The Trio of Riders

"Who's in labor?!"

Tylee slowly makes her way around the pens behind the barn, looking at each horse. As she stops in front of her favorite one, Willow Wind she rubs her eight months pregnant belly. The mare too is expecting only she is much closer than Tylee. "Hey girl, how you feeling?"

The horse walks up to the fence and nudges her owner throw the metal bars of the gate. Tylee laughs and rubs her in her favorite spot, just in front of the mares buckskin ears. "I'll be back to check on you after I feed this little one in here," she tells Wind as she rubs her bulging belly.

As she walks back to the house she checks her phone. Dan has gone into to town for a supply run and since she was feeling very exhausted this morning they decided she should stay home. He made sure she knew to call him every two hours no matter and that she promised to call if she needed anything. When Becca found out she wasn't coming in she was none too happy, but she understood. No messages, but then again it is only two in the afternoon.

Once in the house she makes herself her new craving. Grilled cheese sandwich and pickles. She stares out the window at the flat Amarillo plains as she chews the mouth watering food. Sure it didn't seem like much, but for a pregnant lady craving foods are way more delicious than average food.

The house is eerily quite without Dan around making it hard for her to settle down for the afternoon nap he insisted she take. After laying there for ten minutes with no luck she gets up and makes her way back out to the barn. As soon as she enters the big doors she can feel something is off.

Panic washes over her in waves as she walks as fast as she can out to Willow Wind's pen. "No no no no no," she whispers the word over and over as she stands staring at her prized mare laying on the ground in labor. Finally her mind goes back to working and she quickly dials Dan's number. "Wind, baby, you aren't suppose to have this baby when Dan isn't here."
***

Dan drops the last bag of feed onto the trailer floor and a smile spreads across his face. "I think that's all of it," he tells Tylee's best friend, Becca.

"Awesome! Anything else you need?" She asks with her usual bubbly smile.

He thinks about it for a moment before remembering. "In fact I do." He moves around to the cab of the pickup. Reaching on the dash he pulls out a piece of paper. "Could you put this up on your bulletin board for me?"

Becca takes it and runs her gaze over it. "Help wanted, huh? I never thought I would see the day that Tylee hired anyone," she says then quickly adds. "Since you."

He laughs and smiles. "Well since we are having a little one to keep us tied up I figured it is a good idea to get some help."

She raises an eyebrow. "So she doesn't know about this?"

"Oh no she knows. It just wasn't her idea. Of course she isn't going to admit that she can't run the ranch by herself now that she is pregnant even though she knows it."

Becca laughs and nods. "You got that right."

Just then his phone begins to ring. A even bigger smile slips to his lips. "Speaking of her," he says before answering. "Hey, my fawn."

His phone cuts out then he hears her say, "Teddy bear."

"What's that? You are breaking up."

"I need you to come home-" his phone breaks out once again. Then next thing he catches is two words he doesn't want to hear right now. "In labor."

"What? Fawn you can't be in labor! It's too early. Okay. Uh, stay calm and I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm leaving the feed store right now." No more has he said the words than the phone cuts off.

"What's going on?" Becca asks her eyes wide with concern.

"Tylee is in labor."

She doesn't even blink an eye she nods. "I'm going with you."
***

Tylee rubs her horses jaw and cops soothing words. The two hours it takes to get from town to the ranch never has felt so long. The seconds begin to tick by like hours and the minutes like days. She can tell her mare is in great pain and wonders if the foal isn't coming the right way.

She begins to sing her favorite hymn to try and calm both herself and Wind down. "I come to the garden alone where the dew is still on the roses and the voice I hear calling on my ear the Son of God is coming. And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am his own. And the joy we share as we teary there none other has ever known."

Just as she finishes the first part the roar of the pickup catches her attention. She bends and gives Wind a kiss on her cheek. "I will be back in just a second, okay girl?" Then she hurries out to were Dan is about to pull up.

As soon as the pickup rolls to a stop he jumps out and runs to her with the most concerned look on his face that she has ever seen. "Tylee, fawn, are you okay? What are you doing out here? How do you feel?"

She looks at him in question. "I am fine. I told you Wind is in labor," she tells him taking his hand and beginning to lead him back towards the pen.

He stops and looks at her. "Wait what?"

She grabs his arm firmly but still gently and pulls him towards the pens. "I think she is having trouble foaling."

"So you are not in labor?" Becca asks from behind them while wearing a grin.

Tylee turns around and looks from her best friend then back to her husband. "You thought I was in labor?"

He chews on his bottom lip. "The phone cut out and all I heard was to come home and somebody is in labor. I guess I just assumed it was you." He wraps his arms around her and kisses her forehead. "But I am very glad you are not because I want to be here when that happens."

Becca interrupts the sweet moment. "You mean you guys are not going to a hospital to have the baby?"

Tylee rolls her eyes. "As much as I would love to talk about this we need to go check on Wind. Now."