Standing just outside, she straightened her clingy red dress, ran her fingers through her short hair and took a deep, steadying breath. Grasping the handle, she thrust the door open and entered. She was more than halfway through the room before she peered up and saw the banner.
Laughlin River Stampede Rodeo Banquet.
The big bold sign at the front of the room caught her off guard. She stopped in midstep and paused. A room full of cowboys, seated at a U-shaped table, all looked up.
Big, bold, Stetson-wearing, silver-buckled, gorgeous cowboys—all looking at her with interest.
The room quieted.
Cassie pasted on a smile.
Heavens, she’d never seen a better-looking group of men in her life. She made a mental calculation. Seventeen cowboys, she estimated, but this was not the time for her silly habit of counting everything that could be counted. Sometimes having a flair for numbers had its disadvantages.
“You’re a bit early, honey. But don’t think a soul’s gonna mind,” one of cowboys called. She would have dashed out of the room if he hadn’t sounded so polite. “C’mon over here. We won’t bite.”
Male chuckles erupted all around.
Heat climbed up her neck. Suddenly, Cassie was aware of her attire. She’d wanted to look great today so she’d put on her most daring dress with a low-cut bodice and a hem riding high on her thighs. She’d slipped her feet into three-inch black stiletto heels and had her auburn hair highlighted and styled. Wasn’t every day a girl had to face her ex-fiancé and his new bride.
At her brother’s wedding, no less.
“Uh, no. Thank you,” she countered, trying to be just as polite. “I think I have the wrong room. I’m supposed to be at a wedding rehearsal.”
“Ah, now that’s a doggone shame,” the same voice cajoled. “I bet you want the Sunset Room, darlin’.”
The Sunset Room? Yes, that was it. The dinner was to be held in the Sunset Room, not the Sunrise Room.
Running out of gas on that hot desert road must have addled her brain. She’d marched along that road, greatly intimidated by the dry brush and saguaro cactus surrounding her, hoping to find some relief. Finally, after walking what she’d estimated as a good long mile and a half, she’d come upon a roadside emergency phone. A tow truck driver with an attitude had rescued her just in time for her to make the rehearsal dinner. He’d given her grief for running out of gas in the desert and she’d endured his lecture all the way into town. Now, here she stood in the wrong room, facing a bunch of good-natured cowboys and probably looking just as foolish.
Cassie pivoted on her heels and headed straight for the exit and the Sunset Room.
A big, bold handsome cowboy blocked her way. How he got there, was a mystery. Seems she would have definitely noticed him when she walked in.
Number Eighteen was something to behold.
Lounging casually against the doorway, he gestured toward the front of the room with a slight tilt of his head. The Stetson he wore rode low on his forehead, casting his face in shadows, but Cassie noted strong features on an equally strong body. “You mean, you don’t want to stay for the Meet and Greet?”
“The what?” Cassie asked, intrigued, more by the man than the question.
“Fans come to say hello, meet their favorite rodeo riders. We sign autographs, shake hands, take pictures. That sort of thing.”
“Oh, so you’re, uh…in the rodeo?” Silly question. Of course, the man was in the rodeo. Cassie had a thing for cowboys and could spot a real one a mile away. But all she’d met in Los Angeles over the past ten years was the proverbial “wannabe” cowboy. Men who dressed the part but probably had never mounted a horse in their life.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You don’t ride bulls, do you?” Cassie was stalling. This cowboy was a great diversion; a sure way to keep from finding the “right” room and make a late splashy entrance to Brian and Alicia’s dinner.
“Nope. I like to keep my body in one piece. I rope calves.”
“I’ve never been to the rodeo, but if you don’t mind me saying, roping calves sounds a bit cruel.”
“Nah. Ain’t a bit cruel. The calves we use are raised for it. Sort of like, it’s their job.” He reassured her with a quick smile, nudging his hat up higher on his forehead, giving Cassie a much better look at his features.
Uh-oh. Cassie blinked. Then blinked again. Her heart raced. Certain dread pulled at her. She recognized that smile, that handsome face. Years washed away in her mind and suddenly Cassie was a young teenage girl again, being stood up for the first time.
Jake Griffin.
Cassie stood frozen for a moment, taking note of the man he’d become. From the look of him, he’d done a great job of keeping his body intact. Yards of hard muscle lay underneath his Western shirt. And his sure enough attitude probably kept the ladies lining up. Heck, she’d been first in line years ago and look where that had gotten her.
Cassie couldn’t believe her luck. Running into him today of all days! Wasn’t it bad enough she had to endure the weekend in close proximity with her ex-fiancé, Rick? Now she had yet another brutal reminder of her lack of good judgment. Jake Griffin had been the first boy to disappoint her at the tender age of sixteen, leading to a world-class string of bad choices with the opposite sex. Cassie had a penchant for attracting troubled men. Jake had been the first—the lone wolf, the boy who didn’t make friends easily and who seemed out of place, as though he didn’t belong. She’d been drawn to him instantly and for a very short time in high school, she’d been his friend, hoping to become more.
Her brother Brian had always said she was too soft-hearted—a sweet marshmallow who would get squashed if she weren’t careful. Her recent broken engagement to Rick had been proof positive that her older brother had been right. She’d been there for Rick when his life had taken a wrong turn. She’d comforted and consoled him, helping to bring him out of his emotional slump. And he’d honored her by a swift and effective betrayal.
Never again, Cassie vowed. She’d learned her lesson.
And she found the best way to solve her dilemma was not to give in to her attraction. Not to place any credence in her instincts. No more being suckered in by men who would steal her heart then walk away, pretty as you please. She had it all figured out in her head. All she had to do was get through this weekend and she’d be off and running. She’d be ready to start a new life.
Jake Griffin obviously didn’t recognize her. It was a small consolation that did nothing for her ego. Get out fast, she told herself. “Uh, well, I’d better be going. Brian is going to worry himself sick, if I’m late.”
A dark brow shot up. “Boyfriend?”
Cassie shook her head. “Brother. Now, if you’d please let me pass, I really have to get going.”
He didn’t budge for a second. Then when he removed himself from the doorway, he stared deep into her eyes. “Hate to let you go till I figure out how I know you.”
