“So is this why we’re here?” Skyler asked. “You were a bit on the vague side when you called.”
“Oh, no.” India motioned for Skyler and Elissa to follow her. Instead of heading for the front of the store, she veered toward the storage room. Once inside, she placed her hands down across three identical boxes. “I got us something to wear to the rodeo tonight. Consider it a little thank-you for getting Liam and me together.”
“You didn’t have to get us presents,” Skyler said.
“Speak for yourself, missy.” Elissa rubbed her hands together. “I love presents, and I worked danged hard for this one.”
The three of them laughed.
India flipped off the boxes’ lids in quick succession to reveal three pairs of colorful cowgirl boots.
“These are awesome!” Elissa picked up a purple pair covered with scrollwork and hand-tooled flowers.
“These are for you,” India said to Skyler as she indicated a pair of aqua boots with dark blue flowers and stitching.
“You didn’t have to do this. I wasn’t half as pushy as Elissa.”
“Hey,” Elissa said in mock offense. “Wait. You’re right.”
Skyler nodded toward the remaining pair of boots, which were obviously India’s. “The red ones are perfect for you.”
“So, Skyler, when we finally get your guy snagged, I’d like to request a spa day for my thank-you gift.”
Skyler couldn’t even be mad at Elissa. She came by her annoying matchmaking genes naturally. After all, her aunt Verona didn’t hold the title of Blue Falls’ cupid for nothing. “You’re going to be waiting awhile.”
“Really? From what I hear, you and the luscious Logan were working together to clean up the park yesterday.”
“Yes, and filling a truck with driftwood and trash is so incredibly romantic.”
“Honey, anything can be romantic if you work it right.”
“I know you’re trying to help in your own crazy way, but Logan Bradshaw was a one-time thing. He’ll be gone tomorrow, and hopefully he’ll take my temporary insanity with him.”
“I personally think you would have been insane if you hadn’t jumped his bones,” Elissa said as she put her purple boot back in the box.
Skyler ignored her.
They talked a couple more minutes before Skyler said she needed to get back to the inn to get some more work done before she headed over to the rodeo.
“We’ll save you a good seat,” Elissa said. “You need to have a clear view of Logan’s attributes.”
“Keep it up and I’ll tell Bernie Shumaker you’ve got the hots for him.” Bernie was the local jack-of-all-trades but master of none. No one knew how old he was, but ancient would suffice as a guess.
“Make sure his hearing aid is turned up or he won’t hear you.”
Skyler shook her head and left. But once outside, she headed for the Mehlerhaus Bakery across the street instead of her car.
“Hey, Skyler,” Keri Teague, the bakery’s owner, said as she looked up from where she was decorating a cake. “What can I get for you today?”
When Skyler looked at the display case, she noticed one of the rodeo posters taped to the front of the glass. Drat, the man was everywhere. “I’ll take a dozen of the lemon cookies and another dozen of the oatmeal-raisin.” One of the perks she offered her inn guests, fresh cookies from the bakery.
Her gaze kept going back to the poster despite her best intentions.
“That’s the guy you were dancing with the other night, isn’t it?”
Skyler jerked her attention to Keri, who now stood on the other side of the display case and had obviously caught her gawking. “Yeah.”
“I have to say these rodeos are bringing some mighty fine–looking men to town.”
“You tell Simon that?”
“As a matter of fact, I did.”
Skyler laughed a little. “I’m sure he liked that.”
“He might have reminded me why I chose to marry him.” Keri winked. “And that might have been my plan all along.”
For the second time in the past few minutes, Skyler felt a pang of longing in her middle when she thought about the happiness her friends had found in the most unexpected places.
But that didn’t mean she was going to find her own happily-ever-after with someone like Logan.
“Go ahead and give me another one of those lemon cookies,” she said before Keri closed the sliding glass door on the display case.
She paid, accepted her purchases and headed out the bakery’s door. The cookie was nothing more than a memory by the time she reached her car. Before she reached the inn, two more had followed it. Self-pity wasn’t attractive. And it was fattening.
Chapter Seven
Skyler left her apartment determined to not feel sorry for herself anymore. She had no reason to. After all, she had a great life—a successful business, awesome friends, a wonderful community. And after tonight she’d even be able to start work on the rebuilding of the park.
Thanks to Logan.
She shook her head as she got in her car, but it didn’t work in dislodging the image of Logan as he worked on clearing debris from the park. He’d been dirty, sweaty and probably stinky, too, but he’d also been sexy as hell. The man did very nice things for jeans and T-shirts.
Or no clothing at all.
Good grief, you’d think she was an infatuated teenager lusting after the captain of the football team.
