At precisely five a.m. Spade was brought out of a deep sleep by a loud pounding on the door. Sitting up with eyes wide and breaking out in a cold sweat, he growls, "Damn woman, you didn't happen to be a goddamned Marine gunny did ya?"

"I coulda been, but I wanted to be a cop, now you eating with me or what?"

Spade smiles as he hears a soft laugh outside the door. "Can I shower first or do you want me to smell like a goat?"

Nikkie giggles, "Do what you like, smell however you like, just don't run the horses off."

"Great, I'll have steak, eggs and coffee and I'll be ready in five minutes."

"Bullshit mister, you'll have eggs, hash browns and bacon same as me. I'll toss the coffee in for free." Nikkie is busy in the kitchen when there is a sudden loud yell from the bathroom.

"Holy shit! Hey, the damn water is like ice."

"That's right. Now you know how I knew you wouldn't be ready in five minutes. Usually takes about fifteen minutes after I take my shower."

Fifteen minutes later, a grumbling Spade comes in and sits down at the table to a cup of steaming coffee. "If this is the way you treat all your guests, I can see why you don't have much business."

"Well, you're not a guest mister. You're a ranch hand and if you don't be nice to me, I might shoot you in the ass just to hear ya bitch. Oh and by the way, you have to babysit my pooch too. I usually have to take him into town with me while I'm working. He's too little to leave outside, the eagles will grab him."

Spade finishes off four eggs and hash browns with bacon and biscuits. "Okay, bosslady, have you got a picture that you want me to go by for building a corral, or shall I just do it?"

"Tell you what, I bought enough pipe to build a hundred foot square. You look at the stuff I have out there, and you build it and I'll love it. As long as the top rail is six foot, it's however you want to do it. When I get home tonight, I'll help you anyway I can. Just remember I'm just a poor, weak, lil' ol' lady."

Spade looks at her, "Yea right, and now who is full of shit? Now I know why your eyes are brown."

They both laugh and Nikkie takes her computer out and puts it in her cruiser. Spade comes out grinning. Remember, don't come home with any holes in ya, lady."

"I'll try not to. You got the place to yourself mister, don't burn it down and I'll seeya tonight. Cell phone number is on the wall by the phone."

"Take care Nikkie, seeya tonight."

With a wave of her hand, Nikkie leaves in a cloud of dust and flying gravel. Spade walks back to the house, the little dog running in front. He stops and looks around, the sky beginning to brighten. He takes a deep breath and says to himself, "Damn Spade, this is starting to look like home."

By the time he finishes another cup of coffee, the sun is peeking over the hills to the east. He drags two bales of hay from the barn, shredding it into the feed bunk as the horses gather around sandwiching him between them. He feels lucky to escape with only getting his foot stepped on once.

Walking out to the machine shed, he looks over the huge pile of pipe, whistling, "Well, she wasn't wrong about having enough pipe." He starts the flatbed truck and backs it out. He checks the fuel tank for the big generator and looks over at the huge Miller welder sitting behind the generator. Finding two big sealed boxes of welding rod, he smiles, "Damn I think she means business."

Measuring, finding the pipe to be in twenty foot sections, Spade makes a sketch, figuring to build the corral in twenty foot panels. The pipe measures inch and a quarter, "That will make a nice corral for her horses."

Walking back to the shed, he finds another pile of pipe that is four inch. "Damn, I bet she wants that for posts and that means digging post holes and cementing them. I'm sweating harder just thinking about that. We might have to renegotiate my wages. I didn't sign on for no damn digging. I'll bitch about being sexually coerced by that nice lookin' butt and big boobies, maybe even threaten a big law suit. Maybe get some extra fringe benefits. Yea, wait till she gets home."

Looking around further in the shed, Spade finds a fishmouth cutter that makes for a neater looking weld. "Man, she thought of everything, hmmm, maybe she knows more about welding than she lets on." Further searching finds a post hole digger and a stack of quikcrete. "Aha, now I know I'm goin to bitch, too bad I gave up my union card."

Spade lays out and marks where the posts will be and works late into the afternoon, digging post holes and cutting the four inch pipe to ten foot lengths. Noting the abrasive wheel on the chop saw is about worn out. Looking around and not finding another he goes in the house to call. Dialing her cell number, it rings three times, "Hey Spade, hold on I'm writing a ticket, be right back.

