“I, uh …” She looked like he’d asked her to rob a bank or give him a kidney. Her expression morphed from surprised to concerned, and he gave up hope when it landed on hesitant.
Much to his surprise, she slowly nodded her head. “I’d like that.”
“You would?” he asked, shocked by her answer. “I mean, that’s great. Uh … what do you like to eat? I think there are several options that don’t involve bar food or something that comes from a food truck.”
She grinned. “I’m not hard to please. How about Mexican?”
“Perfect,” Jason tried to shift his brain into gear and drew in another deep breath, inhaling the odors of sweat and horses. “I need to clean up first. Could I meet you in about thirty minutes?”
“Make it an hour. I can meet you back here.” Lainey pointed to the horse trailer behind him.
“I’ll come pick you up. Where are you staying?”
She seemed reluctant to say, so Jason held up both hands, palms out, in a gesture everyone recognized as one of innocence. “I’ll be right here in an hour.”
Lainey nodded, then turned and walked off. Jason was of half a mind to follow her, but decided he’d better not waste a minute of the hour he had to get ready. He yanked his gloves on, finished the work he needed to see to, then hurried into the travel trailer he shared with Shaun.
His son wasn’t there, and Jason belatedly recalled Shaun saying he was going to help feed the livestock before he called it a night.
Jason peeled off his dirty, dusty clothes, hopped into a shower that was more cool than warm, and shaved for the second time that day.
He was toweling dry when he heard Shaun come in.
“Dad! You want to go to dinner with me and Coop?” his son questioned.
Jason cracked open the bathroom door as he rubbed his hair dry. “I’ve got plans, but you go ahead.”
Shaun’s spurs jingled as he moved closer to the bathroom. “Plans? As in taking-a-pretty-lady-to-dinner kind of plans?”
“So, what if I do?” Jason scowled at his image in the mirror, wondering if he was making a huge mistake by going on a date with Lainey. “You got a problem with that?”
Footsteps drew closer, and Shaun pushed the bathroom door open. His son met his gaze and grinned. “Not a problem inthe world with it, Dad. It’s about time you let someone turn your head.”
Jason grinned and made a shooing motion. “Get out of here and let me get ready in peace.”
Shaun laughed and backed away. “Okay, Dad. Just remember to mind your manners and be home before midnight.”
Jason scowled. “I don’t need you to recite the line I always gave you before you went out when you were in high school.”
“Oh, but you do.” Shaun grinned, then turned and went out the door.
“Wiseacre,” Jason muttered under his breath, although he smiled and continued to smile while he brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and slapped on aftershave. He dressed in a newer pair of jeans, a clean pair of boots, and a crisp blue cotton shirt with a gray paisley pattern that looked good with his grayish-blue eyes and graying hair, or so his granddaughter Dani had told him when she had talked him into buying the shirt the last time he’d taken her to town with him.
Jason threaded a belt through the loops of his jeans, shoved his wallet and cell phone into his pockets, and hustled out of the trailer. He didn’t want to be late. He arrived where he’d last seen Lainey by the end of the horse trailer to find her waiting there, talking to Shaun and Cooper.
“Well, you two have fun,” Shaun said, giving Cooper a nudge as Jason approached them. “Don’t do anything we wouldn’t.”
Lainey laughed. “From the looks of you two and what Celia shared, that would pretty much open the field to everything.”
Cooper slapped a hand to his chest and feigned affront. “I’m going to have to talk to Celia. It’s not nice to make up stories about innocent little boys like us.” He grinned and tipped his head to Lainey. “Have a great evening, ma’am.”
“Thank you,” Lainey said, then turned her focus to Jason. Her blue eyes glimmered with mirth as a smile lingered on her very kissable lips.
“Ready to go?” Jason asked, holding out an arm to her. Was that still a thing men did? Would she give him a lecture about the roles of men and women in a modern world?
He breathed a sigh of relief when she wrapped her hand around his arm and started walking away from the parking area for the trailers and vehicles that belonged to the rodeo contestants and staff, the stock company, and volunteers.
“I drove around a little and noticed an Italian restaurant just a few blocks away. Would you mind eating there instead of having Mexican?” Lainey asked, looking up at him.
