Her Cowboy Reunion

by Debbi Rawlins

  “And door number three?”

  “I pick you up tomorrow morning, and you spend the day with me on the ranch. You wouldn’t need a car for that.”

  “Or I can rent a car and I still spend the day with you. If I won’t get in the way of your chores.”

  He looked shocked. “You’re not going to work with me? I’ve got a great little horse that you’ll fall in love with.”

  She laughed. “No. I’m not. Although I promise to watch avidly as you do whatever it is you do.”

  “You’ve got no idea what happens on a working ranch?”

  “Whatever I learned, I got from the movies. Sorry.”

  “You grew up in cattle country.”

  She shook her head. “I grew up adjacent to cattle country.”

  “Huh. So, you really want to go back to the motel?”

  “No, but I should.”

  Nodding, Mike corked the wine bottle that was still half full before he started the truck.

  “Hey, wait, what’s the happy ending?”

  Mike’s smile flashed white in the moonlight. “I’m sitting here with you, aren’t I?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Savannah made a face. What was that awful taste?

  One minute she’d been having the most pleasant daydream and the next...

  Her gaze landed on the tube of sunscreen. “Yuck!”

  She was supposed to be applying the lotion not skimming a finger over her lips and replaying last night’s kiss.

  When her cell phone rang, she dived across the bed to grab it off the nightstand, only to realize it was Sadie.

  Savannah hoped the day she and Mike had planned wasn’t about to go down the drain, but whatever Sadie wanted had to be top priority. “Good morning.”

  “You sound chipper,” Sadie said with a rusty chuckle. “I half expected you’d be at the airport—well, hell, I should ask first. Are you still in town?”

  Savannah laughed. “I’m a little insulted you thought I’d desert you.”

  “Honey, if you’d hightailed it to Kalispell last night, I wouldn’t have blamed you one bit.”

  “And throw you to the wolves? I would never do that.”

  Sadie snorted. “Some folks around here think I’m the wolf. I just remind ’em not to vote for me next year. How about meeting me for some coffee? Or breakfast. Have you eaten? The diner should’ve cleared out some by now.”

  Savannah glanced at the bedside clock and held back a sigh. “I’ve already been to the continental breakfast down in the lobby, but coffee sounds good.”

  “What time works for you?”

  “How about five minutes?”

  “You must’ve rolled out of bed early.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to rush you.”

  “Nah, I’ve been sitting in my office since seven thirty.”

  Savannah hesitated, mentally debating her next question. “Will this be a working meeting?” When Sadie wasn’t quick to respond, she worried she’d sounded off-putting. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to entertain me.”

  “Well, officially, no. Being as I haven’t invited any city council members, I can’t rightfully conduct city business. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a few shop owners were to stop by our table.”

  Savannah grinned. It was no wonder she liked Sadie. “Okay, so when are you thinking would be a good time? I do have plans this afternoon, although I can cancel...”

  “No, don’t do that. I was going to offer to drive you to Kalispell to pick up a rental, but I’m thinking you have that covered.”

  “Yes, thanks. And I haven’t booked my flight yet. I can stay through Tuesday if need be.”

  “That won’t be necessary. Maybe we can get this wrapped up so you can leave tomorrow. Let’s see how today goes. Then I’ll check with the council members. I know two of them would rather be off hunting. A written report would be fine with them.”

  They agreed to meet in thirty minutes, and after they hung up Savannah called Mike. She offered to cancel if the change in plans screwed his day up. Luckily, he wouldn’t hear of it, and they agreed he’d come by the diner in two hours. She doubted she’d be able to sit still any longer than that knowing he was waiting in the wings.

  She gathered a notebook, some copies of her report, sunscreen, her jacket and her tote bag so she wouldn’t have to come back to the motel.

  It was a pleasant ten-minute walk to the middle of town. The Food Mart parking lot was crowded, even though Saturdays in a ranching community didn’t mean the same thing as it did for city dwellers, since few people worked traditional days and hours. The market wasn’t very big, though probably adequate for the size of the town. It was just that her memory had painted a different picture.

