To Court a Cowgirl (7 page)

“Yeah.” Jason swallowed.

“Sorry I don't have better news. Since I retired, I'm out of the loop, but Finley keeps me updated when we golf.”

“I appreciate your help, Coach.”

“I'd love to have you in the area, Jason. If I have any insights, I'll let you know.”

Jason thanked the man again and then hung up, leaning his back against the cushioned headrest. Yes, he had money. No, he was not desperate in that regard. But he was a guy who needed a purpose and a goal. He was a guy who needed to put his talents to work and he knew for a fact that he could offer something of value to Brandt. Now the question was how to convince a hiring committee of that fact, short of eating up his nest egg by volunteering for a season or two.

* * *

A
LLIE
WAS
GLAD
to catch sight of Jason's truck parked next to the barn when she rounded the last corner before turning off the main road to the Lightning Creek. She wanted to hire Zach, but there was no way she could have him tearing down a building on the ranch if Jason wasn't on board. Too much liability there.

She stopped next to Jason's truck, leaving her car running as she walked around the big Ford to where he was stacking the last of a small pile of broken boards.

“Just finishing up,” he said as he stepped over a pile. His jeans were torn near the knee and caked with mud, but Allie didn't ask what had happened. Apparently it hadn't required first aid.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Yeah?” He pulled off his gloves, which were no longer anywhere near new-looking.

“I want to hire a kid to help you.”

He shot her a confused look. “You think I need help?”

“I think this kid needs help.” And more than that, his mother needed help. “He needs something to keep him busy this summer.”

Jason's eyes narrowed. “Is he in trouble?”

“He's not a bad kid.” Jason didn't say anything and Allie added, “His parents broke up. He's having some issues and I want to hire him to keep him busy.”

“I've got to be honest here. I'm not good with kids.”

“How do you know?”

“I've never been around kids.”

“I thought you wanted to coach.”

“Coaching football is different from babysitting a troubled teen.”

Allie knew she couldn't force him to oversee Zach, because he didn't need this job. He was there because... She still didn't know why he was there, except to escape his family during the day.

“His mom is a friend of mine. She's worried and I want to help.” She crossed her arms. “I'd like to try him for a day or two and then assess.”

Jason looked down at his damp boots, his jaw tightening before he met her eyes again, and said, “Fine.”

Allie held his bluish-green gaze and when she realized that he was done speaking, she gave a small nod. “Thank you. I'll go call his mom.”

“Why don't you call him?”

Good point, but she'd been dealing with Liz and would continue to do so until Zach actually went to work for her.

“He'll probably start the day after tomorrow,” Allie said without answering his question.

“Great. I'm sure we'll do well together.” Jason spoke with apparent sincerity and Allie decided to take him at face value.

“Thank you. I hope so. I'll keep you posted as to what's going on.” And with that she turned and headed back to her car.

* * *

J
ASON
SHUT
THE
door a little too hard as he got into the truck. The thing he liked best about tearing down the barn, besides the actual physical labor, was the time he had to think things through. Or just be. There was no way he'd be able to do that with someone else around. Even if the kid didn't talk, he'd be there and Jason wouldn't be able to lose himself in his thoughts.

And he didn't like hero worship, which had been his experience with the few kids he'd met over the course of his career. Coaching at Brandt...no hero worship there. The kids already considered themselves elite, and a coach was a coach, regardless of his background.

He knew because he'd once been one of the Brandt elite. And then he'd made the pros. There'd been a time when he'd eaten up praise over his abilities, enjoyed that fact that he'd done what a lot of his college buddies hadn't been able to do. Those days were gone. After Pat had retired from the game and found that he couldn't live without the applause, Jason had taken a long hard look at his life and discovered that he didn't like what he saw, didn't like the persona he'd developed. A ball player had to be confident, but Jason had been edging toward arrogance and self-absorption, to the point that he'd been one step away from being a total asshole.

Jason snorted as he swung the truck into a tight circle on the wide driveway. Ironic that he'd worked so hard to improve himself and Allie had still viewed him as an asshole.

Hopefully those days were gone. Strange, but he honestly cared what Allie thought about him. Maybe because she was one of the few who wasn't bowled over by who he'd once been. She didn't care. If anything, it was a strike against him.

Kate's car was still parked next to his dad's truck when he got home. A positive sign, he hoped. Maybe a day hanging with sales associates and drinking decaf had done his dad some good. Hell, maybe his dad should go to work for Uncle Jim.

He was smiling when he walked through the back door and hung his keys on the hook. The smile faded as Kate, who was reading at the kitchen table, grimly met his eyes.

“What?”

In answer she shoved the printout she'd been reading across the table.
Why Patients Refuse to Comply.

“I thought if I understood the psychology, I could counter,” she explained.

“And...?” Jason sat down opposite her, stretching out his legs. His pants were damp and uncomfortable.

She let her head flop to one side. “It's going to take more than an internet article to delve into the depths of Dad's psyche.”

“I don't think so. He's stubborn, controlling and manipulative.”

“And those are his good points?” Kate asked with a weary smile.

“Mine, too,” Jason said, rubbing his hand over his face. “But I don't know if I can outstubborn and outmanipulate the master.”

“Jimmy is taking him on a road trip tomorrow.”

“I hope they're not cooking up another scheme.”

Kate just shrugged.

* * *

“M
S
. B
RODY
!”

Allie carefully stepped between two groups of fourth-graders sitting on the reading rug and crouched down next to the girl and boy who were supposed to be team reading, but were instead facing off.

“What's up?” Again. And why did Madeline, the fourth-grade teacher, keep pairing these two who never worked well together?

“Mason took my pencil.”

