Page 20 of The Cowboy's Surprise Return

Jackie laughed and turned to face those seated behind her, giving them two thumbs-up.

The curtain behind Karen billowed again and the owner of the local rodeo grounds, Ranger Torrington, peeked out, scanning the crowd. When he made eye contact with someone behind Jackie, he held up two fingers and mouthed “Two.”

So not fair.

Laura shooed Ranger back behind the curtain.

The man was cute, had inherited a ranch and the rodeo grounds at age twenty-five, and now at age twenty-seven had apparently already chosen his winner.

Matchmaking was already happening.

Jackie felt a tremor of excitement despite herself. Daisy-Mae was grinning widely, and Jenny looked pale. Daisy-Mae leaned out of her chair, her focus on the bottom of the curtain, watching for flashes of footwear.

“That’s Owen Lancaster,” she announced with authority. “Did you hear his family owns a huge spread east of town?”

“The Wylders’ new hired hand?” Jenny asked, growing paler. “How do you know?”

“Didn’t you sell him those boots?” Daisy-Mae asked, still watching the curtain’s hem.

“I’ve sold thirteen pairs in that style since October.”

“Why is he working for the Wylders?” Jackie asked.

Daisy-Mae shrugged. “I heard he had a falling out with his dad.” Her face creased in concentration, then she brightened. “That’s Maverick Blades! The NHL star!”

The murmur in the room grew louder as women stood, trying to see what Daisy-Mae had.

Karen appeared to be panicking. “We can’t guarantee who’s here or not here,” Laura said, taking Karen’s microphone and speaking into it. “Maybe we have some local celebrities and maybe we don’t. Maybe we have someone here for you who will be your own celebrity.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Jenny said.

“They’re freaking out because I was right,” Daisy-Mae said smugly. “Did you hear he’s starting his own team this year?”

“He just got traded to the new team in Houston,” Jackie said, correcting her. “And how do you know what his shoes look like?”

The woman gave her a serene, knowing look. Daisy-Mae was going home with a man, and it would definitely be the one she wanted.

But who did Jackie want? And if she dared think who that man might be… was he even here?

Not likely. This wasn’t Cole’s scene. Not that she was looking for Cole Wylder, because that would be a big uh-oh. And even if he was here? They wouldn’t be paired together. There wasn’t anything to connect them to each other beyond a few hot kisses and flirty fun. And they’d both sworn off that.

“If you have a number six on your card,” Karen said into the microphone, “then you have been matched up with this bachelor as a possibility, since you’ve both written down similar interests. After hearing his description, simply raise your number to bid. If we have more than one bidder, then the man behind the curtain will issue a challenge. The winner gets him for tomorrow, and he gets you. Remember, nothing kinky. Just helping each other out, and a nice little lunch break in between.”

“That’s boring,” Jenny muttered.

“Nothing kinky?” Daisy-Mae sighed and raised her eyes to the string of white lights hanging above them. “We can’t help it if some hanky-panky happens.” She caught Karen’s glance, then languidly lifted an eyebrow. Yup. She turned men into puddles, all right, and made serious librarians blush.

“I hope some hanky-panky happens,” Jenny said, with a sigh of her own. “It’s been a long time.”

“I’ll bring you to a football game next season,” Jackie promised. She’d created quite a few couples at games last year, solidifying her title as the community matchmaker.

“How many games did I attend with you?” Daisy-Mae complained. “And look at my finger.” She thrust out her hand. “Still bare.”

“I’ll definitely get you hooked up in the coming season,” Jackie promised, hoping her matchmaking prowess pulled through for her friend.

“Our first man is handy,” Karen announced.

“Handsy?” Jackie called.

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