Read Online Love Song by Sharon Gillenwater - Free Book Online

time, you notice details that distinguish each one from the others. See that small pear shaped white spot on her shoulder?” At her nod, he continued, “I was here right after she gave birth to the light brown calf with the white patch on his forehead.”
    They watched the happy reunion between hungry baby and worried mother. As Andi settled back against the cushion, Wade moved his arm, resting it across the top of the seat. She sensed that he didn’t want her to move to the other side of the truck, but that he wouldn’t say anything if she did. She stayed where she was.
    She pointed to another calf with coloring almost identical to the one that had been separated from its mother. “You knew that calf wasn’t hers because it’s bigger and its coat is a little bit darker brown?”
    “The lady learns fast. That calf was born two weeks earlier. His mama is the big one over there with one twisted horn.” He pointed to a cow a short distance in front of them. “She’s older than we are.”
    “You’re kidding.”
    “Nope. Uncle Ray says she’s thirty years old. She had her first calf about the time we were born and has had one a year ever since. This one has more than earned her keep and a lazy retirement.” A loud bellow sounded nearby on the right, and Andi jumped. Wade slid his arm down from the seat, resting it across her shoulders. “That’s the big guy making his grand entrance.”
    Andi watched a gigantic, reddish-brown bull strut into view. “He’s beautiful.”
    “Handsome brute, that’s a fact. Uncle Ray used to raise purebred Herefords, but he bought a couple of Beefmaster bulls several years back as an experiment. They improved the quality of the herd, so he switched mainly to Beefmaster bulls and Hereford cows. We breed the heifers who haven’t had a calf with Longhorns. The calf is smaller and makes it easier on first-time mothers.”
    “Will we see a Longhorn?”
    “Not in this pasture. We have to keep them well separated from the other bulls, or they tear them up. In fact, we’ve had to shorten the horns on a couple of them. Hated to do it. Cutting off their horns takes away their pride, but it keeps them out of fights. We’ll go see if we can find one.”
    He lifted his arm over her head, putting his hand back on the steering wheel. “Feel free to stay where you are,” he said with a warm, roguish smile.
    Andi laughed softly as he drove past the tank, feeling free for the first time in years. Sitting close to him was like coming home, and at that moment, she didn’t ever want to leave again.
     

CHAPTER 6
    Andi and Wade sat on the grassy bank beside one of the three creeks that cut across the ranch, basking in the sunshine, enjoying the peace and quiet. A hawk soared high overhead in lazy circles. A dragonfly flew past, and on the opposite bank, a woodpecker hammered away, looking for lunch in the side of a mesquite tree.
    Their trip to see the Longhorn had been a success. Andi was duly impressed with the six feet span of horns, but the thought of Wade working with the potentially dangerous animal frightened her. He had driven past the fifteen acre garden which supplied vegetables for his family as well as those who worked on the ranch. She knew from experience that a garden could take up a lot of space if watermelons and cantaloupes were planted in it, but it was still the largest garden plot she had ever seen, short of a commercial one.
    She leaned back on her elbows, watching the hawk. “I’ve heard you should never ask a rancher how big his spread is or how many cows he has because that’s like asking him how much money he makes.”
    “True.” Wade glanced at her and grinned. “But you still want to know, don’t you?”
    “I’m not interested in how much money you make, but I am curious about how big this place is. It seems like we drove twenty miles today.”
    He laughed. “You have to remember we back-tracked a lot. We have close to twenty-five thousand acres, which