The Cowboy Meets His Match

by Leann Harris

  “The company you’re using had a lawsuit filed against them last week, and their safety record is iffy,” Sawyer answered.

  The board members all looked at Mel.

  “Did you know about their history?” Norman asked.

  “This is the first I’ve heard of this.”

  Erin kept her mouth shut but met Mel’s gaze. She and her dad had argued with him about the company, but he had pushed aside their concerns.

  Mel ground his teeth and turned to face Sawyer. “I’ve heard rumors. We can look into your suggestions,” he said reluctantly.

  As they finished the tour of the grounds, Mel did a good imitation of a petulant child, with his stomping feet and bad attitude. The other board members grew uncomfortable with his actions.

  “I think half these vendor booths should be offered to people in Harding,” Norman stated.

  “And if there are not enough people in Harding who want to pay for one of the booths, offer the rest of the booths to anyone in the state who wants to rent them,” Erin added.

  “Good idea,” Bob Rivera said.

  The others agreed.

  “Okay, I can get those contracts reviewed and awarded,” Sawyer added.

  The group started toward their cars. Mel stepped closer to Sawyer. “You were hired for your talent and not anyone else’s.” Mel glared at Erin.

  “So does that mean you don’t want me to consider any of the suggestions from the other rodeo board members that vary from the original contract?” Sawyer spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. “And does that warning include you?”

  Everyone stopped.

  Mel glanced around, then swallowed. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

  “Good, because if any of the local residents or board members know of a way to cut costs to bring us in under budget, I want to know.” Sawyer turned to the others. “I’ll email updates weekly to the board members and have the changes posted at the rodeo office.”

  The members nodded and walked to their cars.

  Mel shot Erin a last disgruntled look and trudged to his truck.

  Bob waited behind with Erin and Sawyer. “Well, Mr. Jensen, you just got on Mel’s bad side.”

  “Could be.”

  “Thankfully, you were already awarded the contract,” Bob added.

  “True, but once the project gets started, Mel will change his mind.”

  “Don’t count on it.” Bob nodded to Erin and Sawyer and walked away.

  Erin stood there absorbing Sawyer’s defense of her. It was the last thing she had expected from him, but there it was, warming her heart. It was something not a lot of people did for her. They always expected her to be the strong one, defending others. To be on the receiving end of it was like a gentle rain on her parched soul. “Thanks for your support.” Erin didn’t know how to handle this man. Too often, other professional men not from around here approached her ideas with skepticism. He didn’t seem fazed by her suggestions but, instead, welcomed them.

  He nodded. “I liked your idea to make sure all the booths were occupied.”

  Oddly, she wanted to preen over his compliment. “It’s just common sense.”

  His rich laughter filled the air. “Sometimes common sense is the last thing that rules.”

  “True.”

  “I’m heading back to the rodeo office to go over the books for the last few years. I could use help from someone familiar with what’s gone on before, and a board member would be perfect for the job.”

  The offer only added to her confused reaction to him. “I’ve got the morning free, so I can do that.”

  “Good.”

  They walked to their trucks.

  “Growing up, I spent a lot of time on these grounds. I looked forward to September when the rodeo came,” Erin said.

  “I understand. Summers my brother and I followed the traveling rodeo wherever it went.”

  “What’d your parents think of that?”

  His expression slammed shut, throwing her back on her heels. “My father died when I was young.”

  The tone of his voice didn’t encourage any other questions. “I’m sorry.” Erin didn’t push. “I’ll see you at the offices.” She opened the door of her truck and slid into the driver’s seat.

  Pulling out of the parking lot, she glanced in her rearview mirror and saw Sawyer standing by his truck, studying her.

  “I guess he thought I might get into his business. Too bad the man doesn’t know me,” she said out loud. A smile slowly curved her lips. “But he’ll learn.”

  * * *

  When Sawyer walked into the offices of the bicounty rodeo, Erin sat talking to the secretary.

  “I appreciate your prayers, Lisa. Dad’s improving a little each day.”

  The women stopped and looked at him.

  “Did you get lost?” Erin asked, her voice light.

  “No, but I drove through the rodeo grounds and confirmed that the back entrance to the grounds needs the road widened and marked.”

  “Excellent idea,” Erin replied.

  Lisa grinned.

  “What?” Sawyer looked at both women.

  “Erin proposed that last year, but Mel disagreed and wouldn’t bring it up at the board meeting.”

  “Well, I agree with you.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Let’s move into the other room and start working on this rodeo.”

  A small office stood behind the reception area. Down from the office was a meeting room where Sawyer and Erin could spread out. On one side of the room were bookshelves filled with binders of past rodeos. The notebooks went back to 1937.

  “I see this rodeo has a long past.” Sawyer nodded to the notebooks. “It’s great it’s been documented.”

  Erin pulled the first notebook off the shelf. Carefully, she put the binder on the table, opened it and slowly turned the pages.

  Looking over her shoulder, Sawyer read the name of Clayton Delong. He stepped closer. “Clayton Delong? Is he related to you?”

