Learnin' The Ropes

by Shanna Hatfield

  When he was out of earshot, Bertie playfully smacked Lexi on the leg. “Girlie, he has one fine caboose, even in those baggy jeans. And muscles! My gracious, honey-pie! How do you get anything done around here? I’d spend all day chasing him around slobbering all over myself.”

  “Aunt Bertie! You aren’t supposed to notice those things,” Lexi said in feigned shock.

  Bertie winked. “I may be old, Lexi girl, but my eyesight works just fine.”

  Lesson Eleven

  Don’t Tempt Mother Nature

  “A little rain can’t hurt ya,

  but only an idiot stays out in a storm.”

  By the third day of branding, the process ran like a well-functioning machine with everyone doing their part to keep things moving smoothly.

  The morning flew by and they only had seventy-five head of cattle left to work when the crew stopped for lunch.

  Most of the neighbors decided to head for home following the meal. While the women helped clean up the dishes and set the kitchen to rights, the men loaded horses, swapped stories and made plans for their own brandings.

  Ty was flattered to receive several invitations to work as wrestler at various brandings. He assumed he’d be working them all since Swede said they went to help anyone that helped them.

  Lexi offered warm hugs to Bertie and Linc as they prepared to leave. The lived south of Pendleton near the little community of Pilot Rock in northeastern Oregon and were anxious to get back to their own place.

  “Come visit us for a few days, girlie,” Bertie said, giving Lexi another motherly hug. “Bring that gorgeous mechanic of yours along, too. It’s no hardship to have to look at him. Not at all.”

  “Aunt Bertie!” Lexi giggled as they said goodbye. “I might take you up on that when things settle down a bit.”

  “See that you do,” Bertie said as she climbed in the pickup. “And get yourself a housekeeper. You don’t have time to run a ranch and scrub toilets. Get your priorities straightened out!”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Lexi waved as Linc pulled into the line of vehicles heading down the driveway. “Love you guys!”

  “Love you, baby!”

  The dog barked and wagged her tail, thinking Bertie spoke to her.

  The remaining crew headed back out to finish the work. Swede kept one eye on the branding and one on the sky.

  “What’s wrong, Swede?” Ty finally asked, noticing the foreman’s preoccupation with the clouds overhead.

  “A storm’s rollin’ in,” Swede said, rubbing his knee.

  “Are you kidding?” Ty wiped sweat off his brow and stared up at the sunny, blue sky. “It practically feels like summer.”

  “Yeah, well, practically ain’t the same as the real deal. Ya mark my words. Rain will hit the ground before the day is over.”

  Since Swede probably knew something he didn’t, Ty refrained from making any further comment as he wrestled another calf.

  About two dozen calves were left to work when the air dropped in temperature and the sky suddenly turned dark.

  As the working crew took stock of the upcoming storm, Swede yelled to the neighbors who stayed behind to finish up and get on the road.

  “Go on and get home while you can,” he said, waving his hat as they hurried back toward the house. Swede cackled, and shook a finger to those who remained. “Let’s see if we can beat the storm, boys.”

  Ty thought they’d been working fast and furious the last two days but it was nothing compared to what they did in the next thirty minutes. Despite the sense of urgency to work quickly and finish before the rain hit, they made little progress before the first drops of water hit.

  “Lex, you head on up to the house. No need for us all to get soaked,” Swede called to Lexi as she sat waiting to rope the next calf.

  “I’m fine. I won’t melt!” she said with a laugh, turning her attention back to the cattle.

  Thunder boomed and lightning crackled, making the hair on the back of Ty’s neck stand on end. He’d never witnessed anything quite like a spring rain storm in wide-open country.

  The lightning seemed to crack open the sky and rain began falling in torrential sheets. In minutes, they were all soaked and chilled.

  As Lexi dragged a calf over for Ty to wrestle, he saw her shivering from the rain and the chill in the wind.

  “Lexi, go on back to the house. You don’t need to stay out in this,” Ty said as he held the calf while Cal and Keith put on the brand and Jimmy vaccinated it.

  “It’s my ranch, my cattle, and I’m staying.” With a determined lift of her chin, she rode off to rope another calf.

