Lovin' Red Wing

by TwiStarJunkie

He's a roughneck with a heart of gold who's worked for everything he's got, and she's her Daddy's little spitfire—smart mouth and temper included, but all beauty. What happens when fate intervenes and a certain roughneck finds himself now working under the bosses' daughter on one of northern Oklahoma's drilling rigs? Can he charm his way past her defenses? Will he even want to?

And FINALLY I'm able to post this!

This was my second submission to the F4OK compilation.

A HUGE thank you goes to A Jasper For Me, Twi-Mom12292005, & Je-Suis-b! You ladies made it pretteh! MWAH!

And I have to thank Mina for the wonderful banner 3

*~LRW~*

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I'd always thought that to be hogwash; until I left Daddy's ranch in Oklahoma to try and make a life for myself.

Pfft…some life that had turned out to be. Like any typical small town girl, I built up dreams in my head of going off to college in some big city, and getting the hell away from the Podunk, everybody knows your business type of lifestyle, but it hadn't turned out that way at all.

No, here I was, less than two years after having left home, and I was already packed up and fleeing Seattle without so much as a backwards glance. Angry tears I'd never cried before pouring from my eyes and betrayal in my heart as walls began building at a rapid pace.

By this point, I'm sure you're wondering just who in the hell I am. Well, I'm Bella Swan; daughter of Charlie Swan, co-owner of Black Swan Drilling.

I'd been raised in the oil industry my whole life, so I knew the ins and outs of everything. Instead of working at the local mom and pop's diner, or grocer through high school, I was a roughneck on Daddy's rigs. Go ahead, call it strange. Most people do, and I'm used to it. It's not common to find a female roughneck, but I can assure you, I could outwork half the men you'd find on the rigs nowadays.

Yeah, it was dirty as hell and downright brutal for a woman—hell, most men couldn't even hack it—but when it came down to it, Daddy couldn't do everything on his own, and for me, money didn't grow on trees. I wanted to work. I wanted to carry my weight around the house, and I wanted to do it in a way that would both benefit me and help out my old man, so that's how working on the rigs came about. In the beginning, he was beyond pissed off about it, said the rig floor was no place for a girl.

Famous last words.

The next morning he woke to find me fishing a hole his most experienced man had been working on since the night before. Needless to say, I got the job done and shut him up.

Did I like working out there? Honestly? Yes and no.

I loved the guys out there I had grown to know over the years. They were more like brothers I'd never had. But it was the physical side effects I didn't much care for.

I missed being a woman. When being out on a rig, you had to wear heavy duty, steel-toe work boots and after breaking them in, there was no way around it, you were going to get calluses. That sucked for me because like it or not, I wasn't about to condemn myself to having nasty ass, man feet, which meant every couple of weeks, when I was rough necking, I'd go out and get pedicures. The guys all thought I was fucking crazy for having the calluses removed because then I was just subjecting my feet to the agony of those boots over and over again, but to me, it was worth it. It kept my femininity intact. Same went for my hands.

And all the guys, they all saw me as some tough as nails, take no bullshit, tom boy; Shit, most probably thought I batted for the other team, and in a way, that was kind of what stung the most.

None of them knew me as Bella Swan, the woman. I suppose that was in part my fault though. I, in no way, acted like a lady when I was working. It was like I became possessed. My whole persona would change and I knew it too because my old man had set up a camera on the rig floor one day without telling me, then showed me the video that night. I literally did the walk of shame the next day.

I wasn't gonna lie, it would be fun to get back into working out there, but nothing was for sure.

Daddy already knew I was coming. He hadn't asked many questions when I'd called. He'd simply said, "All right, Bells." He hadn't said whether I would be able to go back to work for him or not, and he didn't have to; I'd always have a place on the rigs.

Feeling the need for a cigarette, I rolled down the old, creaky window of my pickup and lit up a smoke, reaching over and turning up the stereo, blaring the notes of the latest CD Jasper had given me.

You take a wrong turn, drop the ball, fall short, you labor in vain

You choke, miss the boat, bomb out, cave in, fall flat on your face

Yeah that's everyday life

But sometimes...

Jasper. Seems us rednecks could pick each other out of a damn haystack no matter where we were. I'd been assigned to room with Alice Brandon, Mississippi born and raised. God love her, I didn't know what I would have done the past two years without her, she'd become like my best friend. Anyway, she and Jasper Whitlock, who was a fellow Oklahoman, had been dating for three years and had just recently gotten engaged.

They'd both been there when I'd made the decision to come home, and while it had been hard, Alice had understood and Jasper had handed me the CD I was currently listening to, telling me that it was a friend of his from Oklahoma. Apparently this guy had just laid down some tracks and Jasper happened to have a copy of it. Now, I don't know who in the hell this guy was, but if he wasn't signed, he sure as hell needed to be because the baritone of his voice as he sang … well … damn.

You hit a good lick, the stars light up

Your ship comes in, you make your mark

You catch a break, and you're sittin' on top

Yeah, cream of the crop!

You're the stuff, you set the bar

You beat the odds and there you are

Spend most your life sittin' in the dark waitin' your turn

But every now and then you burn

Alice promised me as I was leaving that she and Jasper would find time to come out to Oklahoma and see me during the summer, which was only a month or so away, but I honestly didn't know where I'd be at that point.

Sure, I was going home, but who was to say I'd still be there a month from now? I had a suspicion once my old man found out my reasons for tucking tail and running, he'd be shipping me back first chance he got. Not that I would go.

Hell, maybe it was just time I find my own place out in Oklahoma; somewhere other than Daddy's ranch. After all, he had a whole new life with Sue—that's his second wife—and his stepson, Seth. I was sure he didn't need me hanging around anymore.

The sound of my phone ringing beside me startled me out of my thoughts. Rolling the window up, I turned the music down.

"Hello?" I answered, clearing my throat.

"You still smoking, ain't cha?"

"There something you wanted, Daddy?" I asked him, rolling my eyes.

"Just seeing whereabouts you were, girl, and don't you go gettin' no tone with me."

"I'm just outside of Guthrie. Why? Got someone there that needs to be gone 'fore I show up?"

"Now, Bells, Sue's makin' a real nice dinner for you. It'll do you good to watch that mouth of yours around her," he lectured.

"Daddy, I know all about Sue's uptight bullshit, no need to warn me. I won't embarrass ya, if that's what you're so damn worried about. I'll be there later."

Aggravated that he was already startin' in on me when I hadn't done shit, I gripped the steering wheel somethin' fierce.

"Bells, you plannin' on tellin' me why you dropped out of school?"

"Shit, they called you, didn't they?"

"What happened?"

"It's a long story, Daddy, and I'd rather tell you when I get there. And I ain't doin' it in front of everybody either, so don't make me."

"This over some boy?"

"Daddy…" I ground out, about ready to blow my top, but thankfully, I heard him sigh, knowing that he was giving in.

"Fine, we'll do it your way, but this ain't the end of it. You're gonna tell me later, girl. Be careful."

With that, he hung up and I threw my head back against the seat, dropping the phone down beside me.

I suppose you wanna know what the big secret is. What happened at UDub that was so damn bad? Well, to most, it probably isn't that bad, but when added in with the homesick blues I'd been feeling, it couldn't have happened at a worse time.

There was a guy I'd been seeing, someone I'd rather not name, but it had been serious between us for quite some time as we'd been together for nearly a year. Last semester, he'd joined a fraternity and well, you know how those go. I honestly didn't think it would be so bad. I had faith in our relationship and I trusted him with everything. Hell, I had to, right? He'd been my first…everything.

Well, it started going downhill a few months after he'd pledged. He began breaking dates, quit answering his phone…and when I would try to talk to him about things, he would get pissy with me or he'd brush it off as though I didn't matter. Slowly but surely, he was pushing me away.

On one of the rare nights he actually made it to a dinner with Alice, Jasper and I, he'd eyeballed our waitress and then blatantly asked me in front of our friends if I'd gained weight because it looked like I'd put on a few pounds. I, of course, knocked the shit out of him for that. He'd apologized after, saying that he didn't know what had gotten into him and he'd just been under a lot of stress from finals.

Like a fool, I'd believed him.

Until I'd found our receipt from the restaurant that night with the waitress' number on it in his car. And I wouldn't have thought anything of it…

If Jasper hadn't seen him having lunch with her the next day on campus. At first, I didn't believe what he and Alice were trying to tell me, and I lashed out, but when I went to talk to him at his fraternity house that night, to try and clear the air and reconnect with him, I found him buried balls deep inside of her on his bed.

I'd picked up a textbook from the desk by his door and chucked it at them, hitting him square in the damn head. The confrontation had escalated into a huge argument—one in which I'd learned there had been several more girls than just the one slutty ass waitress-ending when I left, officially breaking up with him.

