by Becky McGraw
Rocky glanced that way and her face heated. Her sister wasn't one to pick up after herself either. "Uh, yeah...I think she stripped on the way to the bathroom last night."
"Don't blame her, if she smelled as bad as this room does," Terri said and wrinkled her nose.
"Worse--she smelled much worse, but Ethan got her some tomato juice and I think it helped."
"Ethan met her?" Terri asked casually, but Rocky saw her eyebrows lift in surprise.
"Um, yeah. Leigh Ann got here while I was out last night," Rocky told her opening the last window in the row, before tying back the curtains so the air would flow.
"Is she what you needed to talk to me about?"
Rocky hesitated, because she really just wanted to ask Leigh Ann to leave. That would solve this problem before there was a problem. But Leigh Ann was her sister, and they still hadn't had a chance to talk, so Rocky could find out what kind of trouble she'd gotten herself into this time.
Leigh Ann wasn't a bad person, she was a really sweet person, she just didn't know how to take care of herself, and let their mother run roughshod over her. Rocky didn't know how to deal with someone like that. She'd tried to talk to her sister about it, give her sisterly advice on how to take control of her life, but so far it hadn't helped.
Regardless of her sister's weaknesses though, she had strengths too. Everyone loved Leigh Ann, because she was just...loveable. Rocky loved her baby sister too, she just wanted better for her, and was frustrated that she didn't want better for herself. She was worth more than a damned crown and a title, but until Leigh Ann stopped listening to their mother and believed that herself, she would float through life like stray wood in a stream.
Not able to help herself, Rocky finally said, "I wanted to ask if you had room at the big house for Leigh Ann to stay a couple of days if she needed to. I think she has a job interview in Amarillo tomorrow. I'll pay you--"
"Nonsense, she's your family, and we'll make room up there for her," Terri said and stood up. "You just bring her stuff up to the house after while and we'll get her settled in."
"After she leaves tomorrow, I'll get Ethan's riding lessons started," Rocky told her hoping like hell her sister would actually stay gone when she left for her interview.
"About that..." Terri said then hesitated and told her, "I'm not sure that's such a good idea. He hasn't ever ridden before, and when I suggested the equine therapy I pictured him riding around in the arena slowly on a sedate horse. I didn't think he would be trotting through the woods playing Lone Ranger. I'm worried he's going to hurt himself."
"He won't be alone, I'll be with him, but he's a long way from trotting anywhere. We are going to start with the slow rides in the arena."
"Whew," Terri said and her shoulders slumped. "Take it easy on him, please. I know he can be an arrogant ass sometimes, but he has a good heart."
"Oh, I can handle him," Rocky told her with a grin. "I'll go easy with him, but he's going to work hard and do things safely, or he won't be riding in anything other than in that golf cart."
"He has a tendency to take risks..." Terri informed her with a frown.
"No shit? I would never have known that," Rocky replied with a snort. "I mean who doesn't hang out of a helicopter over a flooded creek to save their sister?"
"You wouldn't do that," Leigh Ann said as she walked through the door. "You'd probably hold my head under the water until I quit kicking," she added with a feminine giggle.
Leigh Ann glided over to them and Rocky noticed that her face was bare and her skin appeared to be glowing. The woman didn't walk, she flowed from one place to the next. Her pageant walk was as ingrained in her psyche as her politeness. It's why everyone who met her, especially men, loved her.
She also looked more relaxed than Rocky could remember seeing her in forever. "No makeup? This is a first," Rocky told her with a snort. It was a rare occasion to see her sister without it.
"I had a facial, and feel like a million bucks. Your facial lady is spectacular," she told Terri with a toothy smile.
"So, I hear. I haven't had time to get one yet, but it's on my bucket list," Terri replied with a chuckle. "You must be Leigh Ann..." she said and stuck out her hand.
"That would be me," Leigh Ann told her with a wide smile and a plea in her eyes for Rocky to bail her out and introduce Terri to her.
"This is Terri Rhodes, my boss," Rocky told her with a tight smile.
"So, I hear you're going to be a guest at the ranch?" Terri asked.
"I haven't seen Annie in a coon's age, and I was in the area for a job interview, so I thought I'd drop by to see her for a few days. I hope I'm not imposing?" Leigh Ann asked blushing prettily.
Terri looked Rocky's way and mouthed, "Annie?"
Rocky flushed and of course wasn't surprised at her sister's pretty southern manners, or the nickname their mother insisted she used for her. She had been trained from birth by their mother to be that way. The pageant judges loved that shit. The canned response irritated Rocky nonetheless. Her sister needed to be able to separate her stage persona from being a real person meeting real people.
"Not at all, we look forward to getting to know you better, Leigh Ann. We didn't even know that Rocky had a sister," Terri said and shot accusing eyes at Rocky.