  “Stubborn woman,” Ty muttered under his breath. If he had the option of getting out of this mess, he’d gladly take it.

  Not only was he covered in manure and blood, but the churned up mud made it nearly impossible to hold onto the calves. Slipping and sliding in the muck, the work that should have taken them just a few minutes to finish stretched into more than a miserable hour.

  Swiftly turning the last of the calves back in with their mamas, they cleaned up the mess and headed to the house. Lexi shivered so hard, Ty thought she might fall off Rowdy.

  Since he’d ridden the four-wheeler, Ty beat the rest of them back to the barn. He was waiting for Lexi when she rode Rowdy inside. The chattering of her teeth echoed in the stillness and he noticed a bluish tinge to her lips.

  “Are you crazy, Lexi?” Ty asked as Rowdy stopped beside him.

  Eyes closed, Lexi’s body racked with shivers. Ty placed a hand to her thigh, uncertain if she’d heard him. Without acknowledging him, she started to slide off the saddle on the opposite side.

  “Lexi!” Ty had gone past concern to fearful as he put a hand around her waist and pulled her off the saddle to his chest. Scooping one arm beneath her knees and securing a hand behind her back, he turned as Swede hurried their direction, ordering the other boys to take care of the horses.

  “I think she passed out,” Ty said, walking to the door of the barn.

  “Let’s get her to the house and warm her up. Can you carry her that far?” Swede asked, keeping step beside Ty.

  “Yeah. Can you go ahead and maybe light the fire in the family room and get something hot ready for her to drink?” Ty said as he cautiously walked across the mud-slicked ranch yard. As he strode through the back gate, he was glad Swede left the door open, making it easier for him to carry Lexi inside.

  For a moment, he hesitated as he dripped mud and manure on the sparkling kitchen floor.

  “Don’t worry about the mess, now. Gettin’ her warmed up is more important,” Swede said as he hustled back into the kitchen from the family room with a big fleece blanket in his hand. “We probably better get the wet stuff off and then see if she’ll wake up.”

  While Ty held Lexi, Swede took off her sodden hat, and boots, removed her soggy socks and untied the silk scarf around her neck. Swede draped the blanket around her and instructed Ty to carry her into the family room where the gas fireplace was throwing out welcome warmth.

  Ty carried her into the room, grateful for the heat and stood close to the fireplace hoping Lexi would soon warm up and wake up.

  Swede hurried in carrying three cups of hot tea and set them down on the coffee table.

  Lexi’s shaking grew worse instead of better. Ty could tell she wasn’t warming up like she should.

  “Swede, are there any women around who could come help?” Ty asked, already knowing the answer.

  “None thet could get here anytime soon. Besides with this rain, ya’ll be hard pressed to find anyone able to get far in the storm,” Swede said, mindful of why Ty asked.

  “Well, do you think we should… I mean she isn’t going to get warm in these wet clothes and she isn’t exactly able to get them off herself. What should we do?” Ty didn’t want to do anything improper, but he feared for Lexi’s well-being.

  “Let’s try to wake her up,” Swede said as Ty gently placed Lexi on the couch.

  Lightly t
apping her cheeks and calling her name elicited no response.

  “She’s out cold,” Swede said, standing next to Ty and watching Lexi shiver. “We got to do somethin’. She was always quick to take a chill as a kid. Guess she never outgrew it.”

  “We’ve got to get her out of those wet clothes. How about we take off her shirt and jeans, wrap her in the blanket, and hope for the best,” Ty suggested.

  “Okay, but don’t enjoy this none and don’t look any more than ya’ hafta,” Swede instructed, turning his back to Lexi.

  “Me? Aren’t you going to help?” Ty asked as he bent over Lexi’s still form trying to decide the easiest way to take off her clothes without seeing more than was necessary.

  “Nope. I ain’t gonna do it. She’s like a daughter to me and I ain’t turnin’ around til she’s wrapped up in thet blanket. So ya just do what has to be done and do it fast.”

  Ty was glad Lexi wore a western shirt with snaps. One strong tug and it was undone. Quickly removing it, he wasn’t surprised she wore a tank top beneath it.