  Slipping off her sunglasses once she entered the diner, Savannah found Sadie and another woman sitting in the back at the largest booth there. Both of them were dressed casually, like her.

  Sadie waved. Savannah nodded and as she got closer, she recognized Sally, the owner of the Cut and Curl. Sadie waved again, but it didn’t seem to be at her. When Savannah looked behind her, she saw Mallory, the bartender from the Full Moon, and Kylie from the bakery.

  Oh, God. Savannah hoped she didn’t get a warm rush every time she thought of a pastry. And Mike.

  Assuming they’d be following right behind her, she gave them a quick smile and continued on to the table.

  “Well, we sure could’ve timed this better,” Sadie said dryly. “This doesn’t look like a planned meeting at all, does it?”

  Savannah was just about to slide in next to Sally, but stopped. “Did I get it wrong?”

  “No,” Sadie said. “My fault. Please. Sit.”

  “Hey,” Mallory said, and sat next to Sadie.

  Before Kylie could squeeze in, the waitress, Doris, brought over two chairs. Kylie took one and left the other one against the wall.

  “Can I get you ladies some coffee?”

  Mallory nodded. “Please.”

  Kylie scooted the chair closer to the table. “None for me, Doris.”

  “Says the woman with the fancy espresso machine,” the waitress said good-naturedly. “How many of those sinful lattes have you had today?”

  “One too many.” Kylie patted her tummy. “I’ll be paying for that stupid machine long after I make the final installment.”

  They all laughed, mostly in sympathy.

  “What about you, hon? Coffee?”

  “Thanks.” Savannah smiled then looked at the rest of the group. “Nice to see you all.”

  Mallory chuckled. “You sure about that?”

  “Yes. Although if anyone can’t hear me, I’ll send you emails to recap.”

  That got a laugh out of them, and then something caused Sadie’s expression to sour. “For crying out loud, what’s that old buzzard doing in here this time of day?”

  They all turned.

  “Who?” Sally asked. “Abe?”

  He’d stopped to talk to the waitress manning the counter. It seemed he’d been about to take a seat until he noticed them. Scowling, Abe headed toward their table, his shuffling gait not slowing him down.

  Savannah recognized him. He owned the variety store and was also a city council member. “Shall we scrap business talk?”

  Sadie shook her head, her gaze fixed on Abe. “We’re fine.”

  “How come I wasn’t told about this meeting?” He folded his arms across his narrow chest and glared at Sadie. “My opinions aren’t good enough?”

  “Be quiet, you old coot. We’re not having a meeting. You see anyone here from the council?”

  Scowling, he swept a gaze from face to face. “Sure looks like a meeting,” he said, lingering on Savannah. Good thing she hadn’t brought out her notebook or the report.

  “Hey, that’s not a bad
idea, Abe. If you’re not too busy, how about you pull up a chair and join us,” the mayor said, glancing at the one against the wall.

  His frown eased.

  “I know we can’t have an official meeting.” Sadie lowered her voice. “But since these gals are business owners like yourself what do you say we discuss Ms. James’s findings?”

  “Shouldn’t the other members be included?”

  “You know how some of those mules are...they aren’t all reasonable like yourself. Wouldn’t hurt to hear what Ms. James has to say without being interrupted a hundred times. Sally, you mind taking the chair and letting Abe sit next to me?”

  He sure seemed to like that idea. Savannah wondered if he had a thing for Sadie, and if he realized she’d just played him like a fiddle.

  A couple of the women reached for their coffee cups. But the mayor turned her attention to Savannah. “If that’s all right with you.”

  “Sure. I’d be happy to.”

  Abe claimed his seat, a smile brightening his ruddy face.

  “Oh, there’s Gladys,” Sadie said. “She owns the River Bend B & B.” Sadie made a show of waving the woman over. “I wonder if she’d like to join us.”

