But when they reached the end of the alley that ran behind the line of shops, it was blocked by a delivery truck. “You can ride with me. I’m parked right here.” He pointed toward his pickup, two spaces down from where they stood.
India looked back at the delivery truck again before agreeing.
When they reached his vehicle, he opened the door for her. She hesitated again before placing her hand in his so he could help her up. Her fingers felt so small and soft in his, and he caught a whiff of the same flowery scent he had in the store. He didn’t know why, but it made him think of pale pink rose petals, the kind that were silky when you ran your fingers across them.
“Thank you,” she said when she was seated.
He reluctantly let go of her hand, shut the door then spent the time it took him to walk around to the driver’s side telling himself to snap out of it. Instant infatuations never led to anything good. Best to let them pass without acting on them. When he slid into his seat, he sensed more than saw how tense she was. Maybe she was just anxious about getting into a vehicle with someone she didn’t know.
“We can wait until the alley is clear if you want,” he said, waving a hand toward where two guys were unloading a grandfather clock behind the antique store.
“No, it’s okay. The fairgrounds aren’t far.” She pointed out the windshield. “Go down a block and turn left.”
He followed her directions for all of three minutes before they arrived at the fairgrounds, where he could see an arena, a grandstand, stables and a couple of smaller outbuildings. Small, but workable. He hurried out of the truck and went around to open her door. Just before he touched her dainty hand, he started reciting state capitals in his head. Once India was on solid ground, he released her and started walking toward the arena.
“You said on the phone that this would be a benefit rodeo,” he said.
“Yes, for a little girl who is undergoing cancer treatments.”
His heart squeezed. “How old is she?”
“Eight.”
“Same age as my daughter.” He couldn’t imagine Ginny having to fight for her life like that, not when she should be playing and enjoying each new experience to the fullest. He looked toward India in time to notice her eyeing his hand, searching for a ring. He lifted his left hand and wiggled his bare fingers. “Ginny’s mother and I aren’t together.” Now why had he felt the need to offer up that nugget of information?
“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding embarrassed.
“I’m not.” Shifting focus, he pointed toward the arena. “You’ve got a good basic setup here, but we’ll have to make some adjustments.”
“Whatever you think we need, as long as it’s not too expensive.”
He glanced toward India again, noticing she was shading her eyes against the sun. “You need a hat.” He thumped the front edge of his.
“I’m not much of a cowgirl,” she said. “Like at all. I can’t even ride a horse.”
“You’re not from here?”
“I grew up here. Just...didn’t have much opportunity to learn. And animals and I don’t get along too well.”
Just as he thought, one-hundred-percent girly female. How could you live in Texas your entire life and not learn how to ride a horse? He tried to picture her on one, but it only resulted in a ridiculous image in his head.
“Have you had rodeos here before?”
“Small ones, mainly roping events. Blue Falls is known more for wildflower tours and shopping.”
Things more in her comfort zone.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you the one heading this up?”
She looked up at him, dropping her hand when a dark cloud covered the sun. “That obvious that I’m ill-placed, huh?”
“A little.” He smiled at her heavy sigh and quirk of her lips. Really nicely shaped lips.
“Let’s say I got roped into it before I knew quite what happened.”
He laughed as he leaned his arms against the top rail of the arena’s fence. “I think we’ve all been there at one point or another.”
As they discussed a few more details, he had to keep his eyes averted. If he didn’t, they kept straying to her lips, making him wonder if they were as soft as they looked. Damn it, he needed to stop hanging out with cowboys or eight-year-olds all the time and go on an actual date. And not with someone who wouldn’t know a steer from a dairy cow. He’d been down the fancy-girl route before, and it hadn’t ended well. The only good thing he could say about his time with Charlotte was that he got the best kid in the world out of the deal. Ginny was worth the punches he’d taken to his heart. But he wasn’t about to invite another round.
* * *
AS SHE LISTENED TO THUNDER in the distance, India discovered it was much easier to talk to Liam Parrish if he wasn’t looking at her. For someone who was used to looking people in the eye all day, trying to connect with them so they’d feel comfortable in her store, how she felt around him was new. And it wasn’t just because he was a guy. She wasn’t one of those women who went all giggly and shy around men. Some of her good friends were guys. But there was something about this man in particular that was making her jumpy.
Like how he’s a tall, sexy cowboy? She heard the words in her mind in Elissa’s teasing voice. India was going to kill her friend for putting those kinds of thoughts in her head, making it difficult to conduct simple business. And then she was going to go after Verona for getting her into this mess in the first place. Her place was back in the shop, not out here where she halfway felt as if she were speaking a foreign language. And she’d taken French and Spanish, not Rodeo-ese, when she was a student at Blue Falls High School.
She was so caught up fantasizing about her plans for revenge that she missed part of what Liam said. “I’m sorry, what?”
He looked at her then, making her want to squirm with the intensity of his gaze. She couldn’t tell the color of his eyes, shaded as they were by the brim of his hat, but she had the oddest sensation they were green. And she loved green eyes. Most of his hair was covered by the hat, but she could tell it was trimmed short and a golden brown.
“I know you’re doing this as a benefit,” he said, obviously for the second time. “But in order to get the type of competitors who will draw the kind of crowd you want, you’ll have to offer good prize money.”
“Oh, okay. How much?”
He quoted her a figure and thankfully shifted his attention away again.
“I’ll have to ask what the budget is for this,” she said. “We’re planning some other activities to coincide with the rodeo, so I need to get with the people planning those and figure out the numbers.”
He nodded.
A loud clap of thunder startled India so much that she yelped.
Liam
