Her Rodeo Cowboy

“I figured you did. Why don’t you give her some time to cool off, then I suggest you go see her and try real hard to smooth this out. We aren’t used to this kind of trouble going on in Mule Hollow.”

“Tell me about it. I’m not used to this kind of trouble, either.”

He spent the next hour getting ribbed and teased about the incident. Cowboys loved teasing and giving each other a hard time, so, thanks to Erica, he was probably going to be the brunt of jokes for the rest of the year. The talk at the diner alone was going to drive him crazy. And if Erica thought her actions were going to help her find “Mr. Right” anytime soon in Mule Hollow, she was about to be up a creek without a paddle. Getting a date might have just gotten a whole lot harder for her.

Then he thought about Montana—getting a date might have just gotten harder for him, too. The idea didn’t sit well. As he drove home, he figured he had some digging out to do. He didn’t like having Erica so angry at him, so he was going to have to smooth that out somehow. Didn’t change his feelings though.

Norma Sue had been right on the money about them not being compatible—there were just some things that couldn’t be changed. He didn’t figure you could fall in love with someone you weren’t attracted to, but he’d seen plenty of times when people who were in love fell out of love. Or one of the two killed the love that had been shared. Luke had seen that plenty. He’d seen it up close and personal where his parents were concerned—yeah, love could be killed. But there was no way it could be forced. Erica was barking up the wrong tree if she figured he was the one for her. He’d get that straight and he’d get it soon. Surely she would understand where he was coming from.

He wasn’t going to feel bad about the situation. He had done nothing but be honest in all of this. Montana might hold it all against him, especially after witnessing the sweet tea scene, but in all honesty, he couldn’t figure out why.

Then again, maybe he was missing something… .

It was a beautiful day, the morning after the infamous barbecue.

“Come on in,” Esther Mae called out as Montana walked into Lacy’s Heavenly Inspirations hair salon carrying Tate. Instantly, she was bombarded by the spunky redhead. “Oh, there’s our baby boy!” Esther Mae cooed, reaching to take Tate.

“We’re glad you came,” Norma Sue said, moving to give Tate a hug.

Lacy had Adela in the chair and was snipping away at the dainty lady’s short, white hair. “He looks so happy!” Lacy said, smiling in his direction. “You are so good with him, Montana. Thank you so much. He’s always in such a good mood with you.”

“Ha! It’s not me. The little fella likes everyone. Although, we did have a great morning. He loves the playpen we fixed up next to the office.” The building that housed Lacy and Clint’s arena was one of the nicest she’d been in. She was blessed to have it for her own use. “He played happily all morning while I practiced.” Montana could still get her barrel racing practice in while watching Tate in the playpen.

“He’s content around you.” Adela smiled, her electric-blue eyes warm. “Babies know good people when they’re around them.”

Esther Mae looked up from where she had sat with Tate in the dryer chair. “Little darling bellows every time Hank comes around. It hurts Hank’s feelings something fierce.”

“Roy Don was the same way.” Norma Sue chuckled. “He started to get a complex about it, until one day Tate took to him—” she snapped her fingers “—like the snap of a finger.”

“Men, they get their feelings hurt too doggone easy,” Esther Mae said while rubbing noses with Tate. “You aren’t gonna do that, are you, my sweet potato pie man?”

Norma Sue grunted. “That Luke should have gotten his feelings hurt last night.” She looked at Montana. “He needs a woman in his life, and he has no clue how many women want to be ‘that’ woman. Why, most every woman who goes out with him is secretly hoping he’ll notice them, despite knowing he’s not planning to get married. They all find out he’s more interested in work and building up that ranch than in building a relationship, and they move on. Who knows, maybe Erica’s little hissy fit might have been just what he needed to make him think about taking a woman seriously. About taking his life seriously.”

“That’s right,” Esther Mae interrupted. “Life’s too short to only think about building things here on earth. He needs a family to leave that ranch to.”

Montana started getting uncomfortable with the conversation.

“It’s going to take the right woman to help him see that God has more out there for him than work,” she chimed in.

“And how about you?” Norma Sue suddenly turned her attention to Montana. “Don’t you think he’s one handsome cowboy?”

“I’ve already had this conversation with Lacy.” She met her cousin’s mischievous eyes in the mirror. “Yes, he’s handsome. But I’m not interested.”

