Chapter Four

      Even while measuring out spaces for vendor booths, India looked like a flower in the middle of the desert. Liam wasn’t normally prone to think of things in such a, well, flowery way, but it was the first thing that had popped into his mind when he’d seen her standing alone in the middle of the dry field. She looked so out of place that it should have sounded warning bells in his head. Big, clanging bells.

      He should just do his job here and beat it back to Fort Worth as quickly as he could. But no, what did he do? He offered to help her with some unnamed task just because she looked stressed and he wanted to smooth away the lines on her beautiful face.

      India wrote down her last measurement then started walking toward him. “Thanks for the help.”

      “No problem.”

      She looked past him toward the female chattering. “Looks like we woke up Ginny, and she’s already making friends with my coffee-mooching friends.”

      He looked back to where Ginny was sitting cross-legged in the chair he’d vacated. “That kid has never met a stranger. I’m afraid it’s going to come back to bite me in the butt one of these days. She gets older and I’ll be beating off cowboys with whatever is handy.”

      “She spends a lot of time with you?”

      He could tell there was a question beyond the question, but India was better than most about hiding it. “Ginny lives with me full-time. Her mother isn’t a part of her life.”

      “Oh. I didn’t mean to pry.”

      He shrugged. “You weren’t.”

      “That must be hard when you’re on the road so much.”

      “She stays with my cousin when I’m out of town during the school year, but she travels with me during the height of rodeo season.”

      “Really? That must be pretty lonely for her.”

      He laughed. “Remember what I said about her not meeting a stranger? I think she knows every rider, announcer, stock handler and clown on the circuit.”

      “I just meant she’s probably the only kid.”

      He hadn’t really thought about that before. After all, Ginny never complained. In fact, she seemed to enjoy their time on the road. He turned his gaze back to his daughter and for the first time wondered if he was doing her a disservice by dragging her from one rodeo to another.

      He shook his head. No, Ginny had a good life. She loved horses, loved rodeos. Why was he letting this woman who reminded him a little too much of Charlotte put doubts in his head? He knew his daughter better than anyone. And just because India Pike would probably turn a daughter of hers into a little cream puff didn’t mean that was right for Ginny.

      “Time for me to get to work.” He didn’t even look at India when he started back toward the RV.

      “I see you all got everything taken care of,” Elissa said.

      “No thanks to you lazy bums,” India said as she strode up next to him. Her voice and posture were tight again, like they’d been when she’d first arrived.

      His abrupt change in mood had probably caused that, but he couldn’t muster feeling sorry this time. He didn’t need any parenting advice from someone who didn’t even have a kid. At least he didn’t think India had any children. She didn’t strike him as the motherly type. She was way too uptight for that. Plus, if she had kids, she wouldn’t always look like she’d walked out of a fashion catalog. Really, who looked that good this early in the morning?

      Someone like Charlotte. A woman who didn’t have the first clue about the kind of life he lived and probably never would.

      He refocused on his daughter, ruffling her serious case of bedhead. “Did you sleep in a wind tunnel last night?”

      She gave him one of her “I’m just putting up with you because you’re my dad” looks.

      “Ginny was just keeping us entertained with a story about you and a horse named Jumping Bean,” Elissa said with laughter in her voice.

      Elissa was pretty, laid-back, casual, funny. Why couldn’t he be attracted to her instead of her rose petal of a best friend?

      “Glad to know she’s sharing that tale with everyone she meets.” He acted as if he was going to tickle Ginny’s ribs, but she squealed as she jumped out of the chair and ran from him.

      As luck would have it, she ended up hiding behind India, who looked startled by suddenly being Ginny’s main line of defense.

      “This must be one doozy of a story,” India said as she glanced down to where Ginny was peeking around India’s waist, a glint of victory in her little-girl eyes.

      “Evidently not only did the horse buck Liam off in no time flat,” Elissa said, obviously reveling in the retelling, “but he came back and bit Liam on the posterior to add insult to injury.”

      He watched as India did her best to hide a smile. He had to resist the sudden, very unwise urge to grab her and kiss that grin right off her face.

      This job couldn’t be over fast enough.

      * * *

      “COME ON, DON’T BE MAD,” Elissa said as she followed India through the front door of Yesterwear.

      India walked to her small office and tossed her purse in the bottom drawer of the desk. “I’m not mad. More like irritated. You’re like a mosquito that won’t stop buzzing around my ear.”

      “What? All I did was invite Liam and Ginny to family night at the music hall.”

      “After making a point that I’d be there.”

      “I said we’d all be there, along with a lot of other people, including some kids Ginny could meet.”

      India pushed past Elissa on her way back to the front of the store. “It was obvious what you meant.”

      “So shoot me for trying to set up one of my best friends with the best-looking guy to stroll into Blue Falls in ages.”

      India spun back toward Elissa and the wisely quiet Skyler. “I’m perfectly capable of choosing my own dates.”

      Elissa crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. “Really? And just when exactly did you last go on a date?”

      India exhaled in exasperation. “I’m a busy woman. I’ll get around to it.” She gestured toward Skyler. “Why don’t you shift your matchmaking efforts toward Skyler?”

      “Hey, leave me out of this.”

      “I have to work up to Skyler. That’ll take more work. She’s even more uptight than you are.”

      “On that lovely note, I’m going to work,” Skyler said and headed for the door. “You two try not to kill each other.”

      Once the door closed behind Skyler, India glanced at Elissa. “Don’t you need to get to work, too?” She wanted nothing more than to be alone. Just five glorious minutes without having to avert her eyes from a guy she shouldn’t want, or listen to her friends