Lost & Found (Lost & Found 1)

That got Jesse’s attention. As it should have. I didn’t need to see the voting cards of the thousands in attendance to know I’d be strung up and left for dead for saying something like that.

There was so much red in the room I could barely breathe.

“You’re funny, Rowen. You know that?” was Jesse’s amused reply. “And by the way, I voted for Obama. I would have the first time, too, if I was old enough to vote.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course he did. The red-blooded cowboy through and through voted for the blue as blue can be Democratic president. The ironies just never ended in Nowhere, Montana.

“You’re such a dichotomy, Jesse Walker.” I tapped the front of his hat so it covered his eyes.

“Whoa. Was that just a ‘dichotomy’ you just dropped on me?” The hat still covered the top half of his face, but his smile and those damn dimples were visible. “How can a girl who supposedly barely passed high school drop vocab like that and think she’s got us all fooled?”

I hated having him next to me as much as I loved it. As far as my relationship with Jesse went, that was pretty much par for course. “You know, you hovering in the middle of the aisle is creating a fire hazard.” Since it didn’t look like he would do it, I tilted his hat back into place. His eyes were just as amused as the rest of his face. “So why don’t you get back to your harem and leave me alone?”

“Nah. They’re good without me,” he said, glancing back at his empty seat. “And I’ve left you alone enough this week.” His voice was full of intention. He’d left me alone, somewhat, like I’d asked, but apparently he was done with “alone time.”

I groaned and tried to elbow him. He dodged it easily and chuckled. “How did you get here?” he asked, thankfully shifting the conversation back into the acceptable range.

“Would you believe me if I told you I hijacked your horse?”

“Nope. No, I wouldn’t,” he said. “Sunny only lets me ride him. Not once in ten years has he let another soul on his back.”

“Your horse must be partial to the depraved,” I muttered.

“Maybe. But then he would have let you hijack him like you mentioned.”

“I took Old Bessie.” I focused on the arena so he wouldn’t see my smile.

“Ha! I’d believe you charmed Sunny before you climbed into Old Bessie—willingly—and drove her here.”

I couldn’t slip a single thing past Jesse. “I walked.”

“Sure you did.”

I lifted my eyebrows.

“What? Really? You walked?” he said in disbelief. “It’s, like, five miles from Willow Springs to the fairground.”

I lifted a shoulder.

“You walked?” he repeated again, like it was inconceivable.

“Yes, I walked. You know, one foot in front of the other? Arms swinging gently at the sides?” I said dryly. “I’ve been doing it for a while now. Almost seventeen years. I’m pretty good at it.”

“I sure have missed that attitude of yours this week,” he said in such a way I wasn’t sure if he was being a smartass or serious.

Before I could reply with my own smartass comment, a gate inside the arena flew open and a bull the size of a tank busted out of it. As if that wasn’t frightening enough, a guy was on top of it holding on to the bucking and twisting animal with only one hand. I’d thought the sport was insane based on the name alone, but watching it in real life, I thought insane was thoroughly inadequate.

“What the hell is this?” I asked, utterly stunned.

It didn’t seem possible a creature that stocky and large could move and jump the way it was. Something having to do with the laws of gravity. How the dude on top could stay upright seemed like yet another slap in the face of physics.

“Some people call it bull riding. Other people call it a death wish,” Jesse replied as a buzzer went off. The guy on top of the bull leapt off and tumbled to the ground. A couple of guys dressed like clowns clapped and moved to get the bull’s attention while the rider righted himself and sprinted for the exit.

The sport just got odder by the moment. Not to mention scarier. Anything where clowns were involved amped the scary factor up a few levels.

“Have you ever done that?” I asked, still in shock. I didn’t know what I’d just seen, but I’d never forget it.

“Nope. I’m one of those crazy people that likes the use of all their body parts.”

“After just watching that, you are not the crazy one.” Another guy was getting ready at the gates, but I couldn’t watch another ride yet. Garth wasn’t up, so I looked back at Jesse. He was back to smiling at me.

I gave up and smiled right back. It was that infectious.

When I caught sight of the person who’d stopped behind him, my smile died on the spot.

She was even prettier up close.

“Hey, Jess, I’m heading out,” the drop-dead girl from ten rows back said, resting her hand on his shoulder. Then she smiled at me, and as much as I wanted to dislike her because she had her hand on him and had a special nickname for him, I couldn’t. Girls didn’t normally smile warmly at me. Girls didn’t even smile coolly at me.

“Oh, okay,” he said, rising. “Are the rest of the girls taking off with you?”

“No, they’re going to hang out and see about either getting your attention back or some other poor, unsuspecting cowboys’.”

“Sounds terrifying,” Jesse replied. “Thanks for the heads up.”

