Learnin' The Ropes

by Shanna Hatfield

  Ready long before the hour was up, Ty paced through the still-empty bunkhouse. He turned the washer on the rinse cycle, straightened his already neat room, and attempted to watch a few minutes of television.

  He hadn’t been this anxious when he was fourteen asking Kaitlin Shaw to go to the big school dance on his first date. Grown men with plenty of experience dating women should not nervously chew a non-existent thumbnail or feel like they swallowed a bucket of lead for a simple dinner with a pretty girl.

  Only there wasn’t anything simple about Lexi Jo Ryan or the feelings she stirred in him. Ty had never felt such a powerful, all-consuming attraction for a female before and didn’t quite know what to do about it. He’d never lacked for female companionship, but this was something entirely different.

  Within minutes, he abandoned efforts to watch television and returned to his room. He glanced in his bedroom mirror, ran his hand through his hair, buttoned and unbuttoned his Henley shirt twice, then shrugged into a zip-up sweatshirt as he hurried out the door.

  After knocking on the kitchen door, Ty stuck his head inside, although the room was empty. Something smelled delicious, so he hung his sweatshirt on the coat rack by the door and inhaled deeply as he wiped his boots on the doormat.

  “Hello?” He noticed two place settings on the counter along with a green salad.

  “Hey, Ty, I’ll be right there,” Lexi called from upstairs.

  Rapidly settling on her menu as she ran back to the house from the barn, Lexi was glad she’d picked up the house the previous evening. While meat thawed in the microwave, she took the fastest shower of her life, washed her hair and left it wet while she ran back downstairs in her bathrobe and started assembling the meal. As the meat and sauce simmered, she ran back upstairs, dressing in jeans and a soft sweater, and then blow-dried her hair. She applied a little mascara and a spritz of perfume, concluding she didn’t look too bad for a harried rancher.

  Back downstairs, she finished the meal preparations. Concerned Ty might think she was trying too hard to impress him, she ran back to her bathroom and pulled her hair into a ponytail, and changed into a faded sweatshirt.

  Despite her good intentions, she couldn’t stop from pinching her cheeks when she heard Ty downstairs.

  Lightly treading down the stairs, she breezed into the kitchen. Only by sheer force of will did she keep from staring open-mouthed at her mechanic. He looked far better than any man had a right to, especially with a scruffy growth of stubble on his face and hair that needed a good trim. Never mind the way his shirt clung to his arm and chest muscles, or his jeans outlined his long legs, or his blue eyes glowed with warmth. Lexi might be able to ignore all that.

  What she couldn’t ignore was the mega-watt smile he sent her direction when she stepped into the room. For a moment, his smile left her unable to form a cohesive thought.

  “Sure smells good in here,” Ty finally said, breaking the awkward silence as he leaned against the counter with his hands in his jeans pockets. “Anything I can do to help?”

  “I’ve got everything ready.” Lexi scooped the contents of a saucepan into a serving bowl and fished slices of warm, buttered bread from the oven. “I’ll dish up the food if you don’t mind filling the water glasses.”

  Ty filled the glasses from the dispenser in the refrigerator door and returned to the counter. Lexi motioned him to a barstool and he waited for her to sit down before taking his seat. His mother managed to instill in him a few good manners.

  Surprised when Lexi took his hand in hers, she asked a blessing on the meal then gave him a friendly smile as she passed him a steaming bowl of something that looked like cornmeal.

  “Its polenta,” she said, waiting for him to take a serving. “You put the sauce over the top. I promise it won’t kill you or give you food poisoning.”

  Ty grinned and took the bowl, giving himself a healthy portion. Even if he hated it, he would eat every bite if it meant she might smile at him again.

  She spooned sauce over her polenta. He followed her lead when she sprinkled freshly grated parmesan on top. A crisp green salad and the warm bread were the perfect complements to the delicious meal.

  Unable to stop a moan of appreciation as the flavors exploded on his tongue, Ty tried to keep from eating like a ravenous wolf.

  Lexi grinned. “I take it you like it?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, obviously pleased by his response.

  “What is it?” Ty took a bite of the bread before returning his attention to the entrée.

  “Polenta Alla Romana. The sauce is made from chicken and sausage, chicken broth, herbs, and pasta sauce. Have you had polenta before?”

  “Not that I remember.” Ty took another bite, savoring the taste. “But the texture reminds me of grits.”

  “Similar,” Lexi said. She liked to cook when she had time and missed some of the gourmet foods she used to enjoy in Portland. Rarely taking time to cook for herself at the ranch, she relied mostly on salads, sandwiches, and bowls of cold cereal to stave off her hunger. Occasionally, she ate with the hands. She tried not to do that often since they felt compelled to be on their best behavior and not relax when she ate with them.

