The Cowboy Meets His Match (10 page)

Tate didn't immediately answer. He slowly surveyed each person at the table. Heaving a sigh, Tate nodded. “Okay.”

“Mom said that your truck needs to stay in the driveway. She'll take up the issue of the tailpipes with you when she comes home. It doesn't make a difference if you are a senior—ditching will not be accepted. There is a price to pay.”

Tate's mouth tightened. “Does she want my keys?”

“No. She's going to trust you and give you the opportunity to show we can trust your word. What happens now is on your shoulders.”

“I get it.”

“Well, with all that taken care of, let's clear the dishes and Tate can finish his homework,” Betty said.

* * *

Erin breathed a sigh of relief. The ride with Sawyer seemed to have helped her brother's attitude. She'd intended to talk privately to Tate and prayed Betty forcing the issue wouldn't backfire and, amazingly, it hadn't.

Erin owed Sawyer a debt.

“Thanks for helping with Tate.”

“Not a problem.”

“You mentioned you have Norman's books with you. Would you mind if I looked through that set, too, to compare with Dad's?”

Sawyer set the last dish on the counter. “No, I don't mind.”

Betty waved them out of the kitchen. “Go, talk.”

“I'll get them.”

Sawyer disappeared out the back door and showed up in the library minutes later.

“I wonder if the figures in Norman's budgets are the final ones, because we haven't located a set yet.”

“I hope so, too. I haven't been able to study Mel's numbers thoroughly yet, since we've been swamped with inquiries about jobs at the office, with people wanting to submit bids.” He sat beside Erin on the small couch in the office so they could look at the figures together.

Opening Norman's budget to compare with her dad's, they had to dodge the front covers to avoid being smacked. With their dance, Erin and Sawyer bumped into each other, laughing and grinning like children. Suddenly, she felt Sawyer's warmth up and down her right side like the heat of a campfire. She froze. So did he.

Trying to ignore his presence, she compared the first pages of the budgets, but her stomach felt as if she had swallowed jumping beans. Turning her head, she came face-to-face with Sawyer. Inches separated them. She could see the green-and-brown color of his hazel eyes. A brown dot sat outside the pupil in the iris of his right eye.

They could hear the ticking of the grandfather clock in the study. She wondered if he could hear the pounding of her heart.

“These aren't final numbers, either. These are the same as the ones in the other notebooks.”

His gaze held hers hostage, then he smiled, a soft, welcoming, toe-curling smile. “I'll compare all three notebooks when I get back.”

Erin pulled the sticky note she found and showed it to Sawyer. “This is the note I told you about. Apparently, Mel told dad he'd get them the final numbers, but so far, we haven't seen them.”

“And it seems no one has seen those numbers.”

“So why are they missing?” Erin asked.

“That's the burning question we all want answered.”

She closed the binder and held onto the edges. “It seems you keep coming to Tate's rescue.”

“Well, I just wanted to help the kid along. I had my fair share of troubles as a teen.”

“I wasn't criticizing, but thanking you.”

He shrugged. “I know what it's like having your world turned upside down and not knowing how to act. I want to help.”

She wanted more, wanted to know how his life had been turned upside down, but again he held back, not filling in the blanks. It seemed so unfair that their lives were open books but Sawyer volunteered nothing of himself.

Covering her hand with his, he lightly squeezed.

She didn't look up at him. “When you don't know what to say, it helps when someone else steps in. And there's been so much going on I wasn't as careful about Tate's needs.” She stared at their intertwined hands and pulled away. “I don't think anyone was. With the rest of the people in the household women, Dad made sure Tate knew it was the boys against the girls. I guess Tate felt his only support was gone.”

“Realize boys don't respond to ‘Let's talk.' You could invite him to go riding or help him clean out the stalls, then you can try talking to him.”

“That makes sense. Tate and Dad spent lots of time out on the range or in the barn. Sometimes, they liked to take their fishing poles and go to the creek and fish. That's a sport I don't understand, sitting there waiting on a fish.”

“Spoken like a woman who doesn't understand the finer points of fishing.”

She really should stand. Maybe then she wouldn't be so rattled, but her body refused to cooperate.

“Did any of the rodeo events appeal to your brother?”

She gathered her scattered thoughts. “He did 4-H projects. He won for raising the best heifer in the state when he was in the ninth grade. He earned a lot of money, but that didn't stop several of the boys at school from teasing him about just winning for raising a cow. They asked why he didn't compete in real rodeo stuff like bull ridin' or bareback ridin'. Dad told him—” Her voice trailed off. Suddenly, the light shone in her brain. Her gaze collided with his and she saw an understanding, and humor.

