©2009 Starla Kaye

He’d really screwed up this time. Would his sweet, precious Blossom ever forgive him? Would he never again get to hear her mooing the boisterous songs she so loved to sing? Would he never again experience the kaleidoscope of emotions she made him feel? How could he live without cuddling up against her again?

Ferdinand walked forlornly across his field toward the antique gate in the corner of the fences separating him from his beloved. The sadness weighed heavily on his shoulders, wrenched at his heart. They had squabbled nearly a week ago about the new Jersey, Camillia, his owner had brought for him to do his thing with.

He heaved a sigh that rose up clear from his hooves. He hadn’t been eating right since Blossom had turned her rump toward him and stormed off in a tizzy fit. Ferdinand had even heard Farmer Jones asking his wife if she thought maybe he needed to talk to the local vet about the problem. Maybe the man knew of a special chef in the county who could create a feed mixture to bring his valuable bull out of the depression he seemed to be in. She’d told him to ask in the Emporia Emporium, the fancily named feed store.

No special feed was going to help. Ferdinand knew without his delightful Blossom in his life he had nothing to live for. She was the sunshine in his days. She brought a smile to his somber face with her crazy ways. She was hotter, sexier than any other bovine he’d ever come across. All he had now were dreams of her, of their times together.

That ridiculous Camillia had been nothing but trouble. She’d tried to bamboozle him by playing shy, acting innocent when he’d sensed in an instant that she was far from naive. But he had a job to do and he took pride in doing it. Okay, his job didn’t completely suck. It had that day, though. The annoying Jersey had giggled whenever he went near her and then she’d run off, challenging him to follow her. Which, of course, he did. But he’d gotten damn tired of chasing her down. The second he’d finished with her, he’d scrambled away and trotted straight toward where he and Blossom always met.

The love of his life was there, patiently waiting. He could still hear her angelic voice. “Oh, Ferdinand, how I’ve missed you. You’re so handsome. So magnificent. So built.” Okay, maybe she hadn’t said quite all of that, but he was certain she’d meant to say it.

She’d strolled through the hole in the fence and he’d lifted his head to calmly accept the happy-to-see-him lick on the neck she liked to give him. Only it hadn’t happened.

Blossom had gotten within six feet of him and the breeze picked up. Her nostrils flared as she breathed in his scent.

“My love, I’m so glad to see you, too,” he’d said in encouragement, confused to why she’d stopped. He’d hoped that he could have some heated moments with her as soon as possible. He’d wanted her to take away the awful memories of his experience with Camillia.

But Blossom had narrowed her big brown eyes at him and hissed, “You’ve been with another cow.”

He’d blinked and stupidly said, “Camillia means nothing to me. It was just my job.” Had he mentioned how stupid he’d been?

She’d bared her teeth at him, not a pretty sight. “Poking that thing of yours in every bovine that crosses your path. You think you’re such a stud, don’t you?”

Sometimes he just plain got stuck in that stupid mode. He had then. He’d actually said, “Well, yes. That’s my job, being a stud bull. And I’m good at it.”

It hadn’t taken her two seconds to turn around, flash her rump at him, and streak right on back through the hole in the fence. The sassy sway of her rump heading in the other direction was his last memory of her.

Suddenly the wind shifted and he sensed something. He raised his head and sniffed. Sniffed again. His heart raced. Hunger rumbled in his double stomachs. A whole other hunger made him heavy in a place he’d wondered if he would ever feel that way again. He hadn’t been near another cow since that fateful day when Blossom had rejected him.

She was coming. His precious Blossom was coming. He fought the urge to go all light-footed and dance around in joy. Dignity. Pride. He must maintain both. She’d walked away from him, so she needed to apologize. He would, naturally, forgive her moment of foolishness, her lack of faith in him.

Blossom didn’t walk through the hole in the fence. She didn’t even come within ten yards of the fence. She didn’t smile for him, didn’t talk to him. She merely looked at him with such hurt in her eyes. And then she started to turn away.

“No!” he bellowed and forgot all about acting dignified, holding to a bull’s idiotic need to show pride at all times. “Don’t go!”

He smashed through the fence at breakneck speed. She’d slowed down but hadn’t stopped moving the other way.

“Blossom, my love,” he called out, gasping as he ran. Clearly he wasn’t getting enough exercise. He was out of breath, could barely lift one hoof after another. “Please, have mercy on me. I’m not in shape to do this.”

To his relief, she stopped and slowly turned to face him. She was grinning now. “Have you learned your lesson yet?”

He sucked in air. “Lesson?”

She walked gracefully to him and her smile reached those beautiful brown eyes. “That you’re my bull. Only mine.”

“But my job…” When she glowered at him, he wished he’d bitten his tongue instead of mentioning his job.

“I don’t like your job, but I understand it. Which doesn’t mean I ever want to talk about it, or be reminded of it.” She walked closer and sniffed deeply several times. She smiled again.

“Okay, you need to learn the fine art of deception,” she said patiently as if she were explaining something to a calf.

“Lying?” He shook his head.

She blew out a breath. “Maybe deception wasn’t the right word exactly. I’m not sure what the correct word actually would be.” She huffed in annoyance. “Anyway, if you don’t want to suffer through another week like this…or possibly suffer through a permanent break-up with me—“

“Never. We are never breaking up.”

“Will you just listen and stop interrupting me! If you ever come to see me again after having been with another cow—which would be really dumb on your part, try to disguise what you were up to.”

“Huh?”

She rolled her eyes. “Roll in the damn dirt. A hundred times if necessary. But get the other cow’s scent off your body.”

“I’m not all that fond of rolling in the dirt.” He slammed his mouth shut. He’d slipped right back into stupid mode. “Got it.”

Finally she walked right next to him and he really did want to dance for joy. She gave him the lick on his neck he’d missed so much. She shoved her sweet round belly into his side and said, “So big boy, interested in…”

“Hell yes!”

Life was perfect again. Blossom was back. He loved her more than… well, than anything. She was his precious gem, his precious ruby.

She nudged him again because, evidently, he’d spaced out. “Do I need to explain what I want to do? How it happens?” She was tapping one hoof now.

He grinned. “No, I think I can figure it out on my own.” He almost said “because it’s my job,” but he had a flash of sanity instead.