  “So it’s Italian?” Ty asked, finishing his salad.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Do you have an Italian heritage?” Ty asked, wondering if an Italian ancestor was where Lexi inherited her dark hair and bronzed skin-tone.

  “No. My Dad’s family comes from good ol’ English and Irish stock.” Hesitant to share the next piece of her family history, Lexi feared Ty’s reaction. Although it was ridiculous, some people remained mired in their biased opinions. She didn’t want to see a look of prejudice cross Ty’s handsome face when he learned about her ancestry.

  Bravely plunging ahead, she kept her eyes on her plate as she spoke. “My Mom was Native American, Paiute actually. My grandmother grew up on a reservation north of Burns. She took a waitressing job in town when she was nineteen. That’s how my grandfather met her and declared it was love at first sight. They married two weeks later and had a happy life together.”

  “That’s a great story.” Ty studied Lexi for several heartbeats. His intense gaze left her with the urge to squirm in her seat. He grinned at her. “Do you look like your grandmother?”

  “Some people say I do,” she said, anxiously stirring the food around on her plate.

  “That must be where you get that beautiful hair and amazing cheekbones.” Ty wished he could snatch the words back as soon as they left his mouth. Something about Lexi loosened his tongue. Pink crept into her cheeks, leaving him pleased his words had her flustered.

  Lexi snapped her head his direction and started to say something then closed her mouth. From the look on his face, she could see he wasn’t teasing, just saying what was on his mind.

  “Thanks,” she said quietly, working to regain her composure after Ty’s unexpected compliment. “If you’d like, I’ll show you a painting of her after dinner.”

  “I’d like that.” Ty took another helping of the polenta. “Is she still alive?”

  “Yeah, she is. My grandparents retired to Florida years ago. She decided to stay down there when he passed away. Grandma said the winters there are much more to her liking than the bitter cold of Harney County.”

  “Smart woman,” Ty said with a teasing grin. The change in climate from Portland was one he still struggled to adjust to. The variations in landscape and temperature in just a few hundred miles was somewhat challenging to accept.

  “She is at that.” Lexi smiled as her appetite returned. She was quite pleased at Ty’s reaction to her heritage. After James dumped her when he found out she was a part Paiute, she was hesitant to share that information with anyone. It shouldn’t make any difference at all, but to some people it apparently did. She was very glad Ty wasn’t one who judged a person by their ancestry.

  As she sat next to him at the counter, heat seared her skin every time their arms brushed. She wondered what would ha
ppen if they kissed. Would he completely melt her lips?

  Swiftly corralling her wayward thoughts, she finished her dinner, asking Ty questions about his life in Portland. They discussed places they both had eaten and visited.

  Once they finished eating, Ty helped her clean up while taking in the big, spacious kitchen. The dining area behind it was large and airy. He wondered what the rest of the house looked like. From what he could see, it was homey and inviting.

  “That was a fantastic meal. Thank you for inviting me to dinner,” he said, grateful for the good food and the opportunity to spend time with Lexi.

  “You’re welcome. I don’t cook much unless I have a reason to.” Lexi wiped off the stove. “I’m sorry you boys have to split cooking duties. My next project is to hire another housekeeper who can cook.”

  “You said another housekeeper. Did you used to have one?” Ty asked, curious.

  “Yes, we did, but during his illness Dad ran off the last one.” Lexi didn’t want to think about all the crazy things her father did in the last few months before he was completely bedridden. “It’s hard to find someone who wants to live all the way out here and get up early to make sure you guys are fed at the crack of dawn.”

  “That could be a problem.” Drying the last dish, Ty handed it to Lexi to put away.

  She tossed a thoughtful look his way. “Are you adjusting okay? Do the wide-open spaces bother you much? Or the lack of civilization?”

  “Honestly, I like the quiet peacefulness of being here. As far as civilization, I think the cattle and Baby are better behaved than many supposedly civilized people I know. I can’t say that I miss the noise and traffic, although I’m still getting used to the smells.”

  Lexi laughed. “It does take some getting used to. I’ll grant you that.”

  Hanging the dishtowel up to dry, she swept her hand toward the hall. “Want to see the rest of the house?”

  “Sure.” Ty followed her down a hall past what she called the sitting room and the music room to a formal living room filled with antique furniture.

  “No one ever uses this room. Although it’s nice to look at, the furniture was made for much smaller bodies that weren’t accustomed to oversized, overstuffed chairs.” Lexi directed him to follow her up an impressive mahogany staircase in the front foyer to the second floor. He lingered back just far enough to get an appreciative eyeful of her jean-clad posterior as it went up the stairs.

  Intently focused on the vision before him, he almost missed the last step and grasped the banister to keep from falling. She turned and grinned at him, further discombobulating his senses.

