The Cowboy Meets His Match. Leann Harris

art deco. The lobby was shaped like the high conical crown of a sombrero, surrounded by the curved brim of the hat sporting red, green and yellow stripes at its base. The hotel’s color resembled a big swimming pool.

      Erin still couldn’t believe he wanted to stay here instead of one of the newer places. “Change your mind?”

      “Nope. This place looks great.” He carefully ran his gaze over the building.

      “Carmen Vega, the owner, bought it ten years ago, when she came back from Denver after working for several different hotel chains. She grew up seeing The Sombrero and had always loved it, so she bought it and restored it.”

      “Good to know.”

      Pushing open the glass door, Erin called out, “Hey, Lencho, how’s it going?”

      The young college-aged man looked up from his reading. “Erin, what are you doing here?” He stood.

      “I’ve brought you a paying customer.”

      “Good, things are kinda slow right now, but next week, we’ve got more people coming in. The historic-motel crowd of Southern California has booked the place.”

      Erin made the introductions, and Lencho handed Sawyer an old-fashioned registration card used circa 1937.

      Sawyer stared down at it.

      “Carmen believes in the full-blown experience,” Erin explained.

      Sawyer shrugged and went to work filling out the card.

      Erin leaned over the counter. “What are you studying, Lencho?”

      “Differential equations. I have to have it for the engineering degree.”

      Erin laughed. “I had a couple of courses that I could’ve done without in college. But fortunately I grabbed one of the bowling slots as my PE.”

      It took Sawyer less than two minutes to fill out the card.

      Erin peeked at it. “No TV?”

      “I want the full experience.” If she thought she’d scared him, apparently she was wrong.

      Lencho pulled the key out of a cubbyhole behind the registration desk. “You want me to show you to the room?”

      Erin laughed. “If he can’t find room two, the board’s going to be in real trouble and needs to rethink giving him the rodeo job.”

      The youth stilled. “He got the job? I thought you applied for it.”

      She shrugged.

      “But we’re having an impromptu meeting tonight for the town folks to review my plan,” Sawyer explained. “Please come.”

      “Bob organized it,” Erin added.

      The youth looked from Sawyer to her. “I’ll be there. I don’t want to miss any of that action.” He rubbed his hands together. “We haven’t had so much excitement since Denise Sander’s burro got loose, ended up in Melvin’s yard and ate the flowers, tomatoes and chilies growing in his garden.”

      Lencho gave Sawyer the key, an actual old-fashioned metal key.

      “I haven’t seen anything like this in a long time.”

      Erin’s brow arched. “Full experience, remember?”

      “True.”

      Motioning Sawyer outside, they walked the seventeen steps to room two. The motel consisted of twelve rooms with the sombrero-shaped lobby anchoring the east end of the structure. The twelve rooms surrounded a central patio covered by a pergola and scattered with various cacti. Massive Mexican clay pots dotted the patio area along with concrete benches decorated with Mexican tile. Room twelve anchored the far end of the three-sided structure. The lobby stood closest to the old Route 66.

      “I’m impressed.” He motioned to the patio.

      “Carmen and her uncle landscaped the courtyard after they finished the rooms, using original plans the owners had drawn up when the motel was built.”

      They stopped at the door of room two, and he unlocked it. Stepping inside, he slowly surveyed the cool interior. The slick lines of the desk and chairs could’ve come from any of the Thin Man movies popular in the thirties. No TV, and a big black phone on the desk. Beside it was a Tiffany-style lamp with a cut-glass shade of brown, yellow and orange glass. A wonderful painting of the desert landscape at sundown hung on the wall over the bed. She loved this decor, but he didn’t say anything.

      “Does this meet with your approval?” She grinned at him, enjoying his reaction or nonreaction. She’d warned him.

      He didn’t bat an eye. “This is fine. Is there a Wi-Fi connection somewhere close?”

      “In the lobby.”

      “Thanks for the heads-up.”

      “I hope you keep that positive attitude when we meet later tonight.”

      “I’m looking forward to it.” No hesitation colored his response.

      She wanted to grin. “I hope so.”

       Chapter Two

      Erin had finally managed to find her footing. Her father’s stroke had tilted her world off its axis, but when she had raced to the board headquarters today and found nobody there, she’d known another blow was around the corner. Talking to Mel’s secretary about where they were, Erin knew. She thought she’d been prepared for the blow of losing out on the job she so wanted, but the instant she opened the door and saw Sawyer standing at the head of the table, she realized she wasn’t. Why hadn’t her dad called her with the news? How soon after the meeting had the stroke happened? Mother wasn’t clear on the details.

      She shook off the trivial thoughts. What was important was that her father had survived the stroke, not that she hadn’t gotten the job. They’d spent countless hours on the phone, talking about what needed to be done in the update. He’d mentioned the other candidate that Melvin brought in, but Dad thought it wouldn’t be a problem, at least the last time they talked, which was a few days before the vote.

      She’d tap-danced her way through today’s board meeting.

      Pushing open the lobby door, she looked at Lencho. “How are you doing in your classes? Are you keeping up your grades?” Her dad had tutored the young man his freshman year in high school.

      “I’m okay.” He looked through the glass door and watched as Sawyer moved his truck from the far side of the office to park in front of his room. “How do you feel about that guy?”

      She shrugged. “I’ll be interested in hearing his plans tonight.”

      “I’m sorry that you didn’t get the job.”

      Erin realized that the young man felt uncomfortable that she didn’t win. “Don’t worry. I’m not surrendering. I’ll keep him on track. You remember, we didn’t let you flunk out of algebra. Well, I’m not simply going to walk away from the rodeo and give up.”

      “No matter how much Traci lobbied for the other guy?”

      The kid wasn’t telling Erin anything she hadn’t already figured out. “You got it.”

      “Good. Of course, I was surprised the guy didn’t take the room with the TV.”

      “I guess we have a lot to learn about him.”

      “True.”

      “Does he know anything about rodeo?” Lencho asked.

      Mel wasn’t going to foist any greenhorn on the community, not even to please his daughter. “He does. He claims to have won several events at different rodeos.”

      The kid brightened. “Let’s look him up on the