Leann Harris - The Cowboy Meets His Match

“Of course, Bob did set up the meeting tonight, so I need some wisdom there.”

The instant the words were out of her mouth, she knew what she needed to do and that wasn’t feeling sorry for herself.

* * *

Sawyer finished storing his things in the room and remembered how Erin had watched him as he’d registered at the historic motel and surveyed his room. If he didn’t miss his guess, she’d thought he’d call uncle and go to one of the newer chains. As he’d played along and taken the room, he’d discovered that he liked it. She intrigued him. He didn’t know what he’d expected when she’d appeared in the conference room, but it wasn’t the woman he encountered. He didn’t know quite what to make of her, but he had a feeling he’d find out. He’d walk cautiously around her until he knew what to expect. Would she be fair—or fight dirty like his mom and last girlfriend? He’d had enough of clingy and manipulative women.

Walking back to the lobby, Sawyer found Lencho hadn’t moved from the desk and his homework.

“Is the room okay?”

Oddly enough, the room had the feeling of home—strong, sturdy, something that would be there for a long time. He hadn’t had that experience growing up until his big brother had taken responsibility for the two of them. “It’s great.”

The kid studied him as if he didn’t believe his ears.

“What I need are directions to the rodeo fairgrounds.”

Lencho pointed to the brochure stand in the corner of the room. “You’ll find maps there.”

Sawyer retrieved a brochure and laid it out on the counter.

“So you beat out Erin for the rodeo job?”

Sawyer looked up and studied the youth. “I did.”

“I’m surprised. I mean, everyone in town knows if you need something done, Erin’s the one who can do it. And she always comes through.”

“So I hear.” He had his work cut out for him to win people over. “But maybe the board wanted someone who isn’t familiar with anything here to look at the situation with new eyes. Suppose you’re looking at one of your equations and can’t see how to solve it. You’ve worked and worked on how to get the answer, then someone else looks at it and sees where you’ve gone wrong and points it out. The same is true with the rodeo. Maybe someone who’s not familiar with it can see a problem, or even just do it a different way, and solve the situation.”

Lencho thought about it. “That makes sense.”

Sawyer studied the map to orient himself with the streets.

Pointing to where they were, Lencho said, “Go down to First Street, turn right, and when you get to US 66, turn west and on the outskirts of town you should find the fairgrounds.”

“Thanks.”

He followed Lencho’s directions and, within ten minutes, found the grounds. On the north side sat the rodeo arena with chutes and corrals, and on the south side stood the football field. In between the two sat a midway with accompanying food stands and game booths.

After parking his truck, he walked through the grounds, inspecting the facility. It wasn’t in bad shape but needed upgrades. He pulled out his cell phone and took pictures to document the conditions. As he stood on the bleachers, he could imagine Erin on her horse, flying around the barrels in the main arena. He would have liked to see that.

The thought caught him off guard. He was the last person on earth she’d want to run into, he imagined, unless it was an opportunity to offer her suggestions. Still, he would’ve loved to watch her race. Maybe he could in the future.

He sat and pulled a small notebook out of his shirt pocket and jotted some notes. Later, when he was back in his room, he’d update his PowerPoint, giving his initial thoughts, and incorporate the pictures he took this afternoon, pointing out how he’d redo the midway and food stands. He put the phone in his shirt pocket and headed back to his truck. He wanted to assess the roads leading into the rodeo grounds, which needed to be included in his overall plan, but as he drove away, he kept thinking of seeing Erin ride. When he worked on a rodeo, he never let his personal feelings interfere. There were a couple of times when the ladies he’d worked with wanted to take the relationship to another level, but he never did.

But this time—he stopped the thought cold.

What was wrong with him? Since his brother’s wedding, Sawyer had been having all sorts of weird thoughts, and he chalked up his reaction to Erin as post-wedding blues. Did men get those? Surely that was the explanation.

* * *

Stepping into the house after her ride, Erin ran into Aunt Betty. Her salt-and-pepper hair hung in two braids, tied off with twine. Her colorful skirt and white blouse, belted at the waist, were her normal garb. Auntie preferred traditional Navajo dress. Besides, she teased, she couldn’t fit into jeans the way Erin and her sister, Kai, could.

Mother had called her sister after Dad’s stroke to come and watch over Erin’s younger brother, Tate, a senior in high school. Mom thought Tate needed Betty’s calming influence. Erin knew she should’ve come back with Auntie and Tate on Sunday, but wanted to stay to see how her father responded to the treatment the hospital provided.

“There you are. When I didn’t find you, I knew you were out on Dancer.”

“I can’t fool you, can I?” Brushing a kiss across her aunt’s cheek, Erin walked to the sink and got a large glass of water.

Betty studied her. “What’s wrong, Daughter?”

In her mother’s family, grown aunts and cousins called the younger members of the family Daughter or Son. It meant you were never alone and always had eyes on you, which was both a blessing and a pain. Erin thought about trying to divert her aunt’s question, but no one got anything by Aunt Betty or Mother. They were nabbed every time they tried. Erin and her sister had learned not to try. Unfortunately, their brother, Tate, hadn’t.

“I went to the board meeting in Dad’s place. They hired the other person who applied for the job.”

“What’s the matter with those men?” Betty shook her head. “Someone should knock them in the head. They know you and how you’ve given to this town. If someone wants something done, you get a call, and that includes the children of board members. And they are not shy about asking for your help. You remember when Mel asked you to help Traci get through Algebra One? He wanted her to pass the class, but with you and your father tutoring her, she made a B minus. And then there was Chris Saddler’s boy wanting help with his science project—”

“That’s enough, Auntie. It’s done.” Erin didn’t want to dwell on what was. She slipped her arms around her shorter, rounder aunt. “Thanks for believing in me,” Erin whispered into her aunt’s hair.

“You carry too much on those small shoulders. Not every problem is yours to solve, Daughter.”

Erin stepped back, blinking her eyes. “True, but I have ideas on how to help the rodeo, and I cannot turn away. Besides, Dad wanted me to take his place on the board.”

Shaking her finger, Betty said, “Rest and take care of yourself. We don’t need another bird with a broken wing. With your father in the hospital, your mother needs you whole.”

Erin couldn’t deny that, but so far, her mom appeared to be bearing up under the load. “How is Tate doing?”

Betty didn’t answer. She walked to the table and sat down. Erin joined her.

“What’s wrong?” Her brother’s freshman year in high school had been rough, and he’d given her parents no end of trouble, with skipping school and not wanting to go to church with them. But he wasn’t given a choice whether or not to go to school and church. So he’d gone, and his sophomore and junior years had been better. He’d been doing well until their dad’s stroke, then retreated into himself.