Learnin' The Ropes

by Shanna Hatfield

  A sudden desire to lean forward and kiss her nearly overtook him. The part of his head telling him that was a very bad idea won out over the part telling him to sweep her into his arms and show her how he felt about her.

  Eventually, he swallowed back a sigh and broke the intimate moment as he carried his dirty plate and cup to the sink. He had no business entertaining any thoughts about Lexi. She was his boss and a lady. He had absolutely nothing to offer her beyond himself and he didn’t think that was anywhere close to good enough.

  She deserved much better than a homeless mechanic who could fit everything he owned in this world in the back of his pickup with room to spare.

  He walked to the door without making eye contact. After pausing for several heartbeats, he settled his gaze on her face and saw the look of hurt and confusion in her eyes. In no hurry to leave, he leaned against the door, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and studied his boss. The powerful, magnetic tug between them wasn’t something he imagined. He could tell she felt it, too.

  As a gentleman, it was his place to maintain the distance and a level of professionalism. There would be no more dinners together, no more time spent alone in her house. The temptation of his alluring boss was just too hard for him to ignore.

  Lexi wondered if Ty had any idea how entirely unsettling that enticing pose was to females in general, and to her in particular. As he leaned there, muscles flexing, tousled hair begging to be touched, and devil-may-care attitude projecting from the set of his jaw, she wanted to take that scruffy face in her hands and kiss those full lips until she was breathless.

  Instead, she twirled a strand of her hair around her finger, wishing Ty would show some interest in kissing her. All he had to do was meet her halfway.

  “Thank you for the wonderful meal and that amazing crisp. It was really good,” Ty said, not making any move toward leaving.

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for coming in and keeping me company. The house gets too quiet sometimes.” Lexi hoped he believed her. It was true. The big house sometimes echoed with its emptiness and made her lonely.

  Like now.

  “I’m sure Baby can keep things lively around here.” Ty rubbed the dog’s head again.

  “She does. I just don’t let her in very often.” Lexi took a step closer to both man and dog. “I can’t stand having her hair all over.”

  “Baby does leave behind a well-marked trail.” He chuckled, recalling all the fur he’d seen earlier that morning.

  “Thanks again, Ty,” Lexi whispered, watching Ty’s eyes grow dark and his jaw tighten.

  “Anytime, Lexi.” Slowly, he reached out and took the lock of hair she’d been twirling into his hand. He ran his fingers along the silky strands as a sigh escaped Lexi’s rosy lips.

  What could one kiss hurt? He’d kiss her and neither of them would feel anything then all the awful tension between them would disappear.

  Ty pushed away from the door. He dropped her hair as his hands settled on her waist, drawing her closer to him. The heated look he gave her let her know exactly what he was intending if she wanted to put a stop to it.

  Anticipating her resistance, he released the breath he’d held when she slid her hands up his arms, around his neck, and lowered her lashes. He was so close, he could almost feel the softness of her lips, taste the sweetness of them. Her wonderful, warm floral scent flooded his senses as he lowered his head. When just a breath of space was all that separated his lips from hers, Baby barked and shoved her way between them, effectively killing the moment.

  “I guess that’s my signal to leave.” Ty laughed nervously. With a reproving glare at Baby, he opened the door and stepped outside. “Thanks again, Lexi. I appreciated the good food and company.

  “You’re welcome,” she whispered as Ty went down the steps and out the back gate. She closed the door then turned to Baby, taking the dog’s face in her hands and frowning. “That was naughty, Baby. Very naughty.”

  Obviously pleased with herself, Baby licked Lexi’s hand and wagged her tail. If Lexi didn’t know better, she’d think the dog wedged between them intentionally.

  “Out you go.” Lexi opened the door and shooed the dog outside. If it wasn’t for that crazy dog, she would have finally felt the touch of Ty’s lips on her own. She could still smell his scent and her skin tingled at her waist where his hands had lingered.

  How would she ever get any sleep when all she wanted was for Ty to come back and pick up where Baby interrupted?

