imagined her thinking about doing exactly that. Instead, she turned back to the stall and continued her lesson.
Mrs. Hartley patted him on the arm. “Don’t let her thorny exterior scare you off.”
“It’ll take more than that. I wrestle ornery steers for a living.”
Mrs. Hartley smiled at that, patted his arm once again, then stepped away. “Let me take Sloane’s flowers and put them in water. I’ll be sure to put them someplace she can’t miss them.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“No need for the formality. Call me Diane.”
He nodded.
“And if you don’t have to leave, make sure you stay for dinner.”
“Thanks. I appreciate the invitation.” During the rodeo season, home-cooked meals were few and far between. No cowboy with any sense turned one down.
He had a funny feeling Sloane might not feel the same about the invitation. That just meant he had his work cut out for him to change her mind.
* * *
SLOANE SHOULD HAVE known something like this was coming after Neil and Ben both got married. There’d been enough teasing around the dinner table that she was next despite her efforts to guide the conversation in any other direction. But she refused to be pushed into a situation not of her own choosing. She loved her family, but that didn’t mean she’d let them have their way.
A part of her realized Jason was a bit of a pawn in the current situation, too, but he wasn’t helping matters by bringing her flowers, being adorable with the kids and charming her mother. That trifecta would totally work with most women. She wasn’t most women.
He came to stand next to the stall she’d just finished cleaning as Angel led the kids outside for another activity.
“How can I help?” he asked.
She exited the stall and closed the door, then pointed at the wheelbarrow beside him. “You can empty that.”
Dang it, he didn’t hesitate or question her. Instead, he grabbed the handles and headed out of the barn. He didn’t even ask where the manure pile was. Chances were good he grew up on a ranch though, so it wasn’t as if he was a city slicker with no clue what he was doing.
She waited until he was out of sight before she placed her hands on her hips, looked up into the rafters and took a deep breath. Just a little while longer and he would leave. He would take his long legs, infectious smile and nice-guy act right out of town on his way to the next rodeo.
But was it an act? She wasn’t sure, which bothered her. He’d said he wanted to go out with her, which gave him a motive to be nice. But damn if the pastries, the flowers and his kindness didn’t have a ring of truth.
But so had Blake’s words of love once upon a time, a claim that hadn’t been enough to keep him in Blue Falls and with her.
She blew out a breath and headed outside, where Angel had the kids lined up along the fence, telling them about the cattle on the opposite side. Before they’d ridden out to deliver scours vaccines to the pregnant cows, her dad and brothers had herded a dozen head of cattle into an area where the kids could see them while remaining safe.
“Does anyone know what kind of cattle these are?” Angel asked.
“Longhorns,” Daron called out.
“That’s right. Some of these guys can weigh up to or even more than two-thousand pounds.”
“Whoa!” Daron said, and was echoed by several other kids.
After Angel ended her lesson about the cattle, they had the kids wash their hands and then head to the picnic area again for the final meal of the camp. Just the riding lessons remained before the kids would be picked up and taken home.
Sloane watched as the kids went through the line to get their food—chicken tenders, potato salad and brownies today. Though she tried to keep her attention off Jason, it was way more difficult than she’d have liked. When he seated himself next to Brent, a suspicious flutter in her chest made her worry that her mom’s and Angel’s attempted matchmaking was getting to her.
No, she couldn’t let that happen. She was stronger than that.
And yet, when she got her food, she made her way to the spot opposite Jason and Brent. Okay, so curiosity about their topic of conversation got the better of her.
Jason didn’t even look up at her when she sat down. Instead, he kept his entire focus on the little boy beside him.
“Do you think I could be a rodeo cowboy?” Brent asked.
“I think you can be whatever you want as long as you’re willing to work hard for it. Can you do that?”
Brent nodded with more enthusiasm than she would have ever imagined he possessed. Somehow, Jason had encouraged the shy little boy to break out of his shell.
“I want to be a steer wrestler just like you.”
While Brent seemed excited, witnessing the exchange broke Sloane’s heart. He’d obviously formed a quick but strong attachment to Jason. She worried that Brent didn’t comprehend that after today he’d probably never see Jason again. And it might be years before Brent even got a chance to attend another rodeo, let alone have an opportunity to practice a skill like steer wrestling. She had a hard time picturing him ever being big enough to tackle such a dangerous profession. Her hope was that he was young enough that he’d probably go through at least another dozen answers to the question of what he wanted to be when he grew up. Memories of this camp, of Jason the steer wrestler, would fade.
She wondered if her own memories of Jason would fade, as well. When was the last time she’d had such a difficult time keeping her gaze from wandering to a guy? She refused to believe it had been Blake more than a decade ago. But her two short-lived relationships since then hadn’t involved any irresistible urges to watch someone’s every move. She supposed that should have been a clue they were duds in the making.
“Then I have no doubt you can do it,” Jason said and ruffled Brent’s hair, earning a big grin from the boy.
Sloane couldn’t help grinning, too. Of course that’s when Jason finally looked at her. But she didn’t hide her smile. He was so kind to the kids, especially Brent, who perhaps needed the attention the most.
When lunch was over, she could feel the excitement level of the kids rise by the moment. They were at the point of the weekend they’d been looking forward to—being able to ride an actual horse. Without being asked, Jason helped get the horse saddled and moved into the paddock. After some pointers and safety tips, Jason lifted little Alice into the saddle.
At first, Alice looked anxious and held on to the saddle horn with a white-knuckle death grip.
“It’s a long way up there, huh?” Jason asked.
Alice nodded.
“Don’t worry. We won’t let you fall.” He nodded to where Sloane stood next to Alice, ready to grab the little girl if anything unexpected happened.
Alice relaxed enough so that by the time her turn was over, she was smiling.
“You’re officially a cowgirl now,” Jason said as he lifted her out of the saddle and handed her over the fence to Angel and Mom, who had joined the group after cleaning up following lunch.
Alice beamed so much that Sloane thought if Jason ever retired from rodeo, he might have a future working with kids.
For the next hour, one kid after another was given their time in the saddle. Little Brent looked as if he’d died and gone to heaven. Daron whooped as if he’d conquered Everest, making everyone laugh. Last up was Phoebe. She’d shown the same excitement as the rest of the kids, until she got near the horse. She balked, no doubt at its size.
Jason crouched in front of her.