“I think I owe you at least one for all the drama this modeling gig has brought to you.” She tipped her head to the side and grinned. “What can I do for you?”
“Have dinner with me tonight? Please?” His charming smile wasn’t wasted on her.
She nodded her head. “I can do that. Do you want to meet before or after the rodeo?”
“Both.”
He laughed at her exasperated look and nodded to the stage director who was motioning Cooper to move into place.
“You’ll do great, Cooper. You’ve already made Elliott very happy and successful with Lasso Eight. And you’ve made quite a splash with women all over the country.”
He tossed her a flirty smile over his shoulder. “I’m more interested in splashing with you, sugar.”
She blushed again and watched him step on the spot the director indicated.
Quiet settled on the other side of the curtain and Paige heard someone reading an introduction for Elliott.
He planned to say a few words about Lasso Eight then Shaun and the other models would go out on the stage in the styles that would debut for spring.
Once they walked up and down the runway, Cooper would make his big debut.
Paige peeked around the edge of the curtain and grinned at Randi. Her sister sat with Celia, Kenzie, Kaley, Mara, and some of their friends at a table near the front of the stage. Celia had her camera out, ready to snap photos.
Elliott spoke about the clothing line, his vision for the future of Lasso Eight, including the introduction of a women’s line, and then cued the music.
As soon as the fast, upbeat tune started to play, Shaun and the other cowboy models rushed onto the stage. They didn’t just walk down the runway and back. They danced, flexed their muscles, and put on quite a show. One of them even did a back flip.
Paige felt a presence beside her as Elliott moved next to her to watch from behind the scenes.
“This is all you, Paige. Without you telling me I needed a cowboy, none of this would have happened. None of this would have been possible.” Elliott grinned. “Look at those women out there. They love the clothes. They can’t wait to buy them for their men. Just think how excited they’ll be next year when I debut the women’s line.”
“I’m excited for it, too. After spending time at Joyland Acres, I can appreciate how a woman working on a ranch needs clothes that move and breathe. Clothes that are comfortable as well as stylish.”
Elliott patted Paige’s shoulder. “Your input in the new line is going to make it the best on the market. I’m glad you introduced me to your friends. I think having them test out the clothes is a great idea. They’re active ranch women who’ll know what works and what doesn’t.”
“Celia, Kaley, Kenzie, and Mara are all looking forward to testing the clothes. It’s a first to have a big-name designer ask for their input.”
“Well, I might do more than that. I think they’d make great models for the line, too. I might even have to include a few maternity clothes if your sister and Mrs. Morgan are any indication.”
Paige laughed. “That would be amazing!” When the music changed, she pointed to the stage. “There goes Cooper.”
The room fell silent, except for the sound of the music playing over the speakers. The crowd’s anticipation and excitement at finally learning the mysterious Lasso Eight man’s identity pulsed against the stage with a palpable force.
Cooper walked onto the stage with his face shadowed by the broad brim of his cowboy hat. He didn’t dance or make a show of reaching the end of the runway. He just covered the distance in a steady stride, keeping his head down the whole time.
When he reached the end, he lifted his head and removed his hat, waving it in the air with a big grin.
“Ladies, and the few gentlemen who have joined us,” the emcee said. “It is my pleasure to introduce to you Mr. Lasso Eight, none other than rodeo clown and barrelman extraordinaire, the one and only Super Cooper James!”
Applause erupted in the room. Women cheered and clapped, some whistled, and a few rushed toward the runway. The security guards Elliott had insisted be in place to handle any overly-zealous fans stopped them before they reached Cooper.
The emcee snickered. “For all you ladies who’ve been dying to know who’s sexy chin has been on display all week, there he is. Give Cooper a hand, ladies!”
“I’d give him more than that if I was fifty-years younger!” a blue-haired grandma yelled from a table off to the right of the runway.
More laughter ensued.
Cooper waved to the crowd then turned to go back to the stage when he stopped and stared at his grandfather. The older man ambled onto the stage wearing a pair of Lasso Eight jeans and a bright red shirt.
“For those of you who have been good little girls, Saint Nick has arrived to deliver a few surprises.” The emcee grinned at Nick.
Cooper rushed over and gave his grandfather a hearty handshake. “What are you doing here, Gramps?” he asked.
“Paige talked me into doing this. I’m telling you right now, I’m not cut out for subterfuge and covert activities, but it has been kind of fun.” Nick shifted the heavy bag in his hands. “Be a good boy, Coop, and carry this for me. You can help distribute the contents.”
“Sure, Gramps.” Cooper lifted the heavy red velvet bag and walked with Nick to the end of the runway. He leaned close to his grandfather as he spoke. “What are we supposed to do?”
“Paige said to toss them out randomly to the crowd.” Nick tugged the string holding the big bag closed and took out a handful of rolled up T-shirts.
Cooper dug into the bag and together they began tossing them out to the crowd.
“A few of you lucky ladies will find gift certificates in those shirt bundles for Lasso Eight clothing,” the emcee said, watching women scramble to catch the shirts.