When she reached the fairgrounds, she headed straight for the lemonade stand. As she expected, the line was long. But there was nothing better to beat the July heat than the fresh-squeezed lemonade made by the football boosters. When she finally reached the front of the line, she bought the largest lemonade they had. But as she headed toward the grandstand, a couple of kids ran out from between two parked horse trailers and slammed into her. She gasped as the contents of her cup spilled right down the front of her shirt.
The kids, sensing they were about to get yelled at, took off at a dead run before she could even tell who they were.
“I didn’t know there was going to be a wet T-shirt contest tonight.”
She looked up to see a couple of cowboys watching her just as the one who hadn’t spoken whistled at her. When someone’s hands clasped her shoulders, she yelped and spun away. It took a moment for her to realize it was Logan. He gave the other two cowboys a hard stare, then moved so that he was shielding her from them.
“Come on.” He placed his hand on her back and guided her toward where several RVs were parked.
“Where are we going?”
“To get you a clean shirt.”
She stopped. “I have more shirts.”
Logan turned to face her. “With you?”
“No, but I can run home.”
“You’ve already paid to get in. There’s no sense in you leaving when I’ve got something you can use.”
She started to protest again but stopped herself before she voiced the words. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“How rude I’ve been to you.”
He shrugged. “I’m sorry if I was too pushy. Now, are you going to let me save the day or not?”
She smiled a little at that. If she were a different kind of woman, she could easily fall under his very tempting spell. But she was strong enough to accept his help without giving in to temptation again.
He led her through the maze of RVs until they reached his truck.
“Aren’t all your things in your room?”
“I always keep a few things in the truck in case I need them.”
She couldn’t help but wonder if that was because sometimes he didn’t end up making it back to his own room.
He retrieved a small gym bag from the
truck and pulled a green T-shirt out. “It’ll be big on you, but at least it won’t be plastered to you like a second skin.”
Suddenly self-conscious, she crossed her arms over her breasts.
Logan leaned close. “I’ve already seen them.”
She flushed at the memory of his mouth capturing her breasts. Needing to get away from him, she took the proffered shirt and turned to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“To the bathroom to change.”
“You’ll have to walk past half the people here to get to the bathroom. Just change here. No one’s nearby.”
“You’re here.”
“I’ll turn my back.”
“I’m not sure I trust you.”
He made an X over his heart. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”
A jolt of fear went through her. “Don’t say that.”
He gave her a confused look.
“You’re about to ride an animal with ginormous horns. Don’t tempt fate.”
“Why, Miss Harrington, you almost sound like you care.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”
“Mmm-hmm,” he said, obviously sticking with his idea that she cared about his welfare specifically.
“Oh, turn around.”
He laughed as he complied. “If you need any help, just let me know.”
“Amazingly, I’ve been dressing myself for nearly thirty years.”
“Just trying to be neighborly.”
She snorted at that. Then, with a quick glance to make sure he wasn’t peeking, she swapped her wet shirt for his dry one. There was nothing she could do about the wet bra. That was going to be sticky and uncomfortable, but if Logan had a bra in his truck, she certainly didn’t want it.
He turned toward her. “See, I’m useful for something besides hauling lumber and being a flirt.”
“Thank you.”
“How about you give me a good-luck kiss instead?” He leaned toward her with puckered lips, causing her to laugh.
She stepped out of reach. “Good luck with your ride.”
He made an exaggerated pout, which made her smile all the way back to her car to toss her wet shirt inside.
The opening ceremony was already under way by the time she reached the grandstand and found her friends.
Elissa gave her a questioning look as Skyler sat down on the end of the bleacher. “Where did that T-shirt come from? And why do you smell like lemonade?”
She was saved from answering by the call to stand for the playing of the national anthem. But Elissa wasn’t so easily deterred. As soon as the song was over and they sat again, she said, “Well?”
“Couple of kids ran into me, and I got lemonade all over my shirt.”
“And you just happened to have a shirt that’s several sizes too large with you?”
“I borrowed it, okay?”
Elissa finally shut up, but Skyler wasn’t sure the knowing smirk she wore wasn’t more irritating than the questions.
As one event after another passed, Skyler tried not to make eye contact with Elissa. Instead, she talked to India about a new designer she’d found, chitchatted with Keri and the rest of the Teague clan, and watched Liam’s daughter, Ginny, chatting with her bestie, Mia Monroe.
“I’m surprised Jake brought Mia out tonight.” Skyler kept her voice low so Mia’s dad couldn’t hear her.
“He says it’s better for her to get out and see people, do things,” India said. “She gets depressed when he keeps her at home.”
“How much more treatment does she have?”
“Eight weeks, I think.”
The cost of Mia’s cancer treatments had been the catalyst for the first of the benefit rodeos. Part of Skyler wanted to hand over any proceeds from tonight’s event, as well, but the city and Liam’s rodeo company had set up the future events so that no one cause benefited from more than one rodeo. That would ensure fairness and the ability to spread the wealth around.
