Learnin' The Ropes (9 page)

“That a rig is not my truck, an outfit has nothing to do with what you are wearing, and you only call someone dude around here if you want to get your nose busted.” Ty looked thoroughly exasperated.

 “The guys are ‘learnin’ ya up’ are they?” Lexi said in her best imitation of Swede and then burst out laughing.

Ty shot her a narrowed glare, causing her to laugh harder. When she could talk without giggling, she released a sigh. “I know what you mean. When I moved back from Portland, every time I heard someone drop the ‘g’ from the end of a word it made me cringe. I guess I got used to it again. When I first moved away, the kids at college made fun of me and wanted to know what part of the south I came from with my funny twang. It didn’t take long for me to never say the word ‘wash’ and to learn to speak so people wouldn’t think I was a redneck.”

Ty studied her, realizing how hard it would be for a girl who grew up in such a tiny little community to move to Portland on her own. He would be willing to bet overcoming a few language issues was the least of her worries.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret, though,” Lexi said, leaning near him and dropping her voice.

“What’s that?” Ty moved close enough to her he could see golden flecks swimming in her mossy green eyes.

“As hard as I tried to get it to go away, my neck is always going to be just a little bit red.” Lexi grinned.

“Are you sure?” Ty scooted closer to her, keeping a serious look on his face. “Maybe I better look and see.”

Lexi turned around and held her ponytail up, exposing the flawless expanse of her long neck. “Look close, I’ll bet you see some red.”

“Nope, I don’t see a thing.” Ty edged even closer. Lexi’s enticing scent captivated his senses and he breathed deeply.  “Oh, wait… right there it is.”

Refusing to think about what he was doing, Ty pressed a warm kiss to her skin, watching red flush up her neck.

Lexi dropped her ponytail and spun around, unable to think let alone speak. Tingles of pure delight raced through her and she shoved her hands under her legs to keep from burying them into the temptation of Ty’s thick hair.

“You, Mr. Lewis, are a tease,” she finally said, trying to keep the conversation light.

“Guilty as charged,” Ty said, deciding he better leave before he did something to get himself fired.

After all, he’d not even been on the ranch two full weeks and here he was shamelessly flirting with the boss. What was wrong with him?  Quickly getting to his feet, he held out a hand to Lexi. Reluctantly, she took it and walked him back to the kitchen, stopping at the door.

“Thank you for the meal,” Ty said, not wanting to leave. “It was one of the best I’ve had in a very long time.”

“You’re welcome. Thanks for keeping me company. The house gets kind of quiet sometimes.” Lexi stared at the floor, uncertain she could keep from kissing Ty if she looked into those gorgeous blue eyes again. “And thanks again for helping pull the calf. I’m really glad you were here.”

“Me, too,” Ty said honestly. He could witness the miracle of birth a hundred more times and still be in awe. “If I can ever help, just let me know.”

“I will. Good night,” Lexi said, raising her face to look into his as he opened the door. Despite the cold air seeping in, she felt thoroughly warmed by his intense gaze.

“Night, Lexi.” He stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

Lexi sighed as she sank down on a kitchen chair. He called her Lexi. Not Lex Jr. not Lex, not boss.

Lexi.

On the ranch, it helped keep the men focused on her being the person in charge and not a young single female to have them call her Lex or boss. But for reasons she didn’t want to examine, her heart fluttered in response to Ty calling her Lexi.

As she turned off the gas fireplace in the family room, she could still feel the light brush of his lips heating the skin of her neck.

Mercy, she didn’t know what she’d do when he got caught up on the mechanic work and it was time to teach him about ranching. As good as he looked in his grease monkey attire, Ty would be positively lethal to her system in boots and Wranglers.

Lesson Four

Good Manners Aren’t Optional

“Thet’s yes ma’am, no sir, please and thank ya.

There’s jes no excusin’ bad manners.”

Settled into his routine on the ranch, Ty prepared to work on a plow. He only knew it was a plow because that is what Swede called it when they moved it into the shop. There was a whole shed full of farm equipment he was slowly learning the names of one piece at a time.

