Love Under Construction (The Love Under Series Book 1) (10 page)

“If this is a house warming present shouldn’t it toast or blend something?” I nudged. 

“You can blend and toast all you want in these! Wait, did someone break my toaster?” Aubrey was suddenly concerned. 

“The toaster works just fine. Relax. Seriously, Aubs, this is too much,” I pleaded.

“You are my best friend. It’s never too much. Now, you pay for your boots and let’s go.”

“But I don’t even know if any of this fits.”

“It’s the same size as the stuff you tried on. I have been shopping here for years and the sizes are parallel. Besides, no refunds. Final sale. Deal with it. You’re welcome.”

Once Aubrey set her mind to something, she was relentless. I accepted her gift and handed over my auction outfit and new boots for the clerk to ring up. I handed her my bank card and signed the printed receipt. The auction was two days away, and nervousness was already starting to set in. I was not one for surprises, and I had no idea what to expect, but according to Aubrey, I would look cute no matter what happened. 

We left the western shop with our two big bags of clothes and continued our adventure over lunch.

We dropped off our haul in Aubrey’s truck and walked across the street to a BBQ place. Beyond the entrance looked like a big barn inside with hay and peanut shells littering the floor. The queue was wooden corrals leading up the register. I looked up at the menu above the heads of the cashiers and was overwhelmed by the options. 

“This is not a slaughter line, Suzie. Why so serious?”

“I don’t know what to get. What is the difference between beef flank or side or cheek? Or maybe pulled pork?”

“It’s all good. What are you in the mood for?”

I was so used to menus with pictures. I had no idea what the items on the menu were. It looked like a butcher menu.

“Why don’t you just try the sampler? You will get a little bit of everything.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

We placed our ordered, and the cashier placed our orders in a plain brown box in paper baskets lined with butcher paper—no frills barbecue. We grabbed two sodas from the ice barrel adjacent to the counter, and I swiped my bank card to pay. There was no way I was letting Aubrey pay for lunch. It was the least I could do since I had no idea how much she spent on my new wardrobe. 

We grabbed a roll of paper towels and headed out the picnic benches on the patio. We found a spot with a fresh full bucket of peanuts. A spool of butcher paper was bolted to the end of the table and Aubrey pulled a fresh lining for the table before I set our food down and we sat, ready to eat. 

Aubrey unloaded the box and handed me my sampler and bowl of baked beans and placed her own food in front of her. “So what are you going to do?”

“I haven’t decided. The beef looks good, but I want to try the pork.”

“Not lunch, silly. About Dallas?” she asked.

“I have four months’ vacation to figure it out. So I have income. I told Kelli I would pay her rent and all. I don’t expect a free ride.”

“That’s good, but even if you didn’t, that house sits idle most of the time unless a ranch hand needs a place to stay. It’s my place, and I never really cleared it out after we got married.”

“I like it out there. It’s nice and quiet. I was thinking of getting a job, but I don’t know what. Maybe I could help out Kelli on the ranch.”

“You gave me a hard time about the clothes, and now you want to help out on the ranch? You know you would be wearing that stuff every day. Say bye bye to yoga pants and sundresses,” she chided.

“Okay, maybe not. I just can’t sit around all day and do nothing, though. I actually walked all the way to Brewer’s Taps the other night because I was bored. I really have to get my car.”

“Have you heard from Bill?” 

Just the mention of his name sent a chill down my spine and made me uneasy. “Yeah, he called the other night.”

“What did he say?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t answer the phone, and he didn’t leave a message.”

“You’re not planning on calling him back, are you?”

“No. Hell no. Which is why I don’t know what he wanted, and I don’t care to know.”

“Good. Let’s leave it that way,” Aubs said with determination, and we continued our lunch with just the sounds of country music in the background and our jaws chewing. 

We headed out with full bellies and stopped by the house so I could change into what Aubrey felt were "appropriate" clothes before meeting Kristi at the auction house. I felt like I was in a dress rehearsal for a play in high school. Stiff new Justin boots, riding jeans, a blue and white plaid western shirt with little pearl-white snap buttons on the chest flap pockets and a white cowboy hat to top it off, and I was ready to go. I was dressed the part, but I didn’t feel ready. 

Aubrey insisted on a white straw hat. I wanted a black one. She said I needed to brighten up my face and it would keep my head cool in the sun. She sold me on the keeping cool part—it was hot as Hades and I was wearing jeans.

When we pulled up to the auction house, it was endless rows of pickup trucks in the parking lot and a sea of ranch hands in cowboy hats waiting to get into the building. Aubrey pulled around the back of the building and parked next to Kristi’s truck, and we entered the rear entrance to avoid the crowd. 

Kristi was in her office trying to sort through a sea of triplicate form papers on her desk. 

“Hey, Kristi, that’s quite a crowd you got out there,” Aubrey said.

“Yeah, I know, don’t remind me. The new calves came in today, and I have their papers, but Rufus over there—” she pointed to the black and white border collie enthusiastically wagging his tail at the sound of his name “—decided my floor looked better wallpapered. So now, everything is a big old mess.”

“Aw, Rufus, what did you do?” Aubrey teased and pet the dog, rubbing his head. 

