“And Miss Rawlins. And Miss Carbon County. And Miss Sweetheart of the Rodeo Stampede. And Miss Sage and Spurs. And Miss Wyoming Beef Council.”
“And Miss Wyoming?” he asked.
“Nope. First runner-up. Three times.” She leaned back in her chair. “Tell me, Renner Jackson. What brings you to Muddy Gap?”
“I lived with my grandparents here for a year growing up, so when their old place came up for sale again, I bought it. Plus another acreage that bordered it.”
“Which place was that?”
“The last people who owned it were the Kleins.”
Harper shook her finger at him. “Now I know who you are. You’re the outsider who’s bringing ruin to Carbon County by buying up all available land when you’re not local. You’ll probably only let your big-city buddies hunt. Or worse, you’ll turn it into a hippie compound.”
His gaze narrowed.
The man had a serious death glare. Harper leaned forward. “I was kidding. But I’ll warn you, from one non-native Wyomingite to another? That’s the attitude you’ll run into around here.”
“Tell me about it. And it doesn’t help when I’m keeping my evil plans close to the vest.”
“So are you going to live around here?”
“Eventually. Once I get the building under way and I—” Renner snapped his mouth shut. Then a slow, cocky grin spread across his handsome face. “You’re a wily one. Sweet and curious. I like that. Maybe I oughta offer you a job.”
“Aw, lookit you. Already planning to steal the help away from the local businesses—that’ll go over well.”
“Divide, conquer, and charm. That’s my motto.”
“But it won’t work with me because I’m leaving this town for good in another two months.”
Renner asked questions and seemed genuinely interested in listening to her answers. It was a nice change from being ignored, talked over, or conversing with the cattle. And Renner was a really nice guy. Smart. Funny. After she got his hands fixed up, he gave her a big tip.
“This is too much,” she demurred, trying to hand the twentydollar bill back.
“Consider it a bribe.”
She frowned at him. “A bribe for what?”
“When local folks ask if that outsider sissy-boy Renner Jackson really got his nails done? You’ve gotta lie and say you were pulling pieces of barbed wire out, or something equally manly.”
Harper laughed. “Deal.”
“You do have a great laugh, Harper. I’ll see you around.”
Bernice lounged behind the front desk. “So. Doing a man’s hands. That’s kinda freaky, even when he’s that good-looking. Did you put . . . polish on his nails?”
Harper shook her head. “Actually, I’m not supposed to say anything. But I was pulling metal shards out of his fingers.”
Bernice blew out a cloud of smoke. “Really?”
“Yes. He was welding and thought soaking them in hot water would bring the metal pieces closer to the surface. It worked.” She smiled brightly. “I got most of them, so he was happy.”
“We’re all about happy customers here.”
The door flew open.
They both turned as Celia Lawson barreled in. “Surprise!”
Harper threw her arms around her friend. “Celia! When did you sneak into town?”
“Just now. I wanted to swing by before I got stuck at the house tonight with the brothers Grimm.”
She held Celia at arm’s length and gave her a once-over. Celia was a cowgirl to the core. On her feet were her favorite pair of beatup Justin boots. Her dark blue jeans were tighter than the type she normally favored. The gold and silver circuit championship belt buckle, attached to a fuchsia rhinestone belt, matched the pinkand-purple-striped Western shirt. Her heavy black duster nearly grazed her ankles. She wore her cowgirl hat, a black Stetson that accentuated her fair coloring. Celia’s once-boyish figure had filled out in the past couple of years. She wasn’t curvy like Harper was, so they’d never swapped clothes in high school, another rite of passage that had passed them by.
“You look great,” Harper said. “Life on the road agrees with you.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere with me,” she cooed. “So, I’m spending the day tomorrow with Eli. He’s going over Mickey with a fine-tooth comb. But tomorrow night? You and me? We’re hittin’ the bar.”
“Good. Harper needs to get out more,” Bernice said. “I’m all for you revvin’ her up, Celