Waltz With Me, Cowboy Read online

  His smile lit his features and Calla’s gut tightened in its attempt to fortify against the impact it had on her responses. “I think this will be one memorable event. And I’ll do whatever it takes to give you whatever you need.”

  Had the room temperature just shot up twenty or more degrees? Or was that heat from the blood shooting through her body at super-fast rates because of what his touch and his words were doing to her senses? Did he notice the effect? If he did, he made no sign of it, releasing her hand and then taking her sister’s in his. Lily drew a wide smile from him… something duly noted by Calla. Could one suddenly be green with envy of a little sister? That was a new wrinkle.

  “We’ll be in touch about a planning meeting in the next day or so. I’ll get out of your way now. You ladies have a good day.” He settled the Stetson on his head as he stepped to the doorway with Lily behind him. Calla decided to keep her distance and remained in the spot in the center of the living room, hands tucked inside the back pockets of her jeans in what she hoped was a nonchalant stance.

  Things went well, but then he turned in the doorway and shot her a look. “See you soon.” The screen door closed behind him.

  “I can’t wait to tell Jaz about this. I wish I didn’t have to get back to town today and leave all this to you to handle.”

  “It’s okay, Lily. Sounds like there’ll be plenty of helping hands. Don’t worry about it.” Calla tried to sound more upbeat than she felt. The fact of the matter was she wasn’t certain how she felt about any of it. The most troubling aspect would be the fact that man…Ty Conners…would have reason to be around and that was something she wasn’t prepared to deal with on top of everything else. And he’d bring his high-handed, male arrogance with him to be sure. Men… always causing her problems.

  “This is so exciting. I’m glad we’ll all be working together on this project.” Darcy led the way into the private dining room at the back of the diner. She had volunteered to host the first meeting of the Celebrating McKenna Springs Weekend committee. It was also a unanimous declaration of the group each meeting should be held there in light of the delicious homemade cinnamon rolls and fresh coffee that sat on the table upon their arrival.

  Calla and Amanda Sterling were the first to arrive. Slowly, the others began to gather around the long table. Calla recognized Reid Powers, the fire marshal, who took a seat across from hers and gave her a nod and smile as he sat down. He seemed more relaxed in his surroundings than when they first met two weeks’ prior behind her hall. The others, she wasn’t as familiar with, but they all seemed to be very welcoming and enthused over the project. The last person to enter the room was the man who took the chair at the head of the table, the esteemed mayor. He evidently was in charge of the meeting. Of course, he was.

  Calla found it relatively easy to avoid his gaze and still appear interested and engaged in the conversation. She had to admit that he did run a tight ship…they stayed on task; he allowed nothing into the discussion that wasn’t pertinent to why they were there. The agenda items were ticked off one by one and Calla had to admire his ability to handle a diverse group of people and actually get a good amount of work done in a short space of time.

  “The last item we have for today will be presented by Darcy,” Ty informed the group. “She has the committee assignments.”

  “Thanks, Ty. I know some of you have already contacted me about assignments that you have interest in. The lists being passed around the table right now have the areas and assignments. We’re a small group of people so we have to spread ourselves a little thinner and double up a bit here and there.”

  Calla took the list Amanda passed to her and her eyes began to skim the list. They came to an abrupt halt on the sixth item from the top. Royalty Selection was the committee and it was chaired by herself and…Ty Conners. Her gaze shot to Darcy seated across the table next to Reid and Darcy quickly located her eyes elsewhere. Biting back the remark on the tip of her tongue, she went back to the list and found her name linked to the mayor’s one more time… Dance Competition Judging. Had Darcy lost her mind? The list went down on the table. Calla seethed inside but tried to keep an even smile on her face. This was a blatant attempt on the other woman’s part to throw the two of them together. She would nip it in the bud right after the meeting.

  Darcy was a bit more slippery to catch than Calla anticipated. Once Ty had called the meeting to an end, and others were still not even out of their seats good, Darcy had headed for the main dining area. With paper in hand, Calla wasn’t far behind her. Darcy had just made it behind the long bar when Calla stepped up to it and halted her escape into the kitchen.

  “Hold on, Darcy. There’s a correction or two that needs to be made on your list.”

  “Calla, I tried to…”

  “I know what you tried to do, Darcy. Please stop trying to be a matchmaker with my life. Your mayor is the last man I would ever consider in any kind of match so just stop wasting your time.”

  “I’ve already tried changing the list.” The voice came from behind her and startled Calla. She turned to find herself face to face with Ty. He wasn’t smiling and there wasn’t much warmth to be found in his eyes. Why should there be? She had just insulted him. “Darcy tells me that she tried to change things around when I asked her to do so earlier today, but everyone else is quite happy to stay where they are.”

  “You tried to change to another committee?”

