by Misty Malone
“Do you think maybe it was more than that?”
“I think maybe it was because I didn’t really like her example, but I wouldn’t admit it to myself until you, you—”
“Gave you permission?” He smiled at her as he tried to explain his words. “Cheyenne, all I did was suggest it’s okay to be your own person.”
“Thank you, Ty. I think I needed to hear that from someone.”
“I think you did, too. We’re going to work on your confidence in yourself. I see so very much for you to be proud of, but you’re not seeing it yet. But you will,” he promised. He squeezed her hand. “Feel any better?”
“Yes, I do. Thank you.” After a minute or two of companionable silence, she turned to him. “So, are you going to help me discover what I want to do with my life, too?”
“Sure, if you want my help. But I thought I’d save that for tomorrow night. Now that you’ve cleared your mind of one concern this evening, take some time to enjoy that feeling. It can be very freeing. Tomorrow if you want to think about something, try to think about what you like to do in your spare time. You might surprise yourself. Either way, we can talk about it tomorrow night if you want.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Before I go home, I want to talk to you about tomorrow night.”
“What should I wear?”
“How about a step up from blue jeans, but nothing formal.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “What are you wearing?”
He thought a moment before answering. “Khakis and a sports jacket.”
“Oh, cool. And a tie?”
He loved seeing her smiling like that. “Do you want me to wear a tie?”
“Sure. Ties are sexy.”
“Then a tie it is. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Dresses are sexy, too.”
“Then a dress it is.”
He laughed as he stood to go home, pulling her up with him. “We’re going to knock off a bit early tomorrow, so I’ll be over to get you about 6:00. Is that okay?”
“Terrific.”
“Good. I’ll see you for breakfast.” He leaned down and kissed her on her cheek before turning and heading toward his house. Again, she watched him leave, liking what she was seeing.
After breakfast and lunch as normal the next day, Cheyenne spent most of the afternoon getting ready for her first date with Ty. It occurred to her that she always had doubts when she dated in the past, worried her date wouldn’t like how she looked or what she wore. She knew Ty wouldn’t judge her on her appearance, which was a relief to her. She wanted to be able to concentrate on Ty and not feel she had to worry about how she looked.
When Ty rang the doorbell at exactly 6:00 she was still feeling a bit nervous, until she opened the door and saw his eyes. He looked her up and down and she could easily see the appreciation in his expression. “Cheyenne, you are beautiful.”
She felt her face flush, but she’d been doing her own checking things out, and she responded with, “Nice. Very nice.” He smiled when his little minx added, “I like the tie. Sexy.”
He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I like the dress, too. Very sexy.” She giggled as her face flushed again. “Are you ready to go?” She nodded, grabbed her purse she had on the table by the door, and he led her out to his pickup, which was clean and shiny.
As he helped her into it she looked at him curiously. “When did you have time today to wash and wax your truck? I saw you and Clay working with those two new horses all afternoon.”
“My clean truck is compliments of your brother.”
“Clay? But he worked with you. I saw you both.”
“Checking up on me, were you?”
Again her face flushed. “No, I wasn’t checking up on you. I just saw you two out there working with the new horses.”
Ty laughed, a friendly, understanding laugh. “I told Clay I wanted to wash my truck before I take you out tonight and he said he wanted to get his washed before he went to see Lynelle, too, but we were busy with the new horses, so he had one of the new hands wash and wax our trucks while we worked. I felt bad because, in essence, he paid to have my truck washed.” He smiled and looked at it again. “But he sure did a nice job, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he did. I’m sure Clay would rather have paid him to do that while you did stuff the new guy couldn’t.”
“You sound like your brother. That’s almost word for word what he said.” They kept an easy conversation going during the entire trip to the restaurant, which helped ease Cheyenne’s nerves a bit. By the time they got to the restaurant, she felt a lot more relaxed than she had on any other date she’d been on.
The restaurant had been open a couple years, but Cheyenne had never been to it. It had opened while she was living with her mother in Paris. She liked it from the moment they walked in. There was a lot to see and she was taking it all in. Ty helped, pointing out things he liked.
After the waitress took their order, Ty laid his hand over hers. “So have you decided on any kind of direction your career may be headed?”
She smiled at him, but looked down. He watched her get noticeably nervous, fidgeting with her silverware and napkin. “Oh, not really,” she said quietly.
He watched her fidget another several moments while he studied her. “Cheyenne, look at me, please.”
He was happy when she looked up, but concerned that she looked a bit scared. “Darlin’, what is it; what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she quickly assured him.
He kept his voice soft and friendly, but there was an edge of sternness to it now. “Do I need to remind you what I think of pretty little ladies who lie to me?”
Her eyes grew wide, and she quickly shook her head. He said, “Good. Let me try a different way. Darlin’, if you’ve thought of any ideas, I’d love to hear about them.”
“But it’s probably pretty stupid and wouldn’t work.”
