Chapter Three #4
“You aren’t. There’s generally an extra seat or two, and since it’s Thursday, the stands won’t be packed like they are on the weekend.”
“Okay.”
The look on Jason’s face held uncertainty. “Okay, you’ll sit with them? Or to something else?”
“I’ll sit with your friend Celia,” Lainey said, trying not to feel nervous about meeting people Jason clearly liked. She knew he was trying to be helpful and make her feel at ease. She got the idea he wanted her to have the best possible experience today.
“Have you had lunch?” Jason asked as they neared the vendors selling everything from hamburgers and steak sandwiches to teriyaki bowls.
“No. I thought I’d wait to see what they had here.
” Lainey looked around and took a deep breath.
The air carried the delicious aroma of roasting meat, the sugary breath of cotton candy, and a blend of leather and raw masculinity.
She attributed that last tantalizing blend of fragrances entirely to Jason as he stood beside her.
He was tall, strong, physically fit, and ridiculously attractive for a man who was a grandfather three times over.
As she studied him, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would it be like to be loved by him. To be held in those muscled arms and treated with tenderness and care.
Lainey subtly pinched the fleshy part on the inside of her hand between the thumb and index finger to bring herself back to reality. She was not interested in romance, and Jason was merely being kind. That’s all there was to it.
The vibe she got from him was of someone who cared about people and genuinely wanted to help.
Which was why she’d sit where he suggested. She’d be among strangers no matter where she chose to watch the rodeo, so she might as well be among people he knew.
“See anything you like?” Jason asked, smiling down at her.
If you only knew. The cowboy would probably take off at a dead run if he could read her mind and realize he was what most interested her today.
The thought of watching him hightail it away from her, spurs jangling and chaps slapping around his legs, made her have to fight to hold back a giggle.
Before she allowed her humor to get the best of her, she shifted her attention to a booth selling barbecue sandwiches.
Lainey had eaten barbecue from some of the best places in the south, but Jason struck her as a guy who likely enjoyed meat served with a side of potatoes.
Not that he appeared to be someone who ate a regular diet of junk food.
She envisioned him working out every day to stay in shape.
After she’d met Jason a few weeks ago, she’d done some research about pickup men.
The beatings their bodies took in their job of helping cowboys get off bucking livestock, then herding the horses and bulls out of the arena after each ride, was serious business.
It seemed dangerous to her, but Jason and his son seemed to enjoy their jobs, at least from what she’d seen.
“How about barbecue?” Lainey asked, pointing to the booth.
“Perfect. I had the brisket sandwich yesterday, and it was really good.” Jason moved into line with her.
When it was their turn to order, Lainey chose a pulled pork sandwich and a bottle of water, while Jason selected another brisket sandwich and a bottle of water.
Lainey started to pull out her wallet, but Jason tapped his credit card on the electronic reader before she had a chance to pay.
“You didn’t need to buy my lunch,” she said in protest.
Jason grinned and nudged her over to wait for their order to be filled. “I didn’t need to, but I wanted to. I’m really glad you’re here today, Lainey. I hope you’ll have fun.”
When she looked up at him, with that charming and disarming grin still on his face, her knees felt slightly wobbly. What was this cowboy doing to her? She didn’t wobble for anyone.
Rather than run off, which was her first inclination, or tell him to leave her alone, which was her second, she changed the subject. “How are your grandkids doing?”
Jason beamed as he took his phone out of his pocket and showed her photos of his three grandchildren hunting Easter eggs. A farmhouse made a perfect backdrop in the images for the three red-headed children, their bright hair standing out in contrast to the green grass and blue sky.
“They are precious, Jason. Tell me their names again.” Lainey didn’t think Jason had mentioned names, but if he had, she didn’t want him to think she hadn’t cared enough to pay attention.
The truth was that she’d been so entranced with Jason when he’d been at Liz’s house, she’d hardly been able to focus on anything he’d said.
“Dani is twelve going on thirty. Carter will be five in a few weeks. Caitlyn will turn three in June. The younger two belong to Shaun and Brylee. Caitlyn keeps everyone on their toes.”
