Page 71 of The Cowboy's Country Charm
Chapter 19
Kristy sat with Ariel at the table in the conference room at the complex, waiting for the committee to enter. What a difference a few weeks could make, Kristy thought, as she skimmed her project timeline and took in the black checkmarks. With ten days to go, she couldn’t let anything slip through the cracks. This was too important for her, for Ariel, for Marcia.
“I can’t wait to get into the venue and begin setting up,” Ariel said as she arranged the drawings of the event setup in front of her. They would be sharing the schematics with the committee today.
“Not until the day before, unfortunately. And then it’s going to be a mad scramble, all hands on deck.” Pat McEvy had been adamant that nothing could go in beforehand because the venue was being used for some type of jamboree celebration and wouldn’t be cleared out until then.
“Is Marcia going to make it?”
“When I spoke with her earlier today, she said she wants to be here, but her doctor doesn’t want her to drive yet, and she can’t lift anything heavy, like a suitcase, so she’s going to video conference with us.”
Ariel raised her eyebrows. “That should be fun—not. Because if she doesn’t like something, we won’t have time to change it.”
Kristy reached over and patted Ariel’s arm. “She’s going to love everything. We’ve been keeping her in the loop, so she really shouldn’t be surprised.”
“You forget. This is my first assignment. And the stories you’ve told me don’t exactly inspire confidence that all will be well.”
“She’s been much more mellow since her heart problems.” Which was the truth.
“Leopards don’t change their spots.”
Kristy shrugged. “Nothing we can do about it, so we will just have to deal as best we can.”
“Speaking of being more mellow, you’ve been downright cheery and relaxed despite the impending date of this gala. I’m thinking a certain red-haired cowboy is to thank.” Ariel winked. Annoying. “Things seem to be going well.”
“No complaints. What about you and Mel?” She’d try to change the subject. Things with Rusty were still new and amazing, and she wanted to protect that feeling as long as she could.
“You aren’t getting away that easily. Are you still bent on keeping things casual?”
Was she? Since that night in the cabin, she wasn’t so certain she could. When she’d seen him on the ground, her concern was palpable. It drove home the point that she cared about him. A lot. She enjoyed being with him. He was thoughtful, considerate, caring. He’d put a lot of effort into making that cabin comfortable. For her. And he was an experienced and generous lover—just like her mother had predicted.
“I’m taking my lead from him. And Mel?” She’d try again.
“He’s fun and pretty amenable to just about everything, so no complaints either.”
“Well, seems we’re both settling into Gillette just fine.”
The door opened, and Lexi appeared in the doorway, Rusty behind her.
“What’s Rusty doing here?” Ariel asked.
Kristy felt her cheeks heat. “Didn’t I tell you? He’s taking Cort McClane’s place on the committee.”
“To spy on us?” Ariel whispered as Rusty nodded in their direction, pulling out a chair at the far end of the table.
“No. He asked if I was okay with it. If not him, they might have assigned someone else not quite as friendly, so I agreed.” Kristy rose and extended her hand to Lexi, who shook it. Kristy nodded at Rusty. It was nice to see a friendly face. And she was certain he would be a friend.
“I hope you’re right,” Ariel said as she rose to shake Lexi’s hand.
With that, several other committee members filed in and took their seats around the table after shaking hands with Kristy and Ariel.
Kristy counted nine members, including the two executive chairs, who had lent their names to the fundraiser, while the committee did all the work.
“Showtime,” Kristy whispered before she began the meeting.
Kristy updated the committee on the various vendor contracts, announcing, among other things, the awarding of the flower arrangements to Flowers by June and passing around a picture of the proposed centerpiece. “Not only is it creative and in keeping with the theme, Flowers by June also came in with the most competitive bid.”
“Lovely,” said Laurie Mathews, who, with her husband, was the official co-chair of the event. “June does the best.”