“Don’t encourage him! I have 100 calves out there and only four certificates on them.”

“We can help if you tell us what to look for,” I offered.

“Oh, bless your heart. Do you know anything about cattle?”

“Nope, but I do know about paper. You said you had four found. Show me what I’m looking for, and I can help before the natives get restless out there,” I reasoned.

“Oh, they can wait, the delivery is a day early anyways, but I would like them out my office. The sooner I get these papers sorted out, the sooner I can get rid of half that are sold already and get the others ready for auction.”

“Show me what I’m looking for.”

Kristi held up a triplicate form birth registration and a yellow card with a small plastic tag attached to it. “I need the rest of these. Each form has a matching card with an ear tag attached. I need both for each calf. One is the birth registration/transfer form, and the other is their identification tag that matches their ear tag.”

“Easy enough, what about the rest of this stuff?” I asked, pointing to the piles of disheveled papers on her desk and floor.

“Oh, I will get to that stuff another time. It’s old auctions and stuff I need to file. I just haven’t gotten around to it.”

I started sifting through the papers pulling out three ear tag cards and two triplicate forms right away. At least they were colored and easy to spot with little tags on them. “Why don’t you take care of the cowboys, and I will hunt for the papers?” I offered.

“Are you sure?”

“These are what you are looking for, right?” I said, holding up two matching sets. 

“Yup, those are them. I suppose I can get them signed in. You’re a lifesaver, girl.” Kristi walked out to the front counter to the waiting ranch hands, and I heard her barking “hold your horses” and “yeah they are here but they are not yours until I say they are yours” to the impatient men. 

“You okay in here for a while?” Aubrey asked me.

“Sure, it’s easy enough.”

“I’m going to go help get these calves sorted. If you need me, I will be out back.”

“I’m not going anywhere anytime soon by the looks of this,” I said, holding up a stack of a paper in each hand from the mix. Aubrey laughed and exited the rear entrance to the corrals.

About a two hours later, I had five stacks of papers. I managed to locate all the triplicate forms and ear tags, and as I sorted, I stacked a pile of invoices, old registrations, mail correspondence, and a small pile of miscellaneous notes and things. I brought the two stacks out to the counter to Kristi who was still checking in people. 

“Here you go. Do you need the tags matched to the forms?” I asked.

Kristi turned to me with a shocked expression as I stood there with a bundle of forms in each hand. “You found them all?”

“You said one hundred, correct? That’s what I have. They are in number order, but I didn’t collate them.”

“Suzie, you are a lifesaver. If they are in number order, that’s perfect. Where have you been all my life? Can you stay for a while?”

“Sure, just tell me what you need.”

The rest of the day, Kristi manned the computer signing in ranchers and filling their orders, and I matched the orders to the forms I found and guided the men out to Aubrey and the guys in the corrals ready to load the calves into awaiting trailers to their new homes. Each calf was given an examination in front of the new owner, ear tag checked, each leg lifted to inspect their hooves, and given a brand. The new owners each carried their long iron with them and placed it in the waiting fire pit next to the corral. After the first branding, I went back inside to help Kristi. The squealing just made me want to cry. I knew it was part of the process, but I would rather deal with the paper. 

When the last waiting rancher took his papers and tags to the corral, Kristi slumped in her seat and turned to me. “That was the smoothest day I have had in a long while. Thank you so much.”

“That was smooth?” I questioned.

“Smooth as silk. Usually it’s just me in here. You have no idea how grateful I am.”

“Glad to help. As long as you don’t make me brand anything, I will be just fine.”

Kristi laughed. “No branding, got it. Seriously, though, it really was a great day, and I could use the help. It would be part-time since we don’t have auctions every day. There is plenty to do, though, and if you can make sense of paperwork, then you will be a great help.”

“I sorted the other papers in your office,” I said quietly.

“You did?” Kristi hopped off the tall swivel stool at the counter and walked back to her office with me following behind. She stopped at her desk and eyed the stacks of papers outlining the perimeter of her otherwise clean desk. “I haven’t seen that desk top since—since I don’t know when. You have a job if you want one. Look at me moving you in. Are you staying?”

“For now. I’m on leave for four months. I’m not sure what I’m doing beyond that quite yet, but I will gladly help in the meanwhile. It will give me something to do. I was going kind of stir crazy to be honest.”

“Well, I will gladly use your help for as long as you're here. Tonight is the auction for the remaining calves. If you want to come down you’re welcome, but you sorting this paperwork was a big help. It will definitely run smoother than what I walked into this morning. It will be an experience for sure.”

“Will there be a guy that talks really fast?”

“The auctioneer? Yes, ma’am!”

“What time does the auction start?” I asked.

“Around seven when the sun goes down so we won’t bake outside. The guys will show the calves all day and start checking people in around six.”

“I will be here around six then to help you.” I gathered my purse, my new hat, and started to the door to find Aubrey.

“Thanks again for all your help today. See you later. Bring your hat!” she called to me as I reached the door.

Bring my hat? Why? I imagine I will find out later,
I thought to myself as I set my hat on my head and climbed into the Aubrey’s pickup.