As a PR person, Chelsea was delighted with the welcoming venue. As a staunch supporter of Thunder Mountain Academy, she was touched. Thank goodness she’d spent so much time on her presentation and felt good about how it would be received.
Sarah hurried toward her and held out both hands. “Chelsea!”
“This is such a wonderful thing for you to do, Sarah.” Chelsea squeezed her hands. “It sets just the right tone for the presentation. Thank you.”
“It was a group effort. I can’t wait for you to meet everyone, but I’m sure you’ll want to check with Lily first. She’s right up front with Jack.”
Chelsea turned and discovered Jack had taken her computer case with him. He stood next to a card table while he talked with a woman wearing jeans and a tie-dyed shirt. She also had the reddest hair Chelsea had ever seen. Gabe’s wife Morgan had red hair, but this woman’s was so bright it practically gave off sparks.
“Come on.” Sarah motioned Chelsea to follow her. “You can trust Lily. She’ll make sure the technical part of your presentation goes off without a hitch.”
“Great.” She made her way up the aisle behind Sarah and was introduced to Lily. Chelsea liked her firm handshake and her steady, intelligent gaze. “I appreciate you being here.”
“Of course! I would have showed up anyway, so I’m happy to help.”
Sarah squeezed Chelsea’s shoulder. “I need to go mingle. When you’re finished setting up, come on over to the refreshments table and I’ll introduce you to a few people.”
“Perfect. Thanks.” Chelsea sent her a look of gratitude.
After Sarah left, Jack glanced at Lily and Chelsea. “All set, then?”
Lily smiled at him. “Chelsea and I have everything under control. Thanks for helping me bring in the projector.”
“No worries. Sorry Regan couldn’t make it.”
“Me, too, but that mare needs him right now.” After Jack walked away, she turned back to Chelsea. “My husband’s a vet.”
“Jack told me.”
“He wanted to be here, but he got called out to monitor a problem pregnancy. Jack helped me with the projector. God love these cowboys, they can’t stand to see a woman carry anything heavier than a purse.”
Chelsea laughed. “I’ve noticed.”
“Anyway, let’s get you hooked up and test the system.”
As they were setting up, Finn arrived and Chelsea made the introductions. “Lily runs an equine rescue operation,” she added.
“Oh, yeah?” Finn looked impressed. “What a great thing to do.”
“Isn’t it?” Chelsea glanced at Lily. “Would you mind if we came out to see it tomorrow?”
“I’d love to have you. Regan should be there, so you can meet him, too. Come for lunch if you want, although I warn you I’m a vegetarian, so you won’t get any meat.”
“That’s no problem for me,” Chelsea said.
“Or me,” Finn said. “I’m Wyoming born and bred, so I used to think I had to have steak with every meal, but living in Seattle has changed my mind.”
“Then I’ll expect you both around one for veggie lasagna.” Lily finished hooking up the cables and turned on Chelsea’s computer. “Call up your file and let’s see if we’re ready to rock and roll.”
The connection worked perfectly, but Lily insisted on staying to babysit the equipment while Finn and Chelsea went over to join Sarah and be introduced to the guests. Chelsea used her honed memory tricks to keep track of names and faces. That was always good when meeting new people, but it was especially important when asking them for money. She answered questions about Thunder Mountain Academy and explained her involvement in the project.
Finn seemed completely at ease, and she couldn’t help contrasting that to five years ago when she’d worked with him on his own Kickstarter campaign. At first he’d balked at the idea of seeking donations from strangers and she’d thought his reluctance stemmed from being a foster boy. But it had been deeper than that. He’d remembered living with a grandfather who’d never had enough money.
But once he’d understood that renovating the old historic building meant giving something valuable back to the community, he’d gradually become more comfortable with the process. Now he was fighting for the couple who’d created a safe haven for him and so many other boys. He obviously had no problem seeking help under those circumstances.