Now he looked nothing but stern. “But I guess I do need to remind you what I think of you putting yourself down.”
It wasn’t a question, but a statement, and Cheyenne’s bottom started tingling. “No. No, you don’t, Ty. I meant, I did what you said and I thought of things I like to do in my spare time. I thought of something, but just as quickly I thought of some negatives, some reasons why it probably wouldn’t be a successful business.”
His smile returned as he patted her hand. “I’m proud of you, Cheyenne. Why don’t you tell me about it? Maybe together we can come up with a way around the negatives, or something else similar, just tweak the idea a bit.” He waited a second, and praised her again. “But I’m very proud of you for thinking about it, giving it some thought. What was your idea?”
Cheyenne was beaming from the praise he’d given her, and he tucked that into the back of his mind to remember later. She obviously needed more of that. She started out slowly, but he laid his hand over hers again and gently rubbed the back of it, hoping to encourage her. “You said to think about what I like to do in my spare time, so I did. The first thing that I reach for if I have some spare time is a book.”
Ty smiled at her, nodding his head. “That’s the one thing I thought of, too. I’ve looked over to the house on several occasions and have seen you out by the pool with a book in your hands.”
Remembering his question earlier that evening, she got a mischievous look on her face. “Checking up on me, were you?”
He joined in her enjoyment of the moment. “No, I wasn’t actually checking up on you. I was hoping you’d be outside so I could steal a quick look. In case I haven’t told you before, you’re a very pretty young lady.” He watched her blush, which was very becoming, but he didn’t want her feeling uncomfortable. “So, back to your idea. The first thing you reach for is a book.”
“Yes, it is. I love to read. And I love to read books. I mean, I have a Kindle and I use it occasionally, but I really prefer to read the actual books. And there’s nothing lik
e old books, especially the old classics. Reading an old book, maybe even a first edition, is like a treat. It’s like you can feel history in your hands. I find myself thinking about who else has read this wonderful book and what they thought of it. It’s almost magical to picture in your mind who all could have read this same exact book, and what was happening in their lives, or even in the world around them at the time.”
He smiled at her. “Really? I’ve never thought of an old book that way, but I bet I will from now on.” He paused a moment. “You know, when I helped you move in at the ranch I carried a couple of heavy boxes of old books upstairs for you. I wondered about them at the time, thinking you seemed more the type to have new things.”
She cocked her head a bit and looked at him, as if studying him, or the words he’d just said. “Yeah, you’re right.” Ty didn’t have a clue what she meant, but he could tell she was thinking, so he gave her more time.
She soon elaborated. “And Mom never liked me buying these old books. She always said they looked awful, and suggested if I want that book, she was sure I could get a new, nicer looking copy of it. She never understood when I said I wanted that one because it was old. Thinking about it now, that’s the only thing I can think of that I stood up to Mom about. I let her talk me into everything else, doing everything her way, but I never gave in on my old books.”
“Good for you.” He patted her hand again. “I think that shows how passionate you are about them, and proves it’s worth thinking about as a career. So what was your idea?”
“Maybe I could open a book store.”
Being careful to keep a straight face, Ty asked, “And what are the negatives you immediately thought of?”
“People aren’t buying books like they used to. Book stores are closing, so it’s probably not a good idea to open a new one.”
“That’s true,” he said, glad she’d realized that. “But what positives have you come up with to offset the negatives?”
“Not much,” she said in a deflated manner, “except that I could also have old books for sale. And I thought maybe I could have a little coffee shop inside the store, with a walk-up window out to the street. Well, the sidewalk,” she amended. “Maybe I could bring in a little extra money from people buying coffee, either at the window as they walk past on their way to work, or inside as they browse for books. It would be nice to give people a place to sit down and read the first few pages of a book to see if they think they’d like it.”
He was getting excited watching her excitement grow as she told him about her idea. “Cheyenne, I think that idea just might work. You’ll have to find somewhere to find some old books you can buy to sell, but—”
“I’ve thought of that. When I was in Paris I used to spend some of my spare time at my friend’s uncle’s book store. He had old classics. In fact, I bought a few from him. I thought maybe I could get in touch with him and he might be able to help me out. He was getting older and talking about retiring, so maybe he’d be willing to give me some names and help me get going.”
“He might even be willing to sell you some of his old books when he does retire. That’s wonderful, Cheyenne.”
“One thing really worries me, though.”
“What’s that?”
“I have no idea how to run a store. I’ve never even worked in one.” She looked at him with playful, but hopeful eyes. “Would a really smart cowboy have any suggestions for me?”
He sighed and said, “Actually, I do have a suggestion for you, but I’m not sure you’re going to like it much.”
She looked at him, puzzled. “Why?”
“Because I think you have a wonderful idea, and I think you’ve thought it out well. But I think what would give you the best chance at success would be for you to go back to school and get an MBA.”
“A Master’s in Business Administration?” She frowned, but he could tell she was considering his suggestion. “But I didn’t like college, and I didn’t do very well.”