When I got back to the dorm, Alice and Jasper comforted me, never asking for an apology. They knew the second I told them what happened I was going to leave. Their friendship and he had been the only things keeping me there, but without him, there was no way I could remain. Every corner I turned would remind me of him, and it wasn't like I was actually passing any of my classes anyway.

I didn't enjoy the city like I'd thought I would. I missed home, and while there were memories of him all over Oklahoma as well, it was different. I could make a life here.

But I just knew Daddy was going to see it as me tucking tail and running because I was afraid of things getting too serious, afraid of actually fighting when the going got tough, but the truth was, I just never should have left to begin with. I was perfectly fine here; leaving was what fucked me up.

And what made this worse? He had no idea of the relationship I was in or with whom. When and if it did come out, it was sure to be interesting, but I wouldn't be the one name-dropping.

*~LRW~*

The familiar stretches of untouched land on either side of the interstate made me smile as I drove out of Guthrie. Fields of green, populated with a variety of trees in full bloom, the sun shining blaringly bright through my windshield…

It was all such a nice change from the dreary, rainy weather of Seattle. Thank God I'd had sense enough to leave that damn hell hole.

Here, everything was just…better.

The air was cleaner. The land was more…shit, how could I put it? Innocent? If that even makes any sense.

And just as my favorite song on the CD started up, my phone rang again, this time lighting up with Alice's name. I smiled to myself; she always seemed to know when I needed to talk to her.

"Hey you," I answered, grinning and turning the stereo down just a notch.

"You owe me that twenty, Jazzy. Our Bee's taken a likin' to that damn CD you gave her," she sang out.

I couldn't help but laugh. Obviously, they'd made some kind of bet when I'd left, but why Jasper would have bet Alice that I wouldn't like it was beyond me. He was just beggin' to lose; that and he knew I'd love it, hence the damn reason he'd given it to me in the first place.

"Alice, what in the cat hair are you two goin' on about?"

"Jazz claims you weren't gonna make it past the second song," she laughed. "I, on the other hand, knew you'd swoon over that cowboy the minute he sang the first note, so I bet him twenty."

"Let me holler at Jazz right quick," I told her; shaking my head even though she couldn't see me.

"Darlin'?" his deep, southern voice echoed over the line.

"Are you smokin' grass or are you just plain stupid?" I joked. "Why the hell did you bet Alice twenty when you knew damn good and well I'd love the music?"

"Like you don't already know the answer to that one," he snorted.

I could just see the shit eatin' smirk he wore upon his face at that precise time.

"Right, 'cause you're whipped and'll do anything to make her happy. Who is he, by the way?"

"Well damn, Bee, didn't think you'd like it that much. Did Allie have you pack an extra set of panties in your purse?"

"Fuck you, Jazz!" I shouted, laughing through it as I heard shuffling on the line.

"Good lord, sometimes the man has no damn manners, but what the hell am I tellin' ya that for! You already know that! Whereabouts' you at, Bee?" Alice questioned, her Mississippi twang comin' through strong.

"I just passed Guthrie, so I should be at Daddy's within the hour. Shit, Allie, am I doin' the right thing?" I asked her, sighing heavily.

"Honey, that's something only you know the answer to, but what I can tell you is that you needed to get the hell away from here. That jackass was only makin' things harder on ya, and with the way he kept comin' round, it wasn't gonna get any better. You just be sure to tell your Pa Charlie exactly what happened."

"That's just it, Allie. Like I told you and Jazz, Daddy don't know nothin' about me and him. We kept it quiet. So even if I tell him about what happened, I'll still be leavin' a big part of the story out."

"You think he'll let you go back to workin' for him?"

"I don't know, but I hope so."

I heard muffled mumbling, like she had placed her hand over the speaker on the phone. When she came back, she was giggling.

"Aw hell, what did Jazz pop off with now?"

"Nothin', he's just bein'…well, nevermind. He did say if you were serious about wanting to know about the guy, to ask him when you got your head back on straight."

"Yeah, and you can tell him to sit on it and fuckin' rotate," I laughed. "Listen, I'll call you after dinner tonight, all right?"

"Fine, but you text us when you get there even if it's only an hour from now, 'kay?"

"You know I will, Allie, now go! I don't need to be there to know Jazz is parading around in them damn assless chaps waiting on you…"

"Miss you," she laughed evilly and then shrieked before hanging up, to which I dropped my phone and laughed.

Those two had the most active sex life of any couple I'd ever seen. I'd lost count of the times I'd walked in on them in the act. And you knew if you saw Jasper arrive with his brown leather chaps draped over his arm it was time to get the hell out of Dodge and stay gone for a good couple of hours. Hell, I'd made the mistake of staying one time and wished I'd hadn't because I'll be damned if that boy hadn't come walking out of Alice's bedroom, chaps on and bare ass hanging out.

Shit, this move was going to be a hell of a lot more bittersweet than I ever thought it would. Those two yahoos in Seattle weren't just my friends; they'd become my family, and dammit, now I was cryin' cause I already missed them.

*~LRW~*

The gravel of my old man's self-made drive crunched beneath my tires as I pulled in. He and Sue stood on the porch—her smiling tightly…bitch, and him grinning like a fool—as I parked alongside his Ford King Ranch pickup.

Before I could even put my hand on the door, Daddy had it opened and was reaching for me.

"Well, it's 'bout damn time you got here, girl!" he exclaimed animatedly, wrapping his arms around me as he pulled me from the truck and hugged me tightly. The familiar smell of his Stetson cologne warmed my heart and just made me feel that much more at home. I glanced at Sue, and I knew just from looking at her she resented the fact I'd come back home.

Yeah, being back was going to be real fucking interesting.

"Hey Daddy," I whispered, hugging him back and trying my damnedest not to cry, but failing miserably.

"Jesus, Bells, what the hell they been feedin' ya over there? Bread and water?" he questioned. "You're skin and bones damn near!"

He then took me by my shoulders and pulling at me, holding me out in front of him. I immediately looked down, hoping to avoid his stare, but when his finger crooked under my chin, I knew it was too late.

"What the hell's all this about, hmm?" he asked gruffly, looking at me through narrowed eyes. "Just what happened to you back there, baby girl? You don't cry for nothin'."

"Long story," I whispered, sniffling as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and then led me up the steps of the porch and right past Sue, straight into the house.

After leading me to my old room, bringing in what few things I'd brought with me, and giving me time to adjust, I met them back downstairs for dinner.

Seth, my stepbrother, had joined us and as much as I couldn't stand Sue and the way she despised me, I loved Seth. He was a cool kid.

As I approached the table, he'd stood and gestured to the chair next to him, hugging me as soon as I was close enough. "Glad you're back, sis."

"I'm glad to be back, bro. How are ya? Ya gotta stop growin'," I laughed, looking up at him as he now towered over me. He had to be at least six foot already. That shit just wasn't fair.

I wasn't tall by any means, but I wasn't short either at my five foot six. Now Alice … she was short, measuring in at only five foot, two inches.

"Yeah, well … nothin' I can do about that, shorty," he ribbed, taking a seat as Daddy winked at me from across the table.

Seth led us in saying the blessing and then we dug in, and just to appease the old man, I paid the crabby bitch he called wife a compliment for having cooked our meal, which whether I liked to admit it or not, was actually pretty good.

However, it was when my phone dinged with a text from Alice that things had taken a turn.

"Really, Bella? You couldn't wait until we finished eating?" Sue snapped, her fork dropping onto her plate with a loud clang.

"What? All I did was check it. I texted my roommate in Seattle when I was upstairs to let her know I made it in. Jesus Christ, chill the fuck out," I barked back. "See, the phone is put up."

"I don't give a shit who it was you were texting and why, when you're at my table, you'll have that phone turned off."

"And I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you don't control me. I ain't your damn kid and if my phone goes off, then you can bet your ass I'm gonna answer it. Daddy, I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna sit here and take this," I told him, taking the napkin from my lap and tossing it onto the table.

Before I could get up though, my old man reached over and took my hand.

"Now, Bells, hang on a daggum minute, Sue just asked you to wait until we were done eatin'…"

"You're kiddin' me, right?" I scoffed. "Were you here for the same conversation? Daddy, she did not ask me. She got bitchy and pulled her usual 'her way or the fuckin' highway' bullshit. That's not what I came back for, and if that's what I have to look forward to, then I'll go and find myself a hotel to stay in until I can rent a house or something. I won't live here and do this again."

"Oh come on, Bells, you're bein' dramatic, dammit!"

"No, I'm not! She's had it out for me since I got here, Daddy. I can tell just from the fucking looks she's givin' me that she don't want me here. She could give two shits about what happened back in Seattle long as I ain't here."

"What happened in Seattle?" Seth boomed, standing from his chair.

I simply shook my head and ran through the house, out the back door and towards the barn.

Welcome home to me, right?

I made my way down the darkened dirt path that led to the barn, the leaves of the old, overgrown oak trees along the way rustling in the breeze. The horses could be heard and as I breathed in the warm night air, I felt myself start to relax just a bit.

