Page 14 of Unforgettable Cowboy
“Which I pointed out yesterday.”
“I’m staying until Parker and Vera get back.”He looked past her to the fields where the tractors were parked, waiting for the farm crew to arrive.“I didn’t realize he’d lost his day hands this summer.”He brought his gaze back to hers.“And before you school me about not knowing, you need to understand how Wade gets when we poke into his business.”
“I might have an idea.”
“A whisper of an idea,” he said.“But Wade is Wade and I’m used to his ways.”
“Are you now?”she asked, knowing full well that Hayes would fight a bear for the man.
A hint of the smile that sent her hormones dancing curved his mouth.“I am.I won’t be going anywhere until things are in better shape.”
“And then what?”
“Then we see.”
“Why not stay on here?”
“I love Wade, but I also like peace in the family.”He shifted his weight.“How about you?”
“I like peace in the family, too.”Heaven knew she rarely saw what that looked like without her mom kowtowing to a bully.
“I was thinking more along the line of what are your plans after your friend collects the mare?Will you continued working for Wade?”
“No.”The word came out too quickly.“I have some major gear shows coming up this fall.They’re my big earners and I’ve paid some pretty hefty entrance fees to attend them.”
“Is silversmithing your bread and butter?”
“I do some data entry work on the side during the slow times, but most of my income comes from selling buckles, bits and jewelry.”She couldn’t help the touch of pride in her voice.It had taken years to get to the point where her smithing was the main income instead of the side gig.
“You went to art school after all?”
She laughed.That had been something she’d wrestled with that summer before college, when Hayes had her ear.Art school was her dream, but being self-sufficient was her all-consuming goal.Art was chancy.Business was not.
“I majored in business, but it wasn’t all that satisfying, so I took an apprenticeship from a retired silversmith.I happen to have a knack for engraving and setting stones, and now I’ve got a pretty good client base.”She took hold of the brush in both hands.“How about you?”
“I retired from rodeo and went to work for a ranch.”
“But I heard that you’re riding in the Copper Mountain Rodeo.”
“Following my career?”
“No more than any other local guy’s.”
“Ouch.”
She bit the inside of her cheek, then let the smile through, even as her little voice whispered,“This is how it started last time.”
“You can take it,” she assured him.
He rubbed his chest where her punch had connected.“If you say so.”
Bailey eased back half a step, countering the urge to close the space between them.This guy was like a magnet.“I’d better get to work.I’m checking the north fence where that fire was a few years ago.There are a lot of compromised posts that I’m flagging.I’m also tacking wire back to them, but that’s temporary, of course.It’s going to be an expensive job fixing all the weak spots.”
“Great.”
She shrugged.“It’s not so far gone it can’t be saved, but you guys have work ahead of you.”
“I guess you can say that about a lot of stuff.”He met her eyes in a way that made her breath catch.What the heck?