“What about living in Mule Hollow?” Norma Sue probed. “Are you interested in maybe making this your home?”

“It’s a great place,” Lacy said, pausing her cutting the wispy hair around Adela’s face. “I’m trying to convince her of that, too. Y’all help me.”

Adela smiled understandingly. “That would be lovely, dear. If you moved here, you would have all the time you need to sort out whatever it is that’s bothering you.”

“And then you could appreciate Luke for the man that he is.” Norma Sue looked as if she’d just come up with the best idea of the century.

“Aren’t y’all supposed to be having a meeting about the fair on the opening day of the rodeo?” Montana reminded them of the reason she’d come to town. She wanted the conversation to move away from her. And Luke.

Lacy took the cape off of Adela, shaking the loose hair from it. “You’re a free woman, Adela,” she said, smiling. “We’re heading over to the diner now. I just needed to finish Adela’s cut first.”

“By the way, how’s Sheri doing?” Esther Mae called from the dryer chair. “Is she and Pace having fun in Australia, training horses?”

“Yes, they are.” Sheri was the nail tech and Lacy’s partner in the salon. She’d come to Mule Hollow with Lacy when she’d loaded up her 1958 pink Caddy and drove from Dallas to open her new business. “She said that she was thinking of moving there full-time.”

“What?” All the matchmakers gasped.

“Whoa!” Lacy waved her hands to hold off any more outbursts. “I was only teasing. She said she’s enjoying Australia but will be back home in Mule Hollow in time for the rodeos. Pace is going to ride broncs.”

“Whew, that’s a relief,” Esther Mae said. “Plus, I need a manicure something terrible.”

Adela agreed. “It certainly is. We’d miss her and her frank honesty and dry sense of humor.”

“Boy, are you right about that.” Norma Sue wagged her kinky gray head. “Talk about a hard one to match up. We didn’t think the right cowboy was ever going to come along for that little gal.”

“But God always sends the right cowboy for the right woman. In the right time.” Adela hugged Lacy. “Thanks for making my hair look so wonderful! We are so glad God also sends hairdressers to the right towns, too.”

Lacy looked pleased. “Oh, He did that.” She held her hands out for little Tate. He immediately lifted his arms for his momma. Taking him into her arms, Lacy snuggled his neck with her nose and held him close. “God knew this hairdresser needed to be right here in Mule Hollow, so I could meet Clint. So this sweet baby boy could be born.”

Montana’s heart tugged with emotion watching them.

“Okay, let’s go, gals,” Norma Sue said, moving to the door and holding it open. “Let’s get over to Sam’s. I’m sure we have a big group waiting for us over there.”

Montana followed the chattering, excited group, but she couldn’t stop thinking about them matching her up with Luke. Montana knew they all meant well. After all, it was easy to see that all their hard work was producing lots of happy couples. And families to fill up the town.

Still, she wasn’t buying in.

That’s right. It was going to take more than the goodwill of the matchmaking posse to make her see things differently. She knew she would feel that way for a long time.

If they thought Sheri Gentry had been a tough cookie to match up, they were in for a surprise because they hadn’t seen nothin’ yet.

Luke almost turned around and went back to his truck when he walked into Sam’s and saw the crowd. The place was packed! Spotting Montana—and no Erica—he decided to stay. He’d dropped by Erica’s apartment that morning to see if he could talk to her, but she hadn’t been home. He still couldn’t get over the fact that she was so angry with him.

He hadn’t made it to the counter to grab a seat on a cowhide stool before Esther Mae called out his name.

“Don’t sit over there,” she called. “We’re discussing the rodeo and festival. We need your input.”

Sam grinned from behind the counter. “You came in at the wrong time. Even App and Stanley hightailed it outta here the minute they all came marching in.”

Luke looked around the room and realized it was all ladies sitting in the booths on one side of the diner, and the other side was empty. “Looks like I missed the memo.”

“Yup. You did that. But yor here now, so you might as well dig in and bear it. I’ll brang you a nice, tall glass of sweet tea. You want a burger ta go with that?”

“Funny, Sam. Real funny. A burger’s fine.” He crossed to the table next to the one Montana was sitting at. She didn’t look too thrilled to see him.