Page 38 of Second Chance With a Cowboy

“Our biggest competition is the James boys from over in Creedence,” Chevy told her. “Their team’s name isNever Been Hotter,and they almost beat us last year.”

All the kids from both Creedence and Woodland Hills attended the same high school, so Leni had known Rockford, Mason, and Colt James for years. “I should go over and say hi to those guys. I haven’t seen them in years, but I do try to occasionally catch a hockey game if Rock is playing. Not that many of the guys I work with are totally into sports, but a few are quite impressed that I know a guy who plays for the NHL.”

“Oh yeah, the Tipsy Pig fills up every time the Colorado Summit has a game, and we all turn out to cheer for our hometown hockey hero,” Chevy said. “They’re great guys. They’ve helped us out on the ranch before, and we’ve gone over to Creedence to help them. Their Aunt Sassy smokes a brisket that’s fit for the angels—but this is chili we’re talking about. So, today, the James boys are the enemy.”

Leni laughed. “I think the library booths are so creative. They seem like they’re getting a lot of votes.” The two libraries from Woodland Hills and Creedence had set up together, and both had gone all out dressed like hobbits, dwarves, and elves for their teams,The Lord of the Beansandthe Fellowship of the Flame. “And Maisie looks gorgeous dressed as Arwen Evenstar.”

The librarian had also gone all out with a long silvery-blue gown covered by a gauzy white overlay and had braided strands of her hair and intertwined them through a silver elven crown that formed a point on her forehead and dripped with threads of tiny shimmering silver beads.

“They do look amazing, but I’m not that worried about them,” Chevy told her. “Their chili is super tame, probably forall the kids, but I think they’re getting more votes based on their Lembas Bread than their chili.”

“I don’t know. I had some of that Lembas bread,” Leni said, referring to the thin cakes of leaf-wrapped elven bread the hobbits had eaten on their journey to Mordor. “It’s delicious. Sort of like focaccia. And I took Max over earlier, and we both loved their chili recipe. It is tame, but it’s good.”

For all the stress of the day, Leni was still having a great time. It was fun to see so many people that she’d known when she was growing up in Woodland Hills, and she loved seeing the way her sister had blossomed and become part of the community.

And shereallyloved feeling like she was part of the Lassiter family again. She and Lorna had essentially grown up with Ford, Dodge, and Chevy. And their grandma, June, had been one of their Sunday school teachers. They both loved Duke with his easy laugh and his big bear hugs. All three of the boys were handsome and funny and just plain fun to be around. It made Leni feel special to be part of their world again.

The image of the acceptance letter of the job offer from NASA sitting in the top drawer of her dresser came to mind, but she put it out of her thoughts. Today was for family and friends, and she was determined to enjoy herself. She’d think about NASA tomorrow.

Or maybe the next day.

For now, she would tickle her adorable nephew, sip a microbrew, listen to great music, laugh with her sister, and enjoy the attention of the hot cowboy who had stolen her heart when she was fourteen years old.

The cold beer, hot chili, and feel-good bands had also been awesome. Strains of bluegrass and country songs filled the air throughout the afternoon, and several times, she caught herself tapping her foot or absently singing along to some of the more well-known lyrics.

Chevy had even talked her into stopping for a dance as they walked across the fairgrounds to get more ice from the freezers. It felt so good to be in his arms again, spinning and laughing and staring dreamily into his eyes as he whirled her around and held her in the crook of his shoulder.

It felt so good to be with him, period.

At times, she wanted to pinch herself, just to prove this wasn’t a dream. She couldn’t believe she was back in Woodland Hills, making out with Chevy Lassiter again, and having him introduce her as ‘his girl’.

It also made Leni so happy to see her sister laughing and having fun. And after the year she’d had, dealing with that snake, Lyle, and going through her pregnancy alone, all while raising a five-year-old boy, Lorna deserved to be happy.

A tendril of guilt wound its way around Leni’s heart at being gone for so long and not spending enough time with her sister. Her job was so demanding, and so all-encompassing of her thoughts and brain-matter, that she had sometimes gone months without talking to Lorna or their mother.

It was easier when their mom was in town, and she knew the two of them were together and taking care of each other, but now that their mother had moved away, she imagined how alone Lorna must have felt. After she fell, the Lassiter clan had pitched in, and so had a few ladies from their church, but Leni noticed the absence of any real women friends.

“The few that I had deserted me after Lyle left, like cheating asshole husbands might be a disease they could catch,” Lorna had told her one night when Leni had asked about her friends. “Or maybe they were worried that now that I was single, I would be on the prowl for their men. Which was hysterical. Because after that idiot, Lyle, left me, I turned into a hormonal single mom who was just trying to take care of her little boy, and was usually either sad, irritated, frustrated, bloated, or raginglyfurious, with a huge belly, swollen ankles, and fighting back pain and hemorrhoids. The last thing I was interested in was flirting with their smelly husbands who drank too much and whose dad-bod bellies rivaled mine.”

What she’d said had made sense, but Leni had still felt sad her sister had lost her female friends along with her husband, and the guilt had settled in her stomach like a stone falling to the bottom of a lake.

But she was here now. And that had to count for something.

She pledged to do something nice for her sister, treat her to a massage or buy her a gift card to a salon, or maybe pay her mortgage this month. Although Lorna had done so much for her over the years, that no amount of highlight appointments or back rubs could make up for. And her sister deserved to be treated to something. She was such a good person. And when she wasn’t a raging hormonal pregnant woman whose husband had just walked out on her, she was almost always in a good mood.

Even with a broken ankle and an infant strapped to her chest, Lorna had been a trooper all day, passing out chili samples, cookies, and smiles.

Although, she hadn’t had an infant strapped to her chest the whole time. She’d started out the day with Izzy in the baby carrier, then Leni and Chevy had each taken an hour or so with her, but it had surprised Leni that afternoon to see Mack also hawking water bottles with the baby strapped to his chest.

“I think Izzy is in love,” Leni told her sister, nodding at the cowboy who was grinning down at the baby who had a hold of his pinkie again.

“She’s not the only one,” Lorna said. “Who is this guy? And how do I get him to carry me around all day?”

Leni laughed and bumped her sister’s hip. “Why do you need a cowboy to carry you around when you’ve got Betty?”

“Ha. Yeah, like Betty the wonder-scooter is a perfect substitute for a six-foot-something hot cowboy with big muscles and a killer grin.”

“Fair point,” Leni said, laughing again and thinking that was about the same way she described Chevy. Now that she thought about it, Mack kind of reminded her of Chevy, with his dark hair, blue eyes, good sense of humor, and kind temperament. She hoped those last few qualities would help him to be an asset to the ranch and he would work out and be able to help the Lassiter men.

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