They made a good team as they chatted with people who might possibly mean the difference between success and failure for Thunder Mountain Academy. The meet-and-greet was going along smoothly until Pam Mulholland arrived. She came over to the refreshments table and smiled at Chelsea and Finn. “So how did you both sleep?”
Finn choked on his coffee, which sent several people, mostly women, rushing to his aid. Chelsea stepped back and let them fuss over him while she ducked her head and tried to regain her composure. If Finn hadn’t reacted, she might have been able to keep her cool, but her cheeks felt hot.
Apparently, Jack wasn’t one of the people making sure Finn didn’t choke to death, because he hurried over to her instead. “Are you okay? You’re as red as the paint job on my truck!”
“Thank you, but I’m fine. Just...” What? As she gathered her wits and raised her head to meet his gaze, she scrambled for an explanation that had nothing to do with choking, which would be too coincidental. Finally she sacrificed her professional poise to the cause. “Anxiety attack,” she murmured. “I’ll be fine once I start my presentation.”
“You get nervous?” He didn’t seem to be buying it.
“A little.”
“Must be more than a little. You really were red.”
“I know.”
“But you’re looking better now. You’re more the color of bubble gum than tomato juice.” He gave her a wink. “That bright red clashed with your purple hair.”
“Lavender.” She took a deep breath. “Thank you for being concerned.”
He nodded, acknowledging her gratitude, but his dark eyes continued to assess her. Then he lowered his voice. “Funny how you and O’Roarke lost your cool at the same time.”
“Life is strange.”
“Isn’t it? Pam comes in and asked how you slept and O’Roarke chokes while you get stage fright. Go figure.”
So he’d guessed what it was all about, but she would neither deny nor confirm. “One of those crazy coincidences.”
“I knew when you two walked in the Spirits and Spurs last night you had unfinished business with each other.”
“Oh?”
“For what it’s worth, I’m in favor of taking care of unfinished business.” He patted her on the shoulder. “I should probably also mention that the boys are setting up our little homemade dancing platform for the barbecue tonight. We’ll have a DJ instead of live music, but he’s an excellent DJ. I can say that because he’s Josie’s brother. I hope to see you and O’Roarke out there.”
“We will be. Last night was fun.” Then she realized that could be taken more than one way. “I mean, the dancing was—”
“I hope it was all fun. Now, what do you say? You’re the star of this little show. Shall we get this party started?”
She took another deep breath. “Yes.”
“You don’t really get stage fright, do you?”
“Not really.”
“I didn’t think so. You’re like me, in control of yourself. I don’t get it, either. In fact, I’ll be up there introducing you, so if you’re ready to go...”
“Bring it on.”
“Atta girl.” Jack cupped her elbow before turning toward Finn. “Showtime, O’Roarke. Everybody else, find a chair!” Then Jack escorted her to the front of the room.
She recognized that his casual gesture of taking her elbow gave her the seal of approval for the entire crowd. If she w
as Jack’s buddy, then they would listen to her. Finn joined her and they stood together as Jack explained who they were and why they were here.
“And as an added enticement,” Jack said, “they’ve brought these amazing Men of Thunder Mountain calendars, created primarily by our own Dominique Chance, who donated her services.” He gestured toward where she sat and the group applauded.
“And,” Jack continued, “the calendar happens to feature me as Mr. July. Check it out.” He opened it to his picture and walked back and forth, displaying it.
Chelsea worked hard to keep from laughing. He was in his element, and he was going to help bring money to the cause. Jack obviously loved his life as a rancher, but if he ever decided to get into PR, he’d be a natural.
“They brought a limited number of these calendars,” Jack said, “so if you want to take one home, you have to pledge a minimum amount today. If you donate later on, a calendar will be mailed to you, but what we have here is instant gratification until the supply runs out and the added incentive of autographs from four of the calendar boys. Now, let’s all silence our cell phones so we can watch the presentation Chelsea’s created for us.”
