by S. E. Smith
“Good enough,” Jacob replied before dunking his head under the water. He washed it and then leaned back as Wally cut it for him and gave him a shave.
“Do you think it is possible to train a hundred and fifty horses by the end of the summer? That doesn’t give us much time. They wouldn’t agree to sign unless I could promise it,” Jacob asked looking over at Jonathan.
“We have at least five of us who can do the training, six if you count the new kid,” Jonathan replied pouring a glass of whisky for himself and Jacob.
“What new kid?” Jacob asked reaching for the glass of amber liquid. Damn, but it was good to be home.
“Some kid traveling through. He looks like he’s about fourteen maybe fifteen. He has a real attitude problem. Anyway, some rustlers shot at Jake and Cal while they were watching the cattle out near the timberline. Jake took a bullet to the shoulder but Cal was able to hit one of the guys. This kid comes riding up shooting at the rustler taking shots at Cal and Jake while two of the other rustlers tried to take off with the cattle. The only thing is, the kid has these two cattle dogs he has trained go after the men and the cattle. Before long according to Jake and Cal, the kid has Jake patched up better than the doc could do, with no pain, and his dogs have all the cattle back,” Jonathan said before taking a drink.
“You don’t think it was a setup do you?” Jacob asked looking at his brother.
“No. I watched as the kid gave out the signals to the dogs. The kid has his horses trained too. I watched as he controlled them with just hand movements. When I commented on it the kid gave me an attitude. Anyway, he’s been out for the past four weeks with the herd. Every cowpuncher I sent out there came back with the same story. The kid and his dogs keep the herd in place and the kid knows what he is doing. I kept him out there for a while to see how he’d handle it. He made his own camp away from the others claiming it was better for the dogs but never complained. Jake said he didn’t even appear to be in that big a hurry to come in yesterday.” Jonathan looked out the window before grinning.”I told Jake to tell him the bunkhouse was full and he had to stay either down at the old cabin or in the barn. Last night there was one hell of a fire down there. I could see it from my bedroom window and this morning I swear I heard some cursing before the hammering started. That should give the kid a little bit of an attitude adjustment.” Jonathan finished his drink laughing.
Jonathan didn’t want to admit he was trying to keep the kid as far away from him as he could. He didn’t understand why just thinking of the kid did things to his body he had never felt before, not even for the experienced women in town. It worried him and he didn’t know how to handle it.
“Damn but you have a mean streak in you,” Jacob said getting out of the tub and wrapping a towel around him. Wally placed a hot plate of food down on the table in front of him. The men spent the next half hour talking about the army deal Jacob had signed while he ate.
*.*.*
Jake felt sorry for Indy. The kid had been good through all the trials the boss had set up for him. He knew what the boss was doing when he had changed out all the men except the boy. Seldom did the boss make any of the men stay out on the range for more than a week at a time. He also knew for a fact there was plenty of room in the bunkhouse for the kid. He had felt guilty as hell for lying to Indy but he had his orders. Jake listened to the non-stop hammering all morning until his guilt got the best of him. He figured Indy probably hadn’t had anything to eat last night or this morning so he fixed a couple of biscuits with bacon to take down. He would even see if the kid needed any help with the repairs while he was there.
Walking down the road he rounded the bend and froze staring up at the roof in disbelief, the plate of biscuits and bacon falling from his numb fingers. Moving backwards, he didn’t take his eyes off the figure standing on the roof until he almost fell in a rut in the road. Turning quickly, he practically ran all the way back to the ranch house.
*.*.*
Indy wiped the sweat running down her face on the shirt she was wearing. It was definitely hotter up here than down on the ground. She finally decided if she was going to be out in the sun she might as well work on her tan. Pulling her shirt loose, she laid it down on the roof next to her before pulling the bandana off her head to wipe the sweat. She was almost done. Another five rows and the roof on the cabin should be good. At first, she had been afraid she would fall through the damn thing in a few places. Now, after working on it for the past three hours, she could appreciate the workmanship that had gone into the building of the cabin. While it had been neglected for quite some time it was still very solid. Her mind turned over different options as she worked and she decided if she added on a bathroom it wouldn’t be such a bad place to live. She could add the indoor plumbing. She had helped her granddad add two bathrooms to their old homestead.