This was so not how I saw my homecoming playing out.

I pulled my phone, opening up a group conversation with Alice and Jasper.

Thanks to shit hittin' the damn fan at dinner, I'm no longer sure comin' home was a good thing.—B

I pressed send and then pocketed my phone as I came up on the barn door. The door creaked as I slid the two by four plank, unlocking the door and pulling it open, the dust billowing out as the familiar smell of hay, alfalfa and sweet feed filled my senses. The various sounds from the horses in their stalls echoed around the barn as an owl hooted from up in the hay loft above.

I then pulled my phone out, having heard it ding.

Shit, sorry, Darlin'. Did your Pa not agree?—J

No, the Ice Bitch started in on me because I checked my phone at the table.—B

That's it?—J

Yeah. Where's Allie?—B

She's washin' me off her in the shower.—J

Okay, so didn't need to know that, you sick little shit—B

You doin' okay, Bee? Really…-J

Tryin' to, Jazz. I'd do a lot better if you'd give me that cowboy's number.—B

Nice try, Bee, but he ain't that kinda guy.—J

That last comment of his kind of stung. It almost felt like he was insinuating I was some kind of slut or something. At that point, I turned my phone off. Things just weren't gonna go my way tonight. That much was obvious.

I sighed and kicked at the floor as I felt a nudge and gentle tickle against the back of my arm. I turned around and grinned, seeing it was none other than Fury, my old man's favorite stud horse. His head was gently nuzzling me, trying to get my attention.

I turned around, running a hand down the length of his head as I leaned forward, resting my forehead against his neck.

"Think you'd be up for a ride tomorrow?" Daddy's gruff voice quietly asked behind me.

I startled but couldn't bring myself to turn around.

"Maybe," I whispered.

"Bells, why can't you and Sue work this shit out?"

"Why do you always take her damn side?" I exclaimed, spinning around and making sure he could see the hurt he'd inflicted. "Daddy, I know she's your wife, but I'm your daughter. I'm your flesh and blood, and not once have you ever questioned her. She's hated me since day one. I've tried being polite to that bitch, but it blows up in my face every damn time. I'll stay here tonight, but tomorrow, I'm finding myself a hotel. I mean it."

"Dammit, girl, I won't have ya stayin' in some run down hotel. Now you either stay in the house with us, or you can use the old cabin out on the south pasture, but one way or another, you're staying here. You understand?"

Don't think it slipped past me that he'd completely disregarded my points about him being my blood and having chosen her. But truth was, I really didn't have much money right now and if he was offerin' up the cabin, I'd be a damn fool not to take it. It sat far enough away from the main house that it would basically be as though I were living on my own. It had it owns driveway, shed…hell, everything.

"Fine."

"Now," he said, coming closer and patting his hand against Fury's neck, giving a satisfied sigh. "You got anything lined up as far as work goes?"

"Not yet, but I was kinda hopin' you could help me with that," I told him, taking a step back and placing my hands on my hips as I looked up at him.

"Bells, tell me you didn't leave school to spend the rest of your life roughneckin'," he grumbled, kickin' at the floor.

"Daddy, it's what I know, and right now…I just…"

"What happened in Seattle, girl?"

"I got played a damn fool, that's what happened," I growled. "Thought I found love, I really did, and then…then I found out it wasn't love at all. He was playing me all along. He'd been sleeping with anyone willing to spread 'em," I told him, the tears starting to fall from my eyes traitorously. "I couldn't stay there, Daddy. I'm sorry. I already missed home, and I hated it there. Hardly ever saw the sun, it always fuckin' rained … hell, I missed the rigs…"

"Where's Black now?" he bit out viciously.

"Probably holed up in bed with some…" I stopped short when I realized what he'd just said.

I turned my head up, my eyes meeting his, wide and questioning.

How the blue blazes did he fuckin' know?

"I may be old, but I'm not stupid, girl. I'll be havin' words with Billy over this, you can bet your ass on that, and don't you go worryin' over this; ain't your fault. You didn't deserve what that pencil dick bastard done to ya, and I promise ya, he'll regret it if he ever shows his face 'round here again."

My old man pulled me in for a tight hug then, comforting me as I still tried to wrap my mind around the fact he'd known about me and Jake the whole damn time.

"And about you workin'," he began, "Waylon had to take leave cause Marcie's cancer came back and she needs him home, so you comin' back works perfectly. How's about you show up tomorrow morning, Rig Fifty-Two? Be ready though, the boys ain't ever worked under a woman before."

"Wait, under? Daddy, what position are you putting me in this hitch?" I asked with a grin.

"Tool pusher," he answered with a wink and grin.

I couldn't help but smile back. He knew I'd always wanted a shot at that job title, and now, he was giving it to me without any questions.

Suddenly, I couldn't wait to go back to the cabin so I could prepare for the next day. It was sure to be interesting, and a welcome change to the hell of the past few years.

*~LRW~*

As I rolled up onto the site, truck bouncing from the rough terrain of the service road, I could already see my old man already had the crew gathered round, no doubt informing them of the upcoming temporary change.

Most of these men I knew from the occasional company picnics, but I hadn't been out here in at least a year, so I'm sure there were new additions.

Putting my beast of a truck into park, my door was opened for me before I could even get my damned seat belt off.

"Now dammit, Daddy, think you coulda waited 'til I got myself unhooked first? You're letting all the dust inside my truck and I just had this shit cleaned," I griped, stepping out into the billowing cloud of Oklahoman red dirt that blew around my door.

"Come on, Bells, you're making me look bad. I just finished telling the crew you were a lady," he grumbled, closing my door behind me.

"Then they already know you're full of shit, ain't that right, Bull?" I asked the giant of a man that had stepped up beside the old man. His birth name was Emmett, but to us roughnecks, he was known as Bull, and believe you me, he lives up to the name.

"Nah uh, I'm not getting pulled into this squabble, Short Stack. This is between you and Charlie," he laughed.

One of these days, he was gonna find his ass full of buckshot for giving me that damn name.

"Hey, Charlie, you're kidding, right?" a voice I didn't know bellowed out behind them. "You can't seriously be putting that dainty lil' thing …"

The voice trailed off as what can only be described as 'pretty' stepped in front of me, with hair as red as the dirt beneath my feet sticking out in all directions beneath the brim of his hard hat.

Forget his appearance, he'd done gone and pissed me off and I knew, just from the cocky smirk on his face, this one was going to be nothing but trouble.

"Dainty? Who the hell are you calling dainty you no-brain…" I started to fight back before the old man stepped in front of me and attempted to push me back.

"Bells, knock your shit off!"

"That asshole just…"

"Red Wing."

My head whipped back to stare at the dumbass extending his hand to me over the old man's shoulder. "I beg your pardon?"

"Name's Red Wing. I'm under the impression you'll be the new tool pusher for the next hitch, that right?" he questioned, flashing a set of brilliant, white teeth at me.

I internally groaned as I fought against the fluttering in my stomach his smile had just stirred up within me.

"What the hell kinda name is Red Wing? And yeah, I'm the tool pusher. What? Is my being a woman gonna be a problem?"

"No, ma'am, but uh…what happens when you break a nail?"

Oh, this little shit was in for a world of hurt; to hell with his good looks.

Just as soon as the old man got the hell outta my way.

"That won't be all, Bells. For the time being, boys, she'll be fillin' in as the driller as well. I'm gonna be takin' a few days off. Now, Bull, I trust you'll catch her up on shit, right?"

"I don't know 'bout all that, Charlie. I say we let Red tell her," Bull dryly replied, snorting in laughter as he shoved the 'Pretty' boy forward.

"Fuck you, assholes," Red shot back.

"Hey!" I shouted, taking a step forward and grabbing him up by the coveralls with such force his hardhat fell from his head.

Damn, his hair was amazing. Why did I feel an overwhelming urge to run my fingers through it?

"Maybe you're hard at hearing, but you'll be workin' for me now, and when you work for me, you'll watch your fuckin' mouth!"

"Y-yes, m-ma'am," he stuttered back.

It was about another minute or so before me, Daddy, Bull, and the rest of the crew burst into hearty laughter. I wasn't sure how long this Red had been roughneckin', but it obviously hadn't been for long because he'd made it too damn easy. That and he'd never have fallen for the watch your language bullshit. Nobody had a clean mouth on a drillin' rig, that was just a fact.

And with the way he'd looked at me when I'd grabbed him, he was scared to fuckin' death.

"Ya fall for that shit, and you're worried 'bout me breakin' a nail? Good lord in heaven, what the hell do you do 'round here?" I asked him, my shoulders still shakin' with laughter.

"I'm the derrickhand, ma'am," he ground out, bending over to put his hard hat back on his head.

Arching a brow in disbelief, I glanced over at Bull. "Tell me he's fuckin' jokin', Bull. This is who I'm supposed to fuckin' rely on?" When he offered no argument, I shook my head. "Shit," I cursed, walking towards the doghouse, best known as the trailer where we met with salesman and had our lunches.

