Steve stepped in quickly, his voice gentle. “Ginny, don’t scare her. The baby’s only two months old. She can’t be away from her mother for long. Aside from Tom, no one else knows where she is.”
Then he turned to me again, speaking with a look of earnest concern. “Tom, the ranch owner is a simple woman. She’s taken care of you all month, fed you, supported you. Don’t make this harder for her. Just show a little kindness and let her off the hook, alright?”
Ginny understood his implication instantly. She narrowed her eyes and pointed at me.
“Tom, where is our daughter? If anything happens to her, don’t blame me for what I’ll do to you.”
I said nothing. Instead, I finished washing the cow’s feet, then carried a fresh basin of water over to the calf. “Come here, baby. Daddy’s going to change your diaper.”
Ginny’s expression turned stone cold. With a roar, she slapped the water basin from my hands, sending it crashing to the floor.
“I’ve had enough of this!” she shouted. “Enough of your lunacy!”
She pulled a small silver pocket watch from inside her collar. When she opened it, a tiny photograph sat inside—soft and pink, the image of a newborn swaddled tight in blankets.