“Dad always did things with Tate and then talked with him. Ah, I see what you're saying. You have to
be
with them, doing their favorite activity before you can talk, unlike us women who can sit down and discuss things.”

“I never doubted it.”

Looking down at her hands, she shook her head. “Mom and Auntie tell me I should walk softly sometimes and see what's around me. See the path God has sent me down.”

Leaning closer, he whispered, “I'd listen to them.”

The door to the study opened, making Sawyer sit up straight. Betty leaned into the room.

“Your mother is on the phone.”

Erin hadn't heard the ringing.

“She wants to talk to you. She's speaking to Tate now.”

Erin and Sawyer stood.

“I need to get going.” He grabbed the notebook he'd brought in and her father's. “I'll compare these with the ones Mel left, if that's all right with you.”

She nodded and followed him out to his truck.

Betty and Erin followed. They stopped at the screen door and watched as his taillights disappeared around the curve of the road.

Betty wrapped her arm around Erin's shoulder and squeezed. “I think I know why that man got the contract.”

“Why?” What was her aunt talking about?

Betty dropped her arm and turned to face Erin. “God sends us those people we need on our journey, and perhaps this family needed Sawyer to help us through this difficult time.” Betty didn't wait for a response but continued. “Heaven knew your brother would have problems that neither of us could imagine, and He sent Sawyer. You must admit that Tate's experienced some bad spots that neither you nor I thought about. I know your mother wanted me here just as a touchstone and someone to feed you and Tate.”

Erin couldn't believe her ears. “Really, Auntie? I was to lose so Sawyer could be here to help Tate?”

“I can see that. Remember, God knows the end of the story.”

Erin frowned at Betty, confounded by her words.

“I can see you don't understand me. Open your heart and listen to God.”

Auntie did have an uncanny way of knowing things, but this time she'd completely missed the mark. Completely. Sawyer wasn't here to minister to her family.

So did she have a better explanation?

No, but it wasn't to help the Delong family, that much she knew.

But her heart called her out, saying she refused to face the truth.

Chapter Seven

S
awyer returned to the rodeo office. When he opened the front door, he stood for a moment, listening to the silence. He flipped on the lights and went to the meeting room. He could've waited until tomorrow to compare Norman's and Detrick's notebooks to the ones in the office, but he wanted to resolve the nagging question tonight.

He put the binders on the table beside the one Mel had left yesterday and compared the three. They all were the same, but none of them had final numbers.

Leaning back in his seat, he thought about the situation. The nagging feeling that something was wrong didn't go away. Instead, it got stronger. Why?

“What are you doing here at this hour?” Traci stood in the doorway of the boardroom.

“Working.”

She slowly walked to the table, eyeing the notebooks. “It's after dinner and you should be in your hotel room, relaxing.”

He swallowed his irritation. “I'm sure the rodeo board wouldn't object. I think they'd want the most for their money.”

“Could be.” She walked around the room.

Her sudden appearance made him suspicious. “What are you doing here?”

“I saw the light when I drove by and wanted to know who was here this late. I thought Dad might be here, and I wanted to talk to him.” She studied the binders. “Why do you need last year's budget?” Her voice hardened. “And why three copies? I don't understand.”

How could he get out of this mess? “I wanted to look at last year's budget to compare costs, and I couldn't find it. I asked the secretary where it was since it wasn't with the others. Oddly, her copies, hard and electronic, were missing, too. When your dad stopped by the office before he left town, I asked him where it was. Then, today, I got one from Norman when I was in Harding County. On the way home, I stopped by the Delong ranch to ride with Tate, and Erin gave me her father's copy.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Aren't you showing a little too much partiality, stopping by Erin's?”

The tone of her voice made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He didn't like what she implied, but he needed to tread carefully in this situation. “Tate offered the opportunity to ride and, after driving all day, when I went by the Delong ranch, I knew I needed to unwind on the back of a horse. Ever have one of those days?”

Traci's frown eased.

“Yes, I have.”

He picked up the notebooks. “It's been a long day, and I'm ready to call it quits.” He motioned for her to exit the room before him, and he turned off the lights, then locked the office.

Traci tapped her lips with her index finger. “I have an idea. Why don't I document the rodeo redo with pictures? I could do a website and everyone in Harding and Quay counties will know the progress of things. And, if we need more people to bid on jobs that come up, we could put the notice there.”

Traci had struck gold.