“Because you didn’t have a goal you were working toward. You took what you perceived as the easiest thing you could take, and no one encouraged you to do well. That would all change here.”
“It would?”
“Of course it would. You’d have a reason to take these classes. You’d be wanting to learn everything you could to make sure your business does well. And you’d have three people rooting for you, helping you when we can, and encouraging you. That will make a huge difference, Cheyenne.”
She smiled, thinking of Ty, Clay and her father encouraging her. She frowned again, though, as she thought a bit more. “But I don’t know anything about business. What if it’s hard and I just don’t get it?”
“Then Clay and I will help you.”
She was puzzled again. “You guys could help?”
“What do you think your brother’s degree is in?”
She had a blank look on her face momentarily. “I feel terrible. I don’t know. I know he went to college, but I don’t know what kind of degree he got. I figured it had something to do with the ranch.”
“His bachelor’s is in biology and animal husbandry, and he got an MBA.”
“So he could help. Do you think he would?”
“Both of us would, honey.”
“You could help, too?” She studied him several moments. “I don’t really know that much about you, Ty, your background. Did you go to college?”
“I did,” he answered, and immediately focused on her again. “We’d both help you if you need help. I think you’ll surprise yourself, though. Since you’ll have a reason to be interested in these classes I think you’ll do fine.” He also thought it would do a lot toward helping her self-esteem, but he wasn’t about to tell her that now.
He picked her hand up and kissed it. “Are you ready to start applying to colleges?”
“Maybe. I don’t want to leave the ranch, though.”
Ty smiled ear to ear at her words. He didn’t want her to leave, either. “You didn’t want to come back to the ranch, but now that you’re here you don’t want to leave?”
She knew her face was turning red again, but she didn’t care. “How can you and Clay help me if I need it if I’m not here?”
“Good point.”
“But can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“You were awfully quick to change the conversation back to me. Will you tell me a little bit about you?”
“What do you want to know?”
“Are you from around here? Where did you go to college, and what did you major in? If you have a degree, what made you decide to work on a ranch? Do you like ranching?”
He chuckled as he held up his hand. “Whoa, slow down, one at a time. I’ll answer those questions if you’ll tell me more about you then.”
“Deal,” she said, smiling.
“Okay. I’m from out east and went to school there. I came to Wyoming because I wanted to work on a ranch. I didn’t know what I was doing, so I found a smaller ranch with an owner who was willing to teach me. I learned the ropes there. He then got sick and his wife divorced him. She got part of the ranch and they had to sell it, so I was out a job. I applied with your dad, and he hired me as a ranch hand. Two years later, which was last year, his foreman retired, and here I am.”
She’d been listening intently, finding she really wanted to know all she could about him. “Did you know you wanted to work on a ranch when you went to college? What did you major in?”
He smiled, and answered honestly. “I always knew I wanted to at least try working on a ranch. I have a bachelor’s in business administration.”
She studied him a bit. “If you knew you wanted to try working on a ranch, why did you get a degree in business?”
He paused and looked a bit uneasy. “You sure have a lot of questions, my inquisitive one.”
Not apologizing a bit, she challenged him. “You said you care about me; right?”
A bit shocked at her question, he agai
n answered honestly. “Yes, I do.”
“Well, it seems I care about you, too, and I want to know more about you. You intrigue me and I want to know the mystery behind you.”
“Mystery?”
“How did you get to be so smart? You figured out a lot about me awfully quickly. I’m impressed and I appreciate it, but it’s a mystery to me how you figured all that out that quickly.”
“Like what?”
“Like my mom. I’ve done a lot of thinking about it, and you’re right. I don’t feel the same way about a lot of things as she does, but I always figured I should, so I just went along with it.”
“Why did you feel you should?”
“I don’t know. I guess because she’s my mom, and she told me this is the way things should be done. I guess I just believed her.”
Ty turned quiet, not saying anything for so long that Cheyenne shyly apologized. “I’m sorry, did I say something I shouldn’t have?”
He looked up at her and quickly reassured her. “No. No, honey, you didn’t. I was just thinking.” He looked at her for several moments and, as if reaching a decision, responded to her concern. “Okay. I’ve told you how important I feel communication and honesty are in a relationship, so it’s time I follow my own advice.”
“What?”
“Cheyenne, I’m serious about wanting a relationship with you.”
He was a little surprised, but happy, when she said, “I’m serious about wanting a relationship with you, too.”
“Are you, really?”
“Yeah. It took me a while to realize it, but I think in some ways you’re just what I need. I find myself being drawn to you, and like I said, I want to know more about you. That’s something new for me. I never dated any guy who I really cared enough to ask about their background. I want to know everything about you. I just don’t like—”
When she stopped, he looked around to be sure no one could hear as he leaned closer and quietly tried to help. “You just don’t like the spankings?”
“Right,” she said as she turned bright red.
He continued to talk quietly. “But then, like you said, that’s part of just what you need.”
