The Accidental Cowboy. Heidi Hormel

good.” Lavonda could see Olympia’s stepson puffing out his chest as he did barn work. He’d been so sick as a little guy that any kind of “man’s work” made him strut around proudly.

      “What about you? Besides this guide thing, what else do you have going on?”

      “I’m still doing work for the university when they need it.” She knew her friends and even her family had begun to worry at her lack of focus. “I’ve got a couple of possible projects on the horizon.”

      “If you say so. What’s he like? Egghead, right?”

      “Why would you assume my guidee is a man?”

      “Sorry. This person.”

      “It is a man. Scottish. He showed up in a kilt and everything.”

      “What? Wait. A kilt?”

      “He competes in Highland games and agreed to be on the Angel Crossing campus team at an event in Tucson. Although why anyone would think Arizona was a good place to wear wool is beyond me.”

      “So he wears a kilt, does manly competitions and digs in the dirt?”

      Lavonda ignored the implied question and went on, “He’s studying beans, which apparently is an exciting thing if you’re an archaeologist. Gwen is trying to talk me into writing press releases. Not sure how that’s going to work, but I could be up for the challenge. I mean how do you make studying beans not the punch line to a fart joke?”

      “The beans are definitely lowering his sexy level.”

      “What do you care about his sexy level?”

      “I’m looking out for you. If you’re not concentrating on finding a job, then you should be concentrating on your love life.”

      “Who decided you should be my own private dating service?” Lavonda did not want to think about the havoc Olympia and Lavonda’s sister, Jessie, could wreak if they had any idea that Lavonda had looked at Professor McNerdy and imagined...things that should not be said to nosy sisters and friends.

      “I didn’t realize you were so touchy.” Lavonda almost heard the shrug through the phone. “Anything else going on besides the hottie in the kilt?”

      “He’s not hot,” Lavonda protested.

      “I knew it. He’s hot and you’re interested.”

      “How could you know that?”

      “Because I know you and now you’ve just admitted it. There’s one good thing about being married to a lawyer—you learn all kinds of sneaky ways to get people to admit to things.”

      “That’s not fair.”

      “You should have told me you were interested in this guy instead of pretending it was all business.”

      “But it is.”

      “I know your mama told you that lying is a sin.”

      “If—and that’s a big if—anything goes on between the two of us, that’s our business.”

      “Like what was going on between Spence and me was our business, right?”

      “That was different. You were living together.”

      “Yep, that makes this so different.”

      “You were pregnant and there was Cal, too. A lot more was at stake.”

      “Don’t try to wiggle out of this,” Olympia said with the tone of no-nonsense authority that had crept into her voice since becoming a mother.

      “Hey, don’t go telling Jessie any of your fantasies about my love life. I don’t need her sisterly advice.”

      Olympia laughed. “I won’t need to tell her anything. As soon as you start talking about this guy, she’ll know. What’s his name anyway?”

      “Jones.”

      “As in ‘Indiana’?”

      She smiled. Could the academic really be nicknamed for a movie character? “Could be. Wouldn’t that be a hoot and a half.”

      The two women talked about what Lavonda would need for the weeklong hike, then Olympia said, “If you like this guy, go for it. Maybe it’s just what you need.”

      “How about I just focus on keeping the two of us safe and sound in the desert. The poor man almost bit the big one when a scorpion crawled up his leg, but Cat saved him.”

      “Dang it. I wish I had time to hear that story, but Cal’s bus will be here any minute.”

      “I’ll tell you later.”

      Olympia was right. She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to Jones, despite his strong-silent-type swagger. Mama would call him a volcano under an ice cap. Although there was no reason she and Jones had to act on their mutual attraction. God, that sounded like corporate speak. Sure. An affair or fling might be fun and might even make her feel she was living rather than marking time. Except, in college she’d tried the just-sex thing. That hadn’t ended so well. What if it wasn’t just her lady parts that wanted Jones? Plus, the professor didn’t live in the real world, really. He might not understand how a fling worked. She didn’t want to hurt him, even if he could be a pompous jerk. Then, she could lose her job and the place that had begun to feel like home if she “fraternized” with the guest. Not that anyone had said anything, but Jones sort of, kind of, was her boss.

      So the best approach was the one she’d been hanging on to: wait-and-see. Wait and see if she could figure out what to do next. But how much longer could she wait to get back in the game? The downsizing had made for a good break, time to recharge her batteries, plan her next move. Made her realize, being out here, how much she enjoyed ranch life. This was supposed to be a detour on her way back to an office with a view and a lot of zeroes after the first number on her paycheck. She’d guide the Scot, write a press release or two for Gwen and have one final cowgirl adventure before slipping back into her tailored wardrobe and heels.

      * * *

      “EXCUSE ME.”

      Lavonda stood with her back to him, her head cocked to the side, the sunlight coming through the open barn door outlining her petite curves that hid a surprisingly hot strength.

      “Yep,” she said without turning to him. She ran her hands over the little donkey, her touch light but sure. Jones refused to let himself imagine those hands on him. He needed to have a conversation with her about their trip and his expectations. Business. Focus. His career and reputation were riding on this expedition.

      He hadn’t planned for a guide who might have the intelligence to figure out that what he was searching for wasn’t what he said he was searching for. Plus, Dr. Hernandez had explained Lavonda would write stories about his explorations for the alumni magazine and even the local newspapers.

      “I would like to go over our schedule for this first foray,” he said clearly and precisely with a tinge of authority, like he did in a classroom full of students.

      “Shoot,” she said, not lifting her head but scooting around the donkey and bending over, her nicely compact and rounded bum facing him.

      “I know that you were drafted into guiding me because of your familiarity with the region and as a favor to Dr. Hernandez. However, I have done extensive research and have a satnav to adequately direct us.”

      “Good. We won’t be wandering around like Moses, then.” She stood up and stepped away from the little animal, who stared at Jones with a hostile roll of his eye. “Anything else?” she asked, interrupting the staring contest between him and the burro.

      “You have a confidentiality agreement with the university?”

      Her eyes widened. “Sure.”

      “Are you certain? This is important because when I go into the field, I do not—”