I wasn't left waitin' long before Bull and Daddy came walkin' in.

"Get your ass back out there and apologize to that boy, Bells, and you do it now. You makin' me look bad already and ya ain't been here not even twenty minutes yet!"

"What?! Are you shittin' me? He's throwin' this ma'am shit at me left and right, and on top of that, he's sexist! I'll be damned if I'mma have some half-wit ass who believes a woman don't belong here workin' for me!"

"God damn," Bull breathed, lookin' over at Daddy with his eyes wide. "What in the blue hell did they go and do to her up north?"

"Don't ask," Daddy growled. "Explain him to her stubborn ass, would ya?"

"Short Stack, he really don't mean nothin' by it. Red's a good kid, and he knows what he's doin'; real gentleman too. Hell, he was just jackin' with ya. Used to, you'd have laughed at his pickin' with ya. Why'd you snap at him like that?"

He really did have a point. Before I left for Seattle, I'd never snapped at anyone like that. I'd laughed when the guys poked fun at me. Shit on a cracker, I hated apologies, especially when I was in the damn wrong. Daddy was never gonna let me live this down, and I could just imagine how much hell I was gonna catch from the crew once it hit the rig floor.

"You say he knows what he's doin', what makes him qualified to be the damn derrickhand? He got prior experience?"

"Now Bells, you know dang good and well I wouldn't have hired him if he wasn't qualified," Daddy griped. "He worked for Harry Clearwater with Weatherford for four years before coming over here. We ain't had no problems with him whatsoever, so don't you go makin' trouble for him."

"All right," I interrupted loudly, waving my hand dramatically, having had enough with their lecturing ways. "You two get on outta here and send him in," I grumbled.

Both Bull and Daddy looked at each other in skepticism and then back at me. I could tell just from the smirks on their faces they didn't trust me.

"I'm just gonna talk to him, dammit! I swear!" I raised my hands.

They shook their heads and Daddy waved his finger at me in warning before stepping out, hollering at Red before closing the door behind him.

I wasn't left waiting long.

Not ten minutes later, I heard the stomping of boots on the steps of the trailer before the door creaked open and the sunlight streamed in.

"Wipin' the boots off wasn't necessary. Seems no one else has thought to do so in the past two months judgin' from the look of the floor," I spoke aloud, glancing down at the table in front of me.

He just let out a dry laugh behind me. When I turned, he had his hard hat in his hands and eyes trained on his feet.

Damn, his eye lashes were long, casting shadows over his cheeks. Could he get any prettier?

"Want some water?" I asked him.

Without raising his head, he looked at me and arched a brow. "That a trick question, ma'am?"

Narrowing my eyes in response to the 'ma'am' shit again, I cocked my head to the side. "Exactly how old are you, Red Wing?"

"Twenty-three, ma'am. Pardon me, but I don't see how that has any bearing on my ability to do my job," he fired off, finally showing a bit of spunk and a spark of energy in his eyes.

"Look here, I am not, nor have I ever been a ma'am, so you can stop that shit right the fuck now. I'm twenty-one, Red," I told him, laughing when his eyes widened. "I've been workin' these damn rigs since I was of the legal age and I'm sorry if I got touchy and snapped at ya out there. I don't take lightly to men thinkin' I'm not capable of doin' the job because of the fact that I'm a woman. Now, Daddy and Bull stood by ya, and they say you're a real hard worker. I'll just tell you that as long as you do your job and you don't fuck us over, we'll be good."

I watched as he unscrewed the cap from the water bottle, downing half its contents in a single gulp.

"I can promise you, I won't be fuckin' anything up, but uh…you never did answer my question, you know," he told me, breathing quickly as he wiped excess water from the corners of his mouth.

"What question was that?"

"What happens if you break a nail?" he asked again, winking at me and grinning.

"Oh, you're a pesky little shit, ain't ya?"

"So they praised me on my work, and I'm just gonna take a stab at this and assume Bull told ya I'm a gentleman, right?"

"Fuckin' hell…did that big ass bastard play me?" I asked, laughing. "He did, didn't he?" I exclaimed, pissed off that the big ass goof outside had gotten one over on me and the guy in front of me was standing there looking fucking smug as shit.

"Guess it depends on what you would determine a gentleman to be. There anything else you need, or…"

"Yeah, who's the worm on the floor?"

"Some poor clueless fuck the guys are calling Embryo. He just started a couple weeks ago."

The 'worm' generally referred to the guys that worked on the floor of the rig, operating the tongs and catwalk, doing all the jobs in between. They had the shit job and left at the end of the day absolutely fucking filthy from drilling mud and fuck else.

"So, we've got you on the derrick, Bull working the machinery, Embryo on floor…who's working the chain and filling in the inbetween positions to help out the worm?"

"Fig's on chain and Porky's helpin' 'em out. That's pretty much everybody. I mean, every once in a while, my old man'll stop in and help out if we're down a man…"

"Really fuckin' wish the Fig wasn't out here, dammit," I grumbled under my breath, but obviously, it wasn't quiet enough because he'd heard me.

"What was that? What beef you got with Fig?"

"You work with the guy day in and day out and you really want to ask me that?" I questioned.

Red smiled again, making my breath catch. "You got a point, but can't you just manhandle his pussy ass the way you did mine?"

I chortled and got out of my chair, taking a step towards him. "Now why the hell would I wanna do that? Peckerhead don't need any damn encouragement," I laughed, stretching my hand out to him.

."Give it to the end of the day, Short Stack; Fig's gonna be the least of your worries."

When he winked those vivid green eyes as he shook my hand firmly, giving me a crooked grin, I knew then; Red Wing and I would get along just fine.

*~LRW~*

The end of the day came and, much to my chagrin, Fig hadn't been the only shithead I'd wanted to knock the shit out of.

Each member of the crew had approached me at one time or another and they'd all had their asses fucking handed to 'em. The rig floor was no place for pickin' up ladies, especially when said lady had no interest in being picked up.

It was when Bull that came up to me and hit on me—even with his forty-seven years of age—I knew Red Wing had put all the guys up to it. I'd made a wise crack to him in the office about Fig, and I guess in some sick way, this was his form of paying me back for how I'd done him upon my gettin' here.

However, in all of that, can you believe the asshole didn't come and hit on me himself? I wasn't gettin' butthurt or nothin' over it, but…

Oh hell, who in tarnation was I kiddin'? With all the winkin', smilin', and jokin' around Red Wing'd been doin' all day, I had already dreamed up a whole slew of elaborate schemes which would draw him down into the mud pit, where I would ultimately have my wicked way with him; this of course only occurrin' when no one else was 'round. Preferably durin' a lightnin' storm.

Shit, there I go gettin' all wet in my lady bits again, and dammit, he's lookin' my way. There was just somethin' about him, and I didn't know what it was.

Not wantin' to risk doin' somethin' stupid and jeopardizin' Daddy's trust in me as early as tomorrow, and also wanting to teach this pretty boy I was not one to take shit laying down—okay, so maybe it's retaliation for him not hittin' on me—I took the air horn Daddy liked to use when out here and let it blast, catching everyone's attention, then waved them all over for a quick minute.

"It's comin' up on five real quick and night shift'll be showin' up any second now, so I'll make this quick. Tomorrow, we're gonna change things up a bit. When I'm runnin' this shit out here, I want every damn one of y'all to know how to operate each piece of machinery out here. Every few days for the next two weeks, we're gonna alternate out here. Some of you are gonna bitch and moan about having to leave your current stations, and that's fine, I'm expecting it, but you'll be thanking me the next time we have a blow out or the shit hits the fan. This will cover our asses in the case disaster strikes."

"Charlie know you're doing this, Short Stack?" Bull questioned, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Nope, and quite frankly, I don't give a shit if he does or not, Bull. Tomorrow, this is how it's going to be: Bull, you'll be working as derrickhand. Embryo, you're up as chainhand. Fig, we'll give you a shot at motorman. Porky, what's your real name anyway? Why they call you Porky?" I asked as the crew actually laughed.

Well, everyone except Red Wing. He was glaring at me somethin' fierce. It was obvious he already knew where he'd be goin' tomorrow.

"My name's Quil, and because they're funny fuckers, they stopped callin' me Porcupine and shortened it to Porky."

I shook and bowed my head. "Damn, well, okay then, I guess that explains it. Porky you'll be helping Red Wing here down on the rig floor."

And because he'd been glaring at me for the past five minutes, I was sure he was going to let me have it.

"Boys, looks like the boss just revealed her true intention behind this so-called 'change'," Red announced mockingly, using air quotes as he turned his eyes on me, the green orbs sparkling in mirth. "She wants me dirty!" He grinned, smirking and coming closer. "Ain't that right, Short Stack?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Red Wing, and since your shit seems to smell so damn great to you, stay. You're working a double tonight. Maybe we can put a little stink on you by the time the night is up."

