Page 15 of Her Cowboy Blind Date

His first step was to convince Becky to be his plus-one for the wedding. Then he could take the second step and RSVP with Becky as his plus-one. Pete anticipated Emma’s family would send out the wedding invitations next week. Sam’s third step, and the most important step. Don’t fall in love with Becky. That could end up being the hardest step to follow.

CHAPTER 4

Becky tossed her overnight bag into the back of Cindy’s SUV. There were advantages to having the same clothing and shoe size as Cindy. She’d borrow Cindy’s ranch apparel and, for the first time in years, indulge in her childhood love for horse riding. It was a holiday weekend, and they’d spend three nights at the ranch, returning to Gilead on Monday after lunch.

Cindy stowed a Sew Easy cloth bag. “I almost forgot the fabric Mom ordered.”

“Then you’d be in trouble.” A teasing tone infused her voice. She liked Cindy’s mom and looked forward to visiting with her.

“Zoey sent me a reminder this morning.”

“That was helpful.” The Gilead retailers looked after their customers, an appealing aspect of small-town life that she appreciated.

“The crafty gene skipped my generation.”

She snickered. “That’s why we’re friends. My mum knits. I can sew, but it’s not my jam.”

“I can relate. Zoey’s assisting with wardrobe at the play.”

“Good for her. I can watch the performances and move props. More fun than sewing backstage.” She’d received an email this morning, confirming her volunteer schedule for stage crew.

“That’s fair. I was done with sewing after a machine needle zoomed through the tip of my fingernail.”

“I don’t want to know how you managed that feat.” She shoved her hands further into the pockets of her padded jacket, thankful her fingertips were safe from Cindy and a rogue sewing machine.

Cindy laughed. “Fortunately that fingernail was long. Mom fixed it.” Her phone beeped and she checked the screen. “Sam’s been delayed at work.”

“He’s coming with us?”

“No, but we often drive together and stop at our favorite diner on the way.”

“We could wait for him.” Would she be paired with Sam at the play? Too many warm tingles accompanied that thought. She hadn’t made a decision on the plus-one wedding invitation. The old Bek in Sydney would have dived straight in and agreed to attend without considering the consequences. The new Becky in Gilead wanted to consider all the implications first. Seek wise counsel first. Pray first.

“He’s running way behind.” Cindy frowned. “Let’s go now. I hate driving west at sunset.”

“Sure.” She walked around to the passenger door. Cindy was punctual to a fault, and last night she’d chastised Becky for keeping Sam waiting at Heavenly Brew. Who turned up early for first dates, let alone blind dates?

Minutes later, they were traveling on the road out of town. Never-ending miles of flat plains and cornfields surrounded the highway. Did Kansas have vivid yellow canola fields that bloomed during spring? Their detour to the diner, and a small serving of Greek salad with her afternoon coffee, was a pleasant distraction.

Cindy filled their travel time with her new country music playlist. After visiting Nashville, Becky had shared her ignorance of all things country music. Cindy was on a mission to rectify that situation, and Becky was a captive audience during their road trip.

They crossed the state line into Colorado and gained an hour by moving to Mountain Time.

Her phone updated the time. “It’s weird switching time zones in winter.”

“Huh. Don’t you have different time zones in Australia?”

“We do, but the eastern states are all in the zone during winter. Summer is different, with daylight savings.”

“Daylight savings is confusing.”

“It sure is.” Her phone app with the different world time zones came in handy.

Cindy swung her SUV off the highway and they traveled further into ranch country. Paddocks and cattle with occasional horses made up the bulk of the scenery.

“Can we see the Rockies from the ranch?”

“Sorry, we’re too far east. Colorado is a big state.” Cindy flipped the blinker and slowed the vehicle. “Welcome to the ranch.”

---