The Rancher and the Event Planner - By Cheryl Gorman Page 0,20
disastrous marriage and my own stumble to the altar. I’ll be here for a month then I’ll be gone. Will you give me the chance to prove we belong together?” At least this time if she went down, she’d go down fighting.
Rafe pulled his hands from hers and stepped back. “Not a good idea. Besides I promised Cade I’d keep my hands to myself.”
“Let me handle Cade.”
He shook his head. "Cade'll hand me my ass if you get hurt."
JC knew she could get her heart ripped out but the fates had given her another chance and she’d be a fool not to take it. “If we don’t at least try we’ll always wonder. Besides, while I’m trying to prove you wrong, you’ll have every opportunity to prove that you’re right. What do you say?”
"This has disaster written all over it."
"Don't think of it as disaster. Think of it as exploration." She put her hand out for a shake. “Do we have a deal?”
"As long as you remember one thing."
"What's that?"
He took her hand. "I play dirty."
She smiled. "Me too."
***
“Welcome everyone,” Rafe said the next morning at the Salvation court house. The meeting room was filled with members of the town council and local business owners. “Jennifer—I mean JC Barrett—is spearheading the town’s renovation to help Salvation win the Best Texas Vacation Contest. Now I’ll turn the meeting over to JC.”
There was a brief round of applause while Jennifer walked to the front of the room. “Before I get started I’d like to hear from all of you as to what your needs are and how you’d like to see this project proceed.”
Admiration for her rose inside Rafe. She wasn’t talking at them, she was talking with them. She valued their opinion, she wasn’t running roughshod over them with her event planner skills. But he wasn’t supposed to be admiring her, he was supposed to begin proving to her how wrong they were for each other. Score one for Jennifer.
Several business owners spoke up explaining their budgets and what they hoped to have happen in the town. Jennifer listened attentively, then from their comments outlined a few ideas like freshly painted store fronts, new lamp posts and hanging baskets. “We could also host some events like balloon rides, a wine tasting by inviting vintners around the state and a pizza palooza.” She suggested updating the park with new flower beds and trees to help draw families and visitors to the town. “I understand that the old Caldwell place is still on the market. I spoke to the real estate agent this morning and she indicated that the owners are receptive to any and all offers. This is where we could really put Salvation on the map by turning the mansion and the grounds into a resort.” As she spoke her amber eyes gleamed with excitement, her blonde hair was clean and shining and woven into a braid. Rafe had a nice view of the delicate curve of her neck, the way her silver necklace laid against her skin and how her white blouse enhanced her delicate features. She wore a light blue skirt and wedge sandals that showed off her shapely legs.
Collective murmurs of excitement spread through the room. “Of course, we want the town to win the contest but all of these projects will bring a much needed boost to the town’s economy and would help the town long after the contest is over. I’ve compiled some pictures of high end spas around the country and what they offer. I’m not saying we should turn the Caldwell property into one of these exactly, and I don’t think we could with our budget, but I do think we should be aware of what our competition is, and plan accordingly.”
Jennifer began a video slide show via her lap-top computer. Rafe looked at the pictures of exquisitely manicured grounds, the photo of a woman with an expression of bliss, while getting a massage, surrounded by candles and a couple lounging in a hot tub sipping drinks with umbrellas in them. Here was something that showed how wrong they were for each other because he definitely didn’t want to turn Salvation into this. After the slide show was finished, Rafe cleared his throat and stood. “I don’t think this is the answer.”
Her glossy lips parted. “How do you know until we try? I truly believe this could energize the economy. A spa of this kind would attract a lot of young well-to-do single people