“Which brings us to Cal Pierce. We haven’t forgotten about you,” Lisa said facing the camera. “For those of you who may not know, Cal Pierce is a world record holder for trick roping. He competes in upward of one hundred rodeos each year, and he’s currently the face… or should I say,seatfor Denver’s own CINCH jeans.” She fanned herself and turned to face me. “Does that sound about right, Cal?”
I turned on the charm, smiling for the camera. “Yes, ma’am, that sounds about right, and if you don’t mind me saying, those jeans are mighty comfortable when I’m sitting in a saddle.” When my manager had gotten me the CINCH gig, I didn’t know it was a Colorado company. I was just pleased for the extra income. But the photoshoot was one of the easiest ones I’ve ever agreed to do.
“So, what made you agree to participate in this fundraiser?” Lisa asked.
“Well, my old mentor is currently working as a high school teacher in Poplar Springs. He’s the one who reached out to me asking if I would help. I agreed because it’s a worthy cause.” That wasn’t exactly how it went down. Rafe had ended up calling in a favor and I’d felt obligated to agree, but now that I’d made the commitment, I was determined to help make the event a success.
We spent the next few minutes answering questions. Amy went into some detail talking about all the vendors and planned activities outside the arena events.
As our segment was wrapping up, Lisa mentioned that the link to buy tickets would be available on all the show’s socials.
“And… we’re done. Two minutes everyone,” the director said and we all stood up. Someone rushed over to help remove our mikes and I adjusted my hat.
“That was great,” Dave said. “My kids are excited to attend, and for my part, I can’t wait to see you compete,” he said, shaking my hand.
“Ditto!” Lisa said. She turned to Amy and gave her a hug. “It was great to see you again. I can tell how much work you’ve put into this, and I hope it’s successful. This area could definitely do with a boost of visitors.”
“One minute,” someone shouted and we took that as our cue to leave, heading for the exit. Amy was smiling as we walked back to her car and I was pleased for her. I didn’t know how many people watched the show, but every little bit was bound to help.
While we took the elevator down to the lobby, Amy stepped closer and elbowed me lightly. “CINCH, huh? I had you pegged as a Wrangler man.”
I shrugged and turned slightly so the label was visible above my belt. “To be truthful, they all wear about the same, but my butt looks better in the CINCH.”
Amy burst out laughing and I grinned. I loved hearing her laugh and watching her face light up with amusement. She’s been so serious when I’d first met her, but little by little, she’d been loosening up. I hoped to see more of it before it was time for me to move on.
SIXTEEN
AMY
“Ican’t believe how well everything went,” I said as we merged onto the highway. After our appearance onWake Up, Colorado, we met with a reporter from theColorado Timesto talk about the rodeo. Lisa had recommended him, and we spent some time talking about how difficult it can be to reach the audience we needed to raise the necessary funds.
From there, we’d talked about all the events and I’d left him with a list of vendors and booths. We still had a couple booth openings and he’d promised to add that information to the article in the hopes that we might fill up.
Cal had been charming and personable, and no one asked questions that veered toward the potential disaster if the rodeo failed. So it had been a good day, and I was feeling comfortable with the man sitting in the passenger seat.
Dinner at the ranch the night before had also helped increase my comfort level with Cal. Not only had he been thoughtful to bring something for everyone, he’d merged into the conversation, asking questions about the ranch, the food Laura had made, and Henry’sfavorite things to do besides riding horses and doing puzzles. I’d found myself relaxing back in my chair and just watching the interactions.
Adding Cal to the family felt right. And I had to admit I was attracted to him, far more than I should be. Once I’d imagined myself kissing him, I hadn’t been able to get the idea out of my head. Unfortunately, it had morphed into a hot dream about him that had me standing in front of an open window at three in the morning to try to cool down. I bit back a sigh at the memory.
“I liked your friend Lisa and her cohost, Dave. They knew how to make an interview fun,” Cal said.
“They are good at it. Their show is popular and I think they’re up for an award this year.
“Having fun?” He turned his head and quirked an eyebrow at me.
“I guess?”
“You don’t know?”
How did I answer that without sounding like a workaholic or a party pooper?
“I’m usually busy making situations fun for others,” I said. “I’m always so caught up in the details that I don’t think about anything else—and I guess that includes whether or not I’m having fun.”
“But that’s only when you’re working, right?”
“Of course,” I said, but in truth, it was all the time. I had my son to manage on my own, even though I had Laura’s help. I had my job that I loved, and now I had the rodeo and the thousands of little details that had to be navigated to make it a success. I couldn’t let anything fall through the cracks—and that meant obsessing over the details to make sure nothing was missed.
“So what do you do for fun?” Cal asked.