“I've already listed some of the job openings on the website, but I like your idea. You could do a new website and add a link to it or just rework the current site.” The more Sawyer thought about it, the more he liked it.

“I can do it. I'm sure my dad would want me doing that.”

A website would keep everyone informed and would keep Traci busy. He sensed that if she had a purpose, other problems might be avoided. “Go for it.”

She smiled, leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thanks. I'll work on it tonight.”

* * *

Sawyer sat down on the bed, then pulled off his boots. What a couple of days. He should've been exhausted, but each time he closed his eyes, a different scene popped into his brain, from taking Tate home, to Mel gladly telling Erin her father had voted for him, to the trip to the next county with all those eager faces who wanted to bid on rodeo jobs.

He didn't know what Traci had planned to do when she'd shown up at the office, but it didn't matter, because her idea of documenting the redo on the website was a winner. He could see that as the best way to keep people updated and have all the contracts out there for everyone to see. He'd learned that secrets created gossip and gossip developed into grumbling, and he couldn't afford that in a small town.

Stretching out on the bed, he thought about the afternoon ride with Tate. Sawyer had read the situation correctly. The youth needed someone to talk to. Sawyer thought of Pastor Garvey, who had guided him. The man had shepherded both Sawyer and his brother, showing them what normal family life was. Garvey had stood in the gap, being there for them. Sawyer wanted to pass on that comfort he had received from the pastor.

He sat up and looked through the notebooks he'd brought back to the room with him. In the middle of reviewing the bid for last year's concrete work, his brain shifted to being stuffed beside Erin on that small sofa. His heart had sped up as if he'd been bull riding. He didn't like going with emotions, but this time had been different.

He had expected resistance from Erin over the rodeo—or some form of sabotage—since this had been his experience with other women in his life. Instead, she had contributed good, constructive ideas. Ideas that made his plan better, which awed him. How different was this experience from all the previous encounters he'd had with other females in his life?

The more he knew of Erin, the more she reminded him of his sister-in-law and not his mother or ex-girlfriend. So how did he deal with that? His mother needed both of her sons' input before she could make a decision. If not them, she sought the approval of her current boyfriend. Erin had her ideas, but she worked with others to accomplish her vision. What a difference. And he found he liked how Erin operated. A lot.

“C'mon, Sawyer, you like more than the way she operates.” His words echoed in the room.

* * *

When Erin went to the rodeo office the next morning, she noticed Traci's truck sitting in the parking lot. Going into the conference room, Erin saw Traci sitting in front of her laptop. No one else was here. Traci looked up, wariness in her expression.

A dozen different thoughts raced through Erin's head, but what came out of her mouth was, “What are you doing here?” Not elegant, but not hostile.

Traci's jaw flexed. “I'm developing a new website for the rodeo, listing all the jobs that need to be let. I also discussed with Sawyer last night a section of the site where the progress on the current work could be posted.”

All of Erin's awkwardness dissolved. “I like that.” The words tumbled out of her mouth, but she meant them. “You suggested that?”

Traci nodded and her shoulders relaxed. “I did. It only makes sense in this day and age. There is so much we could do with a website besides posting current job openings—we could show progress on work and collect ideas. The news would be at people's fingertips.”

“May I see what you've done so far?” Erin asked.

“Sure.”

Erin walked to where Traci sat and looked at the laptop.

“I thought this would let everyone know what the site was for and that it was the new one.” A picture of the rodeo grounds was the banner across the top.

“I like that, and those graphics are good. There's a picture of Jessie Reynolds's winning ride on that bull several years ago that might look good with what you've got there. A collage effect, maybe.”

“I hear ya. And there are other pictures we could add.”

“True.”

Erin sat and ideas started bouncing between them, and the awkwardness of the past few years melted away.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Sawyer walked into the office. The place hummed with activity.

“Morning, Lisa, what's going on?”

The secretary laughed. “I don't know what you did to Traci, but she's in the boardroom with Erin working.”

His heart beating fast, Sawyer raced to the boardroom door, worried about what he'd find. Someone knocked out. Books scattered around. Broken furniture. “Everything okay in here?” He hung on to the door frame.

Erin and Traci looked up.

“Are you always this late?” Traci asked.

“I ate and had coffee,” he mumbled, feeling as if he'd run into the door.

“We've been working on the website for the rodeo overhaul for some time,” Traci replied.

“If you have suggestions on how we've set it up, or linked the new site to the old, now's the time to put in your two cents' worth,” Erin added. “If we officially want to use the new website, then the board will have to approve it, but adding it shouldn't be a problem.”