Cooper, who was accustomed to tossing his yoyos and other giveaways into the stands at the rodeos did a good job of getting the shirts to the far reaches of the room while Nick threw the shirts to the tables closer to the runway.
“For those of you who don’t know, our very own Santa is none other than Nick Charles, Cooper’s grandfather. Let’s give these handsome men a hand,” the emcee said.
Together, Nick and Cooper returned to where Shaun and the other models stood at the back of the stage, accepting another round of applause.
Elliott gave Paige a strange look then hurried around the curtain and walked over to where the emcee stood at the podium. He stepped aside and Elliott moved in front of the microphone.
“What do you ladies think? Did you like our fashion show?”
The crowd cheered.
Elliott smiled and looked around the room. “What do you think of Cooper James? Is he the perfect Lasso Eight man?”
The women clapped and yelled with such enthusiasm, their excitement washed over the stage like high tide hitting a stretch of sandy beach.
Elliott took a moment and allowed the room to quiet before he spoke again. “A little more than a year ago, I had an unsuccessful clothing line designed for urban men. I went to an advertising agency, hoping they could perform a miracle and resuscitate what was sure to be a dismal failure. It was there I met an energetic, bright, professional ad executive who ignored what everyone else thought and told me point-blank that I needed a cowboy if I wanted my clothing line to do well.”
He looked over the sea of faces and smiled. “Everyone at that meeting thought she was crazy, but I could see the certainty in her eyes when she told me why I needed a cowboy. She said my clothing line needed a rugged persona, not a skinny metro man. Convinced she was right, I sent her here to Las Vegas last year to find a cowboy to be the face...” Giggles sounding around the room made him pause and grin. “And embodiment of Lasso Eight western wear. Somehow, she convinced a rodeo clown that he would be the best person to represent a new clothing line and then found one of the most beautiful places on the planet to shoot the photos and videos for our pro
motional campaign. There wouldn’t be a Lasso Eight without her. Please join me in giving Paige Porter a huge round of applause.”
Elliott, the men on the stage, and everyone in the audience clapped and cheered. Paige lingered behind the curtain. She had no desire to be in the limelight. If she’d known Elliott wanted to introduce her, she would have taken five minutes to powder her nose and comb her hair and…
“Paige, come on out here,” Elliott called, forcing her to abandon her hiding spot behind the curtain and walk onto the stage. Every man in the room tipped his hat to her as she moved over to the podium. Elliott kissed her cheek, then gave her a nudge forward, indicating she should walk down the runway.
Hesitant, Paige took a step forward then felt a warm presence at her side as Cooper moved next to her, holding out his arm.
She took it and walked with him along the runway. At the end, embarrassed by all the attention, she waved to the crowd as they all stood and continued clapping.
“You’re doing great,” Cooper said in a low voice as they turned and headed back up the runway. They both grinned at the nearby table where Randi, Celia, and the others cheered her on.
Back at the stage, Paige waved one last time before disappearing behind the curtain with Nick.
The models followed her. Cooper walked backstage with Elliott. The two of them quietly discussed something then shook hands before Cooper walked over to Paige and gave her a hug.
“You are amazing, PP. Don’t you ever let anyone tell you different.” He pulled back and gave her a long look. “I know you have things you have to see to, and so do I. Will you meet me at four at this address?” He took a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to her.
“Sure, Cooper. I’ll see you later, and thanks again.” She stretched up and kissed his cheek.
If they’d been alone and anywhere besides there, he would have made sure it landed on his lips. As it was, he had a lot to accomplish in the next few hours. He turned to his grandfather and settled a hand on the older man’s shoulder. “So, Gramps, where are you staying and how long have you been in town?”
Nick told him of Paige meeting him at the airport and showing him some of the sites in town before taking him to the hotel where she was staying, right across the street from Cooper’s hotel.
“If you don’t have anything better to do, do you want to help me with something?”
The older man grinned. “You’ve got a look in your eye that says you are up to something, Coop. Let’s get to it.”
“Come on, Gramps. This is gonna be good.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Paige finished going over a few details with Elliott right after the fashion show. When she finished, Randi accompanied her back to her hotel room.
“Are you finally ready to admit the truth?” Randi asked as she kicked off her shoes and followed Paige into the bedroom.
“The truth?” Paige asked, opening the closet and riffling through the clothes she’d brought with her to Las Vegas. She glanced at the clock, mindful there wasn’t time to run out and buy something new.
She wasn’t even sure what she should wear. Cooper had asked her to meet him for an early dinner before the rodeo. Perhaps she should go dressed in jeans and boots so they could leave right afterward. Would she have time to come back and change? Would she want to go after they had dinner together?
What if he planned to tell her he no longer wanted anything to do with her? While he’d been his usual fun, joking self the last week, he hadn’t made any effort to kiss her. He’d barely touched her, and then it was out of simple courtesy.
By the time the meal ended, she might be completely devastated and ready to come back to her room and bury her heartache in a pint of chocolate ice cream.
Unsettled by his request to talk to her, her mind worried over what he wanted to discuss. Unable to focus on anything else, she flipped through her clothes again.
