{Chapter 31}
Two months later.
Tiny ran for the umpteenth time toward the barn to escape the wiles of Mr. Cluck. The demon rooster would never change.
“Again?” Rawhide’s voice, drenched in genuine Texas twang, rang out from where he was shoveling out a stall.
“I don’t understand ‘im!” Tiny complained. “I’m the one who feeds his lousy hide! You’d think he’d appreciate me instead of try to kill me.”
“He’s just like a woman, Tiny. They think they can control you and know just how to get you to do what they say. It takes a special kind of a man to stand up against someone- - or something - like that” Rawhide leaned against his pitchfork.
“How do I become this sort of man?” Tiny was willing to do anything, and that included listening to Rawhide’s “wisdom”, to get the rooster off to act civil.
“Well, you’ve gotta play the game one step in front of them. You’ve gotta give them just enough lead rope so that they think they’re leading you, but you’re really leading them. See, chickens and women’s got somethin’ in common.”
“What’s that?”
Rawhide leaned closer for effect. “They’re both clueless.”
Tiny nodded. He would just try out Rawhide’s idea, but if it went awry, he wasn’t taking the blame.
**********
Toni grinned as Erik came walking into the kitchen one morning, still a little sore from his gunshot wound but healing up nicely.
“How’s my favorite little wife this morning?” he asked sweetly.
Toni cut her eyes at him. “Favorite? That would imply that you’ve had more than one, wouldn’t it?”
Erik thought a moment. “Well, there was Isabelle, then that cattle baron’s daughter, and let’s not forget about lady ranch hand I met once.”
Toni socked him on the shoulder and went on about stirring pancakes. “Now that I think on it, I guess that there’s quite a few men dying for my attentions, too.”
Erik smiled from beside her and kissed her cheek. “You’re cute.”
He turned and sat down at the table.
“You don’t believe me?” Toni whirled around.
“No, no I don’t. Because you wouldn’t notice any man that wasn’t worth having, and if there was a man worth having interested in you, you wouldn’t be planning to go to town with me tomorrow and have that judge change our certifications” Erik took a sip of the coffee she had poured for him.
Toni smiled sweetly at him. “That’s because no man on earth could hold a candle to you, my love,” she said over her shoulder.
She didn’t even hear him come up until his arms encircled her waist from behind. “I think I just might forget about those other wives of mine now that you say that” he teased.
Toni looked over at him. “I could help you with that, you know” she grinned and kissed his nose.
Just then, the rest of the ranch hands came thundering like a stampeding herd of cattle. Erik chuckled and let her go.
“I think I’m just about ready to start working with Prince again,” he announced.
Toni turned toward him. “Are you sure? I’d ask the doc about that one, sweetheart.”
YOU ARE READING
The Boss Lady's Man
Romance"Look, Toni. Not everyone who comes into your life is there just to use you. Some people are there because they really do care about you" Erik's calmed voice only made her anger worse. "Why do you not trust anyone?" Toni lost it. She was tired of ho...