  Upstairs, she went into the guest room her dad claimed as his own after her mother died and he could no longer stand to be in the master suite. The scent of his after-shave lingered in the air and she ran her hand along the desk where he kept his personal things. Randomly opening drawers, she didn’t find anything that sparked her interest.

  As she browsed through the books piled on the nightstand, she happened to discover his yearbook. A tiny scrap of paper marked a page with a photo of her dad in his football uniform.

  The Power of a Horse

  Lexi had no idea what that clue meant.

  Too tired to make sense of it, she went to bed. Rather than falling into a peaceful slumber, Ty’s bright blue eyes and heartbreaker smile haunted her dreams.

  The next morning, Ty tried to decide if he should be mad or grateful to the dog. While he mulled over the two options, he heard Swede and Lexi at the shop door, talking quietly. They seemed to be arguing about something.

  Quickly pulling the door open, he caught them both by surprise as they turned to look at him with wide eyes.

  “Hey,” he said, with a friendly smile. “What evil are you two plotting?”

  “No evil,” Swede said, shifting his weight from one bowed leg to the other. “We’re jes discussin’ who was gonna break some news to ya that ya might not like to hear.”

  Panic coursed through Ty as he wondered if his behavior last night was about to get him fired. He had to get his head on straight and treat his boss like a boss instead of the woman who had invaded his dreams at night and thoughts during the day.

  “Ty, don’t worry, it’s nothing major,” Lexi said, placing a gloved hand on his arm. Even through the leather, she felt the heat of him beneath her palm. “Today, we are giving you your first riding lesson. Swede and I were just discussing the best way to go about it.”

  “Riding lesson? What riding lesson?” Ty asked. Swede mentioned when he hired him that he would sometimes be required to help with the farming and ranching, but Ty hoped his mechanic skills would be in such demand he wouldn’t actually have to learn the other stuff. He didn’t mind helping pull calves or the occasional work they had him do driving a tractor or the feed truck. But riding? He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that at all.

  “You knew we would eventually need you to help in other areas on the ranch. Now that you’ve gotten most of the equipment repaired, we need to train you to take on some other responsibilities,” Lexi explained as they stood in the early morning sunshine.

  Although the day promised to be warm and beautiful, a chill crawled up his spine.

  “What type of responsibilities?” Ty wasn’t exactly sure what any of them did when they saddled up and rode off for the day. At meals, the hands sat around the bunkhouse table, tossing around phrases like “ride the line” and “wrangling doggies” that made no sense to him.

  “Ridin’ fence, chasin’ cows, thet sort of thing,” Swede said, taking Ty’s arm in his gnarled hand and ushering him toward the corral where three horses stood saddled and ready to ride.

  “I’m sure you’ll pick it up in no-time,” Lexi said encouragingly as they neared the horses. “Piece of cake.”

  Instead of arguing or agreeing, Ty remained silent. He would do whatever they asked of him, but it didn’t mean he had to like it.

  Lexi could tell from the change in his body language that he had resigned himself to the task ahead. She was proud of him for going along with their plans. In a few weeks, it would be time for spring brandi
ng and they would need every extra set of hands they could find. Ty was going to have to help gather the cattle. She also intended for him to help ride herd throughout the summer months in addition to assisting with the farm work.

  It was just part of life on the Rockin’ R Ranch. Everyone was expected to help wherever they were needed.

  Swede and Lexi would make sure everyone was cross-trained and able to do it.

  None of the other hands could take over Ty’s duties as a mechanic, though. Not a single one of them had any skill in that area and Lexi didn’t have time for Ty to teach anybody. Mechanic work remained his number one focus, even if they forced him into the role of farmer and cowboy.

  “Have you ever ridden a horse before?” Lexi asked as they leaned against the pole fence of the corral and watched the horses.

  “No, ma’am.” Ty mentally geared up for the adventure ahead. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he took a deep breath. He could do this.

  “Do you know anything about horses?” Lexi rubbed her hand along the closest horse’s neck.

  “Only that the good guy always rides away with the girl on one in the old westerns,” Ty said with a teasing grin.

