"My sister is in the bunkhouse, just so you're not surprised when you go in there. I'm getting her out in a little bit. Terri's making space for her at the big house," she informed.
"You have a sister?" he hooted incredulously.
"Yeah,
her name is Leigh Ann and she's a beauty queen, so keep your pants zipped," she said roughly as she pulled the saddle off of Rambler and sat it on the blanket near the stall door.
"That's not surprising,
must run in the family," Dylan said with a wide grin, then told her with a wink, "So I'm not guaranteeing anything in the pants department, you know me."
"Yeah,
I do know you horn dog. That's why I told you that...just keep your hands and oddball sense of humor to yourself...she's sensitive."
"Unlike you?" he asked with a chuckle.
"I'm just prickly, there's a difference. And I can take care of myself." Rocky wasn't bothered by rowdy comments and ribbing, and she didn't take his passes seriously. She knew a line of bullshit when she heard one. Working in the male-dominated ranching industry as long as she had, Rocky had heard and seen it all. Not much bothered her, but Leigh Ann would be a perfect target for her lover boy friend Dylan.
"I bet there is a difference, maybe she will
appreciate my sense of humor and think I'm cute, unlike you," he drawled.
"Just stay away from her,
Dylan," Rocky warned and shot him a glare.
Dylan
was a great guy, but too good looking for his own good. He thought himself a ladies man, and knew how to turn on the charm to get what he wanted. What he didn't have was staying power, he was former rodeo bull rider, a drifter and a wanderer who went through women like he went through underwear.
A good guy, but not someone she wanted her sister involved with.
Besides, even if he did stick in one place, he didn't have a pot to piss in, and Lord knew her sister needed a man with money to take care of her.
Matt, the quieter of her two friends and coworkers,
walked up just then and shoved his hat back on his forehead, then asked, "Stay away from who?"
"My sister," Rocky grumbled and grabbed a towel off the hook to wipe the sweat from Rambler's coat.
"You have a sister?" Matt hooted and Rocky flinched. Many times they'd all asked her about her family, but she never talked about herself or her family. She kept that information close to her vest, because she had learned lessons in the past from divulging too much personal information. People, men especially, hassled her to meet her sister, because she was former Miss Texas.
"Yeah, I do, and I'll tell you the same thing I just told
Dylan. Stay away from her, she'll only be here a couple of days." Matt was less of a playboy than Dylan, but not by much. They were all single men and most of them former rodeo saddle tramps, so they were always on the lookout for women.
"Think she'd go out for a drink with me in town?" Dylan asked with a big grin.
"She probably would, but you're not going to ask, are you?" Rocky said then dropped the towel and stepped toward him to put her nose to his and her finger in his chest for emphasis.
He swallowed then said, "No ma'am, I won't ask."
Rocky grabbed his collar and straightened it then tiptoed and kissed his cheek. "Good boy, that's what I thought you said."
"Um, Annie?" Leigh Ann said from behind her and Rocky stepped away from Dylan and groaned then turned toward her.
"What are you doing out here?" Rocky asked taking in her sister's outfit. Skyscraper sandals and a flirty sundress was not barn attire, but she knew her sister would rather be caught dead than wear a pair of blue jeans.
"Holy
shit
!" both Dylan and Matt said in unison behind her.
Leigh Ann's hand flew to her chest and she stuttered, "I just wanted to tell you I had all my stuff packed up, so we can haul it up to the big house."
"Fine, let's go," Rocky said and grabbed her sister's arm hauling her toward the barn door. She didn't have to look back to know that both Dylan and Matt's tongues were dragging the ground.
"Um, holler if you need any help
,
Annie
...any help at all!" Dylan called from behind.
"Get back to work,
Dylan, I'll be back in a few minutes to help you," Rocky grated and dragged her sister toward the bunkhouse.
Jarvis was in the kitchen rattling pots and pans around in the kitchen when they walked through the front door. "
Dinner won't be ready for another couple hours," he grumped and she heard another pot slam into the sink.
He was probably cleaning up the pots from the chuck wagon, she guessed. He always had a load to wash up when they returned from a cattle drive. And he was
never in a good mood while he did it. Most likely they'd be having tuna fish sandwiches for dinner too.
"It's just me, Jarvis," she yelled and walked down the hall toward the room that Leigh Ann had used last night. Her suitcase was at the foot of the bed, so Rocky grabbed the handle and dragged it toward the door. Leigh Ann squeezed in past her and grabbed the other two cases, then followed her back out of the door.