“So,” the girl said, looking between Jesse and me, “are you going to introduce us anytime soon, or have you forgotten your manners altogether?”

Jesse’s forehead creased. “Uh, yeah. Sorry. This is Rowen. She’s—”

“Helping out at Willow Springs,” the girl finished as she continued to smile at me. “I’ve already heard a lot about you. It’s nice to finally meet you, Rowen.”

I didn’t know who’d been talking about me or what had been said, but it made me nervous that the girl with a sweet smile had already “heard a lot about me.” In the past, whenever anyone had heard anything about me . . . Let’s just say it wasn’t for being on the honor roll.

However, I did my best to think positive. “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you . . .” I stared at Jesse and waited, but he looked like he’d suddenly been struck mute. Finally, I elbowed him and gave him an anytime today look.

“Rowen,” he said, before clearing his throat, “this is Josie.”

Of course she was.

Jesse couldn’t have looked more uncomfortable if he’d wanted to. I don’t think I could have felt any more awkward. And I don’t think Josie could have looked more oblivious.

So what did I do when the girlfriend of the guy I liked smiled at me like she didn’t know me from Adam?

I kept my smile plastered in place and glued my hands to the armrests so they wouldn’t misbehave. “Nice to meet you, Josie.” I sounded as contrived as I’d feared I would.

“You know, if you’re ever looking for some place to escape to, my parents’ place isn’t all that far from Willow Springs,” Josie said. “You could come hang out anytime.”

Just what I wanted to do: hang out with Jesse’s girlfriend. As friendly as she was being to me, I knew she didn’t have a clue about the thing between Jesse and me. No girl could be that gracious to the girl who’d almost become “the other woman.” No girl could smile at the girl who had a thing for her boyfriend. Whatever that “thing” was, I didn’t know, but it was most certainly a thing. A serious thing.

A serious thing I was trying to eviscerate.

“Thanks, Josie. That sounds great, but the Walkers keep me pretty busy.” In the body and the head. When I wasn’t up to my elbows in scrambled eggs, my mind scrambled about over two boys.

“I can imagine. But if you do ever find yourself with nothing to do on a free night, give me a ring.” She shoved at Jesse lightly. “This guy’s got my number.”

Yeah, I figured that.

Jesse stayed silent the entire time Josie and I chatted. In fact, he was so still he could have been a statue. It wasn’t quite the caught-with-my-pants-around-my-ankles expression I’d seen a few too many times, but it was close. Jesse knew he was treading on thin ice with his girlfriend and the mistress-that-could-have-been talking it up like old friends.

“I’m out of here before it turns into a blood bath out there.” Josie gave an exaggerated shudder at the arena where the last rider had just been thrown a good ten feet from the bull. He’d landed in a way that wasn’t natural. “Nice to meet you, Rowen.”

I nodded and reminded myself to be nice before replying, “You too, Josie.”

She nudged Jesse again—the girl really liked nudging him. Not that I could blame her. What I’d felt of Jesse’s body, I’d want to nudge up on it, too. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

Naked in bed later.

“Are you by yourself?” Jesse spoke up finally.

“I came with a couple of the girls, but like I said, they wanted to stay and hang.”

“Let me walk you to your truck,” he said. “I don’t want you in a dark parking lot by yourself.”

Josie beamed. I’m talking full on I-just-won-the-sash-and-crown beaming. “That would be nice.” She waved at me as she continued on down the steps.

“Are you going to be here when I get back?” Jesse asked me, not quite able to look me in the eyes.

Guessing that whole, smooth “I’ll walk you to your truck” routine was so he could have a quick roll in the bed of it with her, I slouched down in my seat and looked away. “Probably not.”

I felt Jesse’s eyes on me, studying me, and then he sighed. “Okay, we’ll talk later. But if I don’t catch up with you first, make sure you find my parents for a ride home. Do not, and I repeat, do not walk home alone. Not safe and not smart. Okay?”

I rolled my eyes. Romeo had a Juliet waiting for him a few stairs down. “Bye-bye, Jesse.” I flicked a wave at him and hoped he’d take the message that I was done talking.

After a few more seconds, he did take that message. I couldn’t help it. My eyes shifted back to him as he lumbered down the rest of the stairs toward another girl.

Chapter Seven

I needed something to get my mind off of Jesse. I needed to forget about the way he made me feel. I needed to forget the way he’d just followed after his girlfriend, his female equal. Not just in the looks department, but in the everything-else department.

I didn’t have the looks, the friendly aura, the sweet smile, and I sure as hell didn’t have the not-a-care-in-the-world outlook. In fact, what Jesse and Josie were, I was the opposite. I doubted I could get any more opposite if I tried.

I needed something to make me forget.

Or someone.

