situation. It looked like the poor heifer had been laboring for quite a while and not making any progress. The calf would have to be pulled and Lexi didn’t have the strength to do it on her own. Usually one or two of the cowboys were around, but everyone just happened to be gone.
She remembered seeing Ty’s pickup parked by the bunkhouse. Running outside and across the ranch yard to the bunkhouse, she knocked before stepping inside and calling his name. When he didn’t answer, she rushed to the shop. At the door, she stopped to catch her breath. Rock music blasted out a steady beat, making her smile. If she remembered her big hair bands correctly, he was listening to Whitesnake today.
Quietly opening the door, she wasn’t surprised to see Baby curled up in the corner asleep while Ty labored over a tractor part. He looked up when she stepped inside.
“Hi,” he said, wiping his hands on a rag as she shut the door. He turned off the music and gave her a curious glance. Lexi generally avoided him unless she had a direct question. It was easier to keep her thoughts regarding the hunky mechanic in line when she stayed away from him.
“Would you mind coming to the barn to help me with a cow? She’s in distress and I need a little assistance.” Lexi held her hands tightly together in front of her. She was afraid if she left them hanging by her sides they would somehow find their way into Ty’s tousled hair. Lexi didn’t know what it was, exactly, about his bad-boy looks that drew her interest, but the attraction was there just the same.
“Sure. I don’t know a thing about the cows except not to stand too close behind them,” Ty said as he held open the shop door for her, closing it behind him. If Baby wanted out, she’d open the door herself.
“You’ll be standing behind her, and things could get a little...” Lexi searched for the right word. “Messy.”
“As in, scrubbing manure off my pants messy? Or worse?” He absolutely loathed trying to get cow poop off his clothes. He thought being a mechanic was a dirty job, but he usually wore coveralls when he was working in the shop to protect his clothes. A little motor oil was nothing compared to the stench and staining ability of manure. He learned that lesson in a hurry, thanks to Jimmy initiating him to cow pies his second day on the job.
Jimmy had a cow in the chute by the barn and asked Ty to step up behind her and catch her tail before she got it caught in the fence. Instructed to hold it up high out of the way, the cow unloaded on him, covering his jeans and boots in manure. Ty didn’t even flinch, just held the tail until the cow was done. Jimmy, expecting Ty to lose either his lunch or composure, looked at him in surprise. The teasing cowboy nodded his head and offered a simple word of thanks. Casually, Ty sauntered away as though he didn’t have a care in the world until he was out of sight. He made a beeline for the bunkhouse where he took a shower, changed his clothes, and thought he might have to toss his jeans rather than try to get them clean.
As he walked beside Lexi, he reflected on the crash course he received in both ranching and practical jokes in the past week. If her request for his help wasn’t sincere, he wasn’t sure he could handle her teasing and tormenting him, too.
Instead of answering Ty’s question about how dirty he was going to get, Lexi smiled at him, causing him to trip as they went in the barn door. He caught himself on the doorframe and tried to keep focused on anything except his disturbingly attractive boss.
She really shouldn’t fling her smile around like that. It could be hazardous to her hired help, especially the one who was finding himself completely infatuated with her.
“You’ll need to take off your coat,” Lexi said, motioning to the warm wool coat he wore.
After he shrugged out of it, she shook her head. “You’ll need to take off your sweatshirt.” She laughed when that revealed a thermal
She remembered seeing Ty’s pickup parked by the bunkhouse. Running outside and across the ranch yard to the bunkhouse, she knocked before stepping inside and calling his name. When he didn’t answer, she rushed to the shop. At the door, she stopped to catch her breath. Rock music blasted out a steady beat, making her smile. If she remembered her big hair bands correctly, he was listening to Whitesnake today.
Quietly opening the door, she wasn’t surprised to see Baby curled up in the corner asleep while Ty labored over a tractor part. He looked up when she stepped inside.
“Hi,” he said, wiping his hands on a rag as she shut the door. He turned off the music and gave her a curious glance. Lexi generally avoided him unless she had a direct question. It was easier to keep her thoughts regarding the hunky mechanic in line when she stayed away from him.
“Would you mind coming to the barn to help me with a cow? She’s in distress and I need a little assistance.” Lexi held her hands tightly together in front of her. She was afraid if she left them hanging by her sides they would somehow find their way into Ty’s tousled hair. Lexi didn’t know what it was, exactly, about his bad-boy looks that drew her interest, but the attraction was there just the same.
“Sure. I don’t know a thing about the cows except not to stand too close behind them,” Ty said as he held open the shop door for her, closing it behind him. If Baby wanted out, she’d open the door herself.
“You’ll be standing behind her, and things could get a little...” Lexi searched for the right word. “Messy.”
“As in, scrubbing manure off my pants messy? Or worse?” He absolutely loathed trying to get cow poop off his clothes. He thought being a mechanic was a dirty job, but he usually wore coveralls when he was working in the shop to protect his clothes. A little motor oil was nothing compared to the stench and staining ability of manure. He learned that lesson in a hurry, thanks to Jimmy initiating him to cow pies his second day on the job.
Jimmy had a cow in the chute by the barn and asked Ty to step up behind her and catch her tail before she got it caught in the fence. Instructed to hold it up high out of the way, the cow unloaded on him, covering his jeans and boots in manure. Ty didn’t even flinch, just held the tail until the cow was done. Jimmy, expecting Ty to lose either his lunch or composure, looked at him in surprise. The teasing cowboy nodded his head and offered a simple word of thanks. Casually, Ty sauntered away as though he didn’t have a care in the world until he was out of sight. He made a beeline for the bunkhouse where he took a shower, changed his clothes, and thought he might have to toss his jeans rather than try to get them clean.
As he walked beside Lexi, he reflected on the crash course he received in both ranching and practical jokes in the past week. If her request for his help wasn’t sincere, he wasn’t sure he could handle her teasing and tormenting him, too.
Instead of answering Ty’s question about how dirty he was going to get, Lexi smiled at him, causing him to trip as they went in the barn door. He caught himself on the doorframe and tried to keep focused on anything except his disturbingly attractive boss.
She really shouldn’t fling her smile around like that. It could be hazardous to her hired help, especially the one who was finding himself completely infatuated with her.
“You’ll need to take off your coat,” Lexi said, motioning to the warm wool coat he wore.
After he shrugged out of it, she shook her head. “You’ll need to take off your sweatshirt.” She laughed when that revealed a thermal
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