  Savannah joined Mallory in hiding a smile behind her coffee cup. The mayor had missed her calling. She was quite the actor.

  Gladys came straight toward them, her salt-and-pepper hair pulled back into a tight braid. She frowned when she noticed Abe, but she caught on quickly and managed to squeeze into the booth.

  “I have a couple questions for Savannah,” Kylie said. “If that’s okay with everyone. Celeste is minding the shop and I know it’s busy, so I need to get back soon.”

  “Well, let’s get started.” Sadie glanced at Abe. “Is that all right?”

  “Don’t see why not,” he muttered, flushing all the way to his receding hairline. “If Ms. James is willing.”

  “Of course, but please, call me Savannah.” Something occurred to her. “Mayor, I have a few copies of my written report. Do you want me to pass them out, or would you prefer to wait?”

  “I say pass them out.” She again looked at Abe, who nodded.

  Savannah was glad to sift through her tote. Sadie was more than a good actor, she was a consummate politician. “There aren’t as many pictures in the report, but it does have all the pertinent facts and what we think might make the town a place that will encourage tourists to stay awhile. Who knows,” she said as the copies were passed around, “one day Blackfoot Falls might become a real destination location and not just a rest stop.”

  “It already is for the women who stay at the Sundance,” Gladys said, mischief in her dark eyes.

  “Well, sure, we got a lot of handsome cowboys living in the area. Maybe we ought to find more of them,” Sally said, grinning and smoothing her teased hair. “Rounding up a few more mature cowpokes wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”

  The women all laughed.

  Looking disgusted, Abe muttered something about them all being sexist.

  “To be honest, I would use that in campaigning for a certain target group,” Savannah said. “Rachel Gunderson did just that by including candid shots of her brothers—her very good-looking brothers—on the Sundance website. You all know how well that worked for her dude ranch.”

  “Truth be told, it turned out good for most of us,” Sadie said. “The girls who stay at the Sundance come into town and spend money. And now, so do most of the hired men who used to run off to Kalispell looking for entertainment.”

  A woman named Alice, who was considering opening a B & B, joined them ten minutes later.

  Two hours had passed by the time Savannah had finished her pitches—tailored to each business’s particular needs—including her idea for the co-op for the B & Bs. The questions had been excellent. She heard about Kylie’s upcoming expansion and how Sally wanted to turn the Cut and Curl into a real salon with all the trimmings. In fact, Sally wanted to know how to find out if folks other than the Sundance guests would take advantage of the extra services, so they discussed surveys and focus groups.

  All in all, the business owners understood what was at stake and how each of them could encourage more traffic. The big problem seemed to be about the internet and their presence on it.

  But that discussion was more or less led by Sadie, who reminded everyone what a website had done for the Sundance ranch and agreed to talk to the city council about advertising online and offering tourism promotions.

  Savannah hit her caffeine limit after her third cup of coffee. She looked at her watch and realized Mike would be picking her up any minute.

  Apparently, Sadie caught her checking the time and said, “Okay, we don’t have much longer with our friend here, so any last questions?”

  Gladys nodded. “Would you recommend I put up my own website, or can I just do something on Facebook to collect reviews?”

  Savannah tackled the excellent question, knowing Gladys, and most of the people here, didn’t have the expertise or extra money to maintain a website. Her recommendation to use a committee approach on Facebook got a lot of attention, but that stopped suddenly when everyone at the table looked behind her.

  “Speaking of good-looking cowboys,” Sadie said.

  Turning, Savannah watched as Mike walked through the diner with that loose stride. In his jeans, blue Western shirt and black Stetson, he made her pulse flutter.

  “Should I come back later?” he asked, taking off his hat to greet the crowd.

  “Nope,” Sadie answered. “We’ve bothered her enough for today. She’s all yours.”

  “Then I’ll take her.” Mike’s eyes met Savannah’s and he smiled.