“It's my pencil,” Mason asserted, jutting out his chin at Briana.

“Those are my teeth marks in it!” Briana was approaching screeching level.

“Indoor voices,” Allie said, but she may as well not have spoken.

“You took my pencil and chewed it up,” Mason growled.

The kids behind Allie started getting louder and the words she heard were not words from the stories they were reading together. She heard movement and glanced around to see who'd gotten to their feet. Then the sound of a resounding slap, followed by a yelp of pain, had her head snapping back around.

Mason's eyes were wide and his cheek was red. Allie instantly put herself between them. She couldn't touch them, but she could separate them with her body.

“Briana, go to the hall,” she said, since Briana was the child she was facing. The girl looked as if she were taking Allie's measure, so Allie gave her the same look she gave her sisters whenever they defied her. Several seconds ticked by and then Briana jerked her chin in the air and marched out of the library. On her way out, she stumbled on the edge of the rug and the rest of the students started laughing.

“Quiet down,” Allie commanded.

These sweet kids could be heartless at times and you had to have six sets of eyes to watch them all...yet, they seemed perfectly behaved when she walked by their class. It was her, not them. They sensed weakness and took advantage. She should have started out tougher.

“Stay here,” she said to Mason before crossing the room to call for backup. Two conferences and several written forms later, the incident was documented, parents contacted and discipline doled out.

“Heard you had a tussle in here,” Liz said on an amused note when she came into the library at the end of the day.

“One of many.” Allie rubbed the side of her face, wishing she could vent to her friend about her growing doubts as to how unsuited she was for elementary education, but Liz was so dedicated to teaching that Allie really didn't think she'd understand. Besides, Liz had problems of her own. Despite her smile, her features were taut and the smile faded as soon as she sat on one of the small chairs at the reading table.

“I talked to Zach. He'll be at the ranch at seven o'clock tomorrow so that you can go over your expectations and have him fill out his W-2.”

“How does he feel about working for me?”

Liz's expression shifted ever so slightly, giving Allie her answer. “He'll do a good job,” Liz said tightly.

Allie hoped so. It was enough that Jason agreed to let the kid work with him...or allowed her to strong-arm him into letting the kid work with him. He didn't need to have trouble with Zach on top of that. If he did... Allie hoped it didn't come to that.

After Allie got home, she stopped at the demolition site on her way by, as she usually did. She liked to keep track of the progress and take advantage of having another human being around to talk to. After Jason was gone for the day, the ranch would feel empty, and the ghosts of traumas past would start to appear, reminding her of all she'd gone through. She was getting tired of spending her nights like that and she wanted to talk to an actual person.

“Hey,” Allie said as she walked over to where Jason was loading his tools in his truck. “Just so you know, Zach will show up at seven o'clock tomorrow.”

Jason pulled off the hard hat and tossed it onto the seat of the truck. “Then I'll set a good example and be here on time.”

“It seems to me that you are usually early, except today when I wanted to talk to you before work.”

“I wonder why I'm usually early when things are so excellent at home,” he said dryly. He cocked his head at her as if a thought just occurred to him. “You want to grab a pizza with me?”

“I, uh...” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you asking me out?”

“I'm asking you to have a pizza with me. I don't have a lot of people to hang with and I don't feel like going home.”

It all made perfect sense.

“A friendly pizza, Allie. Not a romantic moonlit dinner.”

She felt her color start to rise. “I didn't think...”

“No. You reacted. And I'm explaining what my intentions are, so that you can adjust your reaction.”

“What do you mean I reacted?”

He made an exaggerated expression of horror, holding his hands up as if to protect himself, and Allie couldn't help but laugh. And that made it almost impossible to say no. She even made an attempt to sound gracious as she said, “You're right. I am hungry. A pizza sounds...nice.”

He smiled at her, a smile that told her that he wasn't for one minute fooled.

“Let me drive and I'll bring you back home.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to say no, but instead she said, “All right.”

“Hope you don't mind that I'm not going home to shower first.”

“It's just pizza, remember? Not a date?”

He gave her a look that she couldn't quite interpret.

The pizza place was wonderfully empty and they sat in a booth at the back, Jason with his back to the door.

“I don't usually eat here,” he said after they'd ordered.

“Mobbed by fans?”

“On occasion, but it's not happening as often. No, usually I eat at home watching TV with my dad while he gives me advice on life.”

“What kind of advice?”

“Go to work for Uncle Jimmy.”

She gave a surprised laugh. “The car guy?” Hudson Motors was the go-to dealership in the area, although she'd never personally gone there. Allie bought her vehicles used from friends and acquaintances.

Jason leaned back in the booth, his long legs bumping the underside of the table. “You can't believe what they have planned.”

She leaned on one elbow. “Tell me.”

“Well, there's going to be a Jaromek—” She frowned at the name and he said, “My former quarterback. A Jaromek look-alike throwing car keys—”

“He's the guy who throws the pizzas at you.”

“Exactly.”

The waitress showed up with their drinks and smiled at both of them, but her gaze lingered on Jason. Allie put the straw in her drink, then settled her forearms on the table and asked, “Just how hard is it to catch a steaming-hot pizza?”

“Would you believe that ability is the product of CGI?”

“No.” She took another sip, but didn't register the taste. It could have been Coke. It could have been root beer. “So what did your uncle and your dad cook up?”

“The beginnings of a lawsuit. They were going to mimic the commercial, only I'd catch car keys instead of pizzas.”

“Like...wearing your uniform and everything?” She had to admit to a certain fondness for football pants.

A small smile played on his lips. “Have you ever seen me in my uniform?”

“I've seen photos,” she said with an overly casual shrug. Google Images had given her a lot of photos. Some of them were pretty spectacular.