One Smart Cowboy

by Misty Malone

  She went to the college right after lunch and looked into their MBA program, and applied. She got home in time to finish up supper. She’d used the crock pot this morning so the main dish was done. She’d also made a salad ahead of time, and the dressing. She tossed the salad while the dinner rolls were baking, and had just finished setting the table when she heard a vehicle pull up. She went to the door to see who it was, and ran out to greet her father.

  Clay came up several minutes later to welcome his dad home, as well. They all three went into the kitchen. “Dad, your timing is perfect. I was just finishing up supper. Go wash up and I’ll put it on the table.”

  Clay and Sam were just returning to the kitchen when Ty came in the back door. Cheyenne went to meet him and he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. “Is that all the kiss I get?” she teased.

  He turned a bit red as he said, “For right now, yes. At least until I welcome your father home.” She quickly turned when she heard Sam and Clay laughing. She turned red, as well.

  Sam laughed and said, “You two don’t worry about me. You have my blessing. It’s wonderful to see my little girl smiling like that again. It may take me a bit of time to get used to the idea of my daughter and my foreman, but I see nothing wrong with it at all.”

  Ty heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you, sir, and welcome home. Good to have you back.” His long strides covered the ground between them quickly and he was shaking hands with Sam.

  They sat down and had a good long supper, catching up on all that was happening. Cheyenne asked about Aunt Lucy, and Sam assured her she was doing well now. They talked about Cheyenne going back for her MBA, and she was happy when all three men offered their help if she needed it. Sam looked a little sheepish. “Paying for it is probably about all the help I’ll be able to offer, though.”

  Cheyenne chuckled as she went over and kissed his cheek. “Thank you so much for that, Dad.” The other two offered whatever help they could give her with studying, and she thanked them as well.

  Sam asked about the ranch, and Ty quickly offered a suggestion. “Maybe the three of us can go in your office after supper and discuss business. How was your trip home?”

  Sam studied his foreman a second or two and knew he wanted to talk to him privately, so he readily agreed, “That’s a wonderful idea, Ty. I’m sure Cheyenne isn’t interested in that. I’m more interested in what you and she have been up to, and Clay, how about you and Lynelle? Anything new there?”

  Clay smiled and nodded his head. “Lynelle and I are fine, Dad. I took your advice, and she’s controlling her temper better now.”

  Sam laughed, but approved, “Good.” He got serious in the next moment. “And she’s okay? You two are still good together?”

  “We’re fine,” Clay assured his dad. “She’s not thrilled, but she admitted her temper can be a problem and has agreed to accept my help.”

  “She’s a smart girl,” Sam said. “It takes a strong, intelligent woman to allow her man to help her that way. I have a lot of respect for any woman who can agree to accept that help.”

  Cheyenne looked at her dad and knew he was serious. “I couldn’t agree with you more, Sam,” Ty said. He reached under the table and squeezed her knee.

  “I know I’m real proud of her,” Clay said sincerely.

  After supper, the men went to Sam’s office to discuss ranch business while Cheyenne cleaned up in the kitchen. It was good to have her dad home again, and to see for herself that he approved of her seeing Ty. She also thought about the comments all the guys made about a woman being strong enough to let her man help her. She hadn’t thought of it that way before, but all three of them seemed to.

  ***

  Sam opened the door to the office and motioned Clay and Ty to enter. He followed them in and closed the door. As he was walking to his desk he addressed his foreman. “Okay, Ty, what is it you wanted to talk about in private? Can I assume it has something to do with Cheyenne?”

  Ty smiled at his boss and mentor. “Yes, sir, it does. Clay, I’d like you to hear it, as well.” He and Clay together filled Sam in on Cheyenne’s belief that her mother had brainwashed her against the ranch.

  Sam’s reaction was not totally unexpected. “There is no doubt her mother did not like the ranch. The only thing she liked about it was the money it made, and she sure liked that.” He paused a few moments. “But I never considered the fact that she was actually talking Cheyenne out of enjoying the ranch. What do you two think; did she persuade her not to like it?”

  Clay quickly voiced his opinion. “Dad, I think she might have, yes. Cheyenne couldn’t remember anything fun about the ranch, any of the fun things we used to do. She couldn’t even remember riding her pony, and you know as well as I do how much she used to love that.”

  Sam was shocked. “Well, that was my fault. I should never have let her mother have that much influence over her. I should have insisted she come out with us more.”

  Ty spoke up. “But you had no idea what her mother was doing to her.” He paused and looked at the two men. “And I’m not sure her mother did, either.”

  Sam and Clay turned to look at him. Sam asked, “What are you saying, Ty?”

  “Well, I called a friend of mine from college last night and talked to him about this. He’s a psychiatrist now so I figured he’d know much more about it than I do. He said he believes, from what I told him, that Cheyenne was brainwashed, though not necessarily intentionally.” He relayed the example Randy had told him, and what they could do to help her over it, and the few things Randy said to watch for.

  “Randy says she probably won’t have any real problems with it, and it’s a good sign that she wants to go back and start riding again and spending more time outside, but he assured me that if I have any further questions or concerns to feel free to call him. Now, I plan on keeping a close watch on her, but I would certainly appreciate two more sets of eyes watching her, as well.”

