Page 39 of Blue Moon Cowboy
“Great. I connected with the silversmith you mentioned, who creates pieces for rodeo courts and as prizes. We’ll meet up next week when we’re in town for the rodeo.” Lainey took a sip of her lemonade and leaned back. “I say ‘we,’ because I assume you’ll ride with me.”
“Of course I will. I’m grateful for any opportunity to spend time with you, which you should know by now. There’s also the fact that Brylee helps Shaun drive, and it gives them a little more breathing room if there aren’t three adults and two car seats in the pickup.”
“Well, there is that.” Lainey had nearly laughed herself silly the day Jason had offered to ride in the back seat with Caitlyn and Carter. Caitlyn had placed glittery stickers all over Jason’s face and shirt, and Carter had drawn stick figures on the back of his hand with a permanent marker no one seemed to know where he’d found it.
To see a big, tough cowboy get out of the pickup with sparkling pink stickers on his cheeks was quite a sight to behold. Unable to stop herself, Lainey had snapped several photos and fibbed about deleting them because, every time she looked at them, she giggled.
Lainey lifted an eyebrow and grinned. “You’re just afraid of what Caitlyn and Carter will do to you if you fall asleep in the back seat with them again.”
Jason grinned. “Darn tootin’, I’m terrified of those two. It’s bad enough they got a heaping portion of Shaun’s orneriness in their blood, but Brylee was never exactly timid and meek. That girl is full of gumption and stubbornness. She’d have to be to let Shaun back into her life.”
Lainey nodded, finding the story of Shaun and Brylee’s rocky path to their happily ever after inspiring. When Shaun had left Brylee the first time they were married, neither of them had known Brylee was expecting. She’d given birth to a daughter who’d greatly resembled Dani. And then the little one had become ill and passed away.
She and Brylee had hugged and cried, understanding the depths of misery that came with losing a beloved child.
Yet, through patience and prayer, Brylee and Shaun had found their way to the other side of their pain and problems to a pathway that led to happiness and love.
Lainey figured it was all part of God’s wondrous plans, and she was glad the couple seemed happy with life and each other.
She took another sip of her lemonade and looked over at Jason. Was she pushing away her opportunity to be happy? Did she feel like it was punishment for somehow letting those she loved most die?
Possibly.
Tonight, though, she wasn’t in the mood for introspection or self-awareness. She just wanted to enjoy the evening with Jason. When she got back to her van, she intended to spend time praying about the next steps for her future.
Their meals arrived and tasted as excellent as they looked. Jason shared a bite of his chicken-fried steak and potatoes while Lainey gave him a few samples of her chicken, although he skipped the rice.
Lainey excused herself to visit the restroom while Jason finished the last bite of his dinner. She’d just walked back into the dining area when a man who looked familiar stood and blocked her path to Jason.
A memory of another truck stop, when a guy had left her feeling threatened and vulnerable in her bunny slippers, popped into her head.
“Reuben!” she said, throwing her arms around her rescuer and giving him a big hug. “What are you doing here?”
“Just stopped for dinner,” he said, smiling at her. “I sure didn’t expect to run into you, but it sure is great to see you.”
“Is Wayne with you?” Lainey asked, glancing around the busy restaurant.
“Not today, but ol’ Wayner is doing great. I’ll let him know you asked about him. It will make his day.”
Lainey spoke with Reuben for another minute, asking about his wife and family and his new grandbaby, before Jason looked behind him and saw her talking to Reuben. He stood and walked over to the table.
“Jason, this is Reuben, the truck driver I told you about who came to my rescue,” Lainey said, wrapping her hand around Jason’s arm and taking a step closer to him. “Reuben, I’d like you to meet Jason Price, rodeo pickup man and proud grandpa.”
The two men shook hands, then compared notes on their grandkids. Lainey glanced at the clock on the wall and knew they needed to hurry if they wanted to catch the movie. On top of that, she didn’t want Reuben’s meal to get stone cold, and she’d kept him longer than she’d realized as it was.
“Jase, if we’re going to catch the movie, we should go,” Lainey said, smiling at Reuben, who winked at her.
“Don’t keep a pretty lady waiting. That’s always been my rule, and my wife seems to appreciate it,” Reuben said, shaking Jason’s hand again. “It was great to meet you, man. You take good care of Lainey. She’s one in a million.”
The way Jason looked at Lainey made her feel flushed from her hairline all the way to the tips of her toes. “She definitely is,” Jason said, then looked at Reuben. “I’m glad we got to meet. Thank you for helping Lainey.”
“That was my pleasure.” Reuben nodded at him, and then Jason went to pay their bill. When he’d walked out of earshot,Reuben looked at Lainey. “I thought you should know the creep who bothered you got arrested. The last time I was at that truck stop, the manager showed me an article that had been in the local paper. He got arrested for attempted kidnapping and was connected to several other crimes.”
“Wow!” Lainey sent up a silent prayer of thanks that she’d been spared and felt so grateful God had kept her safe. “I’m glad he’s behind bars.”
“For a long time, it sounds like.” Reuben gave her a hug and then took a step back. “You two crazy kids have a great evening.”
“Safe travels to you. I hope you’ll keep in touch,” Lainey said, squeezing Reuben’s hand, then hurrying to the front counter, where she joined Jason as he slipped his credit card back into his wallet, then held an arm out to her.
