How to Lasso a Cowboy by Shirley Jump Page B

reached for a biscotti. “I hear lots of people do that on their first dates. It’s all the rage.”
    She chuckled, then laughed, and he could see her softening, bit by bit. “Okay, so talk.”
    He waved the cookie at her. “You first. Why coffee?”
    â€œI like…community,” she said after a moment. “And nothing brings a community together like a place to eat and talk.”
    He grinned. “There’s that talking thing again. Seems everyone’s doing it.”
    â€œEspecially you, Mr. Radio Host.”
    â€œI do my fair share. Seems I got the gift of gab, so I might as well get paid for it.” He chuckled.
    She sat back in her chair and smiled at him. It was the kind of smile that socked a man in his gut and made him wonder what it’d be like to see her smile like that again. And again. “Well, what do you know? We have something in common.”
    â€œWe do indeed,” he said, trying his damnedest to get his focus back on work, and not on the sweet way her lips curved across her face. “It’s nice to meet someone else working a job they love.”
    â€œEven if the workload is pretty darn big.”
    He tipped his tea in her direction, and waited until she clinked with him. “Even if.”
    â€œAnd we have to have similar personality traits to work in our jobs. You have to be personable and know what people want. In your case, what they want to hear. And in my case, what they want to eat.”
    He took a bite of biscotti, chewed and swallowed. Those darn cookies were about his favorite food right now. “Would you look at that. We’re developing a whole list of things in common.”
    She laughed. “I wouldn’t call it a list but it’s a start.”
    â€œA start works for me,” he said softly, then recovered his wits from somewhere around his boots. “For this one date and all.”
    â€œOh, didn’t you hear? We’re not going on one date.We’re spending a whole week together. The committee decided that the Love Lottery is going to last all week, and culminate with the Spring Fling.” She gave him another smile, one that he couldn’t read. “So I hope that list gets longer, Harlan Jones, because we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.”

CHAPTER FOUR
    â€œS HE’S a real spitfire, I’ll tell you that,” Harlan said into the microphone. He eased back into the soft, worn leather desk chair, glanced at the clock on the far wall and mentally noted the time remaining in his show. “Don’t think I’ve ever had a date with an unbroken filly like that.”
    His caller—a truck driver named Stan—chuckled. “Sounds like the perfect woman for you, Harlan.”
    â€œNope. I like my women sweet and agreeable,” Harlan said. “Like good cooking.”
    Stan chuckled again. “You and me, man, you and me.”
    Harlan thanked Stan for calling, then pressed the button to get his next caller on the line. A computer screen popped up to give him the name of the caller and a few words that gave Harlan a preview of what the caller wanted to talk about on air. Carl, who handled the phone calls and kept time for Harlan, held up two fingers, giving him the twominute warning. Harlan nodded, then leaned toward the mike. “Welcome to Horsin’ Around with Harlan, Peter. What’s your opinion on this town-wide dating thing?”
    â€œIt’s a good thing, Harlan. You gotta settle down sometime, might as well be with a local girl.”
    â€œYou looking to get hitched, Peter?” Harlan sure wasn’t settling down anytime soon. He had enough on his platewithout adding a wife. Still, there were times when he got mighty tired of talking to his dogs and faceless fans. A real person, a soft, sweet woman, now that—
    Harlan cut off the thoughts and focused on his caller. Back to work.
    Except a part of him was back in