  He would have left it on her, but it was as soaked as her shirt. He held her upright with one hand and pulled it over her head then averted his gaze to her jeans as he laid her back down on the couch.

  With a deep breath, he unhooked the buckle of her belt, fumbled to unfasten the button at the top of her jeans and pulled down the zipper. He’d dreamed of doing something similar, but in his dreams Lexi was wide awake and an eager participant.

  Rapidly derailing that train of thought, he grasped her sodden jeans in both hands and worked them over her hips, pulling them off as quickly as he could. He grabbed the big blanket and wrapped it around her, trying not to look at her nearly naked body.

  “Done,” he said and spun around.

  “Good job, Ty.” Swede handed him a steaming mug of tea. “You’re the only man I’d trust to do thet, jes so ya know.”

  “Why’s that?” Ty stood by the fire, absorbing some of the heat.

  “Cause ya care about her and yer an honorable man. I know we can trust ya to do what’s right.”

  Caught off guard by Swede’s words, Ty felt his throat swell shut with emotion. Instead of speaking, he nodded his head and took a drink of the hot tea.

  “I’m afraid if we pour the tea down her now, she might choke. Why don’t ya run to the bunkhouse and get cleaned up right quick then come back. I’m thinkin’ this lil’ gal is gonna need some doctorin’ and attention this evenin’.”

  “Okay. Do I need to go to Burns and get a doctor or anything?” Ty set his half-empty mug of tea on the coffee table.

  “Nah. We’ll jes see if we can get her warmed up and awake. Go on and get yerself clean, then I’ll take a turn.”

  Ty waited until he was out of the house to sprint across the ranch yard, ignoring the driving, cold rain as he ran. Bursting in the bunkhouse door, the ranch hands were in various stages of getting clean or already changed as he ran inside. Thankfully, no one was in the bathroom he used.

  After taking a shower in record time, he dried off and dressed in clean clothes. He was pulling on a pair of old sneakers when Jimmy poked his head in Ty’s bedroom door.

  “Is she okay, dude?”

  “Not yet. We can’t get her warmed up, but Swede and I will stay with her.” Ty tugged on a hooded sweatshirt and hurried to the front room. Ty gently squeezed Jimmy’s shoulder as he opened the door. “If we need some help, I’ll let you know.”

  He ran back to the house, entering through the kitchen door. He removed his wet sweatshirt and muddy shoes.

  In the family room, Swede sat in a kitchen chair he’d placed by the couch, talking to Lexi. Although her lips didn’t look quite so blue, she still shivered.

  “Is she awake?” Ty asked as Swede stood.

  Swede shook his head.“ I jes thought it might help to talk to her, ya know?”

  “Yeah, I know.” Ty remembered the hours of one-sided conversations he had with his mom when she was in the hospital. What if Lexi got pneumonia? What if he lost her, too?

  He couldn’t bear the thought of it.

  “Go get cleaned up and I’ll see what I can do,” Ty said, carrying the cold mugs of tea to the kitchen to reheat.

  Swede scurried off to his little house as fast as his bowed legs would carry him. While the tea warmed, Ty called Beth and told her what happened.

  “You need to get her body temperature back up as quickly as possible,” Beth said, stating what Ty already knew. “Do you have anything you can warm and place around her, like hot packs? Have you tried getting her to drink something hot?”

  “No. We didn’t want to choke her since she isn’t awake.” Ty removed the tea from the microwave.

  “Hold her head up and see if you can get her to take a sip. If you can get her to drink a little, it might help her wake up, too. I’ll stay on the phone while you try,” Beth said, racking her brain for ideas that could help.

  “Okay.” Ty carried a mug of hot tea back to Lexi. He got down on his knees by the couch, put the phone on speaker so Beth could hear him, and placed his hand behind Lexi’s neck. Carefully lifting her head up, he held the mug to her lips and tried to coax her to take a sip.

  “Come on, Lexi, you need to drink this hot tea. It will warm you up and you’ll feel better in no time.” Ty tipped the mug just enough the liquid touched her lips. Gently forcing the mug between her lips, he poured a little in her mouth and waited to see what she would do. When she swallowed, he repeated the process and got her to take several sips.