"What the hell are ya'll doing in here?" Jarvis asked and walked through the kitchen door into the living room wiping his big beefy hands on his apron. The apron had been white probably fifteen years or so ago, but now it was tan and had various stains of unknown origin spattered across the bib.
"Just moving my sister up to the big house. Nothing to worry about," Rocky told him and grunted as she swung the big suitcase around in front of her.
"Hell, girl, I didn't even know you had a sister," he told her and his blue eyes gave Leigh Ann a once over.
Rocky huffed out a frustrated sigh then waved her hand toward Leigh Ann. "Jarvis this is my sister, Leigh Ann. Leigh Ann, Jarvis our cook."
He didn't speak, just gave her another look then tilted his bearded chin at her.
"We won't get in your way, I'm taking her up front. I'll be back for dinner," she informed then opened the front door and picked up the suitcase again. With her knee she pushed it out the door and deposited it by a rocker on the front porch.
"Go get your car," she told her sister. There was no way in hell she was hauling this up to the house on foot. Her sister had packed like she was staying for a month, either that or she had a dead body inside the suitcase and that was the source of her trouble. When Leigh Ann just stood there looking at her, she gave her shoulder a shove and said, "Hurry up, I've got stuff to do."
"I'm sorry, I just thought we'd have time to talk," Leigh Ann told her sadly.
"Well, shit," Rocky said and sat in the rocker and waved a hand to the rocker next to hers. "Talk," she said shortly.
Leigh Ann smiled that wide-toothed smile of hers
that Rocky was sure she practiced in a mirror, before putting her cases down beside the big suitcase. She leaned in to hug Rocky's neck, and Rocky sat up to put her arms around her and give her a quick squeeze.
"Hurry up, before I get fired here too
," she pulled back to say.
"I'm sorry about that last time..." Leigh Ann
told her sitting gracefully in the rocker next to the one Rocky occupied.
Rocky waved
her hand, then replied, "Wasn't your fault," although they both knew it was entirely Leigh Ann's fault...well, hers and their mother's. She just hoped that Joel didn't take a liking to Leigh Ann and flirt with her in front of his wife. Terri would castrate him, and Rocky would help her. Joel wasn't like that though, thank God.
"Mama i
s trying to make me marry Lester Fallon, you know of Fallon Oil. He's old and his breath stinks, but he's rich as Midas and mama has dollar signs in her eyes again."
"Honey, she can't make you do anything you don't want to do," Rocky repeated what she'd told her sister a hundred times. "You're twenty-
six-years old, Leigh Ann, you should have cut those apron strings years ago."
"But I don't have a job, and mama is just trying to hel--"
"Mama is trying to run your life, Leigh...and you let her. You can do anything you set your mind to. Go back to school, find a job, model, do something other than whine about what you can't do."
Leigh Ann huffed out a breath then said, "I've tried, Annie. Somehow, I always wind up back with mama and engaged to some rich
old fart," she said and covered her mouth as if she'd said the dirtiest word in the dictionary.
"Engagements work two ways, you know. You have to say yes to be engaged, so it's your own damned fault." Rocky was tired of this worn out conversation.
It was time for a little tough love. "Listen, I love you and I'm here for you, but I can't keep doing this. I'll help you when you decide to start helping yourself. Until then, I'm done with this conversation." Pushing up off of the arms of the chair, she left it rocking behind her. "You have two days to get out of the big house, Leigh Ann. That's all the time I can buy you to hide out this time."
She reached down for the suitcase handle, but then looked back at her sister who was still sitting there. Guilt washed through her when her sister's cornflower blue eyes filled with tears and her lips started wobbling.
"Well, shit," Rocky said and walked back over to the rocker to pull her sister up into a hug. "I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to make you cry, but you have got to find your backbone, and soon. You are entirely too old to still be living with your mama and letting her control you."
Leigh sniffled softly and said, "I don't know how to do anything, Rocky. I'm not good with anything, and I know it's my fault. I shouldn't have quit school."
"Maybe your interview will work out tomorrow," Rocky said into her hair. "What's it for anyway?"
"Legal Assistant...and I have no idea why I applied for the job, I don't have any experience."
"Because you're well spoken, you can think on your feet, and you present a professional image at a front desk, that's why. Do you know how to type?"
