Clarke knew she had a lot to learn when she agreed to work on Woods Ranch. What she didn't know was that, in addition to horseback riding and cattle corralling, she'd be learning about love.
Lexa had zero tolerance for her new, inexperienced ranch h...
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Lexa didn't like to frame her life in terms of best and worst. It was dangerous to create some kind of unsubstantiated view of the past or view it through rose-colored glasses that hid the natural ups and downs of life and made her yearn for something that hadn't ever existed. But despite her knowledge of this, there was no avoiding it.
That summer was the best of her life so far.
It was undeniably, irrefutably, positively the happiest that Lexa had ever been. She hadn't remembered ever being so excited to earn a living, or meet new people, or even just wake up in the morning. Some days in her life, especially right after her parents had died, Lexa had only persevered through a tenacious refusal to quit. And even though she still sometimes had bad days, when the weight of responsibility on the ranch seemed too heavy, Lexa couldn't deny that this, now, with Clarke, was a life that she could be proud of in every way.
Because Clarke made her better. Lexa knew that she wasn't always very personable. She could always get the job done and make the connections she needed, but Clarke was just... nicer. More sympathetic to other people's situations, always asking about their businesses and grandchildren and that surgery they had three months ago. And Clarke made such an effort to maintain relationships with those she cared about. Lexa could get caught up in her work and, before she knew it, it had been weeks since she had last seen her friends. But Clarke always made time for them, even when things were busy. Where Lexa fell short, Clarke filled in the gap.
Beyond that, there were so many little moments that let Lexa know how lucky she was to have found Clarke. Clarke waking her up with a fresh cup of coffee. Clarke filling her mind with fresh ideas and new perspectives. Clarke burrowing into her side as they unwound at the end of a long day. Clarke laying down in the grass, "only for a minute," and falling fast asleep--Lexa had decided to join her rather than wake her up.
Of course, Clarke's transition back to the ranch that summer hadn't been without its challenges.
"Lexa, it's too quiet. I can't fall asleep."
"Just wait for me to start snoring," Lexa said groggily. "I sound like a grizzly bear, remember?"
"That won't work." Clarke's hand started wandering under Lexa's shirt, bringing her more awake. "I'll know you're sleeping, and that will only make me feel more stressed that I can't sleep." Her palm was now cupping Lexa's breast, which made Lexa's eyes open wide. "But maybe if you help me tire myself out..."
Of course Lexa had helped her. She could lose a little sleep to feel Clarke's hands and lips roaming over her body, especially if it were for such a worthwhile cause as helping Clarke fall asleep.
But more than that, it was some of the little things. Clarke had to readjust to riding on horseback for hours at a time (her walk the next day reminded Lexa of two summers before, when Clarke had first started to ride). She stalled out the truck again in the driveway ("I can see you laughing, Lexa! Don't make me come over there!"). She had to rebuild bonds with some of the cattle, who had seemed to forget who she was and that she could be trusted.
