Читать книгу The Cowboy Meets His Match - Leann Harris - Страница 11
ОглавлениеErin had finally managed to find her footing. Her father’s stroke had tilted her world off its axis, but when she had raced to the board headquarters today and found nobody there, she’d known another blow was around the corner. Talking to Mel’s secretary about where they were, Erin knew. She thought she’d been prepared for the blow of losing out on the job she so wanted, but the instant she opened the door and saw Sawyer standing at the head of the table, she realized she wasn’t. Why hadn’t her dad called her with the news? How soon after the meeting had the stroke happened? Mother wasn’t clear on the details.
She shook off the trivial thoughts. What was important was that her father had survived the stroke, not that she hadn’t gotten the job. They’d spent countless hours on the phone, talking about what needed to be done in the update. He’d mentioned the other candidate that Melvin brought in, but Dad thought it wouldn’t be a problem, at least the last time they talked, which was a few days before the vote.
She’d tap-danced her way through today’s board meeting.
Pushing open the lobby door, she looked at Lencho. “How are you doing in your classes? Are you keeping up your grades?” Her dad had tutored the young man his freshman year in high school.
“I’m okay.” He looked through the glass door and watched as Sawyer moved his truck from the far side of the office to park in front of his room. “How do you feel about that guy?”
She shrugged. “I’ll be interested in hearing his plans tonight.”
“I’m sorry that you didn’t get the job.”
Erin realized that the young man felt uncomfortable that she didn’t win. “Don’t worry. I’m not surrendering. I’ll keep him on track. You remember, we didn’t let you flunk out of algebra. Well, I’m not simply going to walk away from the rodeo and give up.”
“No matter how much Traci lobbied for the other guy?”
The kid wasn’t telling Erin anything she hadn’t already figured out. “You got it.”
“Good. Of course, I was surprised the guy didn’t take the room with the TV.”
“I guess we have a lot to learn about him.”
“True.”
“Does he know anything about rodeo?” Lencho asked.
Mel wasn’t going to foist any greenhorn on the community, not even to please his daughter. “He does. He claims to have won several events at different rodeos.”
The kid brightened. “Let’s look him up on the internet.” He opened his laptop and did a search on Sawyer’s name. Erin walked around the counter and peered over his shoulder. Sawyer’s name came up in the search engine along with a listing of his wins.
They silently read the list. He’d made a name for himself.
“Well, you’re right. He’s no greenhorn.” Pointing to the computer screen, Lencho said, “He’s got a brother, too, who did pickup.”
“He told me.”
They read about Sawyer’s brother.
Taking a deep breath, Lencho shook his head. “He looks like the real deal.”
He did, indeed, and from what they’d learned about Sawyer’s and his brother’s backgrounds, they were the real deal who participated in rodeo. Sawyer had the credentials to know what the cowboys needed, but Erin knew this rodeo and these people and knew the background that Sawyer didn’t. “We’ll find out tonight.”
* * *
Erin tried to listen to the car radio on her drive home and ignore what had happened at the board meeting. She started to hum with Tim McGraw about heading down this road again.
But her wounded heart refused to let go of the hurt.
What had been the final tally of the board members? She knew Melvin hadn’t voted for her. Of course, his daughter thought Erin was a cross between Godzilla and Cinderella’s stepmother, but that stemmed from Traci’s unreasonable fear that Erin would steal back Traci’s husband, since he’d been Erin’s high school sweetheart. Andy had wanted to marry Erin, but she hadn’t wanted to settle down so soon. Going to college had been her goal but, no matter what she said to Andy, he never took her seriously. Traci often told Erin what a good catch Andy was and why not marry him? Traci thought Erin had lost her marbles not to take up Andy’s offer. The instant he broke up with Erin, Traci swept in and captured her man. Erin had not been invited to the wedding even though it had been a Christmas affair. When Erin returned home the first time after she started college, Traci made it clear their friendship was over, much to Erin’s surprise. Why Traci acted the way she did, Erin didn’t understand. She got her man and Erin got to go to college.
How many other members of the board had followed Mel’s lead in voting for Sawyer? Why had they voted for an outsider instead of a hometown girl? That’s what hurt the most.
It’s business, the logical part of her brain argued, but her heart said the vote was against her personally, not her proposal.
Pulling off the main road, she drove down the drive to the ranch house and parked her truck under the covered carport and breezeway that ran from the kitchen to the barn.