Three days after his dinner with Lexi, he came back from a trip to the parts store in Burns to find a computer in the shop. In an empty spot between the workbench and refrigerator, a new desk with a chair now took up residence. A hard drive sat in an enclosed cupboard at the bottom of the desk along with a printer, to keep it away from dust and grime. A sliding drawer held the keyboard and the monitor was a large screen, nicer than anything Ty had ever seen.

Profusely thanking Lexi that evening as she walked by on her way to the house from the barn, she accepted his gratitude with a smile and told him if he needed anything else to let her know.

Now, three weeks later, he made great progress with his repair projects thanks to the time the computer saved him.

Carefully backing his pickup into the second bay of the shop, he flagged down Cal and Keith as they walked by the open doors.

“Hey, can you guys help me a minute?” Ty asked as they approached.

“Sure, dude,” Cal teased, using the name they all called Ty. “What’d you need?”

Ty opened his truck bed cover to reveal his collection of tools. He was ready to put them in the shop and get them out of his pickup. After making a place for them along one wall, he wanted to keep them separate from the ranch tools. From his days as a mechanic at the repair shop, all his tools had his initials etched onto them anyway, so they were easy to identify.

Keith whistled as he looked over the side of the pickup at the impressive array of tools. Ty had two big rolling toolboxes that he laid down in the bed to make transporting them easier. Rather than take the time to empty all the drawers and move them, he figured with some help he could lift them out onto the rollers and be ready to go.

Cal climbed into the pickup with Ty while Keith stayed on the floor. Between the three of them, they soon had all the tools unloaded.

“Thanks. I appreciate the help,” Ty said as they finished. He opened the refrigerator and handed them each a cold soda from his stash. Grateful, they accepted the beverages and tipped the bottles toward him as they headed out the door. “Thanks again,” he said as they left.

“Anytime, dude,” Cal called over his shoulder.

Ty left the doors open to catch the morning breeze. The snow had melted and the mid-March day felt warm with a hint of spring in the air. Swede said the weather was fickle this time of year, but recommended he enjoy each day of sunshine that came along until spring finally arrived.

Intent on doing just that, Ty looked out at a deep blue sky and the shoots of green struggling to push up through the brown dead grass of winter. Inhaling a deep breath, he filled his lungs and grinned. One thing he didn’t miss about Portland was the smog and pollution. At the ranch, the air was crisp and fresh and clean. He could take deep gulps of it and feel renewed — as long as he wasn’t standing too close to any fresh cowpies.

Admittedly, Ty also liked the way he could see the sunrise and sunset, hear the birds and the cattle without the disrupting sounds of traffic and harried crowds. A certain peace and tranquility hovered around the Rockin’ R that he had never experienced but was quickly coming to appreciate.

Lost in his musings about his new home, Ty didn’t notice Baby meander into the shop until she jumped against him, throwing him off balance. He had to take a quick side step to keep from falling over.

“Baby, what are you doing?” Ty ruffled the dog’s ears. He had no idea animals could have such expressive facial features, but Baby certainly did. His hands delivered a good rub to the loveable canine when his phone rang. Since he had been listening to music, he left his phone attached to the speaker and heard his sister’s voice fill the shop.

“Hey, Beth, how are you?” he asked, surprised she would call in the middle of a workday.

“I’m really good, Ty. We just left the doctor’s office and she said the baby could come any time,” Beth said.

When she heard the word baby, the dog perked up her ears and looked around to see who was saying her name. Ty smiled and continued rubbing her back.

“That’s exciting news.” Anxious and excited about the upcoming arrival of his niece or nephew, Ty wished he could be there for his sister. “Is everything else going okay?”

“Yes, it is, thanks to you. The money you sent was a huge help. But you need to keep more of your paycheck.” Grateful for the funds Ty sent, she worried about him scraping by. “The office threw a huge baby shower for me last week and you wouldn’t believe all the wonderful things we received. This baby should have enough diapers to last at least the first two months.”

“I bet the apartment is wall-to-wall baby stuff,” Ty said, laughing as the dog frantically looked around each time she heard the word baby.