  She looked up. Suddenly, the air between them thickened with awareness. Her eyes drifted toward his mouth. Swallowing, she said, “He was my dad’s grandfather. The rodeo has always been connected with my family, but as time has gone on, others in the community have bought in. When our rodeo combined with the Harding County rodeo, the Delong share diminished, but Dad still sits on the board.”

  Her interest in the rodeo suddenly took on a different dimension. This was family heritage. He could respect that and admire it, but he hoped he’d read her right and she’d work to make this redo a success and not want to make it about the Delong name. So far, she’d indicated she wanted the rodeo’s success, but he’d been fooled before, so he knew not to let his heart lead the way. That didn’t stop his heart from pounding at her nearness. He was here only to fix the rodeo, nothing more.

  He swallowed the lump in his throat. “So this is in your blood.”

  “It is. But since the rodeo merged with the Harding County one, our family has not been as involved. Plus, I’ve been away at school and competing in barrel racing on weekends elsewhere, so I’ve not been here. Dad’s called me and told me about the problems, but that’s ancient history. Let’s talk about your plan and how to implement it. And, if it needs to be tweaked, we can see about that.”

  Well, if he thought she’d back off, he realized he was mistaken. But he wasn’t fazed in the least.

  She opened the massive tote she had with her and pulled out his proposal, a notebook and several pens, setting them on the table. “I’m ready.”

  He knew a challenge when he saw one. “Let me get my papers.”

  She smiled in a way that indicated this wasn’t going to be easy. She would have her say. When he walked back into the room,
he had his notebooks and her proposal.

  She pointed to her proposal. “Why do you have that?”

  “I found it in here when I was looking for the financial records for the losing years of the rodeo, and I wanted to read it.”

  “And?”

  “I thought you had some good ideas, so let’s discuss how we can incorporate them into my plan.”

  The corners of her mouth curled up. “Did you find the records for last year?”

  “No, and I’d like to see those, to find out where the money was spent.”

  “My father, as a board member, has a copy of those records, but they’re at home.”

  Erin stood and walked out to Lisa’s desk in the reception area. “Do you know where the financial records are for the past several years?” Sawyer heard Erin ask.

  “They are in Mel’s office.”

  “Could we see them for the last year?”

  “Sure, I’ll get them.”

  Erin appeared back in the boardroom. Before they could get started, Lisa stood in the doorway. “Those records are not in Mel’s office. I have last year’s numbers on a flash drive in my desk. I’ll bring it to you.”

  Several minutes later she reappeared. “I can’t find the flash drive, either. It’s not in my desk.”

  Sawyer met Erin’s gaze.

  “Lisa, that’s okay,” Erin reassured her. “If you find either the hard copy or your flash drive, let us know.”

  Once they were alone, Sawyer said, “That doesn’t speak well of the record keeping around here.”

  Erin shook her head. “It’s not Lisa’s fault.”

  “Then where are the documents?”

  “You’ll need to talk to Mel. He’s the one in charge.”

  So Mel was in charge of the documentation? The only reason Sawyer could think of everything disappearing was that Mel had something to hide.

  * * *

  For the balance of the morning, Erin and Sawyer went over his proposal page by page as they sat in the conference room. Erin wanted to understand his thinking and how he planned to execute his ideas. She’d prepared herself to argue her viewpoint, but much to her surprise, Sawyer didn’t discount her opinion. He listened to her suggestions, considered modifying his plans, questioned her reasoning, then they came to a consensus. She welcomed his reasonable reaction, so different from Mel and some of the other men she’d dealt with in town.

  “So, are you using some of the local residents in this rebuilding?” Erin asked.

  “Is there a cement contractor in town?”

  He knew there wasn’t but wanted to make his point.

  “No, we both know that, but there are local artisans who are excellent welders, and iron workers who know how to make the rodeo grounds more appealing for the visitors and horses. They could do some of the smaller projects. They’d welcome the work, and their hearts would be in the game.”

  Leaning back in his chair, he studied her. “I had planned on using larger companies out of Albuquerque for the main infrastructure components. But I’d like to encourage local craftsmen to bid on some of the smaller projects. I thought I’d add to the rodeo web page a list of the jobs that need to be done.” Sawyer picked up his pen and tapped it against the table. “I have a budget I need to stick to, Erin. I don’t think the board wants any overruns.”

  He had a valid point.

  “But you might not reach all the local craftsmen. One of the local iron workers refuses to use the internet.”

  “So, if I wanted to advertise for local iron workers and other people to hire, where would I do that?”

  She blinked. Her mind had geared up to argue for the local residents, and he’d short-circuited her brain. Again.

  The glint in his eyes caught her attention. “Bob Rivera is the man who knows everyone in this county and the surrounding counties. We could walk down to his store and ask him. Or, better yet, we could list the jobs, post it in his store and ask for bids. It’s not modern and high-tech, but some of the artisans prefer face-to-face business deals.”