The smile slowly faded from his face as he realized I wasn't fuckin' around.

"You're shittin' me, right? I've got fuckin' plans tonight I can't change," he told me in a firm tone that was louder, and carried more assertiveness than I'd heard come from him since I'd first laid eyes on him.

"Not my problem. I'm your boss, Red Wing, not your goddamn friend," I fired back, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Fuck!" he roared, throwing his sweat rag to the rig floor and stomping down the steps, off the rig completely, kicking up clouds of the red Oklahoman dirt.

"Short Stack, cut the guy a break, he's just jackin'…" Bull started to plead.

"I know. You yahoos keep on tellin' me to give him a break, he's just messin' with me or what the fuck ever, but you know what? For a guy that loves to pick and fuck around so much, you'd think he'd be better at takin' a goddamn joke himself."

It took a second for the guys to catch what I was sayin' but when they did, they all shook their heads and laughed.

"All right, well, I'll see you guys in the morning. Take it easy, I'm gonna go try to tame the beast," I joked as I made my down the steps and towards Red Wing.

He was now over behind the rig next to the pipe racks, pacing back and forth, muttering profanities.

"You know, I ain't ever seen a man throw such a big bitch fit over working a damn double shift, which was a fuckin' joke, by the way. You really need to work on that shit too if we're going to be working together, Red."

He stopped mid-pace and turned to look at me. "Did you just…so I'm not… why the hell do you find so much enjoyment in getting me all fucking riled up?"

"It's not that I enjoy pissin' you off. Problem we're havin' here, Red, is you and I really don't know each other, but we both know everyone else. We're used to shootin' the shit with them, we know how they operate, and they us. It's just gonna take some time. What I recommend is for you to quit pullin' shit on me and I'll leave you be as well, at least until we're fuckin' used to how each other operates, otherwise we're gonna keep buttin' heads."

"Well, shit," he sighed, pulling his hard hat off and scratching at his head, fisting a handful of hair. "Are you serious about putting me on the goddamn rig floor tomorrow?"

"Now that I am serious about. I swear, it's nothin' personal, but I've got to get these other kids, the newer ones, to learn some of the machinery. If shit goes wrong and one of y'all get hurt, we're gonna be fucked and I want our bases covered. That's all."

"So, it's not about gettin' me dirty then, huh?" he asked, cracking a smile and squinting down at me.

"No, you arrogant ass!" I laughed, slapping at his coverall covered bicep. "Trust me, if I wanted you dirty, I've got a million other ways to go about it."

The shit-eating grin he gave me caused me to smile back until I realized I'd basically just told him in so many words I'd thought about getting him dirty.

That was the wrong information to have put into the hands of a smart ass, cocky roughneck. I was so screwed.

Fuck my life.

*~LRW~*

It was official.

After having worked with Red Wing for a little over two weeks, I'd come to the conclusion the coldest bucket of water from the deepest cave in Antarctica wouldn't do shit in way of puttin' out the fire that raged inside me upon seein' that man covered in drillin' mud.

And it happened every damn day.

I think he was on to me too because not only had he begun requesting the dirtier, grueling and gritty jobs, he made sure he got as fuckin' dirty as he possibly could. And each day, he left with a wink and smile in my direction, the white of his teeth nearly blindin'.

One would never guess we stayed at each other's throats all day out on the rig floor either; at least not if they happened to walk up just as he was leavin' for the day.

See, everything between Red and I was just peachy keen once five o'clock struck and it was time for him and the morning crew to skidaddle on outta here, but for the hours he actually worked, we…well, let's just say had he not have been one of Daddy's favorite roughnecks, I'd have fired him on the second day his ass showed up for work.

I was sick of hearing bullshit he'd spew behind my back to Embryo and Fig about me. Shit like if I were a man, we'd have had this well drilled by now, how everything would be running a hell of a lot smoother and they wouldn't be havin' to mess with all this alternatin' positions bullarky. Yeah well, the next time I heard another of his bitch fests, disgruntled Daddy or not, I was sending his ass packing.

I'd just have to find a way to look at it off the job site.

Due to a bad string of pipe that the night crew had dealt with last night, I was now tied up with the trucks bringin' in four-hundred new joints of pipe. With Daddy not being here, I had to sign off on everything and make sure it was all accounted for and that the hardbanding had been done as we'd told them—you always had to double check that shit because no matter how many times you told the salesmen over the phone, you'd be amazed at how many times they still managed to fuck things up, and half the time, it wasn't even their fault, it was the people below them.

Anyway, as I stepped down off the rig floor and down into the red dirt, I glanced up to see Red leaning in close to Fig and they were having words. I had to force myself not to march right back up there and let the bastard have it because, frankly, I didn't have the damn time, but I'd for sure be dealing with it later. Thank fuck I'd left Bull in charge while I stepped away because Lord knows had I have left that red-headed peckerhead at the helm, he'd have fucked it up just to make me look bad.

But then I thought, to hell with it, and turned.

"Red Wing!" I hollered, cuppin' my hands around my mouth.

I watched as his head jerked up and he looked around before finally locating me down on the ground.

"Get your ass down here and help me, would ya?!"

He shook his head, mumbled something to Fig, and then set down the tongs he'd been holdin' before makin' his way out to me.

"Was startin' to wonder if you had a super woman complex or somethin', Short Stack," he huffed with a laugh.

"Cut the shit. You're just pissed that I interrupted your chance to talk more shit about me to your boy toy Fig," I hissed at him. "Go get a change of gloves, dammit. There's mud all over those and I don't want that shit on the pipe when we're inspectin' it."

"Talkin' shit? About you? Look, I don't know what it is ya think…"

"I ain't makin' chit chat either. Move your ass!" I barked.

"No, ya know what?" he laughed dryly. "Fuck you. I've put up with you givin' me shit for damn near two and a half weeks now and I've kept my fuckin' mouth shut about it because I was tryin' to be respectful, but I'm not gonna do it anymore. I ain't done nothin' to warrant you attackin' me the way you have. You're fuckin' singlin' me out and it's bullshit! I'm the hardest damn worker you got out here and you treat me like shit! I work the fuckin' floor because I was tryin' to get on your damn good side, but you're makin' it fuckin' impossible, Short Stack. Bull's always braggin' about you, and I couldn't wait to see you in action—which by the way, you're fuckin' amazin' for a damn woman—but I haven't got to see the fun side of you he and everyone else has talked about because you've been so goddamn busy bein' a supreme bitch to me. If that's how it's goin' to be workin' for you out here then…"

"Whoa!"

Oh no! Oh no, tell me Daddy hadn't just heard all … fuck this was NOT good!

"Red, what in the hell is goin' on here, son?"

"Why don't you ask Cruella here?"

Daddy's eyes turned to me as I fixed Red Wing with the most vindictive stare I could muster.

"I…Daddy…I'm doin' everythin' you asked and told me. It's all runnin' great, but this one here," I growled, pointing a finger at the devil himself. "He's talkin' shit to the floorhands. Fig's been tellin' me everything. Apparently, you've got a bunch of sexist pigs on your damn rig, Daddy, and as I'm sure you just heard your golden roughie say, I'm a supreme bitch!"

"Now hang on a sec…" Red started to interject but Daddy stopped him.

"We've got to take care of these damn trucks, but whatever the hell is wrong with the two of you, fix it. Otherwise Bells, you're gonna have to find another job."

That statement alone was like a punch in the gut.

He would actually put me out of a job in order to keep Red Wing on? Who the fuck is this guy?

Daddy began to walk off as Mr. Pretty himself came closer, his hands tucked into the back pockets of his coveralls.

"Look, you can believe whatever you want, but I ain't said ever anything against you. Bull can vouch for that. I don't know what moved you to believe scrawny ass Fig, but he's lyin' through his damn teeth, Short Stack."

"Oh really? Then why is it every time I look your way, you're leanin' in real close and ya'll are havin' words while your eyes are trained on me?" I asked, arching a challenging brow.

"Because it's him talkin' shit, and I'm the one threatenin' to beat his ass to within an inch of his fuckin' life. And since I answered that question, maybe you'll answer mine. What is it you find so damn interestin' about the rig floor that keeps your eyes trained there all damn day?"

"You're an asshole," I muttered, moving past him to catch up to Daddy.

There was shit I could do about it right now, but I needed time to think.

I needed to talk to Bull.

And I really needed a girls' night consisting of movies and a tub of Ben and Jerry's with Alice.

Hell, at this point, I'd even settle for an evening of Alice and Jasper in assless chaps.

"Bells, you got the tools list?" Daddy asked as I snapped out of my fog.

"Yeah," I told him, Red hovering over my shoulder. "Four hundred joints of four and a half by twenty heavyweight pipe, two subs, and four drill collars. The subs won't be here for another two hours though. The truck got to NOV's shop later than expected due to bad directions or some shit. If you want me to go, I'll go," I mumbled, letting him know I wasn't happy about it.