“What’s so funny?” Beth asked, hearing Ty’s chuckles.

“Every time we say the word b-a-b-y, the dog looks around to see who’s talking to her. She’s getting pretty worked up.”

“Who names a dog Baby, especially when she’s the size of a pony?” Beth asked. Ty could hear the humor in her voice.

“I don’t know, but it suits her.” Ty scratched the dog behind her ears as she settled back down. “When my nephew decides to make his arrival, Nate is totally going to Skype me, right?”

“We’ll see about that. I really don’t think it is the best plan the two of you have ever hatched.” Beth sighed. “You have no idea what you are asking for, do you?”

“I have a better idea now than I did before I left Portland.” The last few weeks, Ty helped pull several calves. For some reason, the ranch hands decided his brute strength could be beneficial to them in several ways, and not just as the mechanic.

“Be that as it may, please remember I’m not a cow,” Beth warned.

He heard a car engine start and realized Beth and Nate were in their vehicle. “Yes, ma’am, I’ll remember,” Ty said.

“Are you turning into a cowboy on me?” Beth teased. “What’s with that ma’am business?”

“I’ve been informed multiple times that it is good manners to address any female as ma’am and any man older than me as sir. There’s a whole list of manners that I’m supposed to memorize. Believe me, it is not just a code, but a way of life that these people are determined to ingrain into my head,” Ty explained as Baby went to her blanket in the corner and flopped down.

Beth laughed. “Let’s hear some of the things on the list.”

Ty could picture her smiling as she and Nate drove through the horrific traffic from the doctor’s office toward their apartment.

“I’ve been given a printed copy. I’ll send it to you later,” Ty said. “I’m glad you’re doing well. Promise you two will let me know the minute my nephew arrives?”

“We promise,” Beth said. “Love you, Ty.”

“Love you, too.”

Ty was in a good mood after talking to his sister. His thoughts chased around the upcoming arrival of her baby. He wanted to find a special gift, but had no idea what to buy. If he had time after dinner, maybe he’d do some browsing online and see what he could find.

The morning passed quickly. When Ty stopped at noon to eat a sandwich, he emailed his sister the “guide to upright living” Swede gave him a couple of weeks ago. It was part of the foreman’s efforts in “learnin’ ya up to how things are done.”

Ty read through the guide again with a smile on his face.

1. Once you give your word and a handshake, it’s as binding as signing a contract.

2. Never betray a trust.

3. Never lie, cheat, or steal.

4. Treat all children, animals, and old folks like you want to be treated.

5. Call your elders sir and ma’am.

6. Treat women with respect and care.

7. Always tip your hat to a lady, and take it off at the dinner table and in church.

8. Work hard and give your boss an honest day for your pay.

9. If someone needs a hand, lend yours to the task.

10. Respect the flag and our nation.

11. Be clean — both on the outside and inside of your person.

12. Never stop learning.

13. Never make fun of someone who gave it their best.

14. Never wear your spurs or dirty boots in the house.

15. Fight fair, be brave, and stand up for what’s right.

Ty had always followed rules number one through four. He also tried to follow rule six as well as eight through thirteen. He was learning to apply “sir” and “ma’am.” Since he had not yet been coerced into purchasing a cowboy hat, he wasn’t worried about rule number seven. The same went for rule number fourteen since he had neither spurs nor cowboy boots. As for rule fifteen, that was part of the unwritten code he’d set for his life. He tried to live peacefully with everyone, but if he had to, he would stand up for himself and do it honorably.

He thought of teaching his nephew how to throw a right hook when he was old enough. It was going to be hard to be absent when the little guy made his big entrance into the world. Despite Beth’s protests, he and Nate had a plan all worked out so he could virtually be there to hear the baby’s first cries.

After returning to work, Ty finished the plow and hooked it up to a tractor, dragging it out of the shop so he could get started working on a harrow.

He dug in a drawer that housed an assortment of nuts and bolts, organized by size, trying to reach into the back to the size he needed. Firmly tugging, the drawer seemed to be stuck, so he worked it around until he got it out. He bent down to peer into the space and noticed a crumpled envelope in the back of the cabinet.