Chelsea gave the signal to Lily and the PowerPoint began. It looked almost flawless and drew generous applause at the end. Chelsea added her pitch for Thunder Mountain Academy, one she’d practiced carefully. She discussed the various items being offered to backers in addition to the calendar, such as weekends at the ranch and guided trail rides. The largest contributions would earn a free two-week session for the teen of their choice.
Then Finn said a few words about what Thunder Mountain Ranch had meant to him and why he felt it should continue teaching the values and skills he’d learned there. He told a few stories that made everybody laugh. But the obvious sincerity in his voice affected everyone, including her.
Afterward Chelsea used the card table as a base of operations, setting up her laptop so guests could make an online pledge. Chelsea’s pulse rate jumped as the amount grew rapidly.
She wanted to nudge Finn and get him to look, but he was busy autographing the April page of the calendar. Jack, Gabe and Nick sat nearby, signing their pages, too.
Lily had to take off to check on the animals at her place, but she’d glanced at the screen before she’d left and given Chelsea a thumbs-up. The number kept rising, but at the end, when the last guest had gone out the door, they were not quite there.
Oh, but they were so close. So close. Chelsea was jubilant. She motioned to Finn. “Come see!”
“How’d we do?” He glanced at the screen and whistled. “Not bad!”
That brought the rest of the family over. Amid the hugs, back-slapping and high fives, Finn excused himself to go call Rosie.
When he came back in from the porch, Chelsea walked over to him. “What did she say?”
His voice was husky. “Not a whole lot. Mostly she cried.”
“Aww.” Chelsea’s throat tightened.
“She said to give you a big hug, but if I did that, I might not be able to let you go.”
“Later.”
“Yeah.” He glanced over her shoulder. “Hey, there, Jack.”
He came up beside her. “Just wondered how your folks reacted to the news.”
“I only talked to Rosie, but she’s overjoyed and very grateful. And so am I. This was an awesome event.”
Jack rubbed his chin. “The thing is, you’ve almost got it. I was hoping you’d top out. I’m thinking I should just—”
“No, Jack.” Chelsea shook her head. “We still have a few days and you’ve already been so generous.”
“She’s right,” Finn said. “Much as I’d love to hit that magic number today, we’re so damn close. That money’s bound to come in. You hosted this event and made a sizable pledge already. Someone else will come through for the rest.”
“All righty, but if that needle is still sitting there on the last day, you call me, you hear?”
“We will,” Finn said. “Don’t worry. But I’d say we’ve got it.” His smile was a mile wide as he gazed at Chelsea. “We’ve got it.”
“Well, in that case, let’s celebrate!” Jack turned and spread his arms wide. “It’s time to party, but first we have us a little mess to deal with.” He started folding up chairs.
Chelsea immediately stood and folded up her chair.
“Whoa, not you, Miss Chelsea.” Jack came over and took the chair. “You’re our honored guest. Only the family has to work around here. And O’Roarke can lend a hand, because I know how much he’d hate being forced to sit and watch us slave away.”
She looked him in the eye. “So would I, Jack. Thanks for giving me a pass, but I intend to do my share.”
“Oh, well, in that case, here.” Grinning, he handed back the chair. “Welcome to the family.”
7
FINN COULDN’T BELIEVE the transformation in Chelsea during the past few hours. She’d morphed from a polished professional who made all the right moves, kept track of names and said all the appropriate things, to a goofy lady who joked around and didn’t seem the least bit worried about her appearance.
When the air turned cooler during happy hour out on the porch, Sarah took her inside to raid her closet. Chelsea returned looking like a kid in her big sister’s clothes. She’d rolled up the legs of the too-long jeans and the sleeves of the oversize sweater. Amazingly, the shoes fit.
As everyone commented approvingly on her outfit, she paraded up and down the porch like a model on a runway. Later on, Josie’s brother Alex and his wife, Tyler, arrived with all the grandkids in tow. Nick and Dominique’s son Lester, a teenager they’d adopted several years ago, developed an instant crush on Chelsea.