"Dammit girl, I don't want you to go home, so stop being dramatic. Just go to the doghouse and take a breath for a minute. Me and Red will handle this, but I mean it, Bells. Don't you come out until you've got that damn head of yours back on straight."

I nodded to Daddy, and before I could go, Red reached out and gently grabbed my arm.

"It may not mean much to ya, but I'm sorry if I offended ya somehow. I honest to God didn't mean to, Short Stack."

Why I felt the sudden urge to cry, I didn't know, but I didn't like it. I gave him a quick nod, softly touched his hand and walked away, not looking back. I needed to get inside the trailer as fast as I could because the longer I was out here and the closer I drew to tears, the harder it was becoming to fuckin' breathe.

*~LRW~*

Another two weeks went by and things between Red and me weren't perfect, but they weren't anythin' like they were before. We still argued like cats and dogs and made each other madder than stepped on frogs, but the difference was we also managed to joke in between. We were getting along.

That day in the trailer, while Red helped Daddy, I'd pulled my phone out and called Alice. She hadn't really been able to say much as I'd caught her between classes, but she knew already from our past few phone calls I had taken a likin' to Red. She'd brought to my attention that I already had defenses up, thanks to Jake, and I just needed to try easin' up on Red a little. So I tried, and for the most part, it worked.

Except when he pissed me off.

Or when he went off and got all damn dirty and good lookin' and started his winkin' and smilin' at me bullshit…I had no time for that.

Bull had told me in private one afternoon while Red was out buyin' lunch for the crew; he thought the arrogant ass had a thing for me. I, of course, laughed in his face because that was just …

Well, it wasn't possible.

While Red was a roughneck, he was hotter than what should be legal and we didn't fit. Quite frankly, I don't see how we'd ever have worked out.

Bull just smiled and laughed at me, tellin' me I'd see eventually. Whatever the hell that was supposed to mean.

But today…today I was excited.

Yeah, you read that right. I, Bella 'Short Stack'—and sometimes 'Bitch'—Swan was excited because summer break had let out two days ago in Seattle, meanin' Alice and Jasper would be showin' up sometime this afternoon.

Alice had called me durin' lunch and I'd heard from her periodically throughout the day. They were going to be staying with a friend of Jasper's who lived about twenty minutes outside of Yukon. According to Alice, this friend of his, Edward, owned a ranch. Now, whether it was the same friend on the CD, the same friend with whom I'd become completely smitten with over the past month remained to be seen.

And apparently that was going down tonight because as soon as five o'clock hit, I was takin' off with the morning crew and headin' home. I'd be gettin' ready and then meetin' Alice and Jasper at this so-called Edward's ranch.

"Short Stack, you gotta snap outta that there day dream you're havin'…Embryo done gone and caught himself good on the hand with the tongs. Blood's fuckin' everywhere. Suspects he mighta severed two of his damn fingers," Red Wing ran at me, shouting over the noise of the drilling, successfully startling me out of my mental checklist of shit to do after I left here for the day.

Wow. That sounded odd.

I followed behind Red over to Embryo. His coveralls were completely covered in blood as was the area around him. The towel he had wrapped around his hand was drippin' in it, and I knew just by lookin' at it, this was bad.

"Christ, Embryo! What the hell happened?" I shouted, raising my voice to be sure he'd heard me over the roar of the machinery working.

"My hand slipped! I can see straight down to the fuckin' bone on two of 'em! I gotta go to the hospital, boss, 'cause shit we got here ain't gonna fix this!" he shouted back.

"Shit!" I hissed, pressing my hand to my forehead as I tried to think of a solution. I could see the wandering eyes of our concerned crew watching, knowing they wished they were down here on the floor and on the up and up on what was going on, but with this job…it never stopped.

I was stuck between a rock and a fuckin' hard place. It was bad enough we were going to be losing Embryo, even as inexperienced as he was, but I really couldn't afford to lose one of the best hands on my crew for the better half of today. If something were to go wrong, we'd be fucked. And I wasn't comfortable with leaving my rig either.

There was only one other thing I could think of to do.

I turned to Red, heaving a sigh and scratching at my neck. "You know where Daddy's ranch is?" And yeah, I referred to him as such around the guys. They all knew exactly who I was anyway, so why ignore it?

"I've been out there a few times. I could be there in…shit, ten minutes?" he told me, even though I knew damn good and well it was at least a twenty-five minute drive.

"All right. You go on and take Embryo to Daddy and then head on back. I'd rather not do without one of my best hands for too long," I told him, winkin' as he smiled a toothy grin at me.

"Shit, Short Stack, I am your best hand," he laughed in response.

I simply shook my head and slapped Embryo on the back as he hurried down to the dirt and toward Red's old beat up, black Ford F-150.

And as Red Wing started to follow after him—I don't know what the hell made me do it—I landed a firm slap to his ass, my hand lingering for probably longer than it should've.

The look he gave me over his shoulder…

Yup, fuck me runnin'.

"Hey! There'll be none of that hanky panky shit goin' on out here!" Bull bellowed from up above on the derrick, smiling as he looked down at us. "That's sexual harassment, and I'm sure yer Daddy won't be too happy to be hearin' 'bout it, Short Stack!"

"Fuck you, Bull!" Both me and Red Wing barked at the same time, laughing at each other as he continued on after Embryo, and me on out to the doghouse where I had to meet with a salesman who'd just arrived with tickets for me to sign.

Yippee ky fucking yay.

"Oh my God! Finally!" Alice squealed as I was hit by what felt like the force of a damn Mack truck. She'd literally jumped into my arms, knocking me to the fucking floor. "Can you believe this place?! Golly, Jazz really knows how to pick 'em, doesn't he?"

"The guy is his friend, Allie, he ain't shaggin' him," I said, cutting my eyes over to the handsome, blonde-headed fella over in the corner. "Right, Jazz?"

"Shit, Bee. Good to see your beautiful ass too," he chuckled. "Find the place okay?"

"Yeah. Not that far from Daddy's actually. So, where's this friend of yours at anyway?" I questioned eagerly, not wasting any time.

I'd been listening to that CD non-stop for the past two days, morning, day and night. I'd imagined up all kinds of scenarios about meeting this cowboy friend of Jasper's. Shit, I felt like a little girl swooning over one of them Disney Princesses or somethin'. We'd take a long ride on horseback late into the evening and kiss up on a hilltop in the sunset. Daddy would laugh his damn ass off if he ever saw or heard the thoughts going on in my head, and so would Jasper and Alice if they ever became privy to 'em, which was why I kept 'em to myself.

"Take it easy there, Bee. We'll see him in good time. He's down at old man Harry's barn gettin' ready. See, he's got a gig tonight," Jasper told me with a smug grin.

Oh hell, just kill me now. So, not only were they introducing me to the guy, they were bringin' me to see and hear him sing? LIVE? Had they suddenly experienced a brain fart of epic proportions and just forgotten exactly what it was I did for a living?

I was completely out of energy, at least the kind needed for something like this. My heart, libido, adrenaline and emotions were most likely going to be put through the gamut tonight.

"We need to make a stop before we hit fuckin' Harry's, and Allie, you are so dead!"

"Me? What the hell did I do? I'm bringin' you to the love of your life, honey!"

"Yeah, and you didn't think to mention earlier today you were takin' me to a damned live show?! If I had known that, I'd have dressed a hell of a lot better than this!"

"Trust me, Bee…you look gorgeous, and besides, Ed don't care about all that," Jasper chimed in softly.

"Ed? Is that a nickname he prefers to go by or have you cursed him with it?" I questioned.

"What's wrong with Ed?" he laughed. "It's better than what this one here calls him," he continued, chucking his thumb in Alice's direction.

"I call him Eddiekins," Alice giggled, as Jasper wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her snug into his side.

"Oh Jesus alive, Allie! That's awful! What did that poor man ever do to you?"

"Nothin' like what he's gonna be doin' to you, honey! Just wait…" she smiled, winking at me, and when Alice winked, it meant I was fucked.

She was intuitive. I couldn't explain it, and neither could Jasper, but she just fuckin' knew shit. And if she said this cowboy was gonna be doin' somethin' to me tonight, then by God, I was gonna take her word for it, and I reckon you ain't judgin' me for smilin' while doin' it either.

Before long, I was standin' beside Alice, who was completely wrapped up in Jasper, along the bar on the right side. Old man Harry really had turned his barn into a bar, and believe it or not, when it came to live music, drinkin', and a good time, this was where us country folk preferred to go rather than the bigger, better known bars in town.

I whirled around to ask Alice if she could point out this Ed guy, but as is just my fuckin' luck, she and Jasper had disappeared.

"Short Stack, what the hell you doin' out here?"

Aw shit, why the hell was he here?!