  “Hell, I wish you’d take me,” Sally said, and pretended she was insulted when the others laughed.

  Savannah was just grateful the attention had been diverted from her—and the alarmingly inappropriate physical reaction she was experiencing. She knew she should say something, perhaps offer to answer any further questions, but she simply didn’t trust her voice.

  Finally, she picked up her tote and took out her wallet.

  Sadie snorted. “Oh, put that away.”

  “Expense account,” Savannah said, and laid down two twenties. “Is this enough?”

  “This ain’t the city,” Abe said.

  “Right.” Savannah smiled. “Though Doris deserves a good tip, since we monopolized her table. Mayor, we’ll talk later about Monday, all right?” Getting a nod from Sadie, Savannah added, “Now, I must go learn about what real ranchers do. My ignorance seems to be vast.”

  “Hey, I never said that.” Mike put his hand on her lower back as she stepped away from the table. “Trying to make me look bad?”

  “Impossible,” she said, and belatedly realized she really needed to watch herself around him.

  After exchanging goodbyes, they made their way to the door, under the watchful stares of the lunchtime crowd.

  * * *

  “HER NAME’S PENELOPE.”

  “She’s a beauty,” Savannah said, petting the horse’s neck. Penelope bobbed her head and whinnied softly.

  “Feel like getting in the saddle? I promise she’s gentle as a kitten. That’s why she’s my mom’s favorite.”

  Savannah shook her head. “I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. I mean, she seems very sweet, but she’s also very big.”

  Mike grinned. “You mean horse-sized.”

  “Scary-sized.”

  “It’s fine.” Mike wouldn’t push. Anyway, they’d be having lunch soon. “Would you like to meet some of the other horses before we head back to the house?”

  “Is Penelope the only girl?”

  He laughed. “No. We have another mare. Her name is Amelia Bedelia.”

  “Your niece’s horse? Or are you a fan of the series?”

  “Right the first t
ime. Come on.”

  On their way toward the back of the stable, Mike stopped in front of Amelia’s stall and waited for Savannah’s reaction.

  Her jaw dropped. “How tall is she?”

  “Just under eighteen hands. Penny is a little under fourteen.”

  “Wow. Who does she belong to?”

  “Everyone loves Amelia. They all ride her.”

  At a knock on the open stable door, they both turned toward Chip.

  “Lunch is served. I’ve got beer and I think there’s some soda left,” he said, looking at Savannah.

  “Beer’s fine with me,” she said.

  Chip, wearing a black apron, saluted Savannah with the hand holding a pair of big tongs before he left.

  “Hey, I’m sorry about lunch,” Mike said as he steered them outside, keeping some distance from Chip.

  “Why?”

  “We hadn’t talked about it, and I figured we’d eat out somewhere. But the minute Chip heard you were coming, he insisted.” Mike had no idea why. She and Chip had barely spoken at the creek.

  “It’s so nice of him.”

  Something finally occurred to Mike. “We could be guinea pigs,” he said. “Chip likes impressing his girlfriend. This might be a practice run so beware.”

  Savannah grinned. “I think it’s sweet. I’m going to rave about the food no matter what. And after we eat, will you have work to do?”

  “Nope. I’m free for the day.”

  “Oh.”

  Mike stared at her. She didn’t look disappointed, but she sure sounded like it. “I don’t know how to take that.”

  “I was hoping to watch you do some real cowboy stuff.”

  He laughed. “Like chewin’ on some tobaccy and spittin’?”

  She shuddered and moved closer, almost touching him. That was encouraging. He put a hand on her back, tempted to lean in to see how she reacted. Just thinking about kissing her amped up his pulse.

  “I still want to visit Buddy. I mean, he probably thinks I abandoned him.”

  “You’re right. He does. He told me so this morning.”

  “Don’t laugh,” she said. “I have a gift with animals. Cats and dogs love me to pieces.”

  “Course they do. They’re not fools.”