"So…do you live with your grandmother now?" Letty pulled away from him to look at him in the eye.
"On the weekends, yes."
"On the weekends?"
"Well, during the week I stay at the bunk house, but on the weekends I go home. She's partially blind, so I take her to the store, and church and anywhere else she wants to go."
"That's lovely, and that's where you go on the weekends. I wondered?" she asked. When his head twisted in question, she explained, "Well, I noticed you weren't on the property."
"Oh…"
"I'd love to meet her…sometime." Letty smiled.
"You would?" he asked, startled by her admission.
"Any reason I can't?" she asked.
"Not that I can think of." He pulled her back into his arms.
They slow danced for a long while, neither wanting to find a new partner.
It was Kellie that brought her out of her stupor and insisted she throw the rice.
Rice went everywhere and before long Julie was leaving with her husband. Kellie would be Letty's responsibility for the next week. Letty didn't mind, she had spent a lot of time getting to know Kellie and found the two of them had a lot in common. Kellie loved to ride and her new friend did too.
Hank seemed to disappear after that and Letty didn't see him again until late that evening.
She was walking up from the barn and saw him pulling out to go home, to his grandmother's.
Letty waved, but Hank didn't see her.
That night her and Kellie popped popcorn and talked about their male friends together.
"So, you like Hank?" Kellie asked.
"Let's say I'm interested…" She smiled as she brought the popcorn into the living room and they curled up on the couch, prepared to watch a good movie.
"That's cool. I like Aiden too, only I'm too young to date yet." Kellie frowned. "At least that's what Mom says."
"And she's right," Letty admitted then saw the frown on Kellie's face. "You've got plenty of time to decide who and how you want to date. Aiden is nice, and if he likes you too, you'll know it soon."
"How? How does a girl know when a boy likes her?" Kellie asked, not shy about asking questions.
"Hmmm, well, you can usually tell. If they sit by you every chance they get. If they call and talk to you on the phone. If they go to the same functions you go to. And sometimes they aren't timid and tell you so." Letty laughed.
"Really?"
"Really. You never want to act too anxious though. Play a little hard to get. Not too much, but a little," Letty informed her.
"How do I do that?" she asked innocently.
"You don't jump the first time they ask. Let's just say…he asked you to sit by him in the cafeteria. You hesitate answering. And then give him a 'maybe'. That always gets to them. Makes them try harder to reel you in. Now, if he asks you to a dance, you accept, but on your terms. Like, he'd have to make arrangements to pick you up, most likely with his parents along. At first, at least. He'd have to come inside and meet your folks and explain where he was taking you and that he'd have you home on time, whatever time your parents set that is. Naturally, if you are very young, you won't be out that late, maybe nine or ten depending on if it's a game or something."
"Gee, he's got to do all that?"
"It's the best way to start. As you get older it might not be so old fashioned, but for the next few years, he's got to report to them his intentions. If they see he's doing right by you they might trust him more and you will eventually get to stay out later, do more things and go more places with him. It's all a matter of trust, between him and your parents mostly. This is the best way to start out dating. Sneaking around is never good. Always doing exactly as your folks tell you is best, no troubles that way. Sometimes it is hard, doing what your parents tell you. Sometimes they can be quite controlling in these matters, but it's all for your benefit, remember that. They love you and only want what is best."
"How do you know so much about dating? I haven't seen you date anyone since you been here," Kellie added, grabbing more popcorn.
"Well, I haven't. But I plan to."
"With Hank?" Kellie gave her a sly look.
"Maybe…yes!" She laughed. "If he's interested."
"He hasn't asked you out?"
"No, he hasn't."
"Doesn't he know you like him?" Kellie persisted.
"I'm not sure. And I also don't know if he is interested in me. He may have a girlfriend. Either way, I'd like to find out."
"He seems nice enough. He doesn't get all upset if I brush down the horses or if I want to ride. He helps me with the gear and makes sure everything is safe before I go. I don't know if that's because he doesn't want me getting hurt or he likes kids and wants to see them safe."