I turned to fix Red with an annoyed glare, but all thought left my brain as my eyes settled over him.

The dirt…the grime…hell…roughnecking…

None of that shit had anything on this man when he got cleaned up.

"Some friends came into town and dragged me out for a date if you must know," I answered. "What's with the flock of women?" I asked, immediately turned off by the amount of girls I saw crowding around behind him.

He wasn't payin' 'em any mind, but they were there nonetheless, all huddled together, talkin' and shootin' daggers at me. What the hell was their problem?

"Actually, I was kinda hopin' you might be able to help me with that," he half-grinned, half-grimaced as he cut his eyes over his shoulder then back at me.

"You're kiddin' me, right?" I laughed, tryin' not to let my eyes travel the length of his body and the way his jeans hung on his hips in just the right way—not too tight, and not too loose.

"What? I think it's perfectly reasonable considerin' the shit you gave me those first couple weeks and then the four damn hours I spent listenin' to Embryo bitch and moan in the E.R. today."

"Oh, I'm not sayin' I don't owe you somethin', but I literally walked in here not fifteen minutes ago. I tell you I'm here with some friends and that I have a date, haven't even gotten a fuckin' drink yet, and you're askin' me to help you get rid of women. Do I even want to know what that entails? Because sounds to me like it just might be the kinda thing to get me into some trouble."

"Shit, do you ever relax?" he asked, his grin slowly fading and bein' replaced with a frown.

Dammit, I was starting to mess up tonight before it ever really began. When his head bowed and shook, I saw his body start to shift and knew he was about to walk away. In a panic, I reached out and placed my hand on his arm, stopping him.

"I'm sorry, it's not you. I'm just tense, and nervous. I haven't done this shit in forever, and quite frankly, the last relationship ended in disaster, so I'm not exactly … God, why the hell am I tellin' ya all this?" I ground out, laughing uneasily as I turned to face the bar, flagging down the bartender.

Red softly chuckled as I felt his hand settle on my back, soothingly rubbing over it a few times. "You'll be fine. Just don't let the roughneck side of you come out like you did to me a second ago, and you'll be fine," he laughed, nudging me with his elbow, giving me a smirk. "That was a joke. You can laugh at that, you know," he said wryly.

I had to laugh at how defeated he looked because he really was tryin' to help me out here and I was completely not workin' with him. "So, you gonna tell me about the girls?"

"Would you trust me if I told you it would all make sense in about twenty minutes?" he questioned, lookin' over at me.

"I guess. What is it you want me to do? Because they're still lookin' this way and I'm gettin' real sick of the damn stink eye."

"You ain't gonna do it," Red said, his shoulders shakin' with a deep throated laugh.

"What is it?" I asked again, bumping his hip with mine.

"A dance and an ass grope…or two."

Red Wing did not just say what I think he did. How the hell did he do that so calmly?!

"Who's gropin' who's ass?" I whispered to him so the hoard of bitches in heat behind me didn't overhear.

"Wow, you really wanna grab my ass, don't ya?" he grinned.

"Forget it! Girls, you can have him!" I called to them as I walked away, leavin' him standin' behind me in total shock and horror that I'd just left him in the claws of those women.

It took forever, but when I finally located Alice and Jasper, they were near the stage, both lookin' at me strangely, almost as if they were expecting some kind of a reaction from me. Though, right now the only reaction I had was that I wish I'd grabbed hold of Red's fine ass at least once before walkin' away. Because…damn. That man knew how to fill out a pair of jeans.

"So, Bee, who was that guy you were talkin' to at the bar?" Alice asked, her brow raisin' high as Jasper listened in behind her.

"That was Red Wing. He's the gorgeous pain in the ass I've told you so much about," I told her.

"Well, y'all seemed to be gettin' along just fine over there."

"Yeah, because we didn't have fuckin' drillin' shit to get in the way. I ain't ever seen him look like that, though. And all thoughts I mighta had about messin' around with him went out the window the second I saw the harem that's followin' his ass. Ain't no tellin' how many he's been with. Them damn girls are relentless."

"Well, did you ask him about 'em?" she asked, giggling.

All right, somethin' was going on and it was quickly becomin' obvious these two were in on it.

"He said I'd find out in about twenty minutes and why do I get the feelin' that…"

Just as a certain suspicion began makin' it's way into my head, the lights went out near the stage and it became so fuckin' loud with all the damn woots, hollers, and whistles you couldn't hear yourself think.

But then … then the first notes of the fiddle began to sound out as did the beat of the drum and I knew…

He—my cowboy—was startin' off his set with what had become one of my favorite songs on the CD Jasper had given me.

You take a wrong turn, drop the ball, fall short, you labor in vain

You choke, miss the boat, bomb out, cave in, fall flat on your face

Yeah that's everyday life

But sometimes...

All I could see was the outline of a figure.

Why weren't they turning on the goddamn lights?!

Then, fuckin' old man Harry came on the mic at the bar, interruptin' the set. "Ladies and gents, this cowboy needs no introduction! Welcome back to Harry's, E.C. Red Wing!"

Oh son of a bitch…

This shit wasn't possible…and he didn't seriously use that name did he?

Then it all seemed to happen simultaneously, the lights came on, the crowd went nuts, he boomed into the chorus in all his glory and I damn near pissed myself and orgasmed all at the same damn time.

You hit a good lick, the stars light up

Your ship comes in, you make your mark

You catch a break, and you're sittin' on top

Yeah, cream of the crop!

You're the stuff, you set the bar

You beat the odds and there you are

Spend most your life sittin' in the dark waitin' your turn

But every now and then you burn

Watching him sing and bring the songs to life on stage…knowing it had been Red all along that … I'd actually been working alongside him all this time…

I glanced over at Alice and Jasper who were both smilin' at me with huge ass grins on their faces.

"How fuckin' long have ya'll known?! When did you figure out the guy I was working with was Jasper's friend here?"

"Honestly, we had suspicions but we didn't know for sure until you two started talkin' at the bar," Jasper hollered to me, leaning around Alice.

Unable to contain my smile, I brought my eyes back to the stage and trained them on Red…or as I now knew, his real name was Edward. Why hadn't I ever thought to look his real name up in Daddy's work file on him?

Oh that's right! 'Cause I'm a dumbass!

Jesus Christ on a cracker, just look at the man. It was no wonder he had so many women after him earlier. Good lord, why hadn't I put it together then?!

As I looked up, I startled. His eyes were locked on mine and he seemed to be genuinely confused as he watched my lips.

It took me a minute, but then I realized ...

He wasn't signed, and yet, here I was as the first show of his I'd ever been to and I was singing along to his original music, word for word. Yeah, that's not awkward at all.

Shit.

As it was, I was trying my damnedest not to climb the stage, maul his ass and take him backstage, because believe me…I wanted to. Desperately.

Watching the way his body moved with the beat and his hand strummed the guitar, he was all over the place, just a tall, handsome heap of energy. Dammit! Why hadn't I groped his ass earlier?

You go wild in style, chest out chin up, you're king for a day

And then reality hits like a fist, hits you hard, steals your thunder away

And when it beats you down

The wheel spins around and

You hit a good lick, the stars light up

Your ship comes in, you make your mark

You catch a break, and you're sittin' on top

Yeah, cream of the crop!

You're the stuff, you set the bar

You beat the odds and there you are

Spend most your life sittin' in the dark waitin' your turn

But every now and then you burn

Oh shit, now he's smiling at me…and there went a wink. Yep, these panties are as good as trash when I get home. Why the hell had I even worn any tonight?

Again, I reiterate…dumbass.

I just barely registered Alice nudgin' me in a teasin' fashion from beside me, but I was on cloud nine.

That was until I saw blonde bimbo number one throw her bra on the stage. Red simply grimaced at it and grinned when his bass guitarist swept it to the side of the stage with the toe of his boot.

Shortly after, a pair of panties flew up and stuck to his jeans, that one made him visibly cringe. He actually kicked those bitches off himself, and then had the few bouncers that were in the bar remove the bitch that threw them from the area of the stage.

Four more songs passed much the same way. More panties and bras, more smiles and winks in my direction, more swoonin' and bucklin' of my knees…

Hell, some crazy ass bitch even went so far as to climb the damn stage and attempt to maul him. That didn't last long. The security in the bar took care of her really quick, and Red had simply looked back at me with a weary shake of the head and roll of the eyes.

For an unsigned, local artist, he sure had one hell of a followin'. I couldn't believe it took me meetin' someone like Jasper out in Seattle to learn about him. Guess it just went to show exactly how sheltered I lived my life before I left for UDub.

When I saw Red approach me between songs, I thought he was gearin' up for a break, but never, I never expected him to do what he did. He stopped right in front of where I stood with Alice and Jasper, knelt down, and extended his hand out to me along with that brilliant smile of his.

"What?" I asked, grinnin' like a damn fool. I didn't need a mirror to know that.

"Just get up here would ya?"

