When I said nothing, her hint of a smile fell. “After dinner, I’ll start putting together some preliminary ideas while everything’s fresh in my mind.”
“Tomorrow’s soon enough.”
“I don’t mind. It’s not like I have anything else to do.”
“No…male awaiting your call?” Now, why had I asked that?
“I’m single. Not dating anyone.”
“Ah, I see.” My ears heated. I shouldn’t have turned this personal, but I hadn’t been able to hold the words back.
Or the odd relief I felt knowing she wasn’t with someone else.
I urged Peeka to return to her grazing, and Carla and I walked together along the side of the arena. I tried not to notice how the light made her skin look warm and golden. “I’ll see you in the morning?”
“Actually, could we start earlier? There’s so much to see, and I want to observe feeding routines, social interactions.”
“Dawn?” I’d be here already.
“Perfect.” She gathered her tablet and notes, then paused, looking up at me. “Today was… This was really helpful. Thank you.”
“You asked good questions.”
“I have a lot more.”
I found myself smiling. “I’ll try to have answers.”
She walked away, her stride confident. I watched until she stepped up onto the boardwalk and wove through a group of tourists heading into the restaurant, then turned back to the arena.
There was so much she still needed to learn, but I was looking forward to teaching her. Working with her felt like a collaboration instead of an obligation. When she looked at the sorhoxes, she saw what I did, not only powerful animals, but intelligent partners worthy of respect.
And when she looked at me…
I grumbled and headed toward the equipment shed. Whatever I thought I saw in her expression was probably professional interest. She was here to do a job, nothing more. And I wasn’t looking for anything else.
But as I locked up for the night, I couldn’t stop thinking about seeing her tomorrow.
This was dangerous thinking.
I headed toward the hotel and my lonely room, where I’d take a shower. Get something to eat. Since I always ate at the saloon, no one could accuse me of making a dining decision based on where I might find my new hire.
And if I saw her sitting alone…
There was no reason either of us had to eat alone, right?
Chapter 3
Carla
Istood in the middle of my hotel room, tugging at the bottom of my holiday sweater. The reindeer’s red nose blinked cheerfully. I smiled at my small act of rebellion against years of Aunt Misty’s disdain for what she called tacky Christmas decorations.
“It’s not tacky,” I said. “It’s festive.” Big difference.
My aunt would have hated it, which somehow made me love it even more. After a day of hard work at the rodeo grounds, I deserved something comfortable and perky. Besides, no one here knew me well enough to judge.
I smoothed my hair, applied a touch of lip gloss, and took a deep breath. I was going to dinner in the hotel saloon. Nothing fancy. Nothing to be nervous about.
So why did my stomach feel like I’d swallowed a sorhox?