  “I like that idea. Why don’t we make that list, then go over to Bob’s and post it? The sooner we fill the contracts, the sooner we get to work.”

  For the next few minutes they worked on Sawyer’s laptop creating the job list. She’d been impressed he didn’t ask the secretary or her to do it, but did it himself. Too often, she’d seen the guy in charge think the underlings should do the work.

  “I should’ve had you type my econ paper.” She laughed. “You’re faster than I am. I flunked keyboarding in school and did the hunt and peck method my dad does. Why, even Tate is faster than me.”

  He chuckled, then saved the file and hit Print. Then he walked to Lisa’s desk and waited for the printer to spit out the list, but nothing happened.

  He quickly jotted down the jobs on a piece of paper.

  “You did notice that I recommended the first thing they spend money on was a new computer and printer,” Erin commented.

  “I did. That will be one of the first purchases I make.” He closed his laptop and notebooks and put them back in his office.

  A glow of pride shot through her.

  “Remember what I told the other board members? A good idea is a good idea no matter who suggests it. I don’t have a corner on the market.”

  As they walked down the street to Bob’s hardware store, people came out of the buildings, seemingly curious. “Come see,” Erin answered. The people followed behind. Erin heard murmured comments.

  When they entered the hardware store, Bob and Tom Kirby, a local rancher, were at the checkout counter talking.

  “Morin’, Erin.” He looked at Sawyer and nodded.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” Bob asked.

  Erin heard the other residents filing into the building.

  “Sawyer and I have been discussing the rodeo redo and how to implement it. Sawyer needs the names of local vendors who want to bid on working for the rodeo.”

  “Oh?” Bob frowned at Sawyer. “I thought he’d want to use the big boys out of Albuquerque.”

  “I’m open to all bids. I do have a budget, but I want to include as many local vendors as possible. They know the history of the rodeo, and that could put a different spin on the work they do.”

  Bob considered Sawyer’s words. He turned to Erin, silently asking if she believed this stranger.

  “I think it’s a good idea, Bob,” she replied. “Locals would have a shot at working on the rodeo. It would give them a personal stake in the project and an opportunity to show off their work and maybe get other contracts.”

  “I think so, too,” came a shouted reply from the back. “I’d be interested,” a man called out.

  Erin looked over her shoulder at the man who’d offered the comment and gave him a thumbs-up.

  “Okay, give me the list of what you need, and I’ll post it in the store. The folks behind you will read it and spread the word.”

  They didn’t need the internet in this town. Word of mouth was faster and the mode that had been used for over a hundred years, but Sawyer wanted to use the internet to bring younger people into the redo.

  Sawyer pulled a slip of paper out of his shirt pocket and placed it on the counter. “Anyone who wants to bid can come by the rodeo board office.” Sawyer turned to the group. “So read the list and, if you have any of the skills needed, come by and talk to me, then put in your bid.”

  Sawyer and Erin made their way through the crowd by the front door, leaving Bob and Tom with their mouths hanging open.

  Erin laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Sawyer asked.

  “I don’t think I’ve seen Bob that off-balance before.”

  “I do have that effect on people.”

  Boy,
didn’t she know it. No matter how much she wanted to dislike him for getting the job she’d thought was hers, he managed to throw something in her way that made it impossible.

  * * *

  “C’mon, Auntie, we’re late,” Erin said, trying to speed up her aunt and brother as they walked into the Hope Community Church.

  “I’m not the one who caused the delay.” Betty eyed her nephew. “What was Tate thinking about, wearing his torn cutoffs and old plaid slip-on tennis shoes with holes in each shoe to church?”

  When Tate had appeared in the kitchen for breakfast, Auntie had sent him back to his room to change before he could touch any of the food. She’d ended her scolding with the threat that he had five minutes before she threw his breakfast in the garbage. Tate made it back in time to eat his egg-and-bacon flat-bread sandwich.

  Entering the church, people clustered in different spots in the main sanctuary talking. They turned and acknowledged Erin and the family.

  From the instant Bob had posted the jobs that needed to be filled, a constant stream of residents had come by the hardware store and rodeo board’s headquarters. The board members in Harding County got the word that they were hiring for jobs to work on the rodeo. People had called and stopped by the Delong home to check out the rumors about jobs working on the rodeo. It’d been the talk of the town. No, it had been the talk of the county, and late Saturday night some jobs had appeared on the website.

  As Betty, Tate and Erin made their way to the front left side of the church, their regular place, several people stopped and chatted about the rumblings in the county and asked about Erin’s dad. Finally, Tate threw up his hands and just walked on and sat where he normally sat.

  When the organist slipped behind her instrument and started to play, people took their seats. The pastor welcomed everyone and announced the hymns for the morning. After they finished the first hymn, someone slid into the pew beside her. When Erin looked over, Sawyer stood there. He winked and started singing the second hymn.

  The man had a marvelous baritone voice that flowed around her, making her just want to sit down and listen to him sing. Auntie looked around Erin and smiled at him. Erin felt a dozen different people staring at them.