Page 31 of One Wild Texas Night
“Oh, lady. Every guy in the place is going to notice. I may hang on to you, so they know you’re with me and don’t come over to flirt with you.”
She laughed. “That’s not going to happen.”
“I would win placing a bet on that one. Let’s go so we can get through the evening and go home,” he said, taking her arm lightly, looking intently at her and turning to walk to the limo with her.
The ride was quick, and before he knew it the driver held the limo door for them and Jake took her arm as they walked into the tall building, where the club was on the twentieth floor. As they entered the room, a man played the piano softly in a far corner. Tables were set, but no one was seated yet. A cocktail party was going on, and people were on the balcony as well as inside.
They moved around the room to greet guests, and Jake saw that, like the last dinner, the room was filled with guys he’d ridden with and competed against in rodeos, which didn’t surprise him, because they were the ones who were the most interested in the new arena. He also noticed the attention Claire was getting from every male in the room.
“My friend Stefanie Grant just arrived,” Claire said, calling Jake’s attention.
He looked around and saw the woman.
“I’ll tell you, Stefanie does know how to make an entrance. She looks damn good, too, tonight.”
“She told me who to call to get my hair done. It’s the same group she goes to.”
“Ahh. I’m glad you took her advice. Damn good advice. Stefanie always looks good. She could fall in the pigpen and look good.”
Claire smiled. “I’ll tell her you said that.”
Jake grinned as he looked beyond her. “Her brother may be here someplace. There are a bunch of donors now, and this party is for all of us. My cousins—there were four of us who donated money. Since Cal died, there are just three of us involved actively now. Wade Sterling is one and he’s supposed to be here tonight, although I don’t see him now. One of the cousins lives in Colorado, and he hasn’t been to any of these dinners till tonight. It’s Luke Grayson. His wife and child were killed in a car wreck, and he hasn’t been able to come.”
“That’s awful. I’m so sorry.”
“Luke grew up here. He was a backyard neighbor of the Grants.”
“I’m sorry to hear about his loss. Speaking of—here comes Stef. She called when she heard about the fire and wanted to know if I was all right. When she found out my home burned, she offered to let me stay in one of her empty houses in Dallas, which was nice of her. She owns Grant Realty, in case you didn’t know.”
“I know the Grants, and everybody knows Stefanie. Her brother, Noah, and I are friends.”
He paused as a slender black-haired woman in a sleeveless black cocktail dress walked up and greeted them. She turned to Claire. “I’m so sorry about your ranch, your house and the other buildings.”
“Thanks, Stefanie. The fire was dreadful.”
“What about your ranch, Jake?” Stefanie asked, turning to him.
He shook his head. “I was enough to the east that the fire didn’t get there. The wind drove it west and then north. If you ladies will excuse me, I see some friends I want to greet.” As he walked away, Stefanie turned back to Claire.
“My, oh my, does he clean up good.”
Claire gave Jake a lingering look. “I think I said the same thing to him. Yes, he does.”
“So do you. Wow. You look absolutely gorgeous.’”
“You look gorgeous yourself. You always turn heads,” Claire said. “Thank you so much for recommending the salon and who to book with. I’m really pleased with the outcome. So is Jake.”
“I think they’re great.”
“I need to see you more often. I needed a lift after losing my home and all my things.”
“Aww, Claire, I’m so sorry. I couldn’t imagine,” Stefanie said. Then she brightened. “You said you’re staying at a neighbor’s house. You didn’t say which neighbor. But you didn’t have to,” Stefanie said, her eyes twinkling. “A Reed and a Blake? I hope those brothers of yours don’t show.”
“You couldn’t drag them into any event honoring ranchers and cowmen and the like. No danger there, and Jake didn’t seem to think we would run into his family, so here we are.”
Stefanie smiled. “Jake’s a nice guy.”
“We’re doing better than when we’ve gone to court to fight each other,” Claire said, smiling at her friend. “I hope it lasts.” Then she remembered what Jake had said. “Oh, by the way, Jake wanted me to pass on a compliment. He said you could fall into a pigpen and still look good.”