"Hunt and peck," Leigh Ann admitted
with another sniffle.
"Who are you interviewing with a man or a woman?" Rocky asked.
If it was a man, she had a chance, but she didn't want to tell her sister that. She was insecure enough.
"Robert Mullins is the attorney's name. It's a small firm in downtown
Amarillo. I found out where you were working from Grandma and wanted to be close to you. That's why I came up this way."
Damn, so that was how she found out where Rocky was working. Every month, Rocky sent a check to her daddy's mother who was on a fixed income living down close to
Houston. When he got sick, she had promised him she would always take care of Grandma Nell for him. They both knew her mother wouldn't give her a dime.
Grandma Nell hated her mother
, and she hated how Trudy manipulated Leigh Ann, which was probably why she had given up her location.
"
Okay, let's get you up to the house. What time is your appointment tomorrow?"
"
Three o'clock," Leigh Ann told her and pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket to dab at her eyes. "I figured I'd spend the night in town after the interview."
"Can you afford that?" Rocky asked thinking if she didn't have a job, and her mother wasn't around to fund her, Leigh Ann didn't have any money.
"Not really, but I really don't want to impose here," she replied.
Any help at all
. Dylan's words replayed in Rocky's mind and she smiled. Maybe she could get her sister out of here sooner than she expected. Sometimes men's weakness for a pretty face did come in handy, she supposed.
"I think my friend
Dylan has a trailer in town, I'll ask him if you can stay there temporarily, until you can find a place in town," Rocky told her. The trailer was a travel trailer he set up for liaisons when he went to town, but it would do in a pinch. Beggars couldn't be choosers.
Leigh Ann squealed and Rocky flinched because the sound penetrated her brain like a brain freeze from a snow cone. "Thank you!
It will be my first place by myself!" she said excitedly then threw her arms around Rocky again. Rocky patted her back and hoped she wasn't throwing her sister into the lion's den.
Dylan
was definitely a Romeo, but Rocky was going to put the fear of God into him that he better stay away from there. Rocky would pay him rent for her sister to stay there until she could find a place of her own. It would be worth every cent.
Problems solved, her sister would be away from the ranch, but have a place to stay, Rocky could concentrate on what she needed to think about, and if her mother did show up, it wouldn't be here at the ranch.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Grinding his teeth, Ethan pushed the wide metal plate beneath his feet harder, determined to move it this time. Beads of sweat popped out on his forehead and he knotted his fists to gather every ounce of strength left in his body. For the last six weeks, while working with Terri, she had been giving him less weight and more reps based on the plan the physical therapist had given her. The new trainer Terri hired decided he needed more weight and less reps now. And after this, he was doing a twenty minute walk on the treadmill instead of ten.
The guy was killing him, in a good way.
Maybe that plan wasn't for someone as athletic as he had been before the accident. It didn't push him hard enough, he didn't push himself hard enough. To redefine his purpose in life, to start over, he needed this. The search and rescue team was the avenue he needed to do that, and when he neared his breaking point, which was often with this guy, he reminded himself of that.
Supposedly, this guy was one of the best trainers in
Amarillo, so Ethan had no problem listening to his recommendations, or working his ass off, because this guy could get him where he needed to be. If he didn't die first trying.
With a grunt, Ethan shoved harder and felt satisfaction in every muscle as the plate moved beneath his feet. Four more reps and he could rest, then start again. By the time he let the plate drop on the last rep, his muscles were burning, and he had absolutely no problem feeling his legs. They hurt like hell, as did his back.
He would welcome a massage from Tara when he got done here. If he could manage to drag his ass back in the wheelchair to get down the hall to the massage room when they were done. Lightheaded with endorphins, his body buzzing, an hour later Ethan grabbed a bottle of water and drank it down, then wiped his face with a towel.
"You did good man," the
beefy muscle-head trainer told him then knelt to pack up the bag he'd brought with him.
Ethan
plopped down into the chair, then stuck out his hand, and managed to speak in between heaving breaths. "Thanks, Mark."
With a groan,
he bent his knees and lifted his legs onto the pegs of the chair without using his hands. Progress had never felt sweeter, things were starting to work again.
Even the fact that his feet and toes felt like he was standing in a pile of red ants made him feel better. Pain meant he was getting better,
and working harder was definitely paying off. Walking was getting easier every day, but he still hadn't worked on learning to ride a damned horse.