"For what? I don't sing, Red," I laughed.

"I ain't expectin' ya to," he told me softly, taking my hand in his gently as I finally gave it to him. Of course, once he saw I was going willingly, he took both my hands and literally picked me up and pulled me up onto the stage.

The crowd of course went crazy with cat calls—well, the men did. Most of the women gave the bitch face.

"Are you insane? Half the women in this fuckin' town are plottin' my death as we speak," I whispered to him.

"They won't touch a hair on your beautiful head, Bella," he laughed, guiding me to sit on a stool beside his mic, his hand firmly planted at the small of my back.

Wait … Oh my, God. He'd just called me Bella. Not Short Stack.

Where the hell had that come from?

"So exactly what are you doin' here, cowboy?" I asked flirtatiously, making damn sure my hand snuck in a discreet grab of his ass when the crowd couldn't see.

"You might wanna watch it there, darlin'. It's been a long time for me and well…shit, let me do this and we'll take a break, all right?"

"You got it," I groaned, letting my head hang.

Before I knew what was happening, he'd walked back toward the mic and had delivered some speech about how the next song was for a wonderful woman and it needed no explanation.

It honestly left me confused as hell, until he began singing, and as he did so, he stood right in front of, beside, or behind me, alternating all the while.

If you like a man who

You can put your trust in

You don't have to worry

Where he's been

Then rest easy

Girl, you're gonna love me

And if you like to slow dance

To ol' Keith Whitley

Long Sunday drives out

In the country

I'm your cup of tea

Girl, you're gonna love me

Come and rest your head against my chest

'Cause I'm the one for you

You don't have to look no more

Your search is through

So girl if you like a handful

Of fresh wild flowers

A back rub on a bad day

Talkin' for hours

I'm good company

Girl you're gonna love me

Come and rest your head against my chest

'Cause I'm the one for you

You don't have to look no more

Your search is through

So girl if you like a big heart

That's in this for the long haul

Till we're rockin' on the front porch

And they're callin' me papaw

Till the last breath you breathe

Girl you're gonna love me

Just try it and see

Girl you're gonna love me

As soon as the last chord of the guitar sounded, he pulled it from 'round his neck and set it on the stand beside his mic, taking my hand in his.

After that display he'd just put on in front of God and everybody—somethin' no one had ever done for me—I couldn't stand there and do nothin'. So, with a smile the size of Texas upon my face, and the crowd cheering him on loudly, I brought my other hand to his jaw and turned his head around to face me.

As soon as his eyes locked with mine, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. I felt him jump back in surprise at first, but then he relaxed and soon enough, he was kissing me back.

His lips were warm, soft, and molded perfectly to mine, moving in perfect synchronicity with my own as he wrapped his arm tighter around my waist, urging me backstage.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, as he pulled away for a breath the second we exited the barn.

"A kiss," I smiled, pressin' myself against him and hookin' my fingers into the front belt loops of his jeans.

"I know that, smart ass," he laughed heartily. "I wasn't expectin' that. Where the hell did it come from? And mind tellin' me how you came across my music?"

"You sayin' you haven't figured it out yet, cowboy?" I questioned as he arched a brow at me in confusion, movin' one of his hands from my waist to run it through his hair.

"Did you not see me standin' next to Jazz and Allie?" I asked, pressing a trail of kisses from his jaw up to his ear. I don't know what cologne he was wearing, but damn. It not only smelt good, but it fuckin' tasted amazin' on him.

"Aw shit, no … no, I didn't. Oh fuck, your date …" I saw the moment it all began to click for him because his eyes went dark, and he began bitin' at his lips. "Damn darlin', why the hell didn't you say nothin'?" he groaned, pullin' me closer.

"Red, baby, I thought you knew. So, tell me …" I started, sucking his bottom lip into my mouth. "Is this common for you?"

"Is what common?" he grunted, hookin' his hands beneath my knees and liftin' me up, bringin' my mouth closer to his and my hips right where they wanted to be.

"You takin' a woman back here."

"Is that what Jazz told you?" he questioned, movin' his lips across my jaw and down my neck now, nibbling here and there.

"No. He hasn't told me anythin' other than the fact you were a good guy, a gentleman."

"Well, believe it or not, sweetheart, I've only been with two other women in my life and both were really serious. Both also hurt and fucked me up, so … if we …"

"If we try anything, we're gonna have to go slow … I know," I finished for him, rubbin' my hands up and down his chest. "How's about you and I make a deal though?"

"What kind of deal?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes and placin' both his hands over my ass, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Tonight's a free pass. I've wanted you since the first day I walked up on site, and I've lusted after just your voice for even longer than that. I fuckin' need …"

"To not say anymore," he growled, fistin' his hands in my hair as he pushed me forcefully against the creaky old wood of the barn wall, the overhead lights casting a soft glow over us in the dark night. His hips gyrated roughly against me as his mouth came down over mine, his tongue sliding in and tangling with my own.

With each thrust of his hips, I cried out, the sounds swallowed by his aggressive kisses. My hands had long since buried in his glorious hair I'd longed to fuckin' touch since first layin' eyes on him.

"Shit, I gotta finish the set…" he growled into my mouth, his hands running up and down my sides, over my ribs and barely brushing the sides of my breasts.

"Not to mention get that pecker of yours under control, Ed," Jasper barked a laugh.

"Damn you, Jazz! Fuck off!" I hollered, grabbing Red by the front of his shirt and pulling him flat against me.

"They're asking what happened to him. Besides, I highly doubt this is where you want to ... yeah. Anyway, I take it the hook up is a success?"

"Nah, we're just out here kissin' and rubbin' on each other cause there's nothin' better to do, jackass," Red shot back, subtly wrapping an arm around me and pulling me flush against him, thrusting against me one more time, causing me to bite down onto his shoulder.

"Well, just a head's up, Bee. Your Daddy's inside, and so is some big ass dude named Bull. They seemed to think they're being punked, believe you two hate each other. Was the tension really that bad?"

I glanced at Red and him at me, and before Jasper could get another word out, we were laughin'.

"You have no idea, J," Red explained. "Oh, and this is just me goin' on a whim, but I'm gonna ask anyway. Think I can borrow the chaps tonight?"

"Oh hell no," I interjected, pulling my lips away from his neck. "As much as I want to see your sexy ass bare in a pair of chaps, I'll be damned if its gonna be the same fuckin' pair I've had to see his mangy ass strut around in. I'll buy you some if I got to, Red."

"Before anybody's going buying anybody assless chaps, somebody want to fill me in on just what in the hell that was I witnessed up on that stage in there?" Daddy's voice bellowed from the other side of Red and me, and judging from the way he was lookin' at our position against the barn, combined with his tone, he was none too happy.

"Short Stack, he's gonna castrate my ass anyway. I say we make a run for it. At least that way, we can still have one night together and I can give it to you fuckin' good," Red murmured into my ear.

"And here I thought you were a gentleman. Apparently, you're still an asshole," I chuckled.

*~LRW~*

Quick Glossary of Oil Field Terminology:

Fishing a Hole- recovering lost or stuck equipment in the well.

Well- the hole made by the drilling bit, which can be open, cased, or both

Driller- normally in charge of a specific (tour) drilling or workover crew. The driller's main duty is operation of the drilling and hoisting equipment, but they are also responsible for the downhole condition of the well, operation of downhole tools, and pipe measurements.

Toolpusher- employee of a drilling contractor who is in charge of the entire drilling crew and the drilling rig. Also called a rig superintendent, drilling foreman, or rig supervisor.

Derrickhand- the crew member who handles the upper end of the drill string as it is being hoisted out of or lowered into the hole. On a drilling rig, they are responsible for the circulating machinery and the conditioning of the drilling or workover fluid.

Motorman- the crew member on a rotary drilling rig, who is responsible for the care and operation of drilling engines.

Worm (floorhand)- the lowest member of the drilling crew because this hand has the dirtiest and most physically demanding position. The worm works primarily on the rig floor where he is the one actually operating the tongs, iron roughneck, tugger, and catwalk, and doing pretty much any other job which is asked of him.

Chainhand- this position is given to a floorhand that can also throw chain, which is pretty much just another floorhand that watches out for the worm and does not get as filthy.

---

A/N:

I've been extremely excited about posting Red. Originally, I was just going to follow-up with a second chapter.

THAT'S CHANGED!

It is currently in pre-writing stages, and believe me, my team is staying on top of me to make sure it gets done LOL

Red Wing is one of the strongest muses I've had in a while so I'm anxious to hear what you think!

Hopefully you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Thank you to all who donated and made the F4OK such a huge success.

So many wonderful authors contributed & made for an amazing compilation, which I STILL haven't made it all the way through LOL.

By the way, I'll be submitting Edward/Red's POV or take of a first chapter to the Fandom 4 Friends :)

Please consider donating to this cause and helping one of the fandom's own.

www dot friends dot fandomcause dot info

*~T~*