Randi grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the bed, insisting she sit down beside her. “Paige, I say this because you are my only sibling and I love you to pieces, but stop being a nincompoop! You love Cooper and he loves you. Figure it out and make it work. Being around you two is like watching a fireworks show in the middle of a blizzard. It’s spectacular, full of bright light and showers of sparks, and yet a little frightening. Tell him the truth. Tell him how much you love him. And don’t you dare utter any nonsense about not really knowing him well enough or whatever excuse that smart little brain is frantically cooking up. Tell him.”
Paige sighed. “What if he tosses it in my face?”
Randi patted her on the back. “That’s a chance you’ll have to take, but I’d be willing to bet everything I own, including my husband, that Cooper will be open to hearing what you have to say. In fact, I’d go out on a limb and guess he probably wants to say something similar to you.”
“But what if…”
Randi stood and rubbed a hand across her tummy. “Paige, get up off that bed, dress in something that will steal his breath away, and go stake your claim on that clown. If you have to hold him down and sit on him to make him listen to what you have to say, tell him what’s on your heart.”
Paige laughed. “You certainly have a way of adding your own spin of romance on things.” She stood and pointed to her closet. “Help me decide what to wear.”
An hour later, Paige nervously poked in a loose hairpin and stared at her reflection in the mirror. The satin emerald green cocktail dress she wore featured a V-neckline in the front with cap sleeves that showed off her newly toned arms. In need of a way to deal with her frustrations about work and Cooper, she’d started working out five days a week. The effort she’d put into getting in shape the last five months had given her a release for her anxiety not to mention trimmed and toned her petite figure.
She brushed a hand down the skirt of her dress, studying the asymmetrical hem that fell to just above her knees in the front and almost to her ankles in the back. She wore black lace pumps that contributed several inches to her height and added a boost of elegance to her ensemble.
“You’re going to knock Cooper’s socks off. Just don’t go as far as his pants,” Randi teased.
Paige glared at her sister and picked up the black handbag she’d tucked her phone, wallet, and a few essentials into then took one last look at her reflection. “Well, here goes nothing.”
Randi gave her a tight hug. “More like here goes everything. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by Cooper’s reaction, sis. If not, I promise to refrain from offering my bossy older sister opinion for at least a month.”
“I’m not sure you’d survive that long if you couldn’t tell me what you think I should do.” Paige grinned as the two of them left the room and stepped onto the elevator. “Have a great evening with Dave. If I’m not going to be at the rodeo tonight, I’ll text you.”
“Okay.” Randi gave her one more hug then waved as Paige hurried out the door of the hotel and across the street.
She walked into the lobby to find Cooper sitting in an overstuffed chair waiting for her. He jiggled one foot while he pretended to read. The parenting magazine he held in his hands tipped her off to the fact he wasn’t really reading it, but trying to appear calm.
He glanced up at her and smiled, tossing the magazine on a side table as he rose to his feet. His hand closed over hers as he bent down and kissed her cheek. “You look so beautiful, Paige.”
“Thank you, kind sir.” She took in the dark blue jacket he wore with a light blue and silver striped shirt. “You look quite handsome.”
“Aw, shucks, ma’am,” he drawled, affecting a western twang. “I’m just an ol’ country boy, come to the big city.”
Paige laughed when Cooper hooked his thumbs through his belt loops and swaggered a few steps.
He grinned at her and held out his arm. When she placed her hand on it, she could feel the tense muscles and wondered if he was half as nervous as she felt. Cooper led her over to the elevators and pushed a
button.
Curious, she gazed around. “Where are we going?”
“Up.”
She gave him an exasperated look. “I know that much, wise guy.”
“Then why’d you ask,” he teased, escorting her on the elevator and punching the button for the top floor.
“I didn’t realize there’s a restaurant at the top of the hotel. I thought those were all suite rooms.”
Rather than answer, Cooper put an arm around her shoulders and drew her closer as more people got on the elevator with them.
By the time they reached the top floor, Cooper’s delicious scent had left her knees weak. The way his finger traced a circle where it rested against her shoulder made shivers of delight roll from her head all the way down her spine to her toes.
Cooper kept his arm around her as they moved off the elevator. “Have I ever told you that you have the softest skin? It’s like touching something delicate and exotic,” he said in a low voice as he guided her down the hall.
It took all of Paige’s concentration not to trip and fall at his words and the look in his eyes when he smiled at her.
“Thank you,” she whispered, wondering what sort of torture the man had planned for her. Would he torment her with his touch, boost her confidence with charming praise, and then shoot her down before he told her he never wanted to see her again?
“Here we are,” Cooper said, swiping his room key in the slot and pushing open the door. “Come on in.” When she continued to hesitate in the hall, he took her hand and led her inside the room.
“Oh, wow,” she said, taking in the exquisite furnishings, a full-size Christmas tree in the corner, a fire flickering in a gas fireplace, and a table set for two in front of a bank of windows with a great view of The Strip.
The fragrance of roses filled the air, mingling with the pine scent of the tree. Paige glanced around and noticed a huge bouquet of red roses in a large crystal vase sitting on a low table by the couch.
Barreling Through Christmas: (Sweet Western Holiday Romance) (Rodeo Romance Book 4) Page 24