"Well, I'm sure it is part of his job, but if he does help you with your gear I'd say he must like kids then. Some cowboys aren't as generous."
"Yeah, I know. There's one, Eugene I think they call him. He tells me to get out of his way all the time. He's not that much older than me though. He's pretty bossy and not very friendly. I tried to be friends with him when we first came here, but he let me know he's not interested."
"I'm sorry. Do you want me to speak to him?" Letty asked.
"Oh, no. He might really get mad at me if you did," Kellie explained.
"Well, if you have any trouble, I mean real trouble with any of them you let me know. I'll talk to them. We are family and I'm here for you, young lady."
Kellie was quiet a moment then she looked at Letty. "I bet you've had plenty of boyfriends, being a model and being so pretty."
"A few…" She looked at Kellie and chuckled.
"I'm still confused. Is there any real way to tell if a boy likes you, Aunt Letty?"
"Sometimes there are. You can tell by their actions, by their words, or by their emotions. Sometimes they follow you around, you know always there. If he really wants you to notice, he might take your hand…ask you to go somewhere with him, show you something special or call you a pet name. Things like that, and maybe when you have dated a bit, he'll try to kiss you. But kissing even though it's enjoyable and nice, it can't go any farther than that. If he really cares about you, he won't pressure you for more…" Letty explained.
"More what?" Kellie asked.
Letty knew now she was in too deep for a young girl and tried to lighten the mood. "Just stick with holding his hand. I'll tell you more as you get older. If Mom doesn't mind. So now, let's put the movie on. I haven't seen Halloween in years, but I love Jamie Lee Curtis and I think this is one of her first movies."
"Okay. But someday…promise me you'll tell me what the more is?"
"Deal!" Letty laughed and handed her the DVD. When you are about sixteen or thirty!
"How old were you when you started dating?" Kellie asked.
"Fourteen, I think. Casual dating, you know going to school dances and football games together and always with his folks or mine."
"Did you want them along?" Kellie's eyes widened.
"Of course not, but if I wanted to date, that was part of it. Your grandfather could be very strict. At the time I didn't appreciate it, but now…let's just say I understand why."
"Am I old enough to date? I mean, what do you think?"
"No…I'd say you are old enough to go to school functions with your parents and sit with your friend, but not date!" Letty turned the movie on and they fell silent. "You see Kellie, just like you wanted your mother and father to want to see each other. You have to gradually become friendly with a boy. Smile at him; be around when he's around. But boys don't know much more than girls about dating at first so don't push too hard. Just let him know you like him in a subtle way."
After a long silence, Kellie wadded her popcorn up in her napkin and turned to look at Letty again. "You think Mom will let me go riding with Aiden if he comes over? He wants to…"
"Maybe if someone goes with you. I doubt she would want either of you out there alone." Letty n
odded and squeezed her hand as Jamie Lee Curtis answered the phone on the TV.
"Is that Jamie Lee Curtis…?" Kellie asked.
"Yes, and Michael Myers is after her. Actually…Michael is her brother."
"Her brother…pooh." Kellie shivered. Then after a long pause she added, "If I haven't told you…thanks for staying with me, Aunt Letty. Sandy has a date, and Wendy is helping Wade. I'm glad it's just you and me. I like talking to you. You don't treat me like a kid. I can really talk with you."
Letty squeezed her hand again. "I enjoy you too. I wouldn't have volunteered to watch out for you, but you seem almost self-sufficient. I guess that comes from being on your own a lot, huh?"
"Yeah, but now we're going to be a family. It's gonna be so nice."
Letty smiled. "I'm happy for you, kiddo. But you've got to realize that now instead of one person telling you what you can and cannot do, there will be two. And the best thing you can do is go along with them. Tell me…did you get them together on purpose?"
"Me and Caleb."