F
our days ago, the day after she was caught spying on him at the spa, Ethan figured out that Rocky was not coming to get him to start his riding lessons, even though her sister had left that morning. On his way to the gym, he had seen them hugging in front of the bunkhouse, before Leigh Ann got in her small car and hightailed it out of the ranch.
By that evening,
when he still hadn't seen her, he knew Terri was right, Roxanne was pissed at him and he was going to have to eat crow and apologize if he wanted her help. That had definitely not been an easy task with the stubborn cowgirl.
H
e had eaten a whole lot more than crow, he had eaten a whole damned buzzard, before she would even listen to a word he had to say. That woman had a temper, he was introduced to the business end of it.
Once she had gotten it all out though, and he was beaten about the head and shoulders
with words until he learned a lesson, you don't mess with Roxanne Baker, she had given him his first
riding
lesson. Somehow he had survived both, which was a miracle.
After two lessons now, h
e hadn't done much riding yet though.
So far they
had just practiced safety, tacking and mounting, which was frustrating, but necessary she said. Mounting had been the hard part, because getting up on a horse without sufficient leg power was not an easy task.
Even though Ethan had
wound up on his ass more times than he could count, Roxanne hadn't laughed at him. She had been a lot more patient than he expected, as had the horse he had been trying to mount. Once she suggested he use a mounting block, he had done well.
The little stairs gave him a little extra boost to help him get his
foot in the stirrup. Ethan couldn't help but wonder if she had withheld that little marvel of modern invention to make him suffer a little. If she did, he probably deserved it, he guessed.
At least
Rocky didn't seem angry or edgy anymore. Since her sister left, and he apologized, she was practically bubbly. Well, as close to bubbly as he'd ever seen the beautiful cowgirl, which wasn't very close at all. But she was happier.
W
hen she was doing what she loved, teaching people to ride and taking care of horses, she was alive. Her gray eyes sparkled and he could feel her passion for what she was doing in every command and correction she gave him.
One day
soon, he wanted that passion directed on him again.
But he had to be around her for that to ever happen. Her job here at the ranch kept her damned busy.
That woman worked her ass off. She worked as hard, probably harder than any of the male cowhands on the ranch. When she wasn't doing her own job, she was helping others out with theirs.
For
the last two days, Rocky had been working with a group of new guests, so he hadn't seen her. He hadn't even seen her at dinner, because when the hands weren't out on a drive she ate out at the bunkhouse.
Today, the guests would still be around, but they would be working with
Matt Walker, a former rodeo bronco rider and roper, on roping skills, before the bonfire and campout in the field tonight. That meant she would be coming to find him in a little bit, and he was damned excited.
He missed her
, a lot more than he should, so much he was going to skip the massage and whirlpool today, settle for a long soak in the tub with some Epson salts, so he could see her sooner. Maybe he could coax her to extend their lesson time. Tonight he would try to entice her away from the others so he could spend some alone time with her. Time that didn't involve talking about horseback riding, or the ranch, or his injury.
Ethan wanted to be normal again. That would be a good start.
Excited at the prospect, Ethan wheeled himself toward his room to get ready.
***
Rocky swiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her forearm, then finished brushing out the last lesson horse, so she could put him back in his stall. She was hot, tired and wanted nothing more than a shower and a beer right now. But she had a lesson with Ethan in an hour, so her day wasn't over yet.
A few minutes ago, she saw the guests leaving the outdoor arena where Matt had been working with them on roping. They were probably heading for the guest bunkhouse to get cleaned up for the bonfire tonight.
The crew was pulling out in the morning, so
that meant she would have more time to spend working with Ethan. She would love to cancel on him this afternoon, but she didn't have the heart to do it. He was working hard, putting in the effort, so she couldn't do any less.
Between his extra work in the gym, and his determination to join the search and rescue team, the man was finding his heart again, his courage. It was damned good to see. Terri was thrilled at the transformation in his attitude
and his progress. Rocky was too, but admiration of his effort was leading to admiration of the man too.
A dangerous thing.
She had been glad for the two day break from him, while she trained the new group of guests. It had given her a little space to find her perspective and distance herself from those feelings. At least she hoped she had gotten some distance.
That would be tested here shortly.