Lainey laughed as Jason showed her a photo of the little girl posed with her hands on her hips, and a look of pure sass on her face. Her strawberry-blonde curls were pulled up in a high ponytail that made Lainey think of Pebbles from The Flintstones cartoons.
He scrolled to another photograph with an image of a beautiful girl with cascading red hair, gorgeous eyes, and a spunky smile that hinted she was probably a handful.
“That’s our Dani. She is going to be a big sister for the first time in September and can hardly stand the wait.”
“Oh, congratulations, Jason. That’s exciting! I assume the addition to the family was not planned?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure, and I didn’t feel it was my place to ask, but Lisa and Tyler are thrilled, as are the rest of us.”
“Do the kids call you Grandpa or Gramps?” Lainey asked as their orders were placed on the counter. Jason picked up the meals while Lainey got their drinks.
“Papa. They call my dad Pops.” Jason motioned for her to follow him back to where the rodeo stock company crew was busy working. A few of the staff were eating, but most were laughing.
Jason flipped the tailgate down on a pickup that had the Rockin’ K Rodeo Company logo on the sides and offered a hand to Lainey. She settled on the tailgate and enjoyed every moment of conversation with Jason as they ate their meals.
It wasn’t just Jason’s voice that intrigued her, but the stories he shared about his family, their ranch, and his work for the Rockin’ K.
When they finished eating, and Jason glanced at his watch, Lainey felt equal parts disappointed that their time together was at an end and guilty for keeping him from his work.
“I have to go, Lainey, but it was a true pleasure to spend time with you. Would you like me to walk you to your seat and introduce you?”
Lainey slid off the tailgate and brushed her hands across the seat of her jeans to make sure she got rid of any dust. “No, Jason, that isn’t necessary, but I appreciate the offer. Thank you so much for showing me around and for buying my lunch. I hope you’ll let me return the favor sometime.”
Jason grinned. “You can count on it.” He tipped his head toward her and touched his fingers to the brim of his hat before he took the garbage from their lunches and headed off toward a horse trailer where six horses were saddled and waiting.
Lainey glanced at the seat number Jason had written on the corner of her ticket, then made her way over to the section that had a great view of the bucking chutes.
There were already several people seated in the section, and Lainey glanced at the ticket a second time to make sure she’d found the correct seat.
The row was empty, so she took a seat on the end.
Trying to relax, she looked around the arena before she pulled out her camera and glanced through some of the photographs she’d taken earlier.
She paused at the photo she’d taken of Kash Kressley holding his daughter with the big bull in the background. If she could get a hundred photos like that one, they would make an incredible book.
Despite how much she didn’t want it to, the idea of doing a rodeo-based book of portraits intrigued her.
She looked around and saw dozens of people who had stories to tell.
It wouldn’t just be rodeo competitors, but people who were connected to the rodeo.
Volunteers. Vendors. Attendees. Maybe even a few portraits of animals, like Kash’s pet bull.
She could include a saddle maker or a silversmith.
As Lainey studied the image on her camera, she let ideas for a book title roll around in her thoughts.
Under the Rodeo Sky.
“Too romance novel,” she said and scrolled on her camera to the next photo she’d taken during the personal tour Jason had given her.
Behind the Arena. Nope . Maybe something like Before the Gate Opens would work .
Close, but not quite, especially if she wanted to include everyone involved in rodeo, not just the athletes. She could include photos of a boot maker or someone who created custom cowboy hats. There were so many people involved in the sport, either directly or indirectly.
Rodeo Soul.
“Sounds more like an album by a crossover artist.” Lainey scrolled back to the photo of Kash with his infant daughter. Kash’s shirt was dusty, and there was grit on his gloves, but the baby added such a touch of … grace and joy to the image.
“That’s it!” Lainey whispered excitedly. “ Dust, Grit, and Grace. That’s a perfect title.”
“For what?” a gorgeous woman with Lucille Ball red hair asked as she stopped beside Lainey and glanced down at her camera.
“Oh, I …” Lainey paused and realized the woman carried the same baby that was in her photograph. “Are you Mrs. Kressley?”
The woman grinned, and Lainey scooted over so she could take a seat on the aisle. “I’m Celia Kressley. I see you have a photo of Kash and Addie Kate. Any reason for that?”