"Caleb?"
"Yeah, he's been my friend since we moved here. We curry the animals together, and he talks to me about a lot of things."
"He does?"
"Sure. He likes me. Anyway, we figured up this dating thing. Caleb said that by making them date so far apart, they'd know if they missed each other or not and want to date more regularly. It worked," Kellie admitted.
"He's a wise old bird, isn't he?" Letty frowned.
"Caleb, yeah, I guess so. I like him."
"Me too…I think!" Letty laughed.
Chapter Five
"So are you gonna invite me to meet your grandmother?" Letty asked one afternoon as she sauntered out to the corral where Hank was making a rope. Letty watched with fascination as he twined the rope and cinched it at the end. She'd never seen a cowboy make a rope before and it fascinated her. She figured they bought most of the ropes, but watching him rewind it and knot it she realized it was just another way of economizing at the ranch. He added it to the supplies bucket with a heavy thud, as though he were indulging her, and then he turned his attention back to the horse he was working with.
This horse was named Bandit, and for a reason, he was the hardest horse to work with in the remuda. Even Thunder didn't buck like this one. Bandit had barely been ridden, and Wade left orders that no one was allowed on him but Hank and himself. Letty watched the cowboy and horse come together; a beautiful thing, she mused silently. She doubted anyone else on the ranch could ride this one, but she itched to try herself.
I'm not a fool, this one is way too wild for me!
Letty had often admired the horse, but today she was admiring more than that. Today, she felt like a flirt. She'd purposely worn her new jeans, and tank top with a shirt over it. She knew it looked good on her and gave her a boost of confidence, especially when some of the other hands did everything but whistle. She could have any cowboy on the ranch but the one she wanted had little to do with her.
"I hadn't given it a second thought. I imagined you were just being nice when you asked the first time," Hank said as he reined the horse in and began a training routine.
Letty watched him closely. Hank was at home with horses, she liked that. He skillfully trained many of the horses on the ranch and Cade and Wade considered him valuable to the ranch's efforts. His movements with the horse seemed to be tuned to the horse and Letty knew he considered the horse's feelings. He had patience and quite an understanding of their capabilities.
But Letty saw more, much more in Hank. He was a man's man. He knew his work and he took pride in it. Even though he was her age, he wasn't as cocky as most of the younger cowboys on the ranch, she liked that. There was an air of responsibility to Hank.
Half an hour later, Letty tried to continue her conversation with him. "You still haven't answered my question," Letty said as he dismounted and began brushing down the horse.
"You're persistent, I'll say that," Hank remarked, not giving her the benefit of a glance.
She wished he would look at her like he looked at the horse, but he didn't.
"I'm not asking for a date, just an introduction to your grandmother." She laughed sarcastically.
He looked at her now, a frown spreading quickly over his handsome face. "Most girls don't want to meet the family 'til they are pretty sure they like the cowboy."
"Actually, I am a bit curious. I mean, most men your age are so absorbed in their careers that family doesn't mean anything unless it's their own. But your story sorta fascinates me." Letty smiled up at him as he came closer.
"Fascinates you, huh?"
He moved away, purposely.
Then he suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked into her dark-eyed stare. "In the first place, there is nothing special about me or my family. Look Miss Letty, you are a McKay. And there's an unwritten rule around here: the boys don't get mixed up with the McKays. I respect that rule," Hank said and abruptly turned away. "And that's not gonna change."
Letty felt his words like a slap. He was turning her down, rejecting her. It hurt.
"My father is dead!" She came back at him with a vengeance. "The rules no longer apply."
"Doesn't matter," he replied over his shoulder. "Rules are rules."
"Cade married my sister; it doesn't look as though he paid any attention to the rules." Letty seethed, coming closer.
"That was different. He was the father of her child." Hank eyed her with determination.
"Well, it sounds like the ranch is well informed about my sister and Cade." Letty huffed.
"Unfortunately, word does get around."