  Swede cackled and slapped Ty on the back. “I’m gonna let Lex learn ya about horses while I take care of a few things then we’ll go for a ride.” The old cowhand ambled off into the recesses of the barn, leaving Ty with Lexi and the three horses.

  “Here are some basics, Ty,” Lexi said, motioning him to step closer to the horse. “Never walk behind a horse unless you want kicked. Mount and dismount on the left side. Stay calm because they can sense your feelings. Don’t startle them. Let them know right off you are in charge.”

  “Okay, sounds simple enough.” Ty listened more to the sound of Lexi’s voice than to what she said. He loved hearing her talk. She could easily use her voice on the radio or in commercials. Men would definitely sit up and pay attention to hear her smooth, honeyed tones.

  “There are three pieces of equipment you need to remember when you are going to ride: saddle blanket, saddle, bridle.” Lexi removed the saddle from the horse followed by the blanket. She demonstrated how to place the blanket and the saddle on the horse’s back, giving Ty step-by-step instructions. She’d get into the parts of the saddle another day. Right now, he just needed to learn how to put the saddle on and cinch it so it would stay on the horse.

  She then showed him the bridle and talked about the headstall, chin strap, bit, and reins. Easily removing the horse’s bridle, she held the horse by a lead rope while verbally walking Ty through the process of putting on the bridle.

  Lexi stressed how important it was to be sure everything was smooth and placed properly on the horse or it would get sores.

  “You are wonderful with animals, so I know you’ll be gentle with your horse, but I’m giving you my ‘This is a Horse 101 Class.’ Bear with me.” The smile she tossed his way would have made Ty agree to anything she said.

  Lexi, who loved being around horses, was happy to share her passion for them with Ty. He appeared to absorb her instructions. On the second attempt, he saddled the horse perfectly without her assistance.

  “Are you ready to give riding a try?” Lexi asked as she eyed Ty’s clothes. His jeans were a little baggy and his steel-toed boots weren’t made for riding, but they would work for his lesson today.

  “Sure,” Ty said. It couldn’t be all bad to learn to ride. Lexi certainly seemed to enjoy it.

  She showed him how to mount and dismount, how to hold the reins, and discussed pointing his toes, clamping his knees, and the finer points of balance.

  “I’m not quite sure I’ve got that,” Ty said, watching her mount again. It put her backside level with his range of vision and he greatly enjoyed the view. “Can you show me again?”

  “No problem.” Lexi swung her leg over the saddle and dismounted. “You put your foot here and swing your leg over, just like this.”

  “Maybe I need to watch you a few more times.” Ty did his best to sound serious. When Lexi looked at him, she noticed his mischievous grin and shook her head.

  “No more demonstrations, buckaroo.” Lexi stepped out of the saddle and held the horse still while Ty got into position.

  She made it look so simple and easy when she slid into the saddle. With one foot stuck in the stirrup, Ty struggled to swing his leg over. The motion felt so foreign to him, as did sitting on the saddle. When the horse shifted beneath him, he felt a moment of panic, but remembered he needed to relax.

  Lexi beamed at him with a smile that went right to his heart. If she asked him to tap dance on a bed of nails with his bare feet, he’d pull off his boots and socks and get to it.

  “Good job. I’ll adjust the stirrups and you can try again.” She lengthened the stirrups to fit his long legs. At six-four, he needed some extra length from where Lexi had them set.

  Ty did as she said and was able to mount with more confidence the third time she made him go through the motions.

  “We’re ready to go for a ride. Swede and I will stay right beside you, so don’t worry about a thing,” Lexi said, giving Ty a pat on the arm. “Just wait here and I’ll get Swede.”

  Lexi ran over to the barn and quickly returned with the foreman.

  “Well, look at ya sittin’ up there,” Swede said as he swung into the saddle on his horse. “Ya seem to hit it off just fine with ol’ Delilah.”

  “My horse is named Delilah?” Ty asked Lexi as she mounted her horse.

  “Yep. My horse is Rowdy and Swede’s is Kitty.” Lexi reined in next to Ty. “Delilah is the gentlest mare on the place. She used to be my mom’s horse.”

