The Rancher and the Event Planner - By Cheryl Gorman Page 0,4
which wasn’t totally a lie. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, but if they found out about her being arrested and charged with reckless driving, it could mean a death blow to her career.
For one second, she’d taken her eyes off the road, nearly killed a man, a dog and her career. She was actually lucky her accident happened in Salvation rather than in some place where she wasn’t known because anywhere else, she might have been thrown in jail without a second thought. She arranged for their meeting to be postponed until the following afternoon. Hopefully her car would be running by then, and if not, maybe Cade could drive her into Dallas to her meeting and to a car rental agency because there wasn’t one in Salvation.
JC brushed a lock of droopy hair away from her cheek, hating her rumpled appearance. A shaft of cooler air swept up her back, loosening her blouse’s sticky hold on her skin, making prickles rise over her body. The air conditioner must be working again. Thank God. She’d been fresh when she’d left Shreveport this morning. Being bedraggled, reminded her of having to wear clothes her mother scrounged from a jumble sale, and listening to her school mates snicker behind her back. But she’d come a long way since then. She’d worked her butt off to make something of herself and put her past behind her. No one could laugh at her now.
Linc said goodbye and Rafe walked to her side. Rafe hadn’t changed. Tall, lean, and muscular, his blue jeans still outlined his frame perfectly. Boots and a t-shirt completed the sexy cowboy image. Dark, wavy hair showcased his blue eyes, the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, bluer than the wildflowers growing on the side of the highway. Blue eyes that always made her go weak in the knees. “So you’re the mayor,” JC said. “Congratulations. How long?”
He smiled. “Thanks, I was elected last fall.” The smile accentuated his too-hot-for-words good looks. Great. A gorgeous cowboy from her past, a man she’d had a devastating crush on growing up. A man she was stuck working closely with for the next thirty days.
Her stomach growled. The cookie she’d eaten wasn’t going to hold her over much.
Rafe touched her elbow briefly and a little current of awareness buzzed beneath her skin. She resisted the impulse to rub the spot where the heat of his fingers still lingered. His lips curved upward crinkling the outer corners of his eyes. “Was that your stomach?”
JC’s cheeks heated. “Yes, I’m sorry to say it was.”
“Would you like to get some lunch? The Bluebonnet still has the best food in town. We can discuss the revitalization plans.”
How many times had she fantasized about having a meal with Rafe McCord in the most popular place in Salvation? Now she was going to fulfill that fantasy and everyone there would see she wasn’t poor little Jennifer Barrett anymore. “Thank you, I’d love to.”
***
The Bluebonnet hummed with the clatter of dishes and intermingled conversations from the lunch crowd. As soon as they were seated at a table in the center of the restaurant, Grace Lampton, the owner, still painfully thin with her long, dark hair now streaked with gray piled on top of her head, came over to their table. “Hey, cowboy,” she said to Rafe and handed them each a menu. She studied JC a moment with hazel eyes. “When you first came in, I almost didn’t recognize you. It’s nice to see you, Jennifer. You’ve become quite a young lady.”
Yes, and I’ve worked damn hard for it. “Thank you.”
“Are you staying or just passing through?” Grace asked.
Might as well go ahead and tell the truth because the news would be spread by the Salvation telegraph by the end of the day. “I’m staying for a while. I’m helping Rafe revitalize the town.”
Grace smiled. “Glad to hear it. Don’t be a stranger.” She told them about today’s specials then drifted away.
After their meal was served, JC dug in. The chicken salad tasted fresh and delicious, the iced tea cold and sweet. She swallowed a bite, patted her mouth with her napkin then looked up. One corner of Rafe’s mouth lifted and his blue eyes glinted.
When she was younger, his penetrating stare flustered her, made her girlish heart wonder about how his lips might feel caressing hers and the strength of his arms holding her close to his body. Now his focus caused a tingling in the pit of her