  “That’s right. Although not exactly for the same reason as you just gave, but to help alleviate any discomfort our being on the same committee might cause you. Guess you’re stuck with me, but I can assure you that you need not worry about any matchmaking happening. You’ve made your point… strictly business.” He looked over at Darcy and only then did the usual smile appear on his face. “Thanks for the meeting space, Darcy. Make sure you enter those rolls in the competition… they’re a blue-ribbon contender.” He turned away and moved to join the conversation with a couple of people standing at the door. A couple of minutes later, he was soon gone.

  “It’s just a few meetings,” Darcy spoke up. “What’s the harm in that? If you aren’t interested in him and it sounds like he feels the same, then there shouldn’t be any problem, right?”

  When did things get so complicated? Calla didn’t like the unsettled feeling of confusion the man invariably left her with after his departures. What was up with that? She should be jumping for joy that he was gone and had taken the hint, but the news that he had asked Darcy to change assignments before she ever knew about it…that had been an eye-opener in more ways than one. The fact that bothered her more than anything was a fact she didn’t care to examine. She had gotten her point across, hadn’t she? Just move on.

  “Sorry.” Calla smiled across the bar. “I’ll put my big girl panties on and act like a responsible adult now.”

  Darcy laughed and shook her head. “First part you can do… second part might not be as fun.”

  Two days passed, and Calla found other things had come along to replace thoughts of the meeting, such as the vents that had been cut in the ceiling of the hall were too narrow and the units would not fit properly. That meant a delay as the installers had to get the contractor to come back and redo the job…which pushed everything else back at least three days.

  Just hours ago, the small walk-in freezer had gone out and she and Joe, on loan from Darcy, had spent an hour moving food from that freezer into the larger one. The day had been one of those where she felt every pound of the weight of the reopening of the dance hall on her shoulders.

  Calla left the building as shadows began to creep across the grounds. Evening was coming on and there was a light breeze skimming along the top of the cliffs from the river below. The roses that Lily had worked so hard to bring back were beginning to produce buds on them. A fragrant scent from other climbing vines was carried across the yard and brought a small smile to Calla as she reached the wide steps of the big house. Not in the mood to go inside and be gre
eted by the quietness of the rooms, she sat down on the top step and closed her eyes for a moment, soaking in the stillness and trying to put the day’s troubles from her mind. A deep sigh escaped her.

  “Long day?”

  Her eyes shot wide at the sudden voice and her head swung in the direction it came from. A tall figure slowly stood from the chair in the shadows of the wide porch. She hadn’t noticed him at all when she sat down. The sound of his boots on the boards of the porch as he approached her spot broke the stillness of the early evening. His cologne mixed with the natural scents of the garden and heightened Calla’s awareness of him. Therein lay a good deal of her problem with the man. She was too aware of him when she didn’t want to be aware.

  Ty didn’t wait for an invitation to take a seat on the porch step, but he did leave a couple of feet of space between them. “I tried to call but kept getting your voice mail.”

  “On top of everything else this afternoon, my cell phone battery died. Sorry if it cost you a trip out here. And that leads to my next question which is why are you here?”

  “It’s not out of my way. And I’m here to deliver you copies of the applicants for the royal court. I knew you would be waiting anxiously for them.” He handed over the large manila envelope he held in his hands… along with a small tease of a grin.

  Calla took the envelope and set it beside her and couldn’t help that the corners of her mouth did a slow upturn also. “This just about makes my day complete.”

  “Problems? Hopefully not anything the city has done?”

  She gave him a look as his attempt at a joke that fell more than a little flat.

  “Air conditioning and roof issues. Followed by the need for a new compressor for a freezer. You and your welcome wagon crew wouldn’t be proficient in any of those areas by any chance?”

  Shaking his head, his green eyes warmed a bit in their regard of her. “Afraid that’s a bit beyond our capabilities. I can only imagine how daunting all of this must be if you aren’t used to dealing with these issues on a daily basis. You and your sisters are to be applauded for even attempting it. Lesser people would have folded up the tent already and hung out a ‘For Sale’ sign. You could still do that, you know.”

  Calla gave him a measured look. “If that was a compliment, I’ll thank you for it. If that was a suggestion that we should give up and…”

  Up went a palm along with a quick shake of his head. “No, ma’am… it was purely a compliment and nothing more. I certainly don’t think you should give up either. I think this community needs the dance hall to remain open.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes, I do. I think every person in this county and beyond has a place in its history in one way or another. How many couples do you think met right here on that dance floor one summer night? How many families come back time and again with their children and keep the tradition going from generation to generation? Your family built something here that has its own place in history. You should be very proud of your legacy.”

  The sincerity of his words matched the look in his eyes and something turned over in the center of her chest. Why did he have to be so blasted nice? It was suddenly hard to remember why she should be wary of him.

  “Thank you. My father believed that, and he tried to pass that on to my sisters and me. I just wish I had paid more attention. Or majored in mechanical engineering maybe instead of law.”

  “I can see what’s needed here. I think you need a change of scenery. You’re working almost twenty-four seven…and since you’re just steps from the dance hall, you don’t even get that far away from it when you go home.”

  “Afraid there’s no time for a vacation right now.”

