Learning the Ropes

Hello everyone.  Are you settling into September?  Has the weather turned a little cooler in your area yet.  Hasn't happened here yet; I'm told about the 3rd week of September suddenly Mother Nature looks at the calendar and cools things down.  We shall see. 

Some things going on here that are changing our travel plans, but that's life.  Will keep you posted.

PK and I did this once before and we're doing it again.  This story is in three parts; Part 1 here today, Part II will be on New Beginnings on Fantasy Friday and the conclusion will be here on Monday, September 15th.  PK really needs stories to keep Fantasy Friday going.  I hope one or more of you will send her a story to continue this tradition.

PART I 

Paula Evans was a feature writer with one of the premier western magazines. Her editor assigned her to visit a working ranch that hosted visitors during their summer season and to write about the experience. She argued the story was old hat, but the managing editor prevailed.  His argument was yes, you are right, but never from a woman’s perspective.  Therefore, Paula was packing for a two weeklong trip to Springwood, Arizona to the Sage Springs Ranch.  She was going undercover as just another female tourist searching for the allure of the cowboy and the ranching/western lifestyle.  She told her editor it would be more convincing if she had a friend along.  After much haggling, he agreed to her request. 

Convincing her editor was a great deal easier than convincing Joanna.  Joanna was the exact opposite of Paula.  Joanna was the girly girl, all shiny and bright with never a hair out of place or a chip in her perfectly manicured nails.  They met in college as assigned roommates their freshman year.  The unlikely pair clicked, and no one was as surprised as they were.  Paula grew up with three brothers, two older and one younger.  When Paula came along her mother was thrilled finally to have a girl but was sorely disappointed as Paula turned out to be as rough and tumble as her brothers instead of the girly girl of her mother’s dreams.

The first-time Paula’s mother met Joanna; she sighed. 

“I know Mama; you think Joanna is the girl of your dreams, don’t you.”

“Paula, of course not; you’re my daughter, and I love everything about you.  I realized, a long time ago; you would never be the girly girl I dreamed of when I was a young girl myself.  We all want our daughters to be just like the dolls we once played with. You’ll see.  Girl’s clothes are so much cuter than boy’s clothes, and we all see ourselves dressing our daughters in those frilly concoctions, curling their hair, painting their fingernails.  It was never your thing, but you are you and are perfect just the way you are.”  

“Oh, Mama, I just love you and know you are lying through your teeth.”  They both laughed.  “Who knows maybe one day I’ll have a daughter, and she will fulfill all your girly girl dreams.”

                                     

Paula and Joanna remained friends long after college through the many vicissitudes of life.  Joanna married her college sweetheart, Brandt Bentley, III, and plunged into life as the perfect wife of an up-and-coming executive in a large corporation.  Three years later, the bottom dropped out when she learned her “perfect” husband had been sleeping his way to the top.  When she found out and confronted him, he told her to “wake up” that the relationships meant nothing to him, just a way to advance his career.  He wanted her to look the other way and continue to be the loving wife while he climbed up the ladder.  Not wanting that kind of life, she walked out and ruined his perfect reputation.  It was a nasty divorce, and he made sure she left with nothing but her clothes.

 She moved in with Paula who was able to get her a job with her magazine.  After that, Joanna became a successful model who had her pick of photo shoots.

 

Paula and Joanna’s arrival at the ranch was reminiscent of any number of western movies or TV series.  Several of the ranch hands were sitting on the corral fence watching a rider breaking a bronco.  Paula came out of the car first and headed toward the steps to the house.  No one moved.  Joanna alighted from the car and three of the guys were immediately available to assist her in any possible way.  Paula looked at Joanna and grinned.

“Same ole, same ole,” she said sotto voice.

An older woman, tall and graceful with a face that was no stranger to the sun came out to greet them. She had silver hair, tied back in a low ponytail, and her blue eyes were the color of the sky.  She was wearing well-worn jeans, a plaid shirt with an apron tied around a waist that was still trim for a woman of her years. “Hello,” she said as she extended her hand to the girls.  Welcome to Sage Springs.  Come on in and get a cold drink.”

 She turned her attention to the cowboys.  “Boys, close your mouths and make yourself useful.  Take their luggage over to guest cabin three,” she said to the cowboys mulling around the porch. “Yes, ma’am,” said the older cowboy as he doffed his hat and picked up the last bag.

“Boys will be boys, no matter their age.  I’m Sadie Hawkins.”  Paula and Joanna exchanged glances.  “I know; I know,” she said when she saw the look that passed between them.  “I’ve been living with that name most of my life.  It used to be Johnson and then I married Jack and have been getting those looks ever since.”  Both girls smiled and nodded their heads in understanding.

Sadie explained that she, and her husband ran this ranch along with two of her sons, Jace and Caleb and Caleb’s wife, Carrie.  Her other son, Josh usually spent a couple of months with them each year.  He lived in San Diego the rest of the time but came to help during the busy birthing and branding season.  Sadie kept up a running commentary on the ranch and its activities as she took them on a tour of the surrounding buildings and ended at their quarters.  She explained they were the only two visitors until the weekend and that dinner in the main house would be at 6:00, to bring their appetites.

Paula started making some notes about the ranch and Sadie, while Joanna started to unpack.  They were jibber jabbering together when there was a knock on the door.  Joanna was closest to the door and opened it to find it filled with a hunk of a man.

