. Both men agreed and Zoe beamed with content. Realizing how long she had been Zoe asked Xander to let her use a golf cart and a radio to go on her exploration. She didn't want to miss out on sight seeing . Even though being there for the birth of a foul made her top ten best moments list. 

Zoe grabbed the keys from Xander and a walkie. She was still reeling from the high of being witness to new life. She began to roam the vast Ranch. She had almost forgotten it was five hundred acres when she came to some thick wooded areas. They were almost jungle like and teaming with life. Zoe kicked herself for not bringing her camera. The change in scenery she kept having while traveling around on the ranch would have made for a great subject for her next photography project. Oh well. She enjoyed the silence and then decided to return to the barn and check on midnight star. 

Xander pov

Jake and I had been in the barn taking care of a horse that was about to have a foul. The horse was somewhat distraught, it had been three days and she hadn't let Jake or I near her. We were beginning to become concerned as we knew she was getting close. We left her alone , trying to let nature take its course. That is until that Zoe girl came into the barn and near the paddock. Jake and I were both worried about her getting hurt. But after she approached the horse and waited for her to acknowledge that Zoe wasn't going to hurt her. We breathed a sigh of relief. Most horses don't let just anyone near them during childbirth. It usually isn't a safe place to be. Somehow Snowfire trusted Zoe. Jake and I walked her through what to do and she handled it all like a pro. I was yet again intrigued by her ability with animals. But I pushed all that aside and waited for the foul to make his arrival. When he did jake and i decided it was only fitting Zoe named him. She was so excited it made it all worth it. 

After the foul and mama were good , Zoe took off. Jake and I went about our chores. For some reason I was sad she wasn't staying with us. I knew her trip was almost over. I had never really felt this connection to someone . I barely knew her and yet I found myself thinking about her staying with me on the Ranch. I quickly pushed those thoughts out of my head. She was just a guest of the Ranch, nothing more. But why was my wolf saddened at the thought?