Bob waited behind with Erin and Sawyer. “Well, Mr. Jensen, you just got on Mel’s bad side.”
“Could be.”
“Thankfully, you were already awarded the contract,” Bob added.
“True, but once the project gets started, Mel will change his mind.”
“Don’t count on it.” Bob nodded to Erin and Sawyer and walked away.
Erin stood there absorbing Sawyer’s defense of her. It was the last thing she had expected from him, but there it was, warming her heart. It was something not a lot of people did for her. They always expected her to be the strong one, defending others. To be on the receiving end of it was like a gentle rain on her parched soul. “Thanks for your support.” Erin didn’t know how to handle this man. Too often, other professional men not from around here approached her ideas with skepticism. He didn’t seem fazed by her suggestions but, instead, welcomed them.
He nodded. “I liked your idea to make sure all the booths were occupied.”
Oddly, she wanted to preen over his compliment. “It’s just common sense.”
His rich laughter filled the air. “Sometimes common sense is the last thing that rules.”
“True.”
“I’m heading back to the rodeo office to go over the books for the last few years. I could use help from someone familiar with what’s gone on before, and a board member would be perfect for the job.”
The offer only added to her confused reaction to him. “I’ve got the morning free, so I can do that.”
“Good.”
They walked to their trucks.
“Growing up, I spent a lot of time on these grounds. I looked forward to September when the rodeo came,” Erin said.
“I understand. Summers my brother and I followed the traveling rodeo wherever it went.”
“What’d your parents think of that?”
His expression slammed shut, throwing her back on her heels. “My father died when I was young.”
The tone of his voice didn’t encourage any other questions. “I’m sorry.” Erin didn’t push. “I’ll see you at the offices.” She opened the door of her truck and slid into the driver’s seat.
Pulling out of the parking lot, she glanced in her rearview mirror and saw Sawyer standing by his truck, studying her.
“I guess he thought I might get into his business. Too bad the man doesn’t know me,” she said out loud. A smile slowly curved her lips. “But he’ll learn.”
* * *
When Sawyer walked into the offices of the bicounty rodeo, Erin sat talking to the secretary.
“I appreciate your prayers, Lisa. Dad’s improving a little each day.”
The women stopped and looked at him.
“Did you get lost?” Erin asked, her voice light.
“No, but I drove through the rodeo grounds and confirmed that the back entrance to the grounds needs the road widened and marked.”
“Excellent idea,” Erin replied.
Lisa grinned.
“What?” Sawyer looked at both women.
“Erin proposed that last year, but Mel disagreed and wouldn’t bring it up at the board meeting.”
“Well, I agree with you.”
“Good to know.”
“Let’s move into the other room and start working on this rodeo.”
A small office stood behind the reception area. Down from the office was a meeting room where Sawyer and Erin could spread out. On one side of the room were bookshelves filled with binders of past rodeos. The notebooks went back to 1937.
“I see this rodeo has a long past.” Sawyer nodded to the notebooks. “It’s great it’s been documented.”
Erin pulled the first notebook off the shelf. Carefully, she put the binder on the table, opened it and slowly turned the pages.
Looking over her shoulder, Sawyer read the name of Clayton Delong. He stepped closer. “Clayton Delong? Is he related to you?”
She looked up. Suddenly, the air between them thickened with awareness. Her eyes drifted toward his mouth. Swallowing, she said, “He was my dad’s grandfather. The rodeo has always been connected with my family, but as time has gone on, others in the community have bought in. When our rodeo combined with the Harding County rodeo, the Delong share diminished, but Dad still sits on the board.”
Her interest in the rodeo suddenly took on a different dimension. This was family heritage. He could respect that and admire it, but he hoped he’d read her right and she’d work to make this redo a success and not want to make it about the Delong name. So far, she’d indicated she wanted the rodeo’s success, but he’d been fooled before, so he knew not to let his heart lead the way. That didn’t stop his heart from pounding at her nearness. He was here only to fix the rodeo, nothing more.
He swallowed the lump in his throat. “So this is in your blood.”
“It is. But since the rodeo merged with the Harding County one, our family has not been as involved. Plus, I’ve been away at school and competing in barrel racing on weekends elsewhere, so I’ve not been here. Dad’s called me and told me about the problems, but that’s ancient history. Let’s talk about your plan and how to implement it. And, if it needs to be tweaked, we can see about that.”
Well, if he thought she’d back off, he realized he was mistaken. But he wasn’t fazed in the least.
She opened the massive tote she had with her and pulled out his proposal, a notebook and several pens, setting them on the table. “I’m ready.”
He knew a challenge when he saw one. “Let me get my papers.”
She smiled in a way that indicated this wasn’t going to be easy. She would have her say. When he walked back into the room, he had his notebooks and her proposal.
She pointed to her proposal. “Why do you have that?”
“I found it in here when I was looking for the financial records for the losing years of the rodeo, and I wanted to read it.”
“And?”
“I thought you had some good ideas, so let’s discuss how we can incorporate them into my plan.”
The corners of her mouth curled up. “Did you find the records for last year?”
“No, and I’d like to see those, to find out where the money was spent.”
“My father, as a board member, has a copy of those records, but they’re at home.”
Erin stood and walked out to Lisa’s desk in the reception area. “Do you know where the financial records are for the past several years?” Sawyer heard Erin ask.
“They are in Mel’s office.”
“Could we see them for the last year?”
“Sure, I’ll get them.”
Erin appeared back in the boardroom. Before they could get started, Lisa stood in the doorway. “Those records are not in Mel’s office. I have last year’s numbers on a flash drive in my desk. I’ll bring it to you.”
Several minutes later she reappeared. “I can’t find the flash drive, either. It’s not in my desk.”
Sawyer met Erin’s gaze.
“Lisa,