She sang along with the songs as she worked enjoying the tempo and even doing a little jig, or a booty shake, as she worked. Midnight, Kahlua, and the dogs were in heaven laying in the sun and enjoying a day off too. Indy was moving to another spot when she had the feeling she was being watched. Standing up on the roof, she used one hand to shade her eyes while she looked around letting her eyes travel around the perimeter of the cabin. The dogs were still lazing in the front yard under a tree. Turning, she looked back toward the river.
Indy’s eyes widened as she saw a Lakota Indian brave standing on the other side of the river watching her. She could tell he was Lakota from his traditional clothing. If she hadn’t been looking she probably would have missed him. She frowned a moment wondering what he was looking at.
Hadn’t he ever seen a girl working on a roof before? Probably not, Indy thought after a moment grinning.
Smiling, Indy waved a hand to say hello and returned to her roof. She didn’t have time to waste if she was expected to be back at work day after tomorrow. She still needed to finish the lean-to for the horses and fix the fence. Plus, she wanted to see what she could do about making a mattress for the bed.
*.*.*
Maikoda stood staring in disbelief at the white woman on the roof of the old cabin. He had been traveling through this part of the valley on his way north. He knew the white men who lived here and they did not mind when he traveled through the land they called their own. He had been wounded once many years before by a bear and one of the white men named Jacob had saved him, nursing him back to health. Since then, he had moved through their lands with a sense of brotherhood not often found among the white skins. He made camp not far from the river and was hunting when he heard the singing above the loud sounds of the hammer. He had never heard songs like those floating on the wind. When he followed it to the river he thought at first it was a water spirit singing until he looked up and saw the nearly naked white woman working on the roof as if she did it all the time. She seemed unconcerned about her state of undress which surprised him. All the white women he had ever seen wore so much clothing he did not know how they moved. It also surprised him that she seemed to sense his presence. When she stood up, his breath caught at her beauty. Her hair was pulled back carelessly but the colors seemed to glow in the sun. She wore a small piece of cloth to cover her breasts and the breeches she wore were almost non-existent. When she turned to stare at him, he noticed how she had frowned at first looking around. He thought to hide so as to not scare her off but had not been able to move. When she looked at him, he was surprised at her lack of fear. The white woman had not been afraid at all. She smiled at him, raising her hand in welcome before turning back to work on the roof uncaring that a Lakota brave was watching her.
Maikoda pulled back into the woods when he heard the dogs bark. He had not seen them so they must have been in front. He would remain close should the woman need help. He wanted to know more about her.
Chapter 5
Jake was wheezing by the time he got to the big house. He was in shock. How could a kid as young as Indy get a naked woman to fix his roof? Hell, how could a kid as young as
Indy get a naked woman as beautiful as that? Jake might be an old man but he was still a man. He had to let the boss men know what was happening because if the other men were to go down to the cabin and see that there was a naked woman on the roof, they just might tear it down to get to her. Women were few and far between, especially ones as beautiful as the one working on Indy’s roof.
Opening the back door to the kitchen, Jake tried to draw in a deep enough breath so he could talk coherently. His heart was hammering and all he could do was wheeze as he drew air into his heaving chest. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water but he was still having trouble getting anything out.
Jonathan stood up as Jake burst through the back door. “Boss…. Boss man….” Jake gasped, trying to breathe.
“Shit. What happened to you?” Jonathan asked in concern as he pushed Jake into the chair he had just left.
“It’s the kid,” Jake began, wiping at the sweat running down his face with a trembling hand.
“What about the kid? Did he take off? Did he get hurt working on the cabin?” Jonathan demanded in aggravation.
“No, no, the kid….” Jake tried to speak looking a little frantically between the two brothers.
