Riding the River (The Westerners, Book One)
Page 9
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Getting off the plane, Sarah said her goodbyes to various people she’d enjoyed talking with. Lots of passenger smiles, making the flight attendants happy too. Sarah collected her bags from the revolving turnstile in Baggage Claim and thought about her next step. She’d spoken with the staff at the guest ranch who advised her to spend the first night in Reno – The trip to Wells would take almost five hours by car.
That was good advice… Sarah was tired. She got a shuttle to the Best Western Hotel at the airport, registered and straggled in to her room. She collapsed on the bed and fell asleep. It had been a long day.
Sarah woke up with a crick in her neck and read the room clock. Dinnertime. Was she hungry? She was hungry as a…. horse? Might be the appropriate expression to use in the West… sort of. She rubbed her neck, trying to get the crick to go away or at least cooperate. If her neck wasn’t at a decent angle, eating would be difficult. Glancing in the bathroom mirror, Sarah redid her French twist and then changed her blouse to a fancier one. She smoothed her long skirt…
The hostess in the hotel’s coffee shop sat her in a booth by a window, where she could look out on the street. Flying in, she’d already marveled at the mountains all around the city, some with snow still on higher elevations. She knew the city of Reno sat in a basin called the Truckee Meadows. The Truckee River snaked its way through Reno coming south through the mountains up by Lake Tahoe. Interesting city. She wanted to spend more time here someday.
She’d just started on her soup course when she overheard the couple next to her arguing. Their voices grew louder until the hostess came over to ask them to lower their discussion. Sarah glanced to a side booth and saw a handsome man with dark, wavy hair glancing at her. His expression mirrored hers – what was going on with that couple?
Suddenly, the man slapped the woman. Sarah blinked in complete surprise and froze. The dark-haired man came across the room faster than she could blink twice. He grabbed the man’s hand, stopping him from slapping the woman again. By this time, the cops had been called and the restaurant was in turmoil. The dark-haired man just backed away and watched the guy until the police showed up to take the couple somewhere else. His mere presence ensured that there would be no more violence… Wow…John Wayne couldn’t have done better.
Sarah sat back abruptly. All the air whooshed out of her lungs. Stunned, but excited, she looked around for her napkin. The hostess profusely thanked the dark-haired man for his help and said his dinner would be complimentary. Clutching her napkin, Sarah watched him go back to his table, pick up his cowboy hat. He put it on and pulled it low on his forehead… And what a handsome face. He looked over at her. She blatantly stared as he gazed back for a full minute. She held her breath as he took in her blonde hair piled on top of her head and her Eastern clothes. His dark eyes searched her blue ones…for what? He nodded, touched a finger to the brim of his hat and left. She began breathing again. Was that a slight smile on his face? He looked so familiar… Oh, my…
Life in the Old West was apparently still exciting…
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CHAPTER SEVEN