Page 38 of Blue Moon Cowboy
Last month, when she and Jason had sat at the campfire, and she’d poured out her past to him with all its hurts and grief, she’d known then, without a doubt, that he loved her. He’d been so sweet and caring, not to mention comforting and kind. He’d let her cry and didn’t act squirrelly like some men did when women shed tears, gently holding her hand. Perhaps most importantly, he understood her.
She knew by the tenderness in his tone and touch, as well as by the light shining in his eyes, that he truly loved her.
The problem was that she loved him back. With all her heart.
And she hadn’t the faintest idea what to do about it.
Long ago, she’d promised herself she’d never fall in love again. Losing her parents, her son, and her husband had made her withdraw emotionally, terrified to allow herself to love anyone else.
Up until she’d met Jason and his family, she’d done a good job of keeping her heart safe behind the walls she’d built.
Sure, she could be friendly and cheerful and talk to just about anybody, but no one really got to know her. Nobody knew the dreams that had died with her loved ones, or the hopes she could no longer allow to take wing.
Then Jason Price had come along and knocked on the door of the barricade she’d kept around her heart. And if that weren’t enough, he’d brought along his family, whom Lainey adored, from his aging father to his tiny granddaughter, who had wrapped her little fingers all the way around Lainey’s heart.
She’d known the night of the campfire, Jason had been about to declare his feelings for her. To say that he loved her.
Only she couldn’t bear for him to do it. Not when she was still convinced love wasn’t in her future because it had been buried four times over in her past. So, she’d kissed him into silence.
In the weeks since then, if he started to sound like he was about to begin a discussion that involved his love for her, she distracted him with kisses, or questions, or anything that came to mind to shift the focus off their feelings.
And because he was such a great guy, Jason let her.
Lainey had no idea what would happen when she finished her rodeo book and no longer had an excuse to spend time with Jason because of her interviews for work.
While she was having a fabulous time taking photos and interviewing interesting people, she’d already concluded the reason she was so ridiculously excited about the new book was because it kept her in close proximity to Jason.
The sensible part of her brain told her to step away from the project and let the publisher know she’d come up with a different idea. Only it was far too late to pull the plug on the rodeo book. The publisher had loved the first few images and interviews she’d shared and was anxious for Lainey to send more chapters of her work.
Dust, Grit, and Gracewas going to be a fabulous book. With Celia Kressley’s encouragement and guidance, Lainey had even taken a few action shots that were going to look marvelous in the book to accompany the interviews.
So far, her favorite subject, other than Jason and his family, had been Cooper James. The rodeo barrelman was handsome, and the camera loved him, but it was more than that. He might act like a clown in the arena, but he adored his wife and son, treasured his friends, cared about others, and was far more intelligent than he led people to believe.
The day Lainey sat down with him and Paige, she’d been impressed with them individually and as a couple because it had been clear from the start that they were deeply in love and partners for life.
In spite of what her head knew, Lainey’s heart still longed for that kind of connection and relationship. To have someone to love. To be a partner and friend. To come home to a special person at the end of a busy day. Someone who would hold her hand and sit quietly as they watched a sunset, or run with her into an adventure.
But it just wasn’t meant to be, no matter how much she wished otherwise.
“This the place?” Jason asked when they reached the interior doorway to the restaurant.
The restaurant was busy but not completely packed. Tantalizing aromas drifted out to remind Lainey that she’d skipped breakfast and that lunch had been a quick snack eaten on the road.
“Looks like it,” she said, stepping up to the hostess station. They were escorted to a table for two by a window.
Jason pulled out Lainey’s chair and waited until she was seated to settle into the chair across from her.
“This doesn’t look like any truck stop I’ve been in,” he mused, taking a gander around the restaurant.
“You might be surprised what’s out there, Mr. Price,” Lainey said as she picked up her menu and scanned the options. “What looks good to you?”
“A few things,” he said softly.
When Lainey lifted her gaze from the menu, it was to find Jason staring at her. She had a feeling he wasn’t talking about the menu, but she chose to ignore his comment.
Thankfully, their server appeared. Although Lainey had intended to order a salad, the chicken cordon bleu caught her eye. She ordered it and a glass of lemonade, while Jason went for a chicken-fried steak. She knew he chose healthy options as often as possible and figured with his fit physique, a few plates of chicken fried steak wouldn’t be the downfall of him.
“How are your interviews and photos progressing?” he asked once the server had brought Lainey’s lemonade and Jason’s iced tea.
