Page 26 of Blue Moon Cowboy
Lainey added her “amen” to the others, then lifted her head and found Mike giving her an observant study.
“Now, who are you, darlin’?” he asked, keeping his gaze fastened to hers.
The table fell utterly silent as though Lisa, Tyler, and Brylee questioned if their beloved Pops was suffering from sudden-onset dementia.
Then Mike cackled and winked at Dani before looking back at Lainey. “I knew as soon as you pulled up in that fancy van that Jason had practically begged you to stop and swap howdies with us. I hope you’ll plan on spending the night. We’ve got plenty of room. That way, you don’t have to rush off right after dinner. Jase said you are a photographer.”
“I am, Mr. Price, and I guess we didn’t get a chance to exchange pleasantries before, but I’m very pleased to meet you.”
“Call me Pops, and I’m happy to have you here. Stay as long as you like. When I talked to Jason yesterday, he said you just finished a project and haven’t yet started a new one.” Mike took a serving of brisket and passed the platter to Lainey. She helped herself to a few slices before handing it to Dani.
“I am between projects. I’ve never been to Boise, so I thought I’d spend a little time exploring the area.”
Mike glanced at Brylee and then Lisa, as though passing some unspoken message. “Well, it’s a few hours’ drive, and you don’t want to get into the evening traffic. It is a mess. Might as well stay here tonight. Galen is pretty handy at cooking breakfast. We’d be pleased to have you join us.”
Lainey did want to see more of the ranch, and now that she was here, it seemed wrong to just eat and rush off. “If you are sure it won’t be any bother, I’d love that.”
“Can I stay here too, Mom?” Dani asked, looking at her mother.
Lisa shook her head. “No, honey. You need to finish the science project that is due this week. Honestly, you’d think a teacher would know not to give the kids a big assignment right before school lets out for the summer. For most of them, their attention spans have gone from questionable to nearly nonexistent.” Lisa grinned at her daughter. “Present company excluded. Mostly.”
“Gee, thanks, Mom. That makes me feel so much better,” Dani said with plenty of teenage drama.
Tyler winked at his daughter from across the table and moved the conversation to Lainey’s books. “A friend gave me a copy of the military book you did, Lainey. It is incredible, and I’m grateful to have it.”
“Jason told me about your friend, Tyler. I’m so sorry for your loss,” Lainey said softly.
Tyler nodded and looked down at his plate, as though he needed a beat to gather his composure.
“So, Lainey, Shaun mentioned you were in Tillamook for an interview for your new book. How did that go?” Brylee asked, drawing the attention away from Tyler.
“It was great. The new book is about women who are family matriarchs in the West. I’ve had such a great time working on it and met so many interesting people.”
Lisa and Brylee exchanged glances that practically had cartoon bubbles forming above their heads. Lainey could almost see them thinking, “like meeting our dad.”
Before they blurted out questions Lainey didn’t wish to answer, she redirected the conversation. “So, Lisa, Jason said you manage a bank in town. How long have you been doing that?”
Able to relax with the focus off her, Lainey asked questions to keep the conversation rolling and learned a lot about Lisa and her job, Tyler’s time in the military, and Brylee and her family who lived in Walla Walla, Washington, on a ranch.
“Everything was delicious,” Lainey said, jumping in to help Brylee clear the table when everyone had finished eating. “Thank you for including me.”
“Are you kidding?” Brylee asked as they carried dishes to the sink. “We’ve all been dying to meet you because you are the first female Jason has talked about since he lost his wife.”
“Oh,” Lainey said, not certain how to unpack that bit of information.
Brylee bumped her with her elbow as she set plates inside the dishwasher. “It’s a good thing, Lainey. A really great thing. Shaun thought his dad would never give another woman the time of day, and Lisa would say the same thing. Losing Judy broke Jason’s heart. Broke him. They were sweethearts and best friends, and to lose her, his mom, and his baby girl all on the same day was a tragedy beyond the ability of most of us to understand, let alone endure. Jason has been cautious when it comes to dating. As far as I know, he rarely goes out, and then it’s usually a one-and-done situation.”
Lainey grinned. “One and done. I like it. And can totally relate to it.”
“Speaking of dates,” Brylee grinned. “Did Shaun tell you about Jason creating dial-a-date when we were dating the second time around?”
Lainey shook her head and covered the leftover salad with a piece of plastic wrap she tore off the box Brylee had placed on the counter.
“What is dial-a-date?” Lainey asked, intrigued.
“Shaun was taking too long to get around to being serious when we were dating, so Jason decided he needed prodding. We were in Las Vegas for the finals rodeo, and Jason lined up so many dates for me to go on, my head still spins when I think about it. I think one day I went out on three different dates, and that took place before I had to compete in the evening at the rodeo.”
Lainey couldn’t help it when her mouth fell open in surprise. “What kind of dates were these?”