Lucky for me, I caught sight of Garth’s black felt hat bouncing above the gate. Sitting on top of one of those bulls.

got Jesse’s attention. As it should have. I didn’t need to see the voting cards of the thousands in attendance to know I’d be strung up and left for dead for saying something like that.

There was so much red in the room I could barely breathe.

“You’re funny, Rowen. You know that?” was Jesse’s amused reply. “And by the way, I voted for Obama. I would have the first time, too, if I was old enough to vote.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course he did. The red-blooded cowboy through and through voted for the blue as blue can be Democratic president. The ironies just never ended in Nowhere, Montana.

“You’re such a dichotomy, Jesse Walker.” I tapped the front of his hat so it covered his eyes.

“Whoa. Was that just a ‘dichotomy’ you just dropped on me?” The hat still covered the top half of his face, but his smile and those damn dimples were visible. “How can a girl who supposedly barely passed high school drop vocab like that and think she’s got us all fooled?”

I hated having him next to me as much as I loved it. As far as my relationship with Jesse went, that was pretty much par for course. “You know, you hovering in the middle of the aisle is creating a fire hazard.” Since it didn’t look like he would do it, I tilted his hat back into place. His eyes were just as amused as the rest of his face. “So why don’t you get back to your harem and leave me alone?”

“Nah. They’re good without me,” he said, glancing back at his empty seat. “And I’ve left you alone enough this week.” His voice was full of intention. He’d left me alone, somewhat, like I’d asked, but apparently he was done with “alone time.”

I groaned and tried to elbow him. He dodged it easily and chuckled. “How did you get here?” he asked, thankfully shifting the conversation back into the acceptable range.

“Would you believe me if I told you I hijacked your horse?”

“Nope. No, I wouldn’t,” he said. “Sunny only lets me ride him. Not once in ten years has he let another soul on his back.”

“Your horse must be partial to the depraved,” I muttered.

“Maybe. But then he would have let you hijack him like you mentioned.”

“I took Old Bessie.” I focused on the arena so he wouldn’t see my smile.

“Ha! I’d believe you charmed Sunny before you climbed into Old Bessie—willingly—and drove her here.”

I couldn’t slip a single thing past Jesse. “I walked.”

“Sure you did.”

I lifted my eyebrows.

“What? Really? You walked?” he said in disbelief. “It’s, like, five miles from Willow Springs to the fairground.”

I lifted a shoulder.

“You walked?” he repeated again, like it was inconceivable.

“Yes, I walked. You know, one foot in front of the other? Arms swinging gently at the sides?” I said dryly. “I’ve been doing it for a while now. Almost seventeen years. I’m pretty good at it.”

“I sure have missed that attitude of yours this week,” he said in such a way I wasn’t sure if he was being a smartass or serious.

Before I could reply with my own smartass comment, a gate inside the arena flew open and a bull the size of a tank busted out of it. As if that wasn’t frightening enough, a guy was on top of it holding on to the bucking and twisting animal with only one hand. I’d thought the sport was insane based on the name alone, but watching it in real life, I thought insane was thoroughly inadequate.

“What the hell is this?” I asked, utterly stunned.

It didn’t seem possible a creature that stocky and large could move and jump the way it was. Something having to do with the laws of gravity. How the dude on top could stay upright seemed like yet another slap in the face of physics.

“Some people call it bull riding. Other people call it a death wish,” Jesse replied as a buzzer went off. The guy on top of the bull leapt off and tumbled to the ground. A couple of guys dressed like clowns clapped and moved to get the bull’s attention while the rider righted himself and sprinted for the exit.

The sport just got odder by the moment. Not to mention scarier. Anything where clowns were involved amped the scary factor up a few levels.

“Have you ever done that?” I asked, still in shock. I didn’t know what I’d just seen, but I’d never forget it.

“Nope. I’m one of those crazy people that likes the use of all their body parts.”

“After just watching that, you are not the crazy one.” Another guy was getting ready at the gates, but I couldn’t watch another ride yet. Garth wasn’t up, so I looked back at Jesse. He was back to smiling at me.

I gave up and smiled right back. It was that infectious.

When I caught sight of the person who’d stopped behind him, my smile died on the spot.

She was even prettier up close.

“Hey, Jess, I’m heading out,” the drop-dead girl from ten rows back said, resting her hand on his shoulder. Then she smiled at me, and as much as I wanted to dislike her because she had her hand on him and had a special nickname for him, I couldn’t. Girls didn’t normally smile warmly at me. Girls didn’t even smile coolly at me.

“Oh, okay,” he said, rising. “Are the rest of the girls taking off with you?”

“No, they’re going to hang out and see about either getting your attention back or some other poor, unsuspecting cowboys’.”

“Sounds terrifying,” Jesse replied. “Thanks for the heads up.”

“So,” the girl said, looking between Jesse and me, “are you going to introduce us anytime soon, or have you forgotten your manners altogether?”