"He married her for love! Not just because he fathered her child," Letty protested, holding her head high. "Like a lot of other people I know, he didn't know how much he loved Julie, until she came home. Sometimes people have to wake up from themselves and see what is happening."
"That may be, I wouldn't know. But Cade and Wade Weston are not regular cowboys either. Financially, they can hold their own. That puts them in another league," Hank pointed out. "I am just a cowboy. Now why would a girl like you fool with a regular hand on this ranch? Are you too old for playing?"
"Too old!" she shrieked.
"I won't be played a fool. Anyone can see you're a beautiful woman, with lots of talent. But the one thing you're not, is cowboy material."
"Talk about pig headed, you take the cake. Why are you so stubborn? I just wanted to be your friend…" Letty's voice softened.
He stared at her a long minute, then turned away.
"I come home…and my sisters are almost like strangers. All but Julie, that is. The ranch is run so perfectly by Wade and Cade, there's little for us to do. All I have is Julie and Kellie, and now that they are married, she might not even live on the ranch."
"You telling me you are lonely?" he mocked.
"Is that so hard to believe?" Her expression changed.
He stared at her now, his eyes narrowing on her. "I don't know. Maybe it is…but maybe you should spend more time trying to get to know your sisters again. I'm sure all of you feel like a fish out of water. Your father died, things changed. Sometimes change can be hard to take. Sometimes it takes time to work out the kinks. But you are a big girl, I'm sure you can handle it."
"You don't want to be my friend, do you?" she asked, standing closer to him.
"As I see it, you are the boss, not a friend…" he remarked and turned away from her.
"The boss? How do you figure? Cade and Wade are the bosses around here." She fumed, pulling relentlessly on his arm to get his attention. "I just happen to be kin to the owner, of which is no longer around. People are…just people, Hank. Do you really believe one is actually better than another?"
"No…" Hank seemed to think about that for a moment. "But that isn't what we are debating here. Okay, so you are one of the owners. That's reason enough," Hank answered, jerking his arm free and not looking straight at her.
"Are you that old fashioned, that u
nreasonable?"
"I guess I am," he answered, looking down at her now. "I'm a cowboy, and not a rich one."
"Are you afraid of what people would say, or what you might feel?"
"Both, maybe…Now why don't you run along, I've got work to do."
Letty shook her head. "Men don't think like women, do they?"
"Probably not."
"I am a woman!" She barely breathed now, being affected by his nearness, their aloneness and the possibilities that presented.
"Of which I'm also well aware…" he remarked lowly, as his eyes went over her with renewed interest. She didn't miss his long bold stare.
Her mouth hung open with surprise that she had gotten this much information out of him.
But he suddenly turned on her and with a decided frown he looked down at her.
"You want it laid out for you? All right, here it is. You stand to inherit a huge sum of money. Every ranch hand on this place knows that. You will be financially secure for the rest of your life. I'm a cowboy, I make a modest living and I've learned to live on it. I can't afford fancy restaurants and high class places to dance all night. I'm not in the same category. We both know that. And yet…I am a man. I appreciate your beauty, your brains and your talents, but you are way up here, and I am way down here."
He demonstrated with his hands. "They just don't mix."
The man had no feelings, he existed by pure logic. How do I fight logic?
Yet she saw a spark of something in his eyes that mesmerized her and she couldn't stop pushing him now. She wanted to know if he was human or not. If what she felt was one sided or not. He was closing doors in her face, and she didn't like that. There was no reason to do such a thing, unless he truly didn't like her.
Did he?
"I wasn't sure you noticed," she added cattily.
"Go back to the house where you belong," he muttered, his jaw tightening, his hands fisting on the corral fence. "Before I do something we'll both be sorry for."
That did it! That changed everything. The very air seemed to stand still as though waiting. Tension was like an electrical bar standing between them, expanding like a rubber band, challenging them to move it.
Ring of Fire Page 5
