Page 46 of Unforgettable Cowboy
“It’s not a lot of stock,” she continued, “but it will help fill the table.”
“We’re going to get all of your silver back,” Hayes said as they bumped over the cattle guard.“One way or another.”
Bailey was all for getting her silver back, but she didn’t like the sound of “one way or another.”She’d lost a couple thousand dollars in raw materials and hundreds of man-hours, but she wasn’t going to have her friends get into trouble.When the Matthews brothers were set on something, they didn’t seem to mind trouble one bit, so she was the one who had to put on the brakes.
“Not without telling me how.”
Hayes shot her a look but didn’t argue, possibly because he was going to do what he damned well pleased.They were kind of a pair in that regard.
“Have you heard from Jenna?”
“Briefly.She’s arranging things, but I may not be able to take off to Laughlin immediately.”Jenna hadn’t been able to share details, but she was close to something on her end.
“Yeah.You can.”
Bailey gave him a quick look, not comprehending his meaning.
“We’ll take care of the mare.”He spoke flatly, as if it were a done deal.Considering the number of times that she’d found the brothers with their heads together that day, she wasn’t surprised if it were.
“We’ll talk about it later.Once I have more information from Jenna.”
“Uh huh.”
Bailey glanced sideways, but he kept his profile to her.Fine.
Half an hour later she pulled into Edna’s Dog Rescue for a quick visit with their future adoptees.Storm was set to go to her foster immediately after rodeo weekend.Bailey would be kept updated, and then, when she settled for the winter, she could pick up her new companion.
Hayes had a shorter route to parenthood.In a little over three weeks his cuddly little fur bundle would be on the Tree Fork, chewing up boots and peeing on the floor.
They played with their dogs while Edna attended to a new drop-off and calls from prospective adopters.Storm’s shyness wore off after a few minutes and she gave Bailey a playful poke with her nose, then bounced back, out of reach, tail wagging.
“You have spunk,” Bailey said on a laugh.
Storm answered by pouncing at her again, then turning in a circle.Bailey gently patted the kennel floor and Storm pounced again.The session ended with Storm on her back on Bailey’s lap, her mouth lolling open in a canine grin as Bailey rubbed her tummy.
“And I thought you were going to be a hard sell,” she told the dog as she gave her a final pat before leaving the kennel.
“I don’t think she’s going to need to be fostered for long,” Edna said as they walked down the hall to where Hayes was snuggling his puppy, saying goodbye.Bailey’s heart tripped over itself as he handed the pup back to Edna.Was there anything more heartwarming than a cowboy with a puppy?If so, she was hard pressed to think of what that might be.
“Ready?”Hayes asked.
“I hate to leave her, but yes.”
They walked to the truck in silence.Bailey waited until they were in the truck before saying wistfully, “Just a matter of weeks, right?”
Hayes nodded.“I’d feel better if you could take the dog on the road with you.”He stopped for traffic, then turned onto the highway.
So would Bailey.Having to fight off Chance had been a wake-up call.She wasn’t entirely bulletproof.She’d guarded her emotions carefully, but her physical safety had never been a huge concern.Now it was.
She wanted to say, “I’ll be fine,” but that smacked of denial, so instead she said, “I’ll be careful.”
*
Bailey’s arrangement ofher silver display was the culmination of several years of experience, as she explained to Hayes while he helped her set up before the Copper Mountain Rodeo welcome dinner and street dance.The rodeo commenced the next morning, but Bailey had found that while people didn’t often buy during the first day of an event, they frequently returned for something that caught their eye.
“People like to touch,” she said when Hayes asked her why she didn’t set the glass lids over the rectangular oak display boxes, which held the earrings and bracelets.“Which means I have to polish tarnish on a daily basis, but it leads to more sales.Also, if you have things above a certain height, people might not see them.Watch when they come to the display.The first place they look is down.”
“But you have things up high.”But not as many things as usual, thanks to Chance.And she had very little stock to replace pieces people bought.He’d really done a number on her, but she couldn’t report it unless she wanted to open another can of worms.
