“I did, and thank you. I’d love to see some of your work.”
Celia kept Lainey’s camera on her lap and took her phone out of the diaper bag, scrolled through several screens, then showed the breathtaking action shots she’d captured in the arena. In many of the images, Celia seemed so close to the action, it was a wonder the woman hadn’t been ground into the dust by hooves.
“Wow! These are fantastic, Celia. I’ve never tried to get good action shots, but I know it takes a rare talent to capture images like these.”
Celia blushed and tucked her phone into a pocket of the diaper bag, then offered Lainey a pleased expression. “Tell me more about this book. Would it include a handsome pickup man?”
It was Lainey’s turn to blush. “Maybe.”
Celia laughed, then leaned a little closer. “There’s one thing you absolutely need to know about Jason Price.”
Concerned he had some terrible habit or a past she’d rather not know about, she offered Celia a hesitant look. “What do I need to know about him?”
“That he’s a unicorn.”
“A unicorn?” Lainey asked, confused. Maybe she’d misheard Celia, and the conversation was about to veer into astrological signs. Perhaps Celia had said Jason was a Capricorn.
“A unicorn,” Celia repeated. “It’s not every day you run across a handsome guy like Jason who is single, funny, kind, generous, gainfully employed, hardworking, and loyal to those he loves. It’s about as rare as stumbling across a unicorn. Any woman who catches Jason’s eye should feel very fortunate. He isn’t someone who dates a different woman every week. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him on a date.”
Lainey didn’t know what to say to that. She nodded and focused her attention on the arena, where the subject of their conversation rode out and waved as the rodeo announcer introduced Jason and Shaun.
When her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him on the back of his horse, looking like he rode straight out of a western romance novel, Lainey realized she was in trouble.
Big, big trouble.
Chapter Four
“Isee your girl is sitting with Celia. Was your evil plan in having them sit together to lure Miss Collins in with talk of photography, Dad? Or maybe you hoped she’d be charmed by Addie Kate and stick around.”
Jason scowled at his son as they waited for the next saddle bronc rider to come out of the chute. “First off, she is not my girl. Lainey Collins just happened to show up earlier, and I gave her a tour of the arena. That’s all. I don’t have any plans for her, evil or otherwise, smart aleck.”
Shaun chuckled. “My, my. Someone is sure touchy about the subject of pretty Miss Collins, for not being interested in her at all. I’m going out on a limb here, Dad, but I’d hazard a guess a woman as attractive as she is wouldn’t have any trouble snagging a date if she were interested. You’re lucky she even gave the time of day to an ugly ol’ cuss like you.”
Jason considered swatting his son with his hat, or maybe thumping him like an enraged cavedweller, but decided it wasn’tworth the jokes the announcer and Cooper James would toss at him. The two men would have a field day with it if he succumbed to the urge to set his son in his place.
He tamped down his temper and glared at Shaun. “I just thought she might enjoy meeting Celia. Besides, Celia can answer any questions she may have about rodeo without Lainey feeling uncomfortable asking them.”
“Sure, Dad. Whatever you say.” Shaun made a clicking sound with his tongue and raced forward as the saddle bronc rider shot out of the chute on a horse that had been in the running for bucking horse of the year last year. Rode Rager wasn’t an easy bronc to ride, but if the cowboy managed to stay on for eight seconds, he’d have a solid score.
With a kissing noise, Jason hustled to catch up to Shaun and rode up on the other side of the bucking horse. As soon as the buzzer sounded, the rider released the thick bronc rein he held, grabbed onto Shaun’s arm, and launched himself off Rode Rager. The horse stopped bucking as soon as the cowboy was off his back and lunged forward, running full out, like he was a racehorse headed for an invisible finish line.
Jason grabbed the bronc rein and released the flank strap with a practiced hand. The horse slowed when Shaun moved in on his other side. They were able to guide Rode Rager through the gate with no trouble. Speed born from experience had them switching mounts in a matter of seconds before returning to the arena.
The hardest workers at any rodeo were the horses used by pickup men, at least to Jason’s way of thinking. They had to be intelligent, fast, agile, quick to respond to commands, brave, able to handle high-pressure situations, and able to keep from shying away from horses kicking or biting at them. They had to remain steady even when cowboys were crawling onto and overthem, and have the ability to face a riled bull without giving in to fear.
The job was mentally and physically demanding for pickup horses, which was why Shaun and Jason liked to switch out their mounts after every four or five riders competed. It kept any one horse from being overtaxed and gave them a chance to rest.
Jason shifted his attention to the last bronc in the chute. The animal didn’t seem inclined to let the rider on his back, rearing up and banging on the sides of the chute. While he waited for them to get the horse under control or give the cowboy a different equine to ride, Jason nudged his horse slightly to the right so he could look into the stands and study Lainey without it appearing obvious.
She held Addie Kate as the baby slept and laughed at something Celia said. Lainey looked like a natural with children, and it made him wonder if she had any of her own. She hadn’t mentioned being a mother. He knew she was single, but he had no idea if she’d ever been married. Had she mentioned something about a past relationship, and he’d somehow forgotten?
The realization that he wanted to learn all there was to know about Lainey Collins left him unsettled. He hadn’t been this interested in a female since his wife had died. Why, after more than twenty years, was he suddenly fascinated with a woman who lived in her van? As far as he knew, she had absolutely no roots or interest in setting any down.
He couldn’t envision what it would be like to be so alone in the world, with no place or people to call home. Despite the losses he’d survived, Jason had a home to go back to, where his family had deep roots, and his children were building a future for his grandkids.
Lainey leaned down and kissed Addie Kate’s cheek, and Jason felt the frozen lump in his chest that used to be a romantic heart crackling back to life.
He would have rubbed a hand over the spot that suddenly ached and considered what the ice shed from his heart meant, but it would have to wait. The rider was finally coming out of the chute, and he had work to do.