Jesse’s forehead creased. “Uh, yeah. Sorry. This is Rowen. She’s—”

“Helping out at Willow Springs,” the girl finished as she continued to smile at me. “I’ve already heard a lot about you. It’s nice to finally meet you, Rowen.”

I didn’t know who’d been talking about me or what had been said, but it made me nervous that the girl with a sweet smile had already “heard a lot about me.” In the past, whenever anyone had heard anything about me . . . Let’s just say it wasn’t for being on the honor roll.

However, I did my best to think positive. “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you . . .” I stared at Jesse and waited, but he looked like he’d suddenly been struck mute. Finally, I elbowed him and gave him an anytime today look.

“Rowen,” he said, before clearing his throat, “this is Josie.”

Of course she was.

Jesse couldn’t have looked more uncomfortable if he’d wanted to. I don’t think I could have felt any more awkward. And I don’t think Josie could have looked more oblivious.

So what did I do when the girlfriend of the guy I liked smiled at me like she didn’t know me from Adam?

I kept my smile plastered in place and glued my hands to the armrests so they wouldn’t misbehave. “Nice to meet you, Josie.” I sounded as contrived as I’d feared I would.

“You know, if you’re ever looking for some place to escape to, my parents’ place isn’t all that far from Willow Springs,” Josie said. “You could come hang out anytime.”

Just what I wanted to do: hang out with Jesse’s girlfriend. As friendly as she was being to me, I knew she didn’t have a clue about the thing between Jesse and me. No girl could be that gracious to the girl who’d almost become “the other woman.” No girl could smile at the girl who had a thing for her boyfriend. Whatever that “thing” was, I didn’t know, but it was most certainly a thing. A serious thing.

A serious thing I was trying to eviscerate.

“Thanks, Josie. That sounds great, but the Walkers keep me pretty busy.” In the body and the head. When I wasn’t up to my elbows in scrambled eggs, my mind scrambled about over two boys.

“I can imagine. But if you do ever find yourself with nothing to do on a free night, give me a ring.” She shoved at Jesse lightly. “This guy’s got my number.”

Yeah, I figured that.

Jesse stayed silent the entire time Josie and I chatted. In fact, he was so still he could have been a statue. It wasn’t quite the caught-with-my-pants-around-my-ankles expression I’d seen a few too many times, but it was close. Jesse knew he was treading on thin ice with his girlfriend and the mistress-that-could-have-been talking it up like old friends.

“I’m out of here before it turns into a blood bath out there.” Josie gave an exaggerated shudder at the arena where the last rider had just been thrown a good ten feet from the bull. He’d landed in a way that wasn’t natural. “Nice to meet you, Rowen.”

I nodded and reminded myself to be nice before replying, “You too, Josie.”

She nudged Jesse again—the girl really liked nudging him. Not that I could blame her. What I’d felt of Jesse’s body, I’d want to nudge up on it, too. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

Naked in bed later.

“Are you by yourself?” Jesse spoke up finally.

“I came with a couple of the girls, but like I said, they wanted to stay and hang.”

“Let me walk you to your truck,” he said. “I don’t want you in a dark parking lot by yourself.”

Josie beamed. I’m talking full on I-just-won-the-sash-and-crown beaming. “That would be nice.” She waved at me as she continued on down the steps.

“Are you going to be here when I get back?” Jesse asked me, not quite able to look me in the eyes.

Guessing that whole, smooth “I’ll walk you to your truck” routine was so he could have a quick roll in the bed of it with her, I slouched down in my seat and looked away. “Probably not.”

I felt Jesse’s eyes on me, studying me, and then he sighed. “Okay, we’ll talk later. But if I don’t catch up with you first, make sure you find my parents for a ride home. Do not, and I repeat, do not walk home alone. Not safe and not smart. Okay?”

I rolled my eyes. Romeo had a Juliet waiting for him a few stairs down. “Bye-bye, Jesse.” I flicked a wave at him and hoped he’d take the message that I was done talking.

After a few more seconds, he did take that message. I couldn’t help it. My eyes shifted back to him as he lumbered down the rest of the stairs toward another girl.

Chapter Seven

I needed something to get my mind off of Jesse. I needed to forget about the way he made me feel. I needed to forget the way he’d just followed after his girlfriend, his female equal. Not just in the looks department, but in the everything-else department.

I didn’t have the looks, the friendly aura, the sweet smile, and I sure as hell didn’t have the not-a-care-in-the-world outlook. In fact, what Jesse and Josie were, I was the opposite. I doubted I could get any more opposite if I tried.

I needed something to make me forget.

Or someone.

Lucky for me, I caught sight of Garth’s black felt hat bouncing above the gate. Sitting on top of one of those bulls.