Sawyer had seen the shock and sadness flash in Erin’s eyes before the protective shield came up to cover her emotions. His heart went out to her, or maybe it was just plain attraction that struck him like a fist to the chin. After his brother’s recent marriage, Sawyer realized how alone he was now, and a restlessness settled inside him. The brothers hadn’t really had a home since that little apartment behind the church in Plainview in the Texas Panhandle, but it hadn’t mattered because they’d been a team. Together against the world. But now?
“You’re not going to have lunch with that woman, are you?” Melvin walked back into the room.
Sawyer grabbed his laptop and the projector. “I am.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m hungry.”
Melvin sputtered. “But you won.”
Sawyer nodded toward the outside glass door. Melvin opened it. When Sawyer had arrived this morning, he’d driven to the rodeo board’s office, then followed Melvin to the new convention facility.
“Winning makes a poor lunch, Mel, and when Erin mentioned food, my hunger hit me like a kick from the old mule my dad worked with. And since the place is right here, why not eat?”
Melvin opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
“Besides, I’d think you’d want me to see if I could win the woman over, get her on my side. It will make things operate smoothly. I don’t want any disruptions.”
“Well, yes, but—”
“I’m glad you agree. It will make things better later on.”
Sawyer stored his equipment in the long steel toolbox that ran the width of the bed of his truck. Turning, he faced Melvin and waited for the rest of his comment.
“Well?”
Mel glared. “Don’t be surprised if she bites your ear off and spits it out.”
“I’ll consider myself warned.”
Mel gave a curt nod and strolled to his car.
Sawyer’s curiosity about Erin was piqued as he walked to the restaurant. His competition for this job was certainly much better looking than the one for the last job. Of course, from all the panicked looks thrown at Erin when she’d walked into the room, and from the dire warning just issued, he’d have to be on guard. The lady wasn’t just a pretty face. But, as he thought about it, Sawyer couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d met Erin somewhere before. Where, he couldn’t say, but—
When he opened the door to Lulu’s, the smell of burgers smacked him in the face, making his mouth water. Chrome-and-Formica tables à la 1950s vintage dotted the restaurant, with several booths by the windows. A jukebox sat close to the front door. Pictures from previous rodeos hung on the walls, along with ribbons from different 4-H projects. In the center of one wall was a large picture of Erin racing around a barrel, her long hair flying from beneath her cowgirl hat, her elbows out and her body low over the neck of the horse. A ribbon hung off the corner of the picture with a plaque below announcing State Champion. The picture impressed him. The lady knew her way around a rodeo, that was for sure, and he knew she’d have some ideas.
In a booth by the windows sat Erin. As he approached the table, she pointed to the opposite wall. “If you want to eat, you have to order at the counter behind you.”
She wasn’t going to make this easy, but, oddly enough, that didn’t put a damper on his spirit.
He glanced over his shoulder. A large menu covered the wall behind the order counter. He turned back to her. “Recommend anything?”
“Try Lulu’s chili burger.”
He nodded and ordered the burger. When he joined her, he noticed that she had opened his proposal. Sliding onto the bench across from her, he asked, “What do you think?”
“That you know how to put together a proposal.”
“That’s it?”
She placed her forearms on the tabletop and leaned forward. “I haven’t read it all. Your slick marketing diverted my attention.”
He didn’t think she meant it as a compliment, but he couldn’t help smiling. He’d impressed her. “Well, it’s geared to do that.”
“Let’s see if the sleek outside matches what’s inside.” She looked down at the presentation.
If he didn’t miss his guess, it would take a lot to win over this woman. He didn’t mind competing with others for a job, but he would’ve liked to have known there was a hometown applicant in the running against him.
He studied her while she read his plan. The lady’s long dark hair hung as a single thick braid down her back. If he didn’t miss his guess, she had Native American blood flowing through her veins, but with a name like Delong, he wondered. She must be five foot seven or eight, since she stood just at the right height for him to kiss her with ease. The thought startled him and he must’ve made some sound.
“What?” she demanded.
He waved away the question. “Nothing.”
She went back to reading.
Kissing her? That crazy thought had to be fallout from the wild morning he’d had, combined with his brother’s recent marriage. Caleb’s main focus now would be his wife, and the new baby they were expecting. But it left Sawyer feeling at loose ends. The brothers had depended on each other to survive their teen years. Well, they weren’t teenagers anymore, but Sawyer felt a certain part of himself missing.
“I know you haven’t had time to completely look over my proposal,” he blurted out, “but did you have any follow-up questions to the presentation I made? Is there anything you might not have been comfortable asking in the presence of the others that I can answer now?”
The instant the last word fell out of his mouth, he knew he’d stepped in it. The fire in her eyes blazed. “I didn’t mean—”
“Understand, Mr. Jensen, I don’t suffer from shyness. I know my mind and will speak it. But I don’t go off half-cocked, either. I’ll know what I’m talking about when I open my mouth.” She leaned in. “There’s an old saying about keeping your powder dry until ready to fire. That’s me.”
He wanted to smile but resisted the urge. He knew better than to throw gas on a fire, but her strong spirit attracted him like metal filings to a magnet. “Good to know.”
He had to admire her reaction. She didn’t go ballistic, cry or stomp out of the meeting room like his last girlfriend would’ve or his mother. It looked as if she would give him a fair hearing. The thought surprised him. He sat back. Glancing over at the wall, he saw her picture again. “When did you win your ribbon?” he said, diverting his thoughts.
She glanced up. He nodded to her picture.
“Oh, that ribbon—high school.”
Meaning she’d won a lot more. “Lulu helped sponsor me that year at the state fair. Since she helped, and raised money for me, I thought she should get the ribbon.”
“I understand. My winnings helped put me through college. I competed in the summer and between semesters to earn enough money for school.”
“Really?”
“I do know my way around a lasso.”
With a thawing of her coolness, she leaned forward.
He thought he caught a hint of respect. “I’m not just some college-educated busybody who thinks he knows how to solve the world’s problems. My brother and I have been rodeoing since we were both teens.” He rested his hand on the table. “I’ve lived it. The last time I worked and competed was last June in the little town of Peaster, Texas.”
Her eyes widened