say?”
Ma’s breath went loudly in and out. “It took up almost the entire wall. In bright red. It said, ‘GO HOME SINNER.’”
***
“Poor Katherine.” Lucy stood beside me, leaning on her pitchfork. She’d shooed Zach off to check on his calf, and taken over his cleaning responsibilities. “And you know why they did it.”
I grunted and threw a load of wet shredded newspaper onto the manure conveyor.
Lucy continued. “It’s because she’s a woman. You know it is. I can’t imagine they have anything else in her life to complain about. And I certainly haven’t heard of any other new pastors getting that kind of a welcome. But, oh gee, they just all happen to be men .”
I peered at Lucy over my shoulder.
She picked up her pitchfork and jabbed it into the bedding of the stall next to mine. “I know, I know. I need to chill.”
“I didn’t say that. It’s just interesting to see you all het up about something.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, don’t get me started on this topic.” She threw her load out of the stall. “I’ll just focus my anger adrenaline into my work.”
I stood up and stretched my back. “So I can leave this all to you?”
She looked down the row. “Sure. There aren’t that many left, anyway.”
“Great.” I leaned my pitchfork against the wall. “I’m going to check on Wendy. Zach went out earlier and reported no new calf, but I’m going to go see for myself, to make sure we don’t need a vet.” When Gus, Zach’s first calf, had been born the summer before, Wendy had needed a C-section. I was keeping my fingers crossed she wouldn’t need one this time. Especially since Carla wouldn’t be making house calls anytime soon.
Lucy flung another load out of the stall and I got out of the way. Real quick.
Wendy had moved to another corner of the pasture, and it didn’t take an expert to know that birthing was imminent. A circle of wet splotched the ground behind her, and her back end, while not showing any little hooves, looked about ready to burst open. I stepped a little closer to pat her haunch, and she scuttled sideways, crunching my foot under her hoof.
I smothered the shout that rose up my throat and channeled the energy into shoving Wendy off my foot. When she finally shifted I hopped away, cursing. An attempt to step on my left foot sent sparks of pain up my ankle and leg, and I swore some more.
“Thanks a whole helluva lot.” I glared at Wendy. She gazed at me with her wide gentle eyes. She thought it was my own damn fault. She was probably right.
I hobbled back up the hill to the barn and limped into the parlor.
Lucy dropped the clean bedding from her arms and trotted over to me. “What happened? Is it Wendy?” She grabbed my arm. “Are you going to faint?”
“I am not going to faint. But I need to sit down.”
She guided me to a bale of straw and lowered me onto it. “What’s wrong?”
“Wendy—”
“The calf?”
“No. My foot. She stepped on it.”
“Oh, no.” Lucy looked down at my boot. “Can you walk?”
“Sort of.”
She gave me a flat look.
“Just go finish the stalls. I’ll sit here. It’ll be fine.”
“You need to go to the doctor.”
“No. I need to sit. Go away.”
She looked at me some more, then shook her head. “You’re worse than Tess.”
“So?”
She made a growling sound and spun around, going back to work.
I leaned against the wall, hoping the dizziness in my head would soon go away.
It didn’t.
A half hour later, Lucy was back. “Stand up.”
“What?”
“Stand up. If you can walk without wincing, I’ll leave you alone.”
I glared at her. “Are you my mother?”
She tapped her foot.
I stood up. But not without wincing.
She pushed me back onto the straw. “I’m going to tell Zach where we’ll be. Don’t go anywhere.”
As if.
Chapter Ten
I popped some ibuprofen and Lucy situated me in the passenger seat of the Civic. The seat went back almost far enough I didn’t have to
Ma’s breath went loudly in and out. “It took up almost the entire wall. In bright red. It said, ‘GO HOME SINNER.’”
***
“Poor Katherine.” Lucy stood beside me, leaning on her pitchfork. She’d shooed Zach off to check on his calf, and taken over his cleaning responsibilities. “And you know why they did it.”
I grunted and threw a load of wet shredded newspaper onto the manure conveyor.
Lucy continued. “It’s because she’s a woman. You know it is. I can’t imagine they have anything else in her life to complain about. And I certainly haven’t heard of any other new pastors getting that kind of a welcome. But, oh gee, they just all happen to be men .”
I peered at Lucy over my shoulder.
She picked up her pitchfork and jabbed it into the bedding of the stall next to mine. “I know, I know. I need to chill.”
“I didn’t say that. It’s just interesting to see you all het up about something.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, don’t get me started on this topic.” She threw her load out of the stall. “I’ll just focus my anger adrenaline into my work.”
I stood up and stretched my back. “So I can leave this all to you?”
She looked down the row. “Sure. There aren’t that many left, anyway.”
“Great.” I leaned my pitchfork against the wall. “I’m going to check on Wendy. Zach went out earlier and reported no new calf, but I’m going to go see for myself, to make sure we don’t need a vet.” When Gus, Zach’s first calf, had been born the summer before, Wendy had needed a C-section. I was keeping my fingers crossed she wouldn’t need one this time. Especially since Carla wouldn’t be making house calls anytime soon.
Lucy flung another load out of the stall and I got out of the way. Real quick.
Wendy had moved to another corner of the pasture, and it didn’t take an expert to know that birthing was imminent. A circle of wet splotched the ground behind her, and her back end, while not showing any little hooves, looked about ready to burst open. I stepped a little closer to pat her haunch, and she scuttled sideways, crunching my foot under her hoof.
I smothered the shout that rose up my throat and channeled the energy into shoving Wendy off my foot. When she finally shifted I hopped away, cursing. An attempt to step on my left foot sent sparks of pain up my ankle and leg, and I swore some more.
“Thanks a whole helluva lot.” I glared at Wendy. She gazed at me with her wide gentle eyes. She thought it was my own damn fault. She was probably right.
I hobbled back up the hill to the barn and limped into the parlor.
Lucy dropped the clean bedding from her arms and trotted over to me. “What happened? Is it Wendy?” She grabbed my arm. “Are you going to faint?”
“I am not going to faint. But I need to sit down.”
She guided me to a bale of straw and lowered me onto it. “What’s wrong?”
“Wendy—”
“The calf?”
“No. My foot. She stepped on it.”
“Oh, no.” Lucy looked down at my boot. “Can you walk?”
“Sort of.”
She gave me a flat look.
“Just go finish the stalls. I’ll sit here. It’ll be fine.”
“You need to go to the doctor.”
“No. I need to sit. Go away.”
She looked at me some more, then shook her head. “You’re worse than Tess.”
“So?”
She made a growling sound and spun around, going back to work.
I leaned against the wall, hoping the dizziness in my head would soon go away.
It didn’t.
A half hour later, Lucy was back. “Stand up.”
“What?”
“Stand up. If you can walk without wincing, I’ll leave you alone.”
I glared at her. “Are you my mother?”
She tapped her foot.
I stood up. But not without wincing.
She pushed me back onto the straw. “I’m going to tell Zach where we’ll be. Don’t go anywhere.”
As if.
Chapter Ten
I popped some ibuprofen and Lucy situated me in the passenger seat of the Civic. The seat went back almost far enough I didn’t have to
Similar Books