He nodded his head in thanks to Wally when he handed him a cup of water. He took a deep drink of it to help with his parched throat before he set the cup down on the table with unsteady hands. He looked back and forth between his two bosses trying to think how to describe what he had seen.
“Well, speak up. What did the kid do?” Jacob asked impatiently.
“He’s got a naked woman up on his roof fixing it,” Jake finally choked out in awe.
“He’s got a what?!” Jonathan and Jacob exclaimed at the same time in disbelief.
“I’m telling you. The kid has a naked woman, a beautiful naked woman, up on the roof of his cabin fixing it. I’ve never in my life seen a woman more beautiful with hair the color of ripe wheat and legs that go on forever.” Jake suddenly looked like a kid who had just discovered he was getting everything he had ever wanted for Christmas.
“Damn, I have to see this!” Jacob exclaimed looking up at his brother. “I need to get dressed. I’ll meet you out front in two minutes. Get the horses,” he said with a grin. “I’ve also got to meet this kid. Hell, a naked woman fixing his roof. Shit!” He added as he jumped up out of his chair.
Jacob grabbed the towel that almost fell off and took the stairs to his room two at a time. He pulled on his pants and grabbed a shirt. He almost fell on his face as he tried to get his socks on before taking the stairs back down as fast as he could. By the time he got out the front door, Jonathan had a wagon that one of the men had just brought in turned around and ready to go. The man driving barely had time to jump down before Jonathan climbed over him and grabbed the reins. Jacob hopped as he slid his foot into his boot. He was still buttoning his shirt as Jonathan called out to the mules to move it. Jake hung on in the back for dear life as the mules move out at a fast trot.
*.*.*
Indy had just finished hammering in the last of the shingles on the roof in relief. She cranked up the volume up on the iPod for one of her favorite songs as she finished up the last row. Standing up and giving a high five to the sky, she didn’t hear the dogs bark out a welcome to her visitors as she was celebrating completing the damn thing. Singing as loud as she could to the song that was playing, she swayed back and forth using the hammer as a microphone as she belted out the last chorus to the song.
Jonathan pulled the mules up and stared in wonder at the roof of the old cabin. He knew he would never look at the old place the same again. Jacob’s face reflected the same thoughts as he looked at the woman moving so sensually and singing a song he had never heard before. When she shook her ass all three men groaned. The sun was shining down on her, highlighting the blond streaks running through it as her pony tail swung back and forth. As they moved closer, they could tell she was wearing some type of light blue top but there wasn’t very much of it as it left her practically bare all the way down to her slim waist. She was wearing a pair of tan colored pants that were cut extremely high up her thighs and fit her low on the hips. They looked like they had been painted on her ass the way they hugged it. A small, cloth pouch was tied around her hips. Her tanned legs were bare all the way to her ankles where small white shoes covered her feet.
“I thought she was naked but she’s not,” Jake whispered, never taking his eyes off the figure swaying up on the roof in awe.
Jacob and Jonathan turned to stare at Jake in disbelief. The little bit of clothing the woman wore was just enough to make them wonder what else was underneath it. Both of the men had raging hard-ons. It was a sight neither had ever dreamed of seeing.
“Damn! Where do you think the kid found a woman like that? I sure as hell know it wasn’t from Meeteetse,” Jacob said thinking of the small town closest to the ranch.
“I don’t know but I plan to find out,” Jonathan said grimly, jumping down out of the wagon onto the hard packed ground. He turned to give Jake an order to make sure no one else came down this way. The old man’s eyes were glued to the woman’s swaying figure on the roof. Jonathan knew if anyone else saw the woman there would be hell to pay. “Jake. Jake… ,” Jonathan growled out, trying to get the old cowpoke’s attention. “Jake, damn it! I want you to make sure none of the men come down here. If they hear her singing we could have a rebellion on our hands.”
“Sure thing, boss man,” Jake whispered in response, not moving.
“Now, Jake,” Jacob growled out coming to stand next to his brother.