Rocky groaned and rolled her eyes. "A mother too...and since they come as a package deal usually, I'm sure you'll be meeting her before Leigh Ann leaves."
"Mama isn't coming," Leigh Ann informed. "She has a new client she's working with and the pageant is in two months. She says her walk is atrocious."
"Mama is coaching now?" Rocky asked with a snort.
"Yeah, she has turned out some pretty big winners lately, and her name is getting out there," Leigh Ann told her rather proudly.
Rocky would just bet her mother's name was way out there. She took credit for Leigh Ann's winning the Miss Texas, USA pageant eight years ago, and in a way Rocky guessed she deserved it. Her daddy did too, because his life insurance money footed the bill for all the gowns, and other things required to compete in that high dollar ordeal. If her mother was working, Rocky imagined all that money was gone now, and her mother had to find some way to support herself.
"What does your mother do?" Terri asked with a raised brow.
Leigh Ann's smile widened. "Oh, she's a beauty pageant coach...um, she coached me when I competed as a child, then when I won Miss Texas, USA."
Terri's eyes shot to Rocky's and she made an O with her mouth.
"Oh, Rocky did you compete too?" Terri asked with wide eyes.
"Hell--um, no, I didn't," she replied with a frown.
As is if that wasn't patently obvious to Terri from looking at her sister and looking at her. Leigh Ann was the beauty queen, Rocky was the tomboy, and never the twain shall meet.
After a few more minutes of inane conversation, Rocky couldn't take anymore. She had to get the heck out of the bunkhouse, and away from her sister. With a glance up at the clock above the mantle, she gasped. "Wow, look at the time. The trail drive will be in here shortly, I need to get stalls ready and help the guys untack the horses. Thanks for letting Leigh Ann stay, Terri. I'll talk to ya'll later."
Before either woman could stop her, Rocky headed out the front door and scurried off of the front porch to the barn.
By the time the guys pulled in a couple of hours later, the barn was sparkling clean, there was new bedding in all the stalls, and Rocky was wound for sound.
"Hey, you," Matt Walker said with a wink then slid out of his saddle tiredly.
"Hey, ya'll have a good drive?" Rocky asked and took his horse's reins from him.
"We made it back, so I guess I'd have to say yes," he told her with a laugh.
"Trouble?" she asked then unhooked the saddle straps and pulled the saddle and blanket off his horse's back.
"Wouldn't say that exactly," he said then leaned close to her ear. "This group was just a little greener than most. I think some of them thought they were going to the Ritz. I also thi
nk Jarvis is at the end of his rope."
Just then one of the guests said loudly. "I need someone to unsaddle my horse."
Rocky handed the sweat scraper to Matt, so he could groom his horse, then with a tolerant smile she walked over to the man. "I can help you," she said and grabbed for his reins, but he pulled them back.
"I don't think so, I need a ranch hand to help me," he said with an indignant snort.
"You're looking at one," she told him reaching for the reins. "Now if you give me those reins, I'll take care of your horse."
The short grumpy man pulled the reins away from her, causing the horse to move to the side. She recognized him from a quick glimpse before the cattle drive pulled out. This was the guy who showed up at the ranch a few days late, just in time for the trail drive, because he knew how to ride and didn't need lessons, according to him.
"Don't pull on the reins, you're hurting his mouth," Rocky chastised.
"Look little lady, you go on about your business, I don't need your help," he said snidely, then yanked on the reins again, before telling her, "I know how to handle a horse."
"Let me put a bit in your mouth and yank a few times, I'm sure you'd change your mind," she replied trying like hell to hold back her temper. She was not going to stand here and watch someone abuse a horse.
Joel came into the barn and walked over to them. "Something wrong here?" he asked smoothly.
"This woman is trying to tell me how to handle my horse, and I can assure you I have been riding longer than she's been alive, most likely," he said and puffed out his chest giving her a once over with his eyes.
"Well, that might be, but she is our horse trainer and riding instructor. She knows what she's doing," Joel informed then told the fat bastard, "Big Mike, I think we need to go to the house for a whiskey and let the hands handle their jobs. That sound okay to you?"
Rocky was impressed, and thankful. She had been about to unload on the pompous ass. The way her day had gone so far didn't put her in a mood to deal with him.
He harrumphed then shoved the reins at Rocky. "After that fiasco of a trail ride, I could use a whiskey," he agreed.
Casting Rocky an apologetic glance, Joel put his hand on the man's shoulders and led him away. Rocky scratched Rambler between the ears and patted his jaw, then removed the bridle, replacing it with a halter from the hook on the wall. She clipped on a lead rope, then led him toward his stall. Dylan was standing beside the stall next door and looked up and smiled.
"Hey, sugar. You hold down the fort while we were gone?" he asked. "Anything exciting happen?" he asked, running a soft brush over his horse's rump.
"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 is 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."