  “Oh, we’ll definitely be watching, as well, Ty,” Sam was quick to say. “I want to thank you for calling your friend about this. You’re taking good care of my daughter, and I appreciate that, as well.”

  Ty couldn’t help but smile. “Sam, trust me, the pleasure is all mine.”

  The men did discuss the ranch a bit before going back out to the kitchen. Sam suggested they all get comfortable in the living room with some coffee, or wine, and he wanted to hear about everything he’d missed. “That sounds like some good family time, so I’ll let you three enjoy that,” Ty offered.

  Cheyenne was at his side instantly, but before she could say anything Sam spoke. “Ty, I have a feeling you’re about to be one of the topics of discussion, so I strongly suggest you stay.”

  Ty looked at all three of them smiling at him, and chuckled. “Well, if you’re going to talk about me, maybe I better stay.”

  Cheyenne squeezed his hand and whispered, “Damn straight you better stay.”

  Ty smiled down at her and turned to the other two. “Sam and Clay, why don’t you go on in. I’ll help Cheyenne with the coffee.” As soon as they were out of hearing range he took her in his arms and kissed her. She snuggled into his chest after the kiss, but pulled back quickly when he swatted her butt. She looked up to see him grinning down at her. “Language, my little one.”

  “What?”

  “Consistency, my dear. You can count on me to be consistent.”

  “And remind me again, you said that’s a good thing; right?”

  He chuckled at her mischievous ways he was becoming so fond of. He pulled her back against his chest before answering. “Yes, it’s a good thing. I will consistently watch out for you, protect you, keep you safe and happy, and I will consistently remind you that I love you.” He kissed her again before pulling her back far enough to meet her eyes. “And I will consistently spank you when you need it, my dear little brat.”

  He laughed again at her indignant harrumph. “Now, let’s get the coffee before your dad starts to suspect
something’s going on out here.” While they were making the coffee he took the time to clear something up. “Cheyenne, I know you were looking forward to getting up on Lady this evening, but do you want to put it off a night since your dad’s home?

  “Yes, I guess. I’ve been looking forward to it all day, but I do want to visit with Dad tonight.”

  “We’ll do it tomorrow night then.” He gave her another quick kiss before they took the coffee in.

  ***

  Life settled into a routine of sorts. Ty kept a watchful eye on Cheyenne, and the only concern he had was that she seemed to think she was a weak person for having been so easily manipulated by her mother. He kept assuring her otherwise, but her self-esteem seemed to be suffering. In his mind it was too low to begin with, so he enlisted the help of Sam and Clay, urging them to help him try to boost it up and not allow her to bring herself down.

  They all three at one point or another had a serious talk with her, pointing out reasons she should be proud of herself, not down on herself. Sam told her he had always been extremely proud of her and he didn’t want to hear any more negativity from her.

  Ty even spanked her for saying negative things about herself one time. After the spanking, as he was holding her in his arms and comforting her, they were talking about nothing in particular, when one thing he said caught her attention. “Honey, you’re really becoming quite the little cowgirl.”

  She looked at him, surprised. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re riding Lady like you’ve been doing it for years. I can tell you’re comfortable around not only her, but the other horses, as well, aren’t you?”

  “Well, yeah. They’re all such wonderful horses. Why wouldn’t someone feel comfortable around them?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” he said casually, while rubbing her arm gently. “But I don’t think your mother would be anywhere near that comfortable around them.”

  “Well, no, but she hates horses.”

  “Not like you,” he said, still in a very casual, almost lazy voice.

  “No. I love them,” she said. She stopped then, and he felt her stiffen.

  “I know. I can tell,” he said, still rubbing her arm casually. “That just shows what a strong person you are, to overcome all that talk from your mother. You’ve been able to ignore everything she said and make up your own mind about the horses and the ranch. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of you for that. A weak person would never have been able to do that.”

  She looked at him and he felt her relax a bit. He pulled her back against him and gently rubbed her back, hoping she’d relax more. “I think it’s safe to say you’ve now overcome what your mother tried to do. You’ve risen above it all. You’re your own person, with a backbone, who makes up her own mind about everything. I think you’re ready to go tackle the world now. Bring on the MBA program. I think you’re ready for just about anything now.”

  She looked up at him, but he wasn’t quite sure what he saw in her eyes. There was a bit of trepidation, but there was also a sense of power he hadn’t seen. “You think so, really?”

  “Of course I do. There’s only one person I can see you giving in to, and doing something you don’t really want to do.”

  “Who’s that?”

  He grinned as he looked down at her. “Me, of course.” He stretched his hand, opening it and closing it a couple times so she knew what he meant. “And that’s only because once again, you’re strong enough emotionally to allow me to help you. Surely you see that now, don’t you?”

  She was quiet for quite some time, but he knew she was thinking. Finally, she smiled. “Honestly, I didn’t, not even when you just spanked me. But I do now.” She snuggled into his chest. “Thank you, Ty. You always seem to know how to help me.”

  “Maybe that’s because I love you, my dear Cheyenne.”

