Page 49 of The Cowboy's Country Charm

“We need cornstalks? In summer?”

“We’ll plaster the wall with cornstalk-themed contact-type paper, and then I just need a few real ones to put in front of it.”

“We’re going to need a lot to cover this area.”

“It comes in thirty-foot rolls, but yeah, it’s going to be some money, but far cheaper than anything else. And it will set the mood and hide the ugly.”

Kristy gulped. “I’m not sure the committee would approve such an outlay for a onetime use.” And this was a predicament Marcia’s experience would have helped. Marcia would likely be able to convince the committee to splurge on such a thing.

“We really need some of these things to set the whole ambiance. Can’t you ask Marcia to take on the expense?”

“I may have to. The funny thing is, Marcia has not been calling in regularly. I mean, she’s usually a micromanager on steroids, but…”

“This heart attack must have scared her. But if she’s leaving it up to you, then can’t I order the wallpaper?”

Kristy took a deep breath. “Order it. One way or the other, we’ll find a way to pay for it.”

They scoped out the cavernous hall, using the blueprint of the floor dimensions to map out where the tables, dais, jail, chuck wagon ice cream station, bar, and maze would go.

Kristy’s cell phone buzzed. “The guy delivering the jail is here.” That was a relief. Finding a company that could supply a realistic and affordable jail prop, though made of plastic pipes covered in metallic paint, had been daunting. But she’d found one online from a Denver company willing to deliver.

“I can’t wait to see it.”

“He’s at the storage unit, so we better go.”

Kristy’s stomach sank as she surveyed the pile of pipes, planks, and joints jumbled together on the storage unit’s cement floor. “I don’t remember it saying assembly required.”

Ariel frowned at the printed paper she was holding. “How are we going to put this together? The instructions are just drawings, no words.”

You get what you pay for.A lesson Kristy should have remembered.

Kristy’s phone chimed. She pulled it out of her back pocket and checked the text message. “Rusty wants to come by.”

Ariel’s face brightened. “Ask him to put it together. He always wants to help.”

That was the problem. “I don’t want to rely on him so much.” Or get in too deep. After talking to her mother, Kirsty was determined to double down on keeping things casual between them.

“See if he offers. We need this jail. You paid good money for it.”

“I want him to see me as competent. Not a lady in distress all the time.” His sister was on the committee, after all.

“You can worry about optics later. Right now we need someone handy.”

Kristy typed the storage unit’s location and waited for his reply.

“Apparently he wants to talk to me about the gala.”

“Fine, as long as he’s not backing out of the jail event. Posters have already been ordered.”

“I doubt that.” She shook her head. “If he was going to back out, it would be safer to just text that to me rather than do it in person.”

“True, and nothing about Rusty tells me he’s a coward.”

***

Rusty felt like an eight-hundred-pound anvil was on his shoulder as he walked toward the storage units lined up like soldiers at the rear of the convention building.

He’d been mulling it over in the car and still wasn’t sure how to serve up taking Cort’s place on the committee.

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