Page 7 of Blue Moon Cowboy
Jason tried not to appear overly eager as he took her phone and entered his contact information, then sent himself a text so he’d have her number. “I’m serious, Lainey, about both offers. If you’re looking for interesting faces, you’ll find enough for three or four books in the world of rodeo. It’s different from ranching, but it still has that great Western lifestyle vibe. The rodeo contestants are just a starting point. As you saw today,there are people like Liz and youngsters full of wonder. There are volunteers and staff. You’d find a lot of inspiration.”
“I’ll give it some consideration.” Lainey turned to face him when they stood at the edge of the yard and held out her hand to him. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Jason Price. Thank you for the walk.”
Jason took her hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing the backs of her fingers while holding her gaze, feeling like something special was about to walk right out of his life. “The pleasure was all mine, Lainey Collins. I hope our paths cross again someday.” He sincerely—and somewhat desperately—meant the words.
She turned and started toward the house, but gave him a look over her shoulder that made Jason feel like he’d just stepped next to a blazing fire. Before he sorted through his tangled emotions, a thump on his back nearly threw him off balance.
“Well, well,” Cooper James said, moving beside him with a big smirk on his face. “I didn’t know you had it in you, Jase. Where have you been hiding that Casanova cowboy persona all these years?”
Jason scowled at Cooper and gave him a guttural growl of warning. “Do not mention this to anyone, Coop. Understood?”
Cooper held up his hands in a gesture of innocence.
With a parting glower, Jason headed over to where Shaun spoke with Kash Kressley and Billy Clark. He needed to leave before rumors spread that he had shown interest in a female. Or worse … before he marched into the house and gave Lainey a kiss neither of them would ever forget.
Chapter Three
Lainey sat at the small dining table in her van with her laptop open in front of her. Earlier that afternoon, she’d sent the photos and interviews to her editor from her California appointments. She’d been able to wrap up a week sooner than she’d anticipated, and the final interview for her Pillars of the West book was scheduled in a week and a half, leaving her with unexpected free time.
She would have contacted the couple she was going to meet in Tillamook, Oregon, to see if she could visit them sooner, but she already knew from when she’d made the appointment that they were going to be out of town all next week.
Lainey could drive south and hit some sunny California beaches. However, she was currently in the northern part of the state, and the thought of backtracking didn’t appeal to her.
Or, she could drive thirty minutes northeast and spend the weekend at a rodeo that was on her route to Oregon.
She couldn’t explain why, but she hadn’t been able to get Jason Price out of her thoughts since she’d met him three weeks ago. Lainey liked to think it was more than his handsome face and charm that had lingered in her thoughts. He’d been interesting to talk to, and he hadn’t pressed her with questions about things she didn’t really want to talk about.
He seemed quite devoted to his son, and when he spoke about his family, his whole face lit up. She wished she could have captured his expression, but knew he wouldn’t have appreciated the gesture.
Jason had invited her to call him, but she hadn’t. He’d also invited her to visit his ranch, which she likely wouldn’t do. But she felt grateful for the invitations all the same.
Last weekend, intrigued by the thought of watching a rodeo from start to finish, Lainey had attended one with the family she was interviewing.
It had only taken her a few moments to begin comparing it to the one in Arizona, which had been much larger. She noticed the differences in everything from the quality of the athletes to the variances in the skills of the pickup men and bullfighters. Even the clothes they wore were different. The Rockin’ K crew all had matching attire, making them easy to identify.
The woman Lainey had been in town to photograph had told her the rodeo was a local event not sanctioned by the professional rodeo cowboys’ official association.
Quite incorrectly, Lainey had assumed all rodeos were created equal, but she’d learned they were as different as watching a group of high school students put on a play compared to a Broadway performance.
It was clear she needed to learn more about the world of rodeo before she committed to doing a Faces book based on the sport, let alone pitched the idea to her publisher.
Which was why she was scrolling through the rodeo schedule on the professional rodeo association’s website and had zeroed in on the one that was close to her and not at all out of her way.
She could attend the rodeo tomorrow, head for Oregon the next day, and spend a week enjoying a trip up the Oregon coast. She might even stop to visit Crater Lake, since it was a place on her bucket list that she hadn’t yet experienced.
Quickly warming to that idea, she purchased a ticket online for the rodeo, then closed her laptop and put it away. Lainey pulled out the mattress that folded into the sofa during the day, straightened the sheets, spread out a blanket, and tossed on her pillows. When she finished setting up her bed, she grabbed a tote bag and headed into the truck stop where she’d parked for the night. She planned to eat dinner in the restaurant, then take a shower before heading back to her van.
After ordering a chicken spinach salad, she sipped a glass of water while reading a biography about a popular singer. By the time she finished her meal, her number had been called for the shower.
The truck stop offered clean, private bathrooms with a toilet, sink, mirror, and full shower, along with a stack of fresh towels, wrapped bars of soap, and little bottles of shampoo and conditioner for ten bucks.
Lainey set her tote on the long counter, turned to shut the door, and looked into the face of a man who had to be twenty years younger than she was, standing outside the door, leering at her. She’d traveled around enough blocks to know he was going to be trouble, so she quickly shut the door and locked it before he could get inside.
A fist pounded once on the door, startling but not surprising her. She needed to be careful going back to her van. A few times, men had followed her and tried to break in. Once, she hadpepper-sprayed a guy when he’d broken a window and stuck his head inside. The police had hauled him off, but it had left her wary and cautious.
Lainey took her time with her shower, brushing her teeth, and braiding her still-damp hair. Since she couldn’t put off leaving the locked room forever, she slowly opened the door and peeked out. The man who’d pounded on the door was nowhere in sight, so she made a dash for the nearest exit. Before she reached it, the guy appeared at the door, like he had been waiting for her.
Quickly turning on her heel, she hastened into the convenience store area of the truck stop and looked around.