Spade grins, "Hell bosslady, be nice and give'm a warning."

A few minutes later, "Okay, you got my attention slave, what's up?"

Well, you need to pick up some new fourteen inch chop saw discs for cutting pipe, then we have to renegotiate the money, cause you sexually coerced me.

You didn't tell me about digging frigging holes clear to China for posts."

"Ohhh bullshit, ya big baby, I didn't know you were such a big sissy. I got another fast one, I gotta go seeya, boohoo boohoo."

"Damn bossy woman, just for that she gets a ham loaf sandwich for supper tonight." He goes back out grinning, counting the blisters on his hands, "Lessee now, at five hundred per blister, she can just give me her check. She can dig the damn holes, while I sit in the shade. This might not be too bad after all, maybe if I limp real bad she'll feel sorry for me."

Nikkie pulls in the drive a little after six, grinning, seeing Spade bent over, dragging a post, sweat dripping off his face and body. "What you doing out here slave, you should be in the house cooking supper for me."

"The way my back feels right now boss, you better thank the stars that you're packing a gun."

"Ooo ya big meanie, picking on a poor defenseless woman that has been working her ass off to keep you safe." Nikkie goes in the house and brings a tall icy can of beer for each of them. "Come sit on the porch with me sniffles, and you can cry on my shoulder."

Spade stands up slowly holding his back, turns and limps painstakingly towards the porch.

"Wow, you're in bad shape, I can't give alcohol to an injured man, be right back with some ice water." Before she can get to the door, Spade jumps up on the porch, leaping the hand rail and grabs the cold beer from her hand.

"I'll have to remember that beer is a cure all for you. It seems like all your aches and pains have evaporated. I might should have been a doctor."

"Nikkie, you are the biggest, meanest, cruelest boss I ever had," said Spade.

"Biggest? Hey now are you callin me fat, mister? I might have to sic my dog on you. Come sit down here and drink your beer, and I might forget what you said. All kidding aside Spade, you have five holes dug out there, and posts cut for them. You been bustin your butt haven't you? Hell, I might have to take back all those mean things I told you."

"Good, you can start by rubbing my back and bringin' me another beer."

"Bullshit mister, I hired you, I didn't marry you. If I rubbed anything it would...oooops, well never mind that. Suffice it to say, you did good today, so I'll fix supper while you put tools away." She laughs, smacking him on the back, pulling his ear and tousling his hair.

Later after a good meal of chops, sweet potatoes, salad and fresh baked biscuits, they sit talking about the corral. Spade shows the drawing that he is building to and Nikkie gives praise for what he has accomplished. She grins," the way you're going at it I'll have to find you something else to do."

"Well if you think I'll run from more work, you're wrong boss. Let me ask you a question, and you can tell me its none of my business if you want."

"Ask away I'll answer anything about anything...well, except sex, we won't talk about sex...yet."

"Okay I'll pass up the sex for now, I was wondering how much land you have here. I wouldn't think you keep your horses penned up all the time."

"Well, two years ago, the rancher that I got the horses from, had two hundred acres that bordered on my twenty, he made me a deal that I couldn't turn down, so I have two hundred twenty acres. A hundred acres, he puts in the hay crop and gives me a friendly price on hay. He has been a big help to me but he is really busy with his place and I don't have a lot of time to put into it. Now you know why I kidnapped your ass big boy."

Spade leans back in his chair, "I'm not afraid of work Nikkie, but I never done a lot of farming, but if you want to keep me on after I get this corral finished, I'll do what it takes to learn and I'll make a hand for you."

"Thats great Spade, consider yourself hired for keeps then and I'll do whatever it takes to keep you busy. And now then we better get some sleep, I know you have to be tired after what you got accomplished today."

"Well if you kick my door as hard in the morning as you did this morning, theres no question about me getting my ass outta bed."

That was kinda mean I guess, so I'll be gentle with you from now on. Glass of ice water should do the trick."

"Ha ha, I knew you didn't know what gentle is, I'll wear my raincoat to bed then."

"Anyway Spade, I'm going to hit the sack and I'll seeya in the morning, get some sleep, I want you all wide eyed and bushy tailed in the morning."

"Good night bosslady, dream about me."

Nikkie looks at him with raised eyebrows, "How do you know I don't already do that?"