  “Nice to meet you, Delilah.” Ty pat the horse on the neck the way Lexi had done earlier. The horse whickered and bobbed her head, as if in greeting.

  “She’s saying hello to you,” Lexi said with a grin. Ty seemed to be relaxing and didn’t act afraid of the horse, which was a very good sign. He looked good in the saddle. By sheer force of will, she shifted her thoughts into teacher mode, away from her handsome pupil.

  “Ready to give this a whirl?” Swede asked, riding up on the other side of Ty as they slowly walked the horses away from the corral.

  “Sure,” Ty said, hoping he didn’t fall off and embarrass himself. He wished it was just Swede with him because if something did happen, at least Lexi wouldn’t be there to witness it first-hand.

  As they ambled along, Lexi gave him instructions about turning and stopping the horse, using his knees and core to stay seated, and keeping his weight balanced.

  They followed a narrow dirt road Ty knew led out to the fields. He’d gone running on it a few times. To keep in shape, he occasionally ran before or after his day’s work ended. Sometimes he ran down the driveway to the paved road, other times he followed the various dirt and gravel roads around the ranch.

  Slowly getting used to the feel of the horse moving beneath him and the smell of leather from the saddle and bridle, Ty relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful morning. He watched Swede and Lexi, copying the way they sat and held their hands.

  From his peripheral vision, he noticed movement in the sagebrush and pointed.

  “What’s that?” he asked as he eyed some horned animal he hadn’t seen before. Half a dozen of them stared intently at the three riders on horseback.

  “Antelope.” Swede’s gaze followed the direction of Ty’s pointing finger. “Ain’t ya ever seen one before?”

  “No, I haven’t,” Ty said, studying the animals.

  Spooked, they turned and raced through the brushy ground.

  “They move fast, don’t they?” Ty observed, turning to Lexi with a grin that made the butterflies in her stomach take flight. She suddenly had a vision of what he must have looked like as an adorable little boy. The picture in her head was rapidly melting her heart as she studied the man absorbing some of nature’s wonder.

  Where the road widened, they topped a rise. Lexi informed Ty they were going to speed up a little.


  “Horses have four basic speeds,” Lexi explained. “Walk, trot, canter, and gallop. You did really well with walking. We’re going to skip trotting because it can be hard to hold your seat until you get used to the movement. Cantering will feel really strange at first and if you’re worried about falling off, hang onto the saddle horn until you get comfortable.”

  “Lex, don’t tell him thet. Ya know only a wuss grabs the horn,” Swede said with a twinkling glint of mirth in his eye.

  “Swede, you just hush up,” Lexi said, not wanting Ty to think he couldn’t hold onto the saddle horn if he needed to. She turned back to Ty and gave him some pointers, assuring him he would do fine.

  Urging their horses forward in a canter, Delilah followed the other horses without Ty having to encourage her. As he jounced along, he tried to keep his seat like Swede and Lexi instructed him, but he slid all over the saddle. He was determined to grab the saddle horn only if he was about to fall off.

  “Why are we doing this?” he asked, convinced his stomach jiggled between his chin and toes.

  “Because ya got to learn how to ride at all speeds,” Swede said. “If it was a car, ya wouldn’t jes drive it in first gear, would ya?”

  “No,” Ty said, knowing he looked like an idiot as he bounced all over the saddle.

  “Let your hips move with the horse, not your whole body,” Lexi said, trying not to laugh at him. Although she prevented a giggle from escaping, she couldn’t control her smile. Ty looked miserable, but at least he was trying.

  She rode close and settled a hand on his leg, felt his tight, tense, muscles. Electricity sparked up her arm and jolted down her spine at the contact with his muscled thigh. Rapidly blinking her eyes to regain her focus, she pulled back her hand.

  “You’ve got to relax your thighs. Hang on with your knees and let your thighs relax.” Lexi moved her hand to his back. “Straighten your back and picture your spine straight up and down. Your whole body doesn’t move. Your hips should do the work. Let your seat roll forward with Delilah.”