Page 16 of The Cowboy's Country Charm

Kristy opened her eyes. “Marcia is not coming. She had a heart attack and is being operated on as we sit here.”

“A heart attack?” Ariel grabbed Kristy’s hand. “That’s awful. See what can happen when you are all work and no play.”

“Let’s not blame the victim, Ariel. She needs our prayers, not our condemnation.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just, she’s such a force and always on business. The stress has to get to her.”

“Regardless, we are on our own here. Marcia’s always done the presentations for an event this big.”

“But you’ve sat through them.”

Kristy nodded. But observing was not doing. “Do I tell them about Marcia’s condition?”

“They may decide to cancel. MarciaisAn Affair to Remember.”

“You’re right. And we owe it to Marcia to nail this event.” Kristy looked over at Ariel’s frowning face. “Your ideas are spectacular. You’ve turned a boring theme into an exciting one.”

“But now we know why we haven’t heard from Marcia, and it’s not because she loved my ideas.” Ariel worried her bottom lip. “Should I still go with the get-out-of-jail auction? And the hay maze?”

Kristy loved Ariel’s ideas, and if Ariel was going to sell them, she had to feel confident in them. “Marcia had the proposal for a few days. She had time to say something.” Though it was uncharacteristic of Marcia not to weigh in immediately.

Ariel’s hands flew to her face. “You don’t think reading my proposal triggered something.”

Kristy had to laugh. “Your ideas were innovative but not heart-attack inducing. We present exactly as we proposed. We signed that six-month apartment lease, so we need this event. Hopefully, the contract the committee signed won’t let them cancel for something like this. I’ll handle the presentation of the promotional aspects if you can handle the proposed events. After all, they’re your ideas.”

A smile graced Ariel’s face. “I know them better than Marcia ever could.”

“I can’t say the same, but I’m going to give it my all.”

Ariel grabbed Kristy’s arm. “Do you think Marcia will be okay?”

“I don’t know.” That was the terrible truth. Suddenly it felt like they’d been dropped on an island by themselves, without their fearless leader. “But we owe it to her, and ourselves, to give it our best shot.”

***

Kristy brushed her sweaty palms down the sides of her black pants as she stood at the end of the long rectangular table while eight committee members and Pat McEvy, the guy who was the complex manager, stared up at her from their seats. She’d just given the group her and Ariel’s biographies. But Pat had failed to introduce the members, whom surely Marcia had met when she’d made the original presentation—but Kristy and Ariel had not. Nothing like baptism by fire.

Only one person was smiling, a younger woman with chestnut-colored hair. The rest had bland expressions. At least no one was frowning… yet.

“And you’ve got some ideas on the barn dance theme?” McEvy prompted.

Ariel, who stood to Kristy’s left, nodded as she patted Kristy’s arm.

“We want to give your guests something a little different, something to remember. So in keeping with the barn dance theme you already approved, we thought we’d give it an old west spin.” Kristy took a step back, crossing her fingers behind her back. “Ariel will walk you through it.”

Ariel stepped to the center. Also wearing black pants, a black cardigan, and a cream-colored top, Ariel looked almost corporate. Kristy had been shocked when Ariel had emerged from her bedroom in the sensible outfit, so different from the flowy clothes she favored, but it served as a reminder of how critical this meeting was for them both.

“Imagine you are in the old west.” Ariel clicked the first slide of an old homestead. “Maybe at a barn raising that took place several decades ago, when the west was wild and untamed. Before roads, motor cars, cell phones, and televisions had competed with the natural wonders of Wyoming.”

Eight faces turned their attention to Ariel as she spun a tale of stagecoaches and chuck wagons, of bandits and buffalo, and a celebration that would be coming to the convention center for one special night.

Weaving a story as only Ariel could, she clicked through the slides of the decorations she had in mind, from checkered table linens to a chuck wagon ice cream bar.

“For fun and to create more ways for guests to donate beyond the pledge cards, we envisioned several opportunities. A maze of bales of straw or hay, where successful navigators will receive bonus tickets for the Chinese auction. An old west jail, where bandits, a.k.a. eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, will be bailed out for a dance with the successful bidder. And several opportunities to bid on sponsor gifts via the Chinese auction.”

All eight committee members sat there in silence. No smiles, no nods, no reaction. Beads of sweat broke out on Kristy’s neck as Ariel continued on.

“Of course, they will have to purchase tickets to play the games, enter the maze, and participate in the Chinese auction, all of which will raise money, along with the bailout of the bandits. Actors and actresses will stroll along the dance floor, and perhaps we’ll witness an impromptu ‘gun’ fight, or maybe a can-can. The point is, our guests will have plenty of things to amuse, entertain, and enjoy, so it will truly be An Affair to Remember.”

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