He frowned when he remembered that he hadn’t given Blaze anything, either. Now Colleen would be mad at him too.

“What is the matter with you? Didn’t you like my present?” Liz snapped.

“I love it. It’s beautiful, and I love it. But I didn’t have a thing for you or Blaze.” Raylen hung his head.

Liz walked across the stall on her knees and wrapped her arms around Raylen. “Tell me you love me.”

“You know I do,” he said.

She cupped his face in her hands. “Tell me.”

“I love you, Liz Hanson,” he said.

“That’s the best Christmas present in the world. Now let’s take care of this horse. She’s just about ready. Look at those little hooves coming out.” She turned back to the mare.

“It’s premature, so it’s probably not going to make it,” Raylen warned.

“Oh, yes it will. Little or not, it’s not going to die. That Mama horse has worked too hard not to be able to keep her baby, and it will live,” Liz declared as the next contraction pushed more of the foal out into the world.

It was black except for one white ear and a white splotch on the forehead that faintly resembled a star. Raylen was everywhere at once, wiping its nose, shaking it gently to make it suck in air, and cussing under his breath the whole time.

Liz stayed out of his way until the newborn finally heaved and started breathing, then she helped wipe it down with warm towels. “What now?”

“We baby-sit for a while. See if it can stand on its own, and hope his mama survives,” he said.

“Do we call the vet?” Liz asked.

“No, nothing he can do that we can’t now,” Raylen said.

“Where’d that blaze come from?” Liz asked. “His mama and daddy are both solid black.”

“He’s only thrown one other one with a blaze. He’s won two major races and is almost as famous as Danny Boy,” Raylen said.

At midnight, the mare was standing on her own and everything looked fine. The tiny little horse had fed even though it had to stretch its neck to the full extent to reach his mother’s teats.

“I’m going to get a shower and grab a few hours sleep,” Raylen said.

“Me too. Santa Claus is coming at five in the morning, right?”

Raylen grinned. “Leave milk and cookies.”

***

Liz woke up Christmas morning to the aroma of coffee wafting down the hallway. Without opening her eyes, she patted Raylen’s side of the bed, only to find a pillow and cold sheets. Then she remembered that he was going to his house after the foal had been born. He’d promised to be at her house at five o’clock because Santa was coming that morning. She jumped out of bed, pulled the curtains back, and gave a sigh of relief. The weatherman had said there was a slim possibility of freezing rain, but the sun was peeking up over the eastern horizon. After presents, she and Raylen should have dry roads all the way to Claude where they were having Christmas with her family.