Ben had to hide the wave of relief that swept over him. "Okay, that sounds good. What kind of movies do you like?"
"I'll pick. I'll bring one with me, and you can take care of the pizza."
"Perfect. I'll see you Friday, then."
"Yes, you will." Savannah let her eyelashes flutter at him.
With a little growl, Ben reached out and pulled her to him, tipping her head up for a kiss. Savannah melted into it and kissed him back. Footsteps in the gravel made them pull apart.
"Hold that thought, cowboy," Savannah murmured. "See you Friday."
On Friday evening, Savannah arrived at the barn carrying a large bag, She found Ben in the barn watching the pregnant mare. She set her bag down on the bench and joined him.
"What's happening?"
Ben slipped an arm around her waist. "Maybe nothing, but she's been pretty restless today. I don't feel any contractions, but there could be a baby in the next couple of days."
Belle tossed her head and snorted at him, making Savannah laugh. "How do you feel her contractions?"
"Just lay a hand on her side. It's just like a woman; you can feel the tightening when there's a contraction. The baby is pretty active."
Savannah was fascinated.
Ben said, "Want to see if you can feel the foal move? Let's see if she minds you getting closer."
When the mare rubbed her head on Savannah's shoulder, she moved closer, stroking her neck and talking to her. Ben took her hand and laid it on the horse's belly, and a few seconds later, she laughed softly at the movement under the mare's skin.
"Ben!" Savannah kept her voice soft. "I can actually see it!"
"Yeah. Pretty amazing, isn't it?"
"It sure is. Oh! I think this baby wants to come out," Savannah breathed.
The mare moved away, and the two of them slipped out of the stall.
"Let's leave her alone. The baby monitor is on and we'll check on her again in a while."
They went upstairs to Ben's apartment, Ben carrying Savannah's bag.
"What the heck have you got in here?"
"I like to be prepared," Savannah said with a wicked little grin.
"Ah, I see." Ben jerked her against him and captured her mouth in a hot kiss.
Savannah twined her arms around his neck and kissed him back. When they broke apart, she was breathless. "You sure can kiss, cowboy."
"Well, you're not so bad yourself, little lady. For a city gal," Ben drawled.
She laughed. "Jerk. I'm hungry."
"Well, then, you're in luck," Ben said. "I fixed us up a little something to tide us over until the pizza gets here."
Ben opened the refrigerator and brought out a tray full of caprese skewers, making Savannah laugh again.
"Your mama taught you well," she said as she plucked a skewer off the tray.
"What do you like on your pizza?"
"The works. With extra pepperoni."
"And she has good taste too." Ben nodded his approval and called to order the pizza. "So what movie did you bring?"
"I brought a couple of them." Savannah pulled several movies out of her bag.
Ben looked them over and said, "Action and horror. No chick flicks?"
"Not me. I do have a couple of nice French films, though."
Ben was looking at her in horror. "With subtitles?"
"Yes, indeed. I didn't bring them, though." She laughed at the relief on his face.
"You're a very unusual woman, Savannah. Unpredictable."
"Good," she said with satisfaction. "That's the way I like it."
"What made you decide to stay away from Boone for so long?" Ben asked.
"My grandfather died. I was thirteen, and after that, I didn't want to be here."
"You were close to him."
"Closer than anybody in the world, except Shelby. And she's part of me."
"It must have been heartbreaking. Was it unexpected?"
"Completely. He had a massive stroke, and he was gone before we knew it."
"I'm sorry."
"It was a long time ago," Savannah said softly. "And I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"You still miss him, though."
"Yes. I always will. He understood me better than anyone in the world."
"You were lucky to have him."
Moodily, Savannah said, "I should have had him for a lot longer. It wasn't fair."
"No. It never is."
"So that's why Boone is never going to be my home."
Ben started to speak then decided to let it be. He got up and came back with a couple of beers, handing her one. "I used to think Kentucky was going to be my home for life. The money, the fast pace, the excitement around the racetrack. It was a lot of fun for a long time. Until I started to see it more clearly. The greed, the backstabbing, it just got to be too much."
"Well, then, you made a good move."
"Yeah, I really think I did. This is a good place with good people. I feel like I fit in here."
"Good for you, Ben." Savannah smiled softly at him. "So do you think Belle's going to have her baby soon?"
She had obviously changed the subject. "It's hard to tell. She's showing some signs, but you never know with horses."
"It's so exciting. I hope I get to be here when it happens."
"Me too." He gave her a hug. "So should we go ahead and start a movie? Pizza's going to be a while yet. Friday is a busy night for them."
"Sure. Take your pick."
"I say action." Ben put the movie in and they settled on the couch.
They watched the flick and demolished two thirds of the pizza, and then Ben suggested they go down to the barn again. They found the mare pacing in her stall, stopping now and then to lift a foot, making some grunting sounds and acting restless in general. Ben went in and laid his hand on her for a couple of minutes.
"There it is," he said soothingly, patting the mare. "I think I better start calling people."
"Really?" Savannah felt a thrill.
"Yep, I'll call Ms. Harper and the vet, and Ms. Harper will take it from there."
Ben made his calls, and Doc Fisher was the first to arrive. He examined the mare and nodded in satisfaction. "Yep, I'd say there'll be a foal by morning."
"What do we do now?" Savannah's eyes were huge.
"Just wait and keep an eye on her. We'll be careful to stay out of her way and keep ourselves quiet. Sometimes horses don't like to foal with people around."
The next couple of hours seemed to crawl by. The mare had been up and down several times and the vet was keeping a close watch on her. Finally, with a groan, the horse lay down and stayed down. The onlookers stayed close but kept quiet. The mare was visibly pushing and the vet slipped into the stall, ready to help.
"Here we go," Doc Fisher said softly.
Tiny hooves appeared first, followed by the foal's little nose. The vet held the little horse gently, and a moment later, the mare pushed him out. The vet checked him out quickly and then backed away as Belle heaved herself to her feet and began cleaning her baby.