She didn’t go into the house, and instead walked to the corral behind the barn to see her horse, Wind Dancer. The moment the horse saw Erin, she trotted over to the fence and head butted her.
Reaching out, Erin stroked the horse’s neck. “Did you miss me, girl? I’m sure Santo took care of you.” The horse arched her neck and then raced around the ring, coming to a stop in front of her.
Looking down at her long skirt and boots, she realized she needed to change. “Give me a minute, Dancer, and I’ll be back.”
It took less than five minutes for her to grab her bag from the truck, change into jeans and race back outside. Her brother, Tate, hadn’t come home from school yet, and Erin didn’t know where her aunt Betty was, but they’d show up.
Erin didn’t bother with a saddle. She grabbed reins and a halter, opened the gate and slipped them on Dancer. Erin hopped on Dancer and rode out of the corral. Horse and rider started slowly, and then Erin leaned close to the horse’s neck as Dancer picked up speed. They were in their element, racing across the high desert, dancing on the wind.
Erin could feel herself touch the face of heaven, giving up her wound and the hurt of not winning the contract to reorganize the rodeo.
Finally, Dancer slowed to a walk and stopped. Leaning over, Erin rested her head on the horse’s neck. “I was blindsided when I walked into that meeting, girl. Felt as naked as the day I was born.” She sat up. “So what am I going to do now?” She looked to heaven. “I need some direction here, Lord. I don’t know what to do, but I know I’m not giving up.” She thought for a moment and remembered the look of admiration in Sawyer’s eyes when she’d initially faced off with Mel. There was something about the man that intrigued her and drew her. It didn’t make sense, but then nothing in the past few days did. It was one of those times when you just held on to God and knew He’d guide you through the storm.
“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.
“Your brother acts as if nothing happened and life is fine. But I see behind the mask he’s wearing. There’s much trouble in his heart.”
“I’ve worried about that. Kai mentioned he acted as if he didn’t have a care in the world while at the hospital before I got there. She said he’d even disappeared for a couple of hours and no one could find him.” Erin shook her head. “We all know he’s hurting, Auntie, but—”
“I thought he seemed off when I picked him up at the hospital Sunday night, but he said nothing to me on the ride home,” Betty said, shaking her head.
“He’s a man—a young one,” Erin defended, “but a man. When was the last time your husband sat down and talked to you when he was troubled about something?”
Betty smiled. “You’re right.”
“The town’s having an impromptu meeting tonight about the rodeo. I’d like to shower and change clothes before going back.”
Betty narrowed her eyes, making Erin feel guilty. “What’s the name of this person who won the rodeo contract over you?”
“Sawyer Jensen.”
“I think I should go to this meeting, too, even though I don’t live here. Your mother might want my observations.”
“You sure you want to go?”
Betty’s eyes twinkled. “There’s more going on than rodeo discussion.”
True, there were lots of undercurrents, but if Erin didn’t attend it might look like she was hiding—and that wasn’t happening. Besides, Sawyer might need her to referee. The thought made her grin. She discounted her reaction to the man.
“You’re right, but I’m afraid the meeting will not be a peaceful one.”
Betty shooed the concern away. “Have I ever been known to run from a challenge?”
“No, Auntie.” And that’s what made Erin nervous.
* * *
It appeared the entire town of Tucumcari had turned out for the impromptu meeting that night. Sawyer had his presentation cued up on his computer and plugged into the overhead projector. He’d added a couple of slides he’d taken this afternoon to bolster his points on the changes he thought needed to be made.
A wave of sound ran through the audience. Sawyer glanced up and saw Erin, an older woman and a teenage boy walk into the room. People pointed the group to the front row, where several seats were left empty. The trio made their way forward.
The older woman stopped at the edge of the stage and waved Sawyer forward. Erin stood behind the woman, but the youth walked over to the empty seat and threw himself down. He shot Sawyer a look that said he was bored. His body language echoed his disdain at having to be there.
Sawyer moved to the edge of the stage, then jumped down. “Ma’am. I’m Sawyer Jensen. And you are?”
“Betty Crow Creek.”
He glanced over at Erin.
Betty cleared her throat. “I’m Erin’s aunt. I’m here while Erin’s mother is in Albuquerque with her husband.”
Sawyer held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Betty shook it. “You appear normal. Really, a handsome man.”
Erin blinked.
To cover his surprise, Sawyer smiled. “Thank you.”
Betty folded her arms over her chest. “I expected someone who had two heads and was maybe green.”
Sawyer’s eyes widened.