“Hi, I’m Jace Hawkins.  Sadie sent me over to see if you had everything you need?” he explained. 

The cowboy was at least 6’3” tall and Joanna figured that five feet of those were legs.  He had dark wavy hair and bright blue eyes, just like his mother. When he smiled at her Joanna noticed the small laugh lines around his mouth indicating he smiled often.  His face and hands were tanned, and his physique was what women dream about.  Well-sculpted arm muscles, wide shoulders tapering down to a small waist, and he fit into those jeans as if they were molded on him.  She couldn’t take her eyes off of him.  She could see his package tucked to the left and had all she could do to control her thoughts wondering if the jeans could withstand any growth in that area.  He watched her watching him and got a little grin on this face.  He was used to this; however, he was only interested in the shy one. 

“I’m Joanna Mason and this here,’ indicating her friend ‘is Paula Evans.  I think we’re fine, aren’t we?” she asked Paula.

“I think so.” 

“I can see that you are fine, just wanted to know if there is anything you need that we can provide.”

“We’ll let you know, Jace.  We might be able to come up with something,” she said with that flirty attitude he knew so well.

Paula liked the look of this guy.  From experience though she figured all the attention would be focused on Joanna, so she didn’t raise her expectations.  That was okay with her, she was here for work not for fun, but just once, it would be nice to be treated as if she too was in the room.  She went about her business and was quite surprised when Jace didn’t seem to be making goo-goo eyes at Joanne, maybe she stood a chance after all.

                                        _______________________

“Dinners at six in the main house, so I guess we’ll see you then, unless you can come up with something else,” Jace told them as he closed the door.  Paula watched him walk away, he had a slow easy gait and she couldn’t make herself stop looking.

Joanna whistled. “That is one fine hunk of man, wouldn’t mind seeing his boots under my bed.”

“Yeah, you think so as long as he isn’t in your bed.” Paula shot back.

“Quit giving me a hard time.  I can look, can’t I?  I’m here because you made me come, and I was just making an observation.  He’s not my type.”

“Right now, there is no man who is your type,” Paula answered back.

 It was true, since her divorce, Joanna had not been involved with a man.  If she liked someone, she would immediately find a reason to end the relationship.  Joanna’s most meaningful relationship since then was with her Hitachi Magic Wand.

                                      _____________________________

Paula and Joanna walked over to the main house a little before six.  Men filled the rockers on the front porch. One of whom was Jace, as well as another guy, who could have been Jace’s double  They all stood as the women approached.

“Hello again.” Jace said.  “Let me introduce my dad Jack and my twin brother Josh and my other brother, Caleb.”

They all shook hands.  The men continued to stand, and suddenly Paula realized they would do so until she, and Joanne took a seat.  I’ll have to remember to add that to my notes for the article, very polite and gentlemanly as well as good looking enough to be models thought Paula.  They no sooner sat down that the door opened, and another girl came out bearing a pitcher of lemonade and a tray of cheese and crackers.  Once again, the men stood as Caleb introduced his wife, Carrie. 

“You are truly gentlemen.  I could get used to that,” Paula commented as she accepted a glass of lemonade from Carrie.  Carrie commented that Sadie had trained her sons well.

“What about me?”  Jack piped up.  “Don’t I get any credit?” 

“Yeah, Pop, we’ll give you credit too.  I remember the feel of your belt on my backside a couple of times but not nearly as much as the switch Momma always seemed to have at hand.”  The boys laughed.

At that moment, Sadie called out that dinner was on the table.  Everyone grabbed a seat, and Jace sat directly across from Paula.  They could not seem to keep their eyes off each other.  Paula was not used to this kind of scrutiny, especially when in the presence of Joanna.  She was squirming around in her chair when Jack noticed and asked if she was okay.

“I’m fine.  I can’t seem to get comfortable, must have been that conversation we had earlier about Sadie always having a switch on hand to take care of naughty behavior, I’m afraid I’m going to do something wrong.”

“You have nothing to worry about from me.  My switching hand lost its punch when the boys grew taller than me,” Sadie replied laughing.

“That’s good to know, maybe I can settle in now,” Paula said with a grin.

“Of course, there’s always a price to pay for naughtiness no matter how big you get, isn’t that right Carrie?”  Caleb chimed in.

Carrie’s face turned red, and she squirmed in her chair.  “Caleb, stop it, you’re embarrassing me.”

Conversation ceased for a few moments. Carrie stood up, and no one said anything as Caleb placed a hand on Carrie’s bottom.

 After dinner, the men left the table and Carrie, and Sadie began cleaning up.  Paula and Joanna volunteered to help, but Sadie said it wasn’t necessary.  Paula was disappointed,   wanting to pursue that dinner-table conversation a little more.  Was it possible that Caleb spanked Carrie?  Everybody always assumed cowboys spanked the women in their lives.  No matter how women felt about being liberated, there was something very sexy about the thought of being taken over a cowboy’s knee.  She thought it would be an interesting twist to the article.  Of course, if she was truthful, she was interested for herself.  Her brothers had swatted her many times during her teenage years when they thought she was misbehaving. It stopped somewhere around her 18^th birthday when she threatened to get even.  She assumed their wives received the same treatment, but she had never had the courage to ask either her brothers or her sisters-in-law.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to read Part II over at New Beginnings on Friday and I'll see you here at Aimless Ramblings on Monday for the conclusion.