Jake swung his eyes to Jacob before swallowing, his Adam’s Apple moved up and down with the motion. “Right, no men allowed down here.” Jake slowly slid out of the wagon and moved off down the road, glancing backwards repeatedly until he was too far to see anything.
Jonathan watched as the woman on the roof seemed to come to the end of the song she was singing. She took a bow to an invisible audience before turning around with a graceful twist. He watched as her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed she was no longer alone.
“Shit,” Indy breathed out under her breath. “Busted.”
She was going to be pretty damn pissed if they fired her after she worked her ass off last night and today fixing up the cabin. She wanted at least a week to enjoy the fruits of her labor before she was told to leave. She sure the hell earned it.
Indy carefully turned off her iPod and removed the ear buds. She stowed them in the pouch around her waist before gingerly walking over to the edge of the roof. She looked down at the two men who were now standing in front of the cabin staring up at her. Both of them had dark expressions on their faces that she couldn’t interpret.
Neither expression looks good for my continued employment, she thought with a sinking feeling in her stomach.
“Hey boss. Welcome home, Mr. Tucker, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I thought you weren’t supposed to be back until the day after tomorrow,” Indy said nervously as she stood looking down at them.
She drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves. She’d be damned if she would apologize for being who she was to another man. She had proved she was a hard worker and a good cowpuncher. She dared them to say she couldn’t hold her own against any of the men in the bunkhouse. Especially if they considered the fact that she was doing a pretty damn good job of repairing the cabin too! They were getting a bargain with her, experienced cowpuncher and a handyman all in one.
Jonathan jerked in surprise, the shock on his face turning to disbelief. The kid with the attitude who had been driving him crazy since he had seen him.… her, was a woman with an attitude and nice full breasts. He felt his cock jerk, as if it was telling him it had known from the beginning that Indy was a woman.
“Indy?” Jonathan choked out in shock.
“This is the kid you were telling me about?” Jacob asked in disbelief as he stared at the ripe figure in front of him.
“Hold on. I�
�ll be right down,” Indy said before disappearing over the top of the roof. She grabbed her discarded shirt, slipping it on before she moved over to where she had the ladder propped up against the side of the cabin.
“How in the hell did you mistake her for a boy?” Jacob muttered the minute Indy disappeared from their sight. “Either your eyesight is going or you’ve been alone too long.”
“Shut up, Jacob,” Jonathan growled at his brother as he tried to get his flaring temper under control.
A rush of emotions coursed through him as he watched Indy walk around the side of the cabin pulling her long hair out from the shirt she had draped loosely over her shoulders. Every step she took showed off a hint of the bare skin that had been on display a few short minutes ago. She appeared to be unaware of the amount of flesh she was showing. Jonathan couldn’t remember any woman, including the few widows in the area he had visited recently, showing as much skin or being as comfortable as Indy appeared to be with her state of undress. The idea that she was used to showing off so much skin didn’t sit well with him, especially as he could feel his brother’s eyes lighting up with appreciation as she approached them.
“I finished the roof. I had to re-shingle almost half of it,” she was saying as she walked toward them. “I cleaned out the inside as well. There is still a lot that needs to be done but I have most of it under control, I think,” she added, glancing at them with a defiant expression. “Would you two care for a cup of tea or coffee?” Indy asked stiffly as she moved by both men heading for the front door of the small cabin.
She untied the work pouch from around her waist with trembling fingers. She wasn’t going to give them a chance to fire her, or at least she wasn’t going to make it easy for them to do so. With a bitter twist to her lips, she figured it might be better if she put the hammer up first because if they did she might use it on one of them. Besides, she thought with a twinge of guilt, her granddad had always taught her to be polite to company unless they came bearing bad gifts, then she was allowed to shoot them. Both men watched in disbelief as Indy pushed open the front door to the cabin and disappeared inside. They followed a minute later, standing inside the doorway and watching as she poured water into a pot before setting it on a strange looking stove.