Read Online A Wedding in Africa (The Africa Series) by Shirley Carnegie - Free Book Online
Authors: Shirley Carnegie
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the bewildered infant towards him, whispering soothing sounds as he did so.
Lacey held her breath. She didn’t know which was more captivating – this gorgeous, hunky man with his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his handsome features creased in concentration, or the enchanting new-born calf whose very life depended on the farmer’s skills.
‘Come on sweetheart,’ Tate whispered, dipping his right forefinger into the milk and working it into the calf’s mouth. ‘Nice and easy…. That’s right. Clever girl. Joseph - can you hold her head up? We don’t want her suckling head down. That’s it. Hold her steady, now.’
Gently, Tate waited until he could feel the infant starting to suckle his finger before he withdrew it and guided her head into the bowl of milk. Themba and Lacey stood there, utterly transfixed by the scene, which had rendered even Themba momentarily speechless. Tate looked up at them.
‘Is she going to be all right?’ Lacey whispered, almost afraid to hear the answer.
‘See for yourself,’ Tate replied, gesturing towards the calf with his chin. ‘She’s suckling quite nicely now. We’ll probably have to hand-feed her for a couple of days, but then she’ll be as right as rain and back with her mother. Job done, I reckon!’
Lacey and Themba hugged each other as Tate placed the calf in Joseph’s capable hands and stood up. Tate grinned, clearly chuffed with the outcome of his efforts, and Lacey felt her heart swell with pride.
‘Well done, Tate,’ she said, resisting the urge to hug him.
‘All in a day’s work,’ Tate shrugged, but Lacey could see how much it had meant to him that the youngster had survived. Here was a man who loved animals with a passion. Someone who was ready and willing to work hard to improve their quality of life and understand their ways. And Lacey really admired the man for that.
‘Why was the baby calf so poorly’ Themba asked, skipping alongside them as they walked back to the truck.
‘Because her mummy was sick,’ Tate replied.
‘Did the calf come out of its mummy’s tummy, just like me?’
Tate nodded and opened the passenger door for Themba to scramble up.
‘So what would have happened if my mummy had had a baby calf in her tummy instead of me?’ Themba continued as the adults took their seats on either side of him. ‘Would I be a baby calf instead of a baby boy?’
Tate laughed out loud. ‘No. It doesn’t quite work like that.’ ‘How does it work, Baba ? How did I get into my mummy’s tummy. I am much too big to fit in there.’
Tate cast a sidelong glance at Lacey who blushed to the roots of her hair. ‘It’s - well, it’s pretty complicated, Themba. It’s a grown-up thing. Maybe you’d be better off asking your mama about that kind of stuff. Listen, I’ve got some toffees in there. I reckon you’ve earned yourself one.’
The promise of sweets may have distracted young Themba from the miracles of reproduction, but it didn’t help quell the fire in Lacey’s stomach. She knew that Tate felt it, too, by the way his hand gripped the steering wheel and he gnawed at his bottom lip. The tension between them was palpable, and even Themba’s animated chatter couldn’t relieve it.
Themba ran off to tell his mother about the day’s events the minute they got back to the house. Tate and Lacey made their way to their rooms at the side of the building. Just as they got there, Tate stopped dead in his tracks and inspected his grubby T-shirt with dismay.
‘Hell! Just look at the state of me. I’d better get myself cleaned up pronto. I’m amazed you could even bring yourself to sit next to me in the truck.’ Unthinkingly, Tate tore open the buttons from his shirt and shrugged it off before slinging it over the wall of the outdoor shower.
At the sight of that hard torso gleaming in the sun, Lacey almost swooned. She’d been struggling to control her emotions on the journey back, but now here he was standing right in front of
Lacey held her breath. She didn’t know which was more captivating – this gorgeous, hunky man with his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his handsome features creased in concentration, or the enchanting new-born calf whose very life depended on the farmer’s skills.
‘Come on sweetheart,’ Tate whispered, dipping his right forefinger into the milk and working it into the calf’s mouth. ‘Nice and easy…. That’s right. Clever girl. Joseph - can you hold her head up? We don’t want her suckling head down. That’s it. Hold her steady, now.’
Gently, Tate waited until he could feel the infant starting to suckle his finger before he withdrew it and guided her head into the bowl of milk. Themba and Lacey stood there, utterly transfixed by the scene, which had rendered even Themba momentarily speechless. Tate looked up at them.
‘Is she going to be all right?’ Lacey whispered, almost afraid to hear the answer.
‘See for yourself,’ Tate replied, gesturing towards the calf with his chin. ‘She’s suckling quite nicely now. We’ll probably have to hand-feed her for a couple of days, but then she’ll be as right as rain and back with her mother. Job done, I reckon!’
Lacey and Themba hugged each other as Tate placed the calf in Joseph’s capable hands and stood up. Tate grinned, clearly chuffed with the outcome of his efforts, and Lacey felt her heart swell with pride.
‘Well done, Tate,’ she said, resisting the urge to hug him.
‘All in a day’s work,’ Tate shrugged, but Lacey could see how much it had meant to him that the youngster had survived. Here was a man who loved animals with a passion. Someone who was ready and willing to work hard to improve their quality of life and understand their ways. And Lacey really admired the man for that.
‘Why was the baby calf so poorly’ Themba asked, skipping alongside them as they walked back to the truck.
‘Because her mummy was sick,’ Tate replied.
‘Did the calf come out of its mummy’s tummy, just like me?’
Tate nodded and opened the passenger door for Themba to scramble up.
‘So what would have happened if my mummy had had a baby calf in her tummy instead of me?’ Themba continued as the adults took their seats on either side of him. ‘Would I be a baby calf instead of a baby boy?’
Tate laughed out loud. ‘No. It doesn’t quite work like that.’ ‘How does it work, Baba ? How did I get into my mummy’s tummy. I am much too big to fit in there.’
Tate cast a sidelong glance at Lacey who blushed to the roots of her hair. ‘It’s - well, it’s pretty complicated, Themba. It’s a grown-up thing. Maybe you’d be better off asking your mama about that kind of stuff. Listen, I’ve got some toffees in there. I reckon you’ve earned yourself one.’
The promise of sweets may have distracted young Themba from the miracles of reproduction, but it didn’t help quell the fire in Lacey’s stomach. She knew that Tate felt it, too, by the way his hand gripped the steering wheel and he gnawed at his bottom lip. The tension between them was palpable, and even Themba’s animated chatter couldn’t relieve it.
Themba ran off to tell his mother about the day’s events the minute they got back to the house. Tate and Lacey made their way to their rooms at the side of the building. Just as they got there, Tate stopped dead in his tracks and inspected his grubby T-shirt with dismay.
‘Hell! Just look at the state of me. I’d better get myself cleaned up pronto. I’m amazed you could even bring yourself to sit next to me in the truck.’ Unthinkingly, Tate tore open the buttons from his shirt and shrugged it off before slinging it over the wall of the outdoor shower.
At the sight of that hard torso gleaming in the sun, Lacey almost swooned. She’d been struggling to control her emotions on the journey back, but now here he was standing right in front of
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