“Auntie!” Erin’s strangled protest could be heard only by Betty and him.
His mouth twitched with humor. “Am I the ogre you were led to believe?”
“Erin only said you won. In my mind I expected a monster who’d turned my niece’s world upside down.” Betty glanced at Erin, and then turned back to him. “I’m the one who imagined you with green skin and living under a bridge.”
So far, he was batting zero.
Melvin stood, stepped to the podium and started the meeting. Betty and Erin took their seats. Showtime.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, after Sawyer finished his program, he opened for questions.
Erin had listened carefully to the plan Sawyer laid out. She had to admit he’d thought of some aspects of the rodeo that she hadn’t and his plans were good.
Bob stood. “Have you actually been to the fairgrounds yourself?”
“I went this afternoon and updated the slides in the presentation,” Sawyer answered. “The board sent pictures so I could evaluate the situation, but after seeing it myself I changed and tailored some of my ideas for this facility.”
“I can vouch for that,” Melvin added.
Bob didn’t look convinced.
A brisk discussion followed, with people asking questions and commenting on the presentation.
Bob stood again. “I’d like to hear Erin’s plan, too, see how it compares with yours.”
Erin stood, red faced, as she turned to her neighbors and friends. “The board evaluated both proposals and thought this was the better plan.” That started another argument that lasted for the next ten minutes.
Erin looked around and knew this back-and-forth helped no one.
She motioned for everyone to be quiet, and it took a few seconds for everyone to quit talking. Traci glared at her from her second-row seat.
“I appreciate everyone’s support and faith in me, but listening to my proposal won’t settle anything. The board has already voted, and, after reviewing Sawyer’s plan, I’d say he has a good one.”
Several people started to protest, but she held up her hands. “I like his ideas on how to bring outside money to our rodeo and city. I hadn’t thought about that.
“There were a couple of other ideas that surprised me, but I think they might work here. But I also have a few items that Mr. Jensen didn’t think about, and I plan to suggest them to him and push to implement them.” She grinned. “He won’t remain unscathed.”
Standing, Bob said, “You sure, Erin?”
“I am.” She scanned the audience. “What we need to do is all come together and start working on the rodeo. A good idea is a good idea.” She turned back to Sawyer. “No matter who came up with it.”
She heard chuckles in the audience. “So, I think now that we’ve heard Sawyer’s plan, we should get behind it and support it one hundred percent.”
Melvin’s mouth hung open, and his wife had to elbow him. From Traci’s expression it looked as if she’d sucked a lemon, but Andy nodded to Erin.
Erin took her seat again.
Sawyer stood by the podium. “Any more questions or comments?”
The room remained quiet.
“Then I guess this meeting is over.” Sawyer walked down the stage steps to the floor of the room, waiting in case anyone wanted to talk privately. No one came by. He didn’t know if that was good or bad. But what he did know was Erin had stood up for him. That found a spot in his heart.
* * *
Erin’s friends clustered around her, asking questions. This time, her brain had comprehended Sawyer’s words, and she saw her neighbors’ reactions. She’d been impressed. He’d put together a thorough plan to get their rodeo back on its feet. But she had modifications that could maximize his ideas.
As she talked with other residents, Erin saw out of the corner of her eye Sawyer packing up his laptop and projector. When he walked by Tate, her brother said something. Sawyer stopped. The two exchanged words, then Sawyer walked on.
Aunt Betty frowned and leaned close to Tate. “I may be old but...”
Erin couldn’t hear the rest of what her aunt said. Tate shrugged and jogged up the other aisle out to their car.
What had that been about?
Now, several of the board members gathered in front of the stage around Sawyer. Bob joined them.
“I’m going to go through the facility tomorrow morning to do a more detailed inspection, making notes on what needs to be updated or replaced. I’d be happy to have anyone walk through with me,” Sawyer announced to the room.
“I’ll be there,” Bob Rivera replied. “You going to notify the folks in Harding?”
“I will,” Sawyer replied.
Bob nodded his approval.
Sawyer looked at Erin, silently asking if she would be there.
“You’ll see me,” Erin answered. She tried to keep her expression neutral, but felt a smile curve her lips.
He returned the smile, which made her heart light.
Later, when she and her aunt walked out to the car, Erin asked, “What was all that about with Tate and Sawyer earlier?”
“Your brother was just trying to give the new guy a hard time.”
“What’d Tate say?”
Betty kissed Erin’s cheek and opened the passenger-side door. Obviously, Auntie wasn’t going to tell her.
Why?
