Once his hands were clean, he grabbed a coil of thin rope and slowly approached Molly. Bonnie watched as he ran a hand down her side.
“Hey, girl,” he said softly. “You’re doing an amazing job, but this baby just doesn’t want to cooperate, does it?”
Bonnie could’ve sworn the ewe gave him a look of relief.
Jace talked Bonnie through everything as he checked the lamb’s position. “Yeah, its head is back.” He made a noose with the rope. “I’m going to put this over the forelimbs, guide the head around, and slip the rope over its head to help bring the lamb down into position.”
Molly complained as he worked. “It’s okay, sweet girl,” Jace reassured her. “You’re doing a great job as always.”
Bonnie folded her hands together and watched as, with some effort, Jace accomplished his task. When the lamb’s nose and face became visible along with the legs, she realized what he meant and why he could tell something had been wrong.
“Alright.” Jace softly patted Molly’s side. “We’ll wait for another round of contractions, and then I’ll help you out a little.”
It didn’t take long for the contractions to begin again. Jace gently pulled on the rope that was around the lamb. Molly bleated with effort as the lamb finally slid onto the ground.
“There we are,” Jace announced proudly. “Looks like we’ve got a baby boy here. Good job, Molly. Bonnie, would you bring me a blanket, please?”
Glad she could finally help in some way, she snatched the top blanket and went forward to hand it to him.
The lamb was mostly still, and Bonnie held her breath hoping it was going to be okay.
Jace used the blanket to wipe the lamb’s mouth and face off. “There we go. We need to make sure his nose and mouth are clear so he can breathe. Then we need to help clear his airway a little.” He picked up the lamb by the back legs and held it upside down for several minutes before lowering him back to the ground.
The lamb’s sides moved as he breathed, and Molly stretched her neck to reach her baby. She began to lick his ears.
Bonnie grinned. “He’s so tiny.” His entire body was white except for the black on his head. “Good job, Molly. Look at you, you’re such a good mama.”
As though encouraged by Bonnie’s words, Molly continued to clean her lamb until contractions began again.
“Hopefully the second lamb will be easier for her.” Jace nodded toward the stack of blankets. “Grab another and you can help me dry this little guy off since Molly’s going to be busy for a few minutes.”
Together, they worked to gently clean the lamb until he was nearly dry. Jace wrapped him in a clean towel and held him out to Bonnie. “Why don’t you hold the lamb and keep him warm while we wait for the other baby?”
He immediately placed the lamb in her arms, and Bonnie was surprised by how light he was. She took several steps back before settling on the hay with the little guy in her arms. She gently ran a finger over his long ear.
When she glanced up again, she found Jace watching her, a tender expression on his face. “You’re a natural.”
He was probably only being kind, but his words warmed her. “Thank you for letting me be a part of this.”
“I’m glad you wanted to be.”
Thankfully, Jace was right, and poor Molly didn’t have nearly as hard of a time delivering the second lamb. The nose presented itself along with the hooves. In a fraction of the time, the little one made its appearance.
“And we have a girl,” Jace announced as he cleaned off the lamb’s face. He smiled at the ewe. “You did it, Molly.” He motioned to Bonnie. “Bring yours over and put him down by Molly. She’ll focus on him while we get this one all cleaned up.”
The moment Bonnie placed the baby on the hay next to Molly, the ewe immediately took over care. Molly got to her feet, and Bonnie watched in amazement as the baby tried to do the same and stumbled on spindly legs to find a nipple and nurse. Bonnie had to resist the urge to squeal at how cute it all was.
Jace finished drying off the ewe lamb and released it near her mama. Then he moved to stand next to Bonnie as they watched the twins eat their first meal.
“They’ll be okay now?”
He nodded. “Molly’s only ever lost one lamb, and it was stillborn. These two should be fine.” He held his hands out in front of him and wrinkled his nose. “I need a serious hand scrubbing.”
She thought about him turning the lamb and laughed. “Yeah, I’ll bet you do.”
He pointed to the pail of water. “You can use that and the soap there if you’d like. I’m going to go scrub in the bathroom here in the barn, and I’ll be back shortly.”
Bonnie washed her hands and dried them on a clean towel. A yawn caught her by surprise as she set the towel down and glanced at her watch. It was after one in the morning. She’d had no idea so much time passed since they got here.