The public-address announcer told the crowd that the bull riding was up next, and Skyler’s nerves sparked to life. Logan might not be the man for her, but she certainly didn’t want him injured. She couldn’t get the sight of that jagged scar on his chest out of her mind as she watched one cowboy after another go flying through the air.
“Next up we’ve got a first-timer here at Blue Falls, but he’s had plenty of bull-riding experience. Logan Bradshaw will be riding Smokin’ Joe.”
Skyler held her breath as she saw Logan settle himself astride the bull and nod that he was ready. In a blink, the bull and Logan were out in the arena, the bull trying its best to rid itself of the man on its back.
“I think they should have named that one Jumpin’ Joe,” Simon Teague said from the next bleacher up.
Eight seconds had never lasted so long. Only when Logan had climbed out of the danger zone did she breathe more easily.
Elissa nudged her shoulder. “Your boy did good. Might just win this thing.”
Skyler fought the urge to leave, to go back to the calm and quiet of her apartment, where there was no danger of watching someone be gored to death. Somehow she made it through the rest of the bull riding and a couple more teasing remarks from Elissa, even a knowing grin from India. Once the rodeo was over, she slid off the bleachers.
“See you at the music hall,” Elissa said.
“I’m headed home. I’m beat.”
Elissa started to say something else, but India grabbed her arm and clapped her hand over Elissa’s mouth as she guided her away. Skyler mouthed a “thank you” when India glanced back at her.
As she drove through town and saw the crowd gathering at the music hall, she almost changed her mind. Just because her last time there had led to her going back to Logan’s motel didn’t mean that would happen again. She wasn’t completely without restraint.
Or was she?
Just to be on the safe side, she drove the rest of the way home, took a shower and washed a load of laundry, including her sticky shirt and bra and the T-shirt she’d borrowed from Logan. She’d leave it in an envelope for him at the front desk to pick up when he checked out in the morning. Maybe she wouldn’t even have to see him before he left town. Part of her didn’t like that idea, but the part that had some sense knew it was the best thing. He wasn’t a staying kind of guy, and that’s what she needed if she decided to take that kind of chance.
When her phone received a text, she almost didn’t look at it in case it was Elissa bugging her to come to the music hall. But it was actually from Liam telling her how much they’d made on the rodeo. It was a good amount, enough to get the dock rebuilt and the picnic shelters filled with new tables. But the rest of her plans were going to have to stay nothing more than ideas for the foreseeable future.
She tried reading to take her mind off of everything, but it didn’t work. Neither did watching TV or making sure all of her kitchen cabinets were in perfect order. She closed the last cabinet and headed for her office. When she stepped out of her apartment, she heard laughter coming from the dining room at the far end of the hallway on the other side of the lobby. Some of the guests were evidently eating a late dinner. She was glad to hear they were having a good time, but something about the sound of their laughter made her feel even more alone than she had inside her apartment.
She took a deep breath and opened her office door. Once inside, she started some melodic Celtic music playing and pulled out her plans for the park. She wasn’t sure when she’d become so attached to the ideas sketched out in front of her, but she had. She hated not having the means to put her plans in motion, but it wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to be patient to get what she wanted. As she’d been saving up enough money for a down payment on the inn, she had lived in fear that the p
revious owners would back out on their promise to wait for her. It had seemed to take forever, but she’d done it.
There was another way to get the money, but that might never come to pass.
“You’re working late.”
She jumped at the sound of Logan’s voice. He stood in the doorway, all long, tall, handsome-as-sin cowboy.
“I get more done when the phone isn’t ringing.”
“Good thing about riding bulls. Nobody calls me when I’m working.”
“But then, I don’t have to worry about my office stabbing me to death.”
“I don’t know. I hear letter openers can be sneaky devils.”
She shook her head. “I figured you’d be burning up the dance floor at the music hall with everyone else in town.”
“I went for a little bit, but my favorite dance partner wasn’t there.”
“I think I need a pair of waders. It’s getting deep in here.”
“You don’t take compliments very well,” he said.
“I might accept it if I thought you meant it.”
“I do.”
She looked up at him and was tempted to believe him. Maybe a part of him even did mean it. After all, she’d never doubted her father’s love for her mother. And when he promised to “stay this time,” he might have even believed what he was saying. But the allure of the new and exciting always pulled him away, and Logan Bradshaw was cut from the same cloth.
Logan gestured toward the top of her desk. “What are you working on?”
“Plans for the park.”
“Can I see?”
“Sure.” What could it possibly hurt to show him? She spun the drawing around so he could see.
It took Logan only a couple of steps to cross to her desk, and the moment he was in the room he seemed to fill it. As he leaned forward to look at her sketch, she’d swear she could smell him, an oddly alluring mixture of earth and man. For a crazy moment, she imagined sweeping everything off her desk and letting him take her on top of it.
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