he thought nothing about her would surprise him. “Let me get this straight. You worked your way through undergraduate and graduate school by working in a casino and managed to get by without financial aid.”
“I did. The money was very good. Being objectified on a nightly basis was not. But I did what I had to do to survive.”
The idea of some drunk groping Jill didn’t set well with Houston. He started to ask why her parents didn’t help her pay for her education, but he decided that wasn’t any of his business. “I admire your guts, Jill. I had no idea you could make that much serving booze. Exactly how much did you make?”
She frowned. “If you must know, on average, fifty grand a year. Some of my fellow servers made twice that much working full-time.”
Damn. “I can only imagine what you went through, particularly during the rodeo finals.”
Finally her features relaxed. “Nothing a good pair of glasses didn’t cure.”
That wouldn’t have deterred him, or most of the guys he knew. “Congratulations on being resourceful, and thanks for allowing me to get to know you better.”
“I know you a bit better, too.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. You want people to know you’re not just a bull rider. You like the finer things in life but you downplay your wealth. You eat like a field hand and, most important, you’re an incorrigible flirt.”
She definitely had him dead to rights. “Am not.”
“Are, too. I saw you trying your best to charm that poor, exhausted waitress with a wink and a grin.”
He immediately jumped into defensive mode. “I didn’t wink. I only smiled at her. In my book, that doesn’t qualify as flirting. I was being polite, like my mama taught me.”
She held up her hands, palms forward. “Hey, don’t get your chaps in a twist. I didn’t say it was a horrible trait. It’s just part of your personality. Something that is second nature to you. And it’s obvious you know how to contain it. You’ve not once ever attempted to flirt with me to get your way.”
Did she want him to flirt with her? “Would it have worked?”
“Absolutely not.”
Figured. “If you think about it, you’ve only seen me at my worst. Banged up and pissed off.”
“And cranky.”
He grinned. “Cranky Calloway. That’s the best one so far.”
They shared in a laugh until Ashley came back with the tray filled with his food and the requested pot of coffee. For the next few minutes, Jill picked at her honey-covered toast while he shoveled his food down like it might disappear. He looked up from the last bite of pancakes to find one pretty amused athletic trainer staring at him.
Houston pushed his plate away and sat back against the booth. “That hit the spot.”
“I can tell, and you weren’t kidding when you said you would eat fast.”
The way she wet her lips brought about all kinds of questionable thoughts. “I guess you’re going to tell me it’s not good for digestion.”
“No. I was going to say I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Her mouth held his fascination, and man, oh, man, he liked a woman with a great mouth. He also liked her slightly upturned nose and the dimples creasing her cheek, one more prominent than the other. He liked the way her slender hands moved when she spoke, and the intensity in those green eyes peering at him from behind the glasses. “Good food and good company. Nothing better after a long night.” A long frustrating night, in this case. He hated the damn cast on his wrist and the fact he could be out of commission for weeks, if not months. He really hated that he didn’t know her well enough to kiss her good morning. Or good night. Or all day.
Where the hell did that come from?
“I bet I know exactly what you’re thinking, Houston Calloway.”
Only if she could read minds, and he sure as heck hoped not. “Huh?”
“You’re lamenting the fact you’re injured.”
He wasn’t too injured to stop fantasizing about her. “It is what it is, and I’ve had worse. Dallas is going to be happy to have me home to work on Texas Extreme, although he’s going to question what a one-handed cowboy can accomplish.” In fact, Dallas already had.
“I’m sure you’ll improvise,” she said.
He could improvise when it came to her needs. Too bad he wouldn’t have the opportunity to show her if Dallas offered her the job. Then again...
Houston could just hear his mom now, warning him to remember his raising and to never disrespect a woman. Unfortunately his lying, cheating dad hadn’t followed that advice. He shook off those sorry memories and cleared his throat. “You’re right. I’ll manage.”
Jill dabbed at her mouth and set the napkin aside. “Exactly what will your role be at this rodeo fantasy resort?”
“I plan to be the bull-riding instructor, as soon as I get this contraption off my wrist.”
She moved her plate to one side and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “When is this venture supposed to be up and running?”
Should’ve been long before now. “We were supposed to be ready to go by next month, but now it looks like after the first of the year. We were warned about constructing a project this big. Expect delays and an increased budget. We’ve got both.”
“You are going to have medical facilities, aren’t you?”
No surprise she’d ask about that, and it was the perfect lead-in to Dallas’s request. But he still wasn’t sure he wanted to bother with doing Dallas’s bidding. “We have a building, with nothing in it yet.”
She perked up like a pup. “You should definitely utilize athletic trainers, if not full-time, on a contract basis. You’ll need someone to manage that, and of course, they would also be in charge of ordering supplies, including safety gear. How close is the hospital?”
“They just built a new one off the interstate, about ten minutes or so away from the ranch.”
“Excellent. You’ll have an emergency room staff readily available, and you should have quick access to EMTs, just in case. Also, I suggest you might want to...”
Houston just sat back and watched Jill talk so fast he only heard half of what she was saying. He didn’t like that he was starting to lust after a lady who wouldn’t give him the time of day under most circumstances. More important, he hated to think he might be forced to see her on a daily basis and not be able to explore all the possibilities with her.
But that was okay. He could control himself around her if this whole employment thing came to pass.
“I’m sorry,” Jill said, garnering his attention.