Finn could completely relate to the kid’s starry-eyed worship. Chelsea took it in stride and teamed up with Lester to direct the smaller kids in a game of hide-and-seek until it was dinnertime. Naturally all the kids wanted to sit with her, which meant Finn was out of luck.
During the meal served outside, she ate barbecue with her fingers and then licked them clean. It was cute as hell, but it was also erotic. He finally had to stop watching.
Instead he talked with Alex and Tyler. Alex was blond like his sister Josie while Tyler had dark hair and an olive complexion. Cassidy had a date, so Uncle Alex and Aunt Tyler had volunteered to watch all the kids for the afternoon.
“And I’m not too proud to admit I’m bushed.” Alex grinned. “They’re great kids, lots of fun, but, oh, my God, are they active.”
“Thank heaven Chelsea was willing to take over when we got here,” Tyler said. “I love them to death, but I was so ready to turn them over to somebody else. I don’t know how Morgan does it with three under the age of five.”
“And Morgan’s your sister, right?” Finn was still trying to keep everyone straight. He didn’t have Chelsea’s skill at matching names and faces.
“I know it’s confusing,” Tyler said. “I took after our Italian mother and Morgan took after our Irish father, so nobody can believe we’re sisters, but you can tell immediately that Alex and Josie are related.”
“I can.” Finn glanced at Alex. “Your sister has a great venue in Shoshone with Spirits and Spurs. I envy her that antique bar with the mirrors and brass fittings. I’d love to have something like that in O’Roarke’s, but it wasn’t in the budget.”
“Josie was smart,” Alex said. “She bought it when the market was down and the owners wanted out. Now Spirits and Spurs is a little gold mine.” He smiled. “She wants me to help market her beer once she gets going.”
“You’re in marketing? I thought you were a DJ.”
“Only for Chance parties now. I handle the marketing for the Last Chance’s horse-breeding program.”
“Does Chelsea know that? I’ll bet she’d like to trade war stories.”<
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“She might not know.” Alex gestured to the table where Chelsea was wiping the barbecue from a toddler’s face. “She threw herself into the breach right after we got here and we didn’t have a chance to talk. In fact, I wish we could have been here to see the presentation, but babysitting seemed more important.”
“Next time Cassidy has a date,” Tyler said, “I might have to fly Chelsea in from Seattle.”
“I had no idea she was so good with kids.” Finn watched the action at the other table with admiration.
“How long have you been together?”
He swung back to Tyler in confusion. “Excuse me?”
Her eyes widened. “Whoops. Sorry. I just assumed...never mind. I shouldn’t have leaped to conclusions. Bad habit.”
“No need to apologize.” Finn took a steadying breath. “We’ve worked together for five years but never dated. Recently...” Less than twenty-four hours ago. “That’s changed.”
Tyler nodded. “I’m glad my radar isn’t totally off. She seems very special.”
“She is.” He glanced over at the table and noticed that Josie, Morgan and Dominique had descended and were claiming their respective offspring. “And I think she’s just been relieved of duty. Excuse me a minute.” He moved toward her but hung back as she hugged each tearful child in turn.
Josie passed by first, holding her son Archie by the hand and carrying her daughter Nell. “We’re giving the kids a bath and putting them to bed in the ranch house,” she said. “I told Chelsea how much we appreciate her effort, but please mention it again. She was a lifesaver.”
“I’ll tell her.”
The five younger ones all left, but Lester seemed reluctant to go. Dominique talked to him, and at last he nodded and trudged back to the house with her.
Chelsea came toward Finn, her smile bright as the stars blinking overhead. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself. When you said I had a lot to learn about you, you weren’t kidding.”
“I love kids. My cousins all have kids and I’m constantly volunteering to watch them. They’re so creative and uninhibited. And the parents seem to love having a break.”
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