The golf cart rattling over the potholed driveway caught her attention, so she put the horse into his stall and shut it then wiped her hands and walked to the barn door. Shading her eyes against the bright sunlight, she was able to see it was Ethan in the cart. When he got closer, his wide smile almost blinded her in the sunlight. He hadn't waited for her to finish and go to the house to get him.
He pulled the cart up to the barn and shut it off then coasted to a stop near the door. That's when she noticed the straw-colored hat
on his head and the chaps over his tight blue jeans. When he swung his leg out of the cart, she noticed he had on new cowboy boots too. He looked jalapeno hot and good enough to eat, and damned if her mouth didn't water when he stood up and she saw his white tank top framing those sexy tattoos and perfect muscles. It looked like he had visited the western store on the ranch for some new gear.
Not good, she thought, and turned her back to walk into the barn.
"Well, hello to you too, sweetheart," he said with a huffed breath.
Rocky
heard odd clanking noises behind her, but didn't stop to find out what was causing it. She went to the stall and led Diamond out of the stall, then left her cross-tied while she went to the tack room. When she came back to saddle the horse, her breath caught and she laid the saddle and blanket on the hard packed earth near Diamond's hooves. Ethan was standing there on his crutches with a lunchbox in his left hand.
"What the hell are you up to?" Rocky demanded and put a hand on her hip.
His eyes widened innocently. "What, can't a guy bring you lunch without you getting all worked up?" Ethan asked with a grin.
"I don't have time for lunch, we need to get started on your lesson. The bonfire is tonight, remember? I'd like to get a shower before then."
"You'll have time, but you didn't eat lunch did you?" he asked and shoved the small blue cooler toward her.
"No, I didn't have time," she said and huffed out a
breath, before grudgingly taking the cooler from him. Opening it, she saw there was a wrapped sandwich, some chips and a cold beer, which made her mouth seem bone dry, because she wanted it so badly.
"Joel would have my ass for drinking on the job," Rocky grumped, but she took out the sandwich and unwrapped it. It looked like someone had made it from
thick chunks of meaty pot roast.
"Ya'll have roast last night?" she asked then took a bite of the delicious sandwich.
"Yeah, Penny put the leftovers in the fridge, so I used that...hope you like it," he said with a smile.
"
Like it
? Penny's pot roast is an orgasm in a pan," she said with a snort then she realized what she'd said and felt her face heat. That is what the other ranch hands said about it, so she didn't even think about her words before they slipped out. She spent entirely too much time with the rough saddle tramps to know how to act in polite company.
Ethan wasn't shocked though, he threw his head b
ack and laughed. "Have you ever told her that?"
"Hell no, she'd probably box my ears...or wash my mouth out with soap," Rocky replied with a grin.
Rocky ate the whole sandwich, then opened the lunchbox again, but didn't take out the chips, she went for the beer. If she got caught, Joel could just get over it, it was only one beer, and technically she was off the clock.
Taking the bottle cap, she wedged it under a loose nail on the stall door and popped
it off, then put it to her lips and drank thirstily.
"That's a neat trick," Ethan told her with a laugh.
"You learn a lot of neat tricks working out here with all these guys," she said with a pop of her lips.
"I'll bet," he replied and his smile faded a little.
Rocky finished the beer quickly, then put the bottle back in the lunch box.
"So, you ready to ride?"
Rocky did feel a lot better after eating. It was very thoughtful of him to bring it with him.
"Yes, ma'am," he said
and moved on his crutches over by Diamond. He leaned them against the split wood rail then balanced himself with a hand on the horse's back to make his way to where Rocky had placed the saddle and blanket. Shocked, Rocky just stood there watching him, without intervening.
Ethan leaned against the fence and pushed Diamond's butt so she stepped away from him, then he pu
lled the blanket from under the saddle and put it on Diamond's back. Bending over again, he braced himself and lifted the saddle then gently placed it over the blanket. He went to work on the straps, and evidently he'd been paying attention when she was teaching him, because he knew exactly what to do.
"You'll have to do the bridle and bit, I don't want to hurt her," he said as he tightened up the cinch more, when Diamond exhaled.
"Come here and I'll show you," she offered and picked up the bridle then walked to Diamond's head. "Pinch right here, and she'll open her mouth for you, then slide the bit in without hitting her teeth." Rocky demonstrated by sliding the bridle up Diamond's cheeks, before putting the loops over her ears and pulling her forelock from under the brow band.