Free Learnin' The Ropes by Shanna Hatfield Page A

suit her. She’s a beautiful person.”
    “Rather like her granddaughter.” Again, Ty was surprised his thoughts tumbled from his lips. Focused on the painting, he tried to think of a tactful way to run off to the bunkhouse before he said anything else he shouldn’t.
    As he scrambled for an excuse to leave, Lexi took his hand and pulled him over to a couch before he could come up with a good reason. She sank down onto the soft leather on one end of the couch while he sat on the other. In an effort to put him at ease, she asked him about his family, growing up in Portland, and if he was adjusting to being a ranch mechanic.
    “Are you sure you have everything you need at the shop? If there is something that would help you do your job better or easier, let me know.” Lexi’s dad had owned about every tool known to man, but things upgraded and changed quickly. She wanted Ty to have what he needed to work efficiently.
    “If I’m way out of line, just say so, but it would help to have a computer in the shop. The owner’s manuals work okay, but I could move the repairs along a lot faster if I had access to some websites that list parts and have updated information. I’ve been trying to use my phone or the computer in the bunkhouse, but it has been a little cumbersome. Since you asked, I thought I’d mention it.”
    “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Lexi should have noticed the need for a computer in the shop without him having to ask. Goodness only knew how much time she spent doing research online and never even thought that Ty might need to look up information, especially on some of the older equipment pieces. “I’ve seen you running back and forth to the bunkhouse with parts and wondered what you were doing. If you think of something that will help you get your work done faster and better, don’t be afraid to speak up. Deal?”
    “Deal,” Ty said. “I don’t want you to get the idea I’m not grateful. I appreciate this opportunity more than you can know. I never dreamed the shop would be so well equipped or I’d have such a nice place to live. Thank you for giving me a chance.”
    “You’re very welcome. I appreciate you moving out here and giving the Rockin’ R a chance. Are the guys treating you okay?” Lexi knew Jimmy was bad about playing jokes.
    “Yeah, they made me feel right at home.” The few pranks the guys had played were meant in fun and made him feel like part of the crew. “I’m having a tough time picking up the language, though.”
    “The language?” Lexi had a good idea of what he meant. Swede could lay on the cowboy lingo so thick she sometimes had to think hard to decipher what he said.
    “You know, the way a lot of people talk out here,” Ty said, not wanting to elaborate and offend Lexi. Although the guys on the ranch and a few of the people he’d encountered in town spoke with a twang, Lexi didn’t.
    “They use a different language?” Lexi kept a straight face, deciding to have a little fun at Ty’s expense.
    “Sure. Like instead of washing anything, they worsh it. There is no running or talking, it is runnin’ and talkin’,” Ty explained. “You mean you don’t notice it?”
    “Notice what?” Lexi asked, playing dumb. “What else do you notice?”
    “That a rig is not my truck, an outfit has nothing to do with what you are wearing, and you only call someone dude around here if you want to get your nose busted.” Ty looked thoroughly exasperated.
     “The guys are ‘learnin’ ya up’ are they?” Lexi said in her best imitation of Swede and then burst out laughing.
    Ty shot her a narrowed glare, causing her to laugh harder. When she could talk without giggling, she released a sigh. “I know what you mean. When I moved back from Portland, every time I heard someone drop the ‘g’ from the end of a word it made me cringe. I guess I got used to it again. When I first moved away, the kids at college made fun of me and wanted to know what part of