*Reggie had to stop barreling out the door of the Park Rodeo office.
This time, mid-afternoon that same Thursday, she nearly collided with Kalli and Walker Riley as they came up the steps. Though the three of them did a much better job of avoiding contact than she and Chapin had.
Contact that had—
Nope. Not going that route.
“Reggie,” Kalli stepped forward and gave her a hug, which she gladly returned. “We’re delighted that you’re here helping Vicky. And so grateful that Vicky was able and willing to step in for Roberta this week.”
“Good to see you.” Walker tipped his hat to her. “Can you believe any relative of Roberta’s has the gall to schedule a wedding on a rodeo weekend?”
“Walker,” Kalli scolded.
He gave the lopsided grin that said he’d been yanking his wife’s chain and got exactly the reaction he’d hoped for. He added, “We hear you’re up to date on the doings of some of our entrants.”
For a second she thought he meant the bank robberies. But Michael Knight had said they’d decided to tell as few people as possible.
Then her gaze went past them to a group of cowboys watching livestock being unloaded. Including one figure who was part of the group, yet apart.
Chapin.
He meant Chapin being here as Bill Johnson.
“Yes.” A stream of other words came to mind, but she stopped there.
“He’s set himself quite a mountain to climb.” There was concern, but also respect in Walker’s voice.
“Why these men have to…” Kalli’s words trailed off with a headshake.
“If you figure that out, I hope you’ll let me know,” Reggie told her as they both chuckled.
“All right you two, quit cackling.”
Kalli patted Walker’s arm as she said to Reggie, “We’re here to invite you and Vicky to come out to the place for dinner tonight. Do say you’ll come.”
“I don’t know if both of us should—”
“Put a closed sign on the door and say it’s the boss’ orders. There’s no nightly rodeo tonight with the prep for the weekend, so you can take the time. Can’t she, Walker?”
“Boss’ orders,” he confirmed, but with a tip of his head toward Kalli and a grin.
*
Chapin watched Walker and Kalli exchange hugs with Reggie, then chat a bit, before they continued into the office and she headed toward where he and other cowboys watched the roughstock being tended.
There was no way to tell how an animal was going to perform by looking at him. A history of results and cowboy gossip were the best gauges.
That didn’t stop them from looking over the animals who would be both their opponents and their teammates when the go-rounds started.
Maybe it was some kind of instinct.
If so, it was being overtaken by another instinct, as one head after another turned toward Reggie.
What was it they said people sent out that other people picked up, all without being aware of it?
Pheromones. That was it.
He’d read somewhere that plants communicated through pheromones.
There was a load of communicating going on right now. Including the voice shouting in the back of his head to step up, claim her as his, and keep the rest of these bandits away from her.
Good thing it was just a voice in his head and nothing with any real power.
“Hey, Reggie,” Tate Lavenge called with plenty of warmth in his voice. “C’mon over here and say hello to me.”
She smiled. “I’m here to say hello to everybody. I met some of you boys when you registered—”
She nodded at a few. Was it his imagination that she lingered on Tate Lavenge longest? It was definitely not his imagination that she wasn’t making eye contact with him.
“—and I wanted to say hello to any of you I’d missed. I’m Regina Moran. I’m helping out Vicky. You probably know she’s rodeo secretary this week, stepping in while Roberta’s at a wedding. Vicky’s my aunt and she’s teaching me about being a rodeo secretary, so I’ll expect to see some of you at more rodeos.”
He listened and watched as introductions were made, along with a whole lot of comments about how much they were looking forward to seeing her at lots more rodeos.
When it came to his turn to be introduced, Reggie cut it short with, “We’ve met.”
“You sure have,” drawled Goose Ducrill, putting all sorts of meanings into the words.
Didn’t matter that Goose hadn’t been in the office to witness that first encounter with Reggie this morning. He’d clearly heard all about it already.
“We knew each other as kids.” Chapin made it sound as dull and distant as possible.
“If that’s what you were doing as kids, you’re going to be X-rated now that you’re adults.”
Chapin started to turn toward the man, who flinched backward. That drew derisive chuckles.
Goose glared at the ground.
Reggie said, “Goodness, all that fuss about a little kiss?”
That was all she said. But the lack of interest with which she said it and the way she glanced at Goose, then away, as if he weren’t worth more, flattened the man even more.
“Thrown in two seconds flat,” Tate said in a fake announcer voice. “No score for that cowboy.”
“Shut up, Lavenge,” growled Goose.
That was an even bigger mistake because it let everybody know Reggie or Tate Lavenge or both had gotten deep under his skin.
“Ah, now here’s somebody I haven’t met yet.” This was an entirely different tone from Reggie.
If she’d greeted him like that…
But she hadn’t. Instead, she was lavishing it on Adam Hunter. A roper still wet behind the ears.
Okay, the kid was good looking — according to comments he’d overheard from women, really hot — but he was a kid.
Such a kid that a tinge of color came into his cheeks as he tipped his hat. Then had to quickly adjust when she held out her hand to shake. “Ma’am.”
“Please, call me Reggie.” She explained again about what she was doing at the Park Rodeo.
His lips parted, but before he could utter what looked sure to be another, “Ma’am” — Chapin’s view of this encounter was improving by the second — Reggie said, “What’s your name? Events?”