  “There used to be six bedrooms up here and another sitting area. Can you imagine?” She swept a hand down the hall. “Anyway, Mom and Dad converted all that into four bedrooms, each with a private bath.”

  “Very nice.” Ty admired the large master suite with its balcony, high ceilings, and beautifully carved four-poster king-sized bed. A vision of Lexi in that bed with her silky raven hair fanning across the pillow forced him to step out of the room and wander down the hall. He tried to focus on the architecture of the house and not his tour guide.

  She took him down a narrow set of stairs at the back of the hallway. When they reached the bottom, she turned down a short hall into the room she referred to as the office. A bookcase filled with books, memorabilia and family photos covered one wall. A big rock fireplace, when lit, would no doubt fill the room with warmth. A massive desk with two chairs in front of it took up space across from the fireplace while wooden filing cabinets sat against the wall behind the desk.

  Ty stepped into the room and admired the woodwork. He noticed the outside entrance to the room. That was handy for ranching purposes. Two big windows allowed Lexi to see across the ranch yard toward the barn and keep an eye on things while she worked at the desk.

  They retraced their steps down the hallway, past the back stairs, and entered a fully modernized room with a big screen television, leather couches, and comfortable chairs. A fire crackled merrily in the gas fireplace and Ty moved in front of it, warming his hands. A painting hanging above the mantel caught his eye. The woman in it looked exactly like Lexi. Instead of green eyes, the woman had big brown eyes.

  “This must be your grandmother,” he said, turning to smile at Lexi. She stepped beside him and grinned.

  “How did you guess?”

  “There’s just the slightest family resemblance,” he teased, amazed at how much Lexi looked like the woman in the painting. “What’s her name?”

  “Sunny.” Lexi always thought the name suited her grandmother so well. She was a bubbly, happy person who never let anything get her down for long.

  “I can see in her eyes and smile that the name suits her,” Ty observed, surprised to hear himself voice his thoughts. He generally didn’t share what he was thinking, but Lexi seemed to have that effect on him.

  Thrilled by Ty’s reaction to her grandmother, Lexi couldn’t stop smiling at him. “It does suit her. She’s a beautiful person.”

  “Rather like her granddaughter.” Again, Ty was surprised his thoughts tumbled from his lips. Focused on the painting, he tried to think of a tactful way to run off to the bunkhouse before he said anything else he shouldn’t.

  As he scrambled for an excuse to leave, Lexi took his hand and pulled him over to a couch before he could come up with a good reason. She sank down onto the soft leather on one end of the couch while he sat on the other. In an effort to put him at ease, she asked him about his family, growing up in Portland, and if he was adjusting to being a ranch mechanic.

  “Are you sure you have everything you need at the shop? If there is something that would help you do your job better or easier, let me know.” Lexi’s dad had owned about every tool known to man, but things upgraded and changed quickly. She wanted Ty to have what he needed to work efficiently.

  “If I’m way out of line, just say so, but it would help to have a computer in the shop. The owner’s manuals work okay, but I could move the repairs along a lot faster if I had access to some websites that list parts and have updated information. I’ve been trying to use my phone or the computer in the bunkhouse, but it has been a little cumbersome. Since you asked, I thought I’d mention it.”

  “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Lexi should have noticed the need for a computer in the shop without him having to ask. Goodness only knew how much time she spent doing research online and never even thought that Ty might need to look up information, especially on some of the older equipment pieces. “I’ve seen you running back and forth to the bunkhouse with parts and wondered what you were doing. If you think of something that will help you get your work done faster and better, don’t be afraid to speak up. Deal?”

  “Deal,” Ty said. “I don’t want you to get the idea I’m not grateful. I appreciate this opportunity more than you can know. I never dreamed the shop would be so well equipped or I’d have such a nice place to live. Thank you for giving me a chance.”

  “You’re very welcome. I appreciate you moving out here and giving the Rockin’ R a chance. Are the guys treating you okay?” Lexi knew Jimmy was bad about playing jokes.

  “Yeah, they made me feel right at home.” The few pranks the guys had played were meant in fun and made him feel like part of the crew. “I’m having a tough time picking up the language, though.”

  “The language?” Lexi had a good idea of what he meant. Swede could lay on the cowboy lingo so thick she sometimes had to think hard to decipher what he said.

  “You know, the way a lot of people talk out here,” Ty said, not wanting to elaborate and offend Lexi. Although the guys on the ranch and a few of the people he’d encountered in town spoke with a twang, Lexi didn’t.

  “They use a different language?” Lexi kept a straight face, deciding to have a little fun at Ty’s expense.

  “Sure. Like instead of washing anything, they worsh it. There is no running or talking, it is runnin’ and talkin’,” Ty expl
ained. “You mean you don’t notice it?”

  “Notice what?” Lexi asked, playing dumb. “What else do you notice?”

  “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.