Still dazed, he walked to the table, sat and reviewed what they had done.

“We're almost done, and we're to the point where we need your input on the jobs you want to list and other general information you want given out to the public. Later, I'll take pictures,” Traci added.

“Okay.” He felt disoriented, as if he'd been plunged into a new reality.

Traci smiled. “Once I got home, all sorts of other ideas popped into my head. We can document the changes, have a blog, open it to suggestions, and everyone can follow the progress and feel involved.”

Sawyer shook his head, still unable to believe the change between the women. Was he dreaming?

“I agree,” Erin said. “This is a good way to give information out. The more people know, the easier I think it will be. Of course, Sawyer could be the arbiter of the suggestions.”

He felt rooted to the floor.

Lisa peeked in and grinned at Sawyer, giving him a thumbs-up, and went back to her desk. Still dazed, he wandered out to the reception area.

“What just happened in there?” he asked, collapsing in the chair by Lisa's desk. “I was prepared to throw my body between the combating opponents. Instead, they've started working together as if they've known each other for ages.”

“They have.” Lisa's eyes watered up.

“What?” Sawyer panicked.

“It's nice to see those two working together again. Once the initial excitement wears off, there might be some stiffness between them, but at least they're talking.” She smiled at him. “Thank you.”

Erin appeared at the door to the boardroom. “Sawyer, you need to write up the jobs—and the sooner the better. Traci will have the links to apply for the jobs. Or, if you need me to do that, I will.” She disappeared back into the boardroom.

“Did a tornado just run through the building?” he mumbled.

Lisa grinned. “It did, and you're fortunate you're still standing.”

* * *

The morning turned into a whirlwind of activity with Erin and Traci working together on the website. Sawyer joined the group, writing up the job descriptions. By one o'clock in the afternoon, they had the website up and running. Traci had promised to drive to the rodeo grounds and put the pictures of what needed to be done along with the job descriptions. They retreated to Lulu's for lunch.

Several of the patrons did a double take as if looking at a mirage, with Sawyer, Erin and Traci eating and laughing together.

Bob Rivera walked into the restaurant and froze when he saw the three of them at a table, talking. After a moment, he said, “Am I hallucinating?” He studied each person at the table.

Traci laughed.

“No,” Erin answered. “You're awake.”

He rubbed his neck. “Then what am I missing?”

“We've decided to set up a new website for the rodeo.” Sawyer explained what they had accomplished so far. “It's linked to the old website.”

Traci chuckled. Erin couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Traci smile. But this morning, it was like working with an old friend. They had meshed so easily. Erin knew exactly what Traci needed before she opened her mouth.

Bob hadn't moved and kept looking at them. “I'm still not sure this is reality.”

Erin waved him in. “Bob, we decided walking down to your store and posting the jobs wasn't the most efficient way to do things. The people in Harding might miss out on opportunities, and this is the best way to get the news out.”

“Aren't you worried that some people don't have access to the internet?”

Traci shook her head. “Everyone in either county has a child, grandchild or a neighbor that has access, and those teens are willing to tell their neighbors. Ever try to keep a secret from your teen? If you're worried, we can put the web address at your place.”

The lightbulb went off in Bob's head and an ‘aha' look crossed his face. “I hear you. I wasn't thinking.”

* * *

Traci's prediction came true. By the end of the day, everyone in Quay and Harding counties knew about the website. Countless calls and emails had come into the office, which pleased Sawyer. He watched in awe as Erin worked with Traci. The secretary also didn't believe her eyes. She walked countless times into the boardroom and looked. The last time she walked in, Sawyer drew her to the side.

“What's wrong?”

“I keep thinking I'm dreaming and want to pinch myself.”

“You're not.”

She walked out, shaking her head.

As Traci, Erin and Sawyer left the office at five, Mel walked in. He speared Sawyer with a glare.

“What exactly is going on here?”

Mel's angry demand caught everyone off guard. Sawyer's protective edge roared to life by stepping in front of the women. “We've been working on an interactive website for the rodeo. Traci did the bulk of the work.”

The smiles and laughter evaporated.

Sawyer's answer stopped Mel. His gaze shifted from his daughter to Sawyer and, lastly, back to Traci.

“What's wrong, Dad?”

Mel took a deep breath and stepped back. Obviously, he was trying to regroup. “I just drove back from Albuquerque, after talking with the company that does the concrete work for the rodeo. I wanted to see them face-to-face to make sure everything was all right with them. They noted how things had changed.” Mel directed his comment to Sawyer.