“Nah, I can wait.” Time to stop stealing glances at her legs and get down to business. “Best thing to do first is look at your facilities to see if they’re suitable for a good-size rodeo, and what adjustments may need to be made.”
She nodded. “Let me just lock up.”
He stepped out onto the sidewalk, able to breathe deeper once he was out of the shop and farther from the woman who ran it. While he waited for her to flip over her sign saying she’d be back in thirty minutes and lock the door, he ran his hand over his face.
When was the last time he’d gotten an immediate jolt when he first laid eyes on a woman? Oh, yeah, Charlotte. That certainly cooled his interest. He glanced at India Pike in her stylish getup that had a hint of some other era and realized she was a fancy woman, concerned with appearances just like Charlotte had been. A woman didn’t dress and apply her makeup with such care if she wasn’t concerned with what other people thought about her.
“Mr. Parrish?”
Damn it, he’d been staring and somehow managed to miss the obvious fact that India had turned toward him.
“Yeah. My truck is just around the corner.”
“I’m parked out back. I’ll get my car, and you can follow me.”
“Okay.” 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 looked up at the sky. “The storm is moving fast. We better get back to the truck.”
She wasn’t going to argue with that. Halfway back to his truck, the first fat raindrops began to fall. She picked up her pace, but when she looked back over her shoulder at the approaching storm she managed to twist her ankle and break the heel of one of her blue-and-white Mary Janes.
Liam was at her side almost quicker than she could steady herself on her other foot. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I think so.” She lifted her leg out to the side to check out the damage. “More than I can say for my poor shoe, though.”
“At least you didn’t break your ankle. It’s just a shoe.”
“A shoe that cost me a hundred dollars,” she mumbled under her breath.
Something changed in the air, and it had nothing to do with the storm. When she met Liam’s eyes, his expression had hardened. Gone was the hint of laughter and open friendliness, replaced by tight lines and a distance that hadn’t been there before.
The rainfall upped its tempo a bit, and Liam let out a long sigh. Before she could ask what was wrong, her feet flew out from under her as he scooped her up in his arms and started walking toward his truck like some knight in shining armor.
Or cowboy in a tan Stetson.
Chapter Two
India’s skin blazed so hot that she was surprised Liam didn’t drop her. But he didn’t seem to notice her out-of-control embarrassment and maintained his strong hold on her as if she weighed next to nothing. Despite the rain, his feet never slipped. The short distance to his truck seemed to take aeons to cross, and yet at the same time a part of her felt it was over much too soon when he set her on her feet. She didn’t even have time to take a breath before he pulled open the passenger door so she could escape the rain.
She scrambled inside just as the sky truly opened up. Liam had to be soaked before he even reached the front of the truck. He was nothing more than a vague blur as she watched him through the torrents of rain. By the time he dived into the driver’s seat, he looked as if he’d taken a plunge in the lake. India’s gaze traveled to where his blue button-up shirt was plastered to his chest and his jeans molded to what looked like a pair of powerful thighs.
Liam pulled off his drenched Stetson and tossed it onto the seat between them. As it landed, his gaze met hers and held for what had to be the longest second in human history.
She jerked her gaze away before she had time to think about what that might reveal—that she’d been ogling the mighty fine contours of his body.
“Been a while since I’ve seen a rain this hard,” Liam said.
Thankful for something to think about other than what Liam Parrish hid beneath his plastered-to-his-skin clothing, India forced herself to focus on the rain hammering against the truck’s windshield. Drought had become a dusty way of life in Texas lately, so they sorely needed the rain. Still, she would have been a lot happier if it had waited until they’d gotten back to her store. There, she wouldn’t have to be trapped in a confined area with a man who seemed to fill most of the space available.
She leaned forward. “This keeps up and the arena will become a pool, and we’ll have to switch from a rodeo to swimming races.”
Liam laughed a little, and that unexpected response allowed India to take her first full breath since he’d picked her up. She ventured a quick glance at him and noticed the tightness in his expression from before had faded. She didn’t know why it mattered so much to her, but she experienced a great sense of relief. She didn’t like people being angry with her, and for some reason Liam Parrish had been, if only for a few brief moments.
The rain continued to pour down as if trying to make up for a year’s worth of drought in one afternoon, and India searched desperately for something to talk about. They’d already covered all the particulars of the site, at least until she could touch base with Verona and Blake at the tourism bureau. His job, that was it. Men loved talking about their jobs, right?
“So, have you been running a rodeo company for long?” She kept her eyes averted, afraid they would return to those tantalizing muscles.
“Just a couple of years. I was riding the circuit before that. Still ride some when I get to missing it too much.”
“Bulls?” Even she knew that was the event all the adrenaline-junkie cowboys liked.
