The Cowboy Meets His Match Read Online Free PDF

Lord. I don’t know what to do, but I know I’m not giving up.” She thought for a moment and remembered the look of admiration in Sawyer’s eyes when she’d initially faced off with Mel. There was something about the man that intrigued her and drew her. It didn’t make sense, but then nothing in the past few days did. It was one of those times when you just held on to God and knew He’d guide you through the storm.
    â€œOf course, Bob did set up the meeting tonight, so I need some wisdom there.”
    The instant the words were out of her mouth, she knew what she needed to do and that wasn’t feeling sorry for herself.
    * * *
    Sawyer finished storing his things in the room and remembered how Erin had watched him as he’d registered at the historic motel and surveyed his room. If he didn’t miss his guess, she’d thought he’d call uncle and go to one of the newer chains. As he’d played along and taken the room, he’d discovered that he liked it. She intrigued him. He didn’t know what he’d expected when she’d appeared in the conference room, but it wasn’t the woman he encountered. He didn’t know quite what to make of her, but he had a feeling he’d find out. He’d walk cautiously around her until he knew what to expect. Would she be fair—or fight dirty like his mom and last girlfriend? He’d had enough of clingy and manipulative women.
    Walking back to the lobby, Sawyer found Lencho hadn’t moved from the desk and his homework.
    â€œIs the room okay?”
    Oddly enough, the room had the feeling of home—strong, sturdy, something that would be there for a long time. He hadn’t had that experience growing up until his big brother had taken responsibility for the two of them. “It’s great.”
    The kid studied him as if he didn’t believe his ears.
    â€œWhat I need are directions to the rodeo fairgrounds.”
    Lencho pointed to the brochure stand in the corner of the room. “You’ll find maps there.”
    Sawyer retrieved a brochure and laid it out on the counter.
    â€œSo you beat out Erin for the rodeo job?”
    Sawyer looked up and studied the youth. “I did.”
    â€œI’m surprised. I mean, everyone in town knows if you need something done, Erin’s the one who can do it. And she always comes through.”
    â€œSo I hear.” He had his work cut out for him to win people over. “But maybe the board wanted someone who isn’t familiar with anything here to look at the situation with new eyes. Suppose you’re looking at one of your equations and can’t see how to solve it. You’ve worked and worked on how to get the answer, then someone else looks at it and sees where you’ve gone wrong and points it out. The same is true with the rodeo. Maybe someone who’s not familiar with it can see a problem, or even just do it a different way, and solve the situation.”
    Lencho thought about it. “That makes sense.”
    Sawyer studied the map to orient himself with the streets.
    Pointing to where they were, Lencho said, “Go down to First Street, turn right, and when you get to US 66, turn west and on the outskirts of town you should find the fairgrounds.”
    â€œThanks.”
    He followed Lencho’s directions and, within ten minutes, found the grounds. On the north side sat the rodeo arena with chutes and corrals, and on the south side stood the football field. In between the two sat a midway with accompanying food stands and game booths.
    After parking his truck, he walked through the grounds, inspecting the facility. It wasn’t in bad shape but needed upgrades. He pulled out his cell phone and took pictures to document the conditions. As he stood on the bleachers, he could imagine Erin on her horse, flying around the barrels in the main arena. He would have liked to see that.
    The thought caught him off guard. He was