  “Ty, what’s going on?” Beth asked, listening to the quiet.

  “She took a few sips, I think.” Ty held the mug again as Lexi accepted the warm liquid. “Her lips aren’t blue anymore and the shivering seems to be less violent.”

  “That’s great,” Beth said brightly, hoping Lexi would be fine. She genuinely liked the woman and got the idea Ty had more than a passing interest in his lovely employer. “Keep trying to get something hot inside her. That will help as well as anything.”

  “I know. I’ll keep trying,” he said. The sound of baby Jax fussing in the background made him smile. “I think Jax is making his demands known. I won’t keep you, sis, but thanks.”

  “Anytime, Ty. Call if there is anything we can do to help. Love you,” Beth said, then disconnected.

  Patiently working with Lexi, Ty got most of the tea down her before Swede returned.

  “Well, look at that,” Swede said, noticing Lexi’s color was better. She no longer shivered violently. “Ya done good, dude.”

  “My sister offered some pointers,” Ty said, as he and Swede watched Lexi, uncertain as to what they should do next.

  “Sisters are good thet way, ain’t they?” A look came over Swede’s face like a light bulb had burst to life and he smacked his leg with a cackle. “Now why didn’t I think of that before!”

  “Think of what?” Ty asked, curious what made Swede look like he’d just won the lottery.

  “A grand idea,” Swede answered vaguely. “I’m gonna play this hand close to the chest until I see if it will pan out and strike gold.”

  Too tired to invest the effort into deciphering Swede’s statement at the moment, Ty shot him a curious glance. “So what do we do now?”

  “I don’t know.” Swede wasn’t any more accustomed to being a caregiver than Ty, especially not to a young woman. “Why don’t you sit here with her while I clean up the mess we made bringin’ her in. Maybe if you sat on the couch with her, shared some of your warmth, it would help her warm up faster.”

  Ty was willing to try anything. While Swede went to find a mop and something to get the mud out of the carpet, Ty picked up Lexi. Tucking the blanket close around her, he sat down on the couch with her cradled on his lap. He held her close, humming a soft tune and staring into the fire.

  Lexi couldn’t remember ever being so miserably cold and wet. She should have paid more attention to what Swede said about a storm rolling in and finished the branding tomorrow in
stead of trying to beat the rain.

  It also wouldn’t have hurt for her to have listened when he told her to head back to the house before she got drenched, or even when her teeth first began to chatter. But it was her ranch, her responsibility, and she didn’t want to appear weak in front of her men, so she stuck it out.

  As they finished, her fingers were so cold, they felt numb and she couldn’t hold the rope well enough to cast a loop. Gus roped the last four calves by himself while she watched.

  On the way back to the barn, she remembered feeling like she was being sucked down into a dark, cold tunnel where nothing seemed real. Lexi recalled Ty’s voice asking her a question, but she didn’t know if she responded. Her body felt strangely detached from her brain as it shook from the cold.

  Voices penetrated the fog in her head, but she couldn’t hear what they said. She recognized Ty’s presence, felt someone holding her, but the chills that rampaged through her forced away any coherent thoughts.

  Warm liquid trickled down her throat and a welcome scent made her think of Ty. She thought she recognized his voice again, felt his gentle hand touching her.

  Desperately trying to push her way past the shroud of confusion in her mind, warmth began to seep into her cold body. Tenderly held against something solid and strong, she heard a pleasant rumbling that almost sounded like a song. As clarity returned to her thoughts, she recognized the song as Whitesnake’s Is This Love.

  A smile touched her lips as she opened her eyes and stared into Ty’s warm blue orbs.

  “Hey, babe,” Ty whispered, smiling at her as she came fully awake. “I’m really glad to see those beautiful green eyes of yours.”

  “Hi,” she said, still disoriented and not quite sure how she’d gotten from the back of her horse to the couch in her family room. Wrapped in a warm cocoon, Ty held her in his strong arms “Were you singing Is This Love?”

  “Me? You must have been dreaming,” Ty said with a teasing smile. Of all the songs he could have picked, he knew the lyrics of that one really fit what he was coming to feel for the woman in his arms. He just wasn’t ready for her to know it yet.