  “I’m not talking about a vacation. I’m talking about getting away for a couple of hours, seeing someplace in the area you haven’t seen before, letting the evening breeze blow through your hair as you ride down a country lane with the window down in a pickup with some George Strait on the radio. Admit it… that sounds real nice.”

  When was the last time she had actually done something just for fun? Much less listened to a radio or taken a drive in the country for just fun and not to get someplace work related?

  “I can see you’re thinking about it and that’s a first step.” Ty stood and held his hand out to her, a silent challenge in his eyes. “Next step is you come take that ride with me. I have to run out to the old Jeffers place and leave a key. It’s a nice drive along the river. I bet it’s the best offer you’ve had today. You don’t even have to engage in conversation… unless you want to.”

  She should say no thanks and go inside. But what was waiting inside the empty house? And the thought of the river was such a nice one. But to be alone with Ty Conners for a length of time… was it wise? Then she remembered what he had said in the diner and she tossed that thought away. He had more or less declared he wasn’t interested in her either. She had gotten her point across to him on that score. So why not go for the drive?

  “You’re right. It’s the best offer. And I’ll take you up on it.” She placed her hand in his in order to get a hand up from the step. Mistake. His hand was warm, and the warmth seemed to flow up her arm and fill her with a sense of peace that was most disconcerting. Once on her feet, she gave a slight tug and he released his grip. Was she sorry? Silly thought. Her mind was just tired from the long and trying day. The fresh air would do the trick to put things in their proper perspective... including the man beside her.

  A few minutes later, Calla felt the tenseness leave the neck muscles and the corners of her mouth curved upward of their own accord. The windows were down, and the pickup was making its way along the country lane as it followed the curves of the river, crisscrossing bridges from one side to the other as it went deeper into the tall canyon. The breeze ruffled through her hair. Here she was, taking a ride in a pickup, listening to a lively George Strait swing tune on the radio, and a good-looking cowboy beside her. If those people from her old life could see her now… would they think she had lost her mind? Did she think she had?

  Or would they think she had finally found it? That sudden realization brought a strange feeling with it. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she had finally found where she belonged. But that couldn’t be… could it? The city life and a stately courtroom had been her mecca. How did things switch course in mid-stream on her? Calla’s gaze went to the man beside her and just then, he turned and gave her a look and smile that answered her unspoken question. Silly! She jerked her gaze back to the open window. How could he know what she was thinking? When she wasn’t sure of it herself?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “I love how crystal clear the water is here.” Calla stood on the banks of the river, where the shallows were small rapids running rampant over and around the small boulders and smaller brown and white pebbles along the bottom. Tall Cypress trees lined the banks on both sides and the longer tree fronds swayed in the breeze of the early evening. The gold rays of the setting sun bounced over the water in shooting sparks and defined the growing shadows on the other bank. “Makes me sorry for people who live along muddy rivers and such in other places.”

  “Doesn’t hurt there are hundreds of springs pumping water up through the natural purifiers of layers of limestone until it gets to the surface. One of the best parts about living here is there’s nothing like a dip in the cold water on a hot day.”

  Was he issuing an invite? She cast a glance in his direction and the grin framing his mouth told her that he was closer to a dare than anything. What would he do if she took him up on it? Right…like she would even consider doing such a thing. She had never skinny-dipped in her life. That was more Jaz’s territory than hers. Although the thought of being in the cool, blue water with nothing between her and the sexy cowboy but a smile caused a sizzling in her lower regions that definitely caused other things to come to mind and that was when she put a grinding halt on the direction her mind had gone.

  “How come the Jeffers are s
elling this place? I can’t imagine it will last long on the market, not with such great river frontage.”

  By the knowing gleam that came into those eyes, she knew he was aware she sought to change the subject, and he was okay with letting her. Pushing away from the tree trunk where he had been leaning enjoying the view before him, Ty straightened his stance, his eyes moving to the house sitting on a small knoll a few hundred yards distant.

  Her gaze managed to do the same. The house was a safer bet than pondering how much hotter the presence of the cowboy mayor was making the late afternoon. The walls of the structure were white stone and trim was dark native wood. A long porch ran the length of the front. Its windows were lifeless and there was a shabby hint of neglect around its yard. However, Calla felt drawn to its possibilities. It just needed a nice family to breathe life into it again. The porch begged for comfortable, colorful furniture for its inhabitants to end the day on while watching amazing sunsets play out before them, the soft sound of the rushing water lulling them into a peaceful bliss.

  “The Jeffers needed to be closer to their son and his family after Jason was wounded in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. He lost both legs and his family had a hard time trying to adjust to their new situation. It’s a prime piece of land… little over a hundred acres, but it’s the river frontage that will really sell it.”

  “Doesn’t part of this land run along your fence line?”

  Ty stopped at the end of the sidewalk and considered her question. “Yes, it does. Why do you ask?”

  “Why don’t you buy it?”

  “And do what with it?”

  “You always need more grazing land and those fields we passed looked in good shape. At least that’s my best guess as more or less a tender foot when it comes to all things ranching.”