  “And I love you, too.”

  He sat up straighter. When he looked down at her, Cheyenne could tell a smile was starting at the corners of his mouth. She smiled up at him. “Yes, I just said I love you, Ty. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it, but I’ve felt like I was betrayed. Not by you, by my mother, but the thing is, I’ve been afraid to trust myself, or my feelings since then. I kept thinking I must be a weak individual to be that easily swayed. So every time I told myself I love you, I was afraid to trust my instincts. But you’re right. I can make my own decisions about things. And the one thing I do know without a doubt is that I love you, Ty. I’ve loved you for a while now, but I was afraid to believe it, or trust my judgment.”

  “Oh, Cheyenne, you don’t know how good that is to hear. I love you, baby.” He took her face in his hands and kissed her softly, but very passionately.

  After his kiss, she looked up at him rather sheepishly. “I have a confession I’d like to make. One thing you’ve taught me is that I always feel better if I talk to you and confess anything I’ve done, even if it leads to a warm butt on my part. You were right; I always do feel better afterwards.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, sweetie. Confession is good for the soul, and I’m glad you trust me enough now to do that.”

  “Confession may be good for the soul, but it isn’t always good for the butt.”

  He chuckled and gave her a kiss on her forehead. “That may be true, brat, in the short term, but I’m glad you always feel better in the end.”

  “In the end? Really? That was awful, Ty.” They both had a little laugh. She said, “But I do want to admit something to you. When I said it took me a while to trust my judgment and realize that I do really trust you?”

  “Yes.”

  “That was true, but there was another reason, too. I was also afraid to let myself admit that I love you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re this wonderful person who always knows what to say to make me feel better, and you’re really smart, and you’re really good looking, and I see the way women look at you when we go out, so I was afraid if I admitted that I love you, then you’d find someone better than me and my heart would be broken.”

  Ty had a serious frown on his face. “There better be a ‘but I know better now’ type of comment coming really quickly here, Cheyenne.”

  “There is, calm down,” she assured him. “When we were talking just now, I realized you truly meant everything you just said.”

  “Of course I meant what I said. Honey, I’ve always meant what I’ve said. You didn’t believe me before, when I told you I love you, or when I told you how beautiful you are, or that I’m proud of you?”

  “Well, I loved hearing it, all of it, and I really wanted to, but deep down inside I wasn’t happy with myself for being so easily manipulated, so I assumed you couldn’t be, either. But I know better now.”

  “How?”

  “I love the time after you spank me when you’re holding me on your lap. I’m sore, but yet I feel so content, so calm, and your arms around me make me feel totally safe. During that time, we talk about a lot of things, but nothing serious. Nothing heavy that either of us has to think about. It’s just stuff that pops into our heads. Mostly it’s feelings, or things we’ve noticed, like Dad looks like he lost a few pounds while he was gone, or Clay’s been whistling a lot lately and he and Lynelle must be doing well. You know, just little things like that.”

  “Yeah, we do, don’t we? I’ve always enjoyed that time together with you. It always feels special.”

  “Yeah, it does. It is special. And when you said that I’ve overcome what my mother tried to do and am a strong person, ready to tackle the world, it was during our quiet, special time. I guess I was in the right frame of mind to hear it then, because for the first time, I heard everything you said. I mean, I heard it and it went straight to my heart. I did overcome what she tried to do, and I am making my own decisions now. I like the ranch, and I love the horses, and I love to go riding, and I love you!”

  She had a huge smile on her face as she made that declaration, and it brought tears to Ty�
��s eyes. He had to blink a couple times to get them under control. Not trusting his voice yet, he gave her another kiss, and let that kiss relay his feelings. Afterward, as she was leaning against his chest again, he recovered enough to speak. “I think I love you a little bit more each day, Cheyenne. And you don’t know how good it was to hear you say those words.”

  “Probably not quite as good as it was for me to hear the words you said during our special time, Ty. Thank you.”

  “We really do belong together, Cheyenne We’re good for each other.”

  ***

  Ty felt better from that day forward. Cheyenne’s self-confidence started to grow, as did her love for the ranch. During the summer, she and Ty spent quite a bit of time in the evenings and on Sunday riding Lady and Cyclone, Ty’s large gelding. She not only loved riding again, but she was anxious to explore the ranch. There were parts she couldn’t remember ever seeing before, and the time alone it gave the two of them was an added bonus.

  Sam hired a new cook for them, even though Cheyenne objected. “Dad, I can still do the cooking once I start back to school,” she insisted.

  “Yes, I believe you probably could,” he agreed, “but I want you to concentrate on your school work, with no other demands on your time. Especially since you’ve stubbornly insisted on taking five classes instead of four.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” She gave him a hug. “Do you think my idea of a book store and coffee shop is crazy?”

  “No, I don’t,” he said sincerely. “I think you’ve given it a lot of thought, and it makes sense. The coffee shop will provide an added source of income, and the old books and first editions you want to specialize in will draw people from all over. I think it’s wise to get your MBA first, though.”

  “Yeah, me, too. My smart cowboy suggested it, and as always, it was a really good idea.”