“Broncs. I’m not crazy enough to get on a bull.”
This time, it was her turn to laugh. “A smart man. Well, at least somewhat. Not sure how wise it is to get on any animal whose sole goal is to buck you off its back.”
“You might be right about that, but the world’s got to have at least a few crazy people to keep things interesting.”
From her brief time with Liam Parrish, she could safely say he could keep things interesting without ever going anywhere near an animal.
She clamped a mental lid on her thoughts. Damn, was this rain ever going to stop?
“What about you?” he asked. “You own the clothing store?”
“Yes. A dream come true, you might say. Perhaps not as adventurous as riding animals with attitude, but I like it.”
“I don’t know. There’s something to be said for dealing with creatures who don’t talk back.”
As they fell into silence again, India noticed the rain was lessening in intensity. By the time a few more seconds ticked by, the worst of the storm had passed and she could see beyond the windshield again.
When Liam started the truck’s engine, India wondered if he was as anxious to get out of their awkward situation as she was. After all, she’d bet it wasn’t every day that he swept a potential business associate up into his arms. The image of him even attempting that with some big, burly cowboy had her stifling a giggle.
“Something funny?”
“No, nothing.” She was saved from further questioning by her ringing phone. She pulled it from her purse and noted it was Verona. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself, sweetie. Have you met with Mr. Parrish yet?”
“Yes, actually we’re heading back to the shop now.”
“Oh, good. Can you swing by the tourism office? Blake talked to the board, and we think we can iron out the details this afternoon if Mr. Parrish is agreeable.”
India glanced over at Liam, noting how his long fingers wrapped around the steering wheel as he drove back into the edge of downtown. “Hang on a second,” she said to Verona then lowered the phone.
Liam looked her way for a moment as he made a turn. “Problem?”
“The head of the tourism bureau wants to meet with you while you’re here, but now probably isn’t a good time.” She gestured toward his wet clothing.
He nodded toward the back of the cab. “I always travel with an extra set of clothes if you’ve got somewhere I can change.”
She smiled at that. “I own a clothing store. I bet we can scrounge up a dressing room.”
When he smiled back, the surge of blood in her veins pushed her heart into a couple of extra beats it wasn’t used to. She pulled her gaze away from that smile and refocused her attention on the call, bringing the phone back up to her ear. “Give us a few minutes, and we’ll swing by.”
As Liam guided the truck into a parking space across the street from her store, the rain stopped completely. The sun was already making a reappearance as she slid out onto the sidewalk.
“Need help?” Liam asked as he rounded the front of the truck.
Trying not to blush at the idea of him carrying her across the street for all of Blue Falls to see, she shook her head. “I’m fine.”
When she finally got inside the store and directed
Liam toward the dressing rooms, India sank onto the stool behind the cash register, slipped off her shoes and dropped her forehead into her upturned hand. With him out of her sight, she took several deep breaths and tried to pull some common sense to the surface. This was nothing more than the combination of meeting a nice-looking man and the memory of Elissa’s teasing about hot cowboys. Once she got this meeting with Blake over with and Liam headed back to Fort Worth, she could pull her frazzled self back together.
But what if they signed Liam’s company and she had to see him again? Work with him?
Well, she’d know what to expect then. She’d wear sensible shoes and avoid rainstorms. And she’d have time to steel herself against his rugged good looks, to remind herself that he was not the type of man she’d imagined being with if she ever slowed down long enough to even think about a serious relationship. She wanted someone cultured, refined, who’d seen the far reaches of the world and who might travel to them all again with her.
Her fantasy man was definitely not a cowboy who was probably more at home with livestock than people.
The splat of wet clothing hitting the hardwood floor drew her attention, and she looked toward the line of dressing rooms before she considered the wisdom of doing so. Beneath the wooden slats of the door, she noticed a lump of clothes that had to be Liam’s wet jeans and socks. Next to them stood his naked feet and legs.
Her breath caught when she thought about all the naked flesh that door was hiding. Wet, firm, naked male.
She startled so much when the front door of the shop opened that she almost slid off the stool. She closed her eyes against the image of Liam Parrish in his altogether, then opened them to meet Verona’s gaze. Another blush zoomed up India’s neck to her face, but she attempted to hide it in the process of standing.
Blake Magnusson, head of the Blue Falls Tourist Bureau, followed Verona through the front door.
“I thought we were coming by your office,” India said to Blake.
Verona waved off India’s words. “Made more sense for us to come here. You’ve got a business to run, and we don’t want to take you away from it longer than we have to.” There was a worrisome bit of devilish sparkle in Verona’s eyes as she scanned the interior of the shop. “Did you hide Mr. Parrish somewhere?”
Her Perfect Cowboy Page 2
