The Cougar and the Cowboy

‘What the hell just happened, Jace? You have never even kissed a woman on a first

date and you just about did a whole lot more than that on this first date. And why did Dani’s face keep appearing in your thoughts?’

***

When he rolled out of bed the next morning, he pinched himself to see if he was awake or dreaming and asked himself if he dreamed the entire date last night. Evidently not, because there were a few lipstick smudges on the collar of his shirt which he’d thrown on a chair.

‘Between Luke preaching to me and Emily wanting to loan me the money and then…this has been the most bizarre weekend I’ve had for a long time.’ If he was honest, maybe it was also the most enjoyable.

He did the chores and then called Cal. It went straight to voicemail but they were probably in church at this time of the morning. He would call later and firm up the arrangements for the band to come. In the morning, he would ask the regulars to put their actions where their mouths were and start advertising the upcoming weekends, once he found out exactly when they would be there.

***

Collier knocked on Camille’s door. It was a few minutes before she answered.

“Well, you’re up early on a Sunday morning. I haven’t even had my coffee yet. Come in, sit down and I’ll get you a cup too.”

He watched her move around the kitchen, making the coffee. She still had her lightweight pajamas on and they left little to the imagination, for sure. He was having trouble corralling his thoughts while he watched her.

She set his cup down in front of him. “If I remember correctly, you like it black…yes?”

He nodded. “Camille or Emily or whoever you are…I need to talk to you.”

“That sounds serious, Collier or maybe ominous. What’s going on?”

“That’s what I came to ask you. Who are you really and what are you doing in Bozeman? Why don’t you tell me what exactly is going on?”

She fixed him with a look he couldn’t quite decipher before she answered. “You already know I’m Barbara’s daughter and my real name is Camille. I have a good reason to use the name Emily Hasbro but it isn’t illegal to pretend to be someone else for business reasons, is it?”

“Not illegal, I guess but not honest either. I know you left the bar with Jace the other night and he came back to get you the next morning. I saw his truck in your drive. What was that all about?”

‘That sounds like a jealous statement, Collier.’ Camille took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I went to The Branding Iron to meet a date but he stood me up. Jace came over to talk for a bit and I saw Will…remember him? He was standing at the bar with his back to me and I asked Jace to get me out of there. He brought me home and in the morning, he came back to get me to take me to my car. End of story.”

Collier was looking at her trying to decide if he believed her or not. “Why is Will in town?”

“I wish I knew. If I had to guess, I would say he figured out where I am and was checking different places to see if anyone recognized my name. Fortunately, you’re the only one in this town who knows my real name.”

“Look, Camille, I care about you. Don’t ask me how that’s even possible since we hardly know each other, but it’s true anyway. I’m worried about you living in this big house all alone. Tell me the truth about why you’re here and what’s up with all the men’s names on the legal pad on your desk. Yes, I saw it. I wasn’t snooping but you left it in plain sight when you knew I was coming to fix your desk.”

She decided to take a chance and tell him the truth, at least some of it…but not all of it. It would be better if he didn’t know the nature of the articles she was writing considering he might be the subject of one in the future.

Several cups of coffee later, he stood and went to her side of the table. He bent down and kissed her. Then he left without saying a word.

Camille hurried to her computer and wrote furiously about last night’s evening with Jace and this morning with Collier. She didn’t want to forget a thing as it would make the article so much better with all the details included. She enhanced the facts about her time with Jace and made the love scene as realistic as possible without totally offending her readers.

CHAPTER 27

CAL AND JACE spoke and finalized the dates for the band to be at The Branding Iron. Jace made sure he was present when the table of regulars was full.

“Okay, you guys…here’s the deal. You’ve been spouting ideas for saving this bar for months. While I appreciate all the suggestions, it seems Ken had the best idea when he said we should have some entertainment that would draw a crowd. We have an opportunity to make that happen but here’s where you come in. Between all of you, you seem to know everyone in this town and the surrounding area. I need your help to get the word out…everywhere you can think of. I’ll have some flyers made to place in the shops but if you have any connections with businesses, ask if they’ll put the information on their outdoor signs. In the end, word of mouth is still the best advertisement. I’m getting a copy of one of their CDs in the mail and I’ll make sure it gets played in here…a lot.”

“Oh and one more thing…if you have any legitimate ideas for the first night crowd, I’d like to hear them, too. I’m counting on that first crowd to tell their friends and bring them back.”

“That’s great news, Jace but what happens when this band is gone? What then?”

“I asked myself that same question, Ralph. I’m praying our new customers’ experiences at The Branding Iron will be so impressive, they’ll want to come back and tell their friends about the food, the atmosphere and the beautiful and talented bartender, Miss Maggie.” He grinned at her over his shoulder. She threw the bar rag she was holding at his head.

‘Jace, that’s the third or fourth time you’ve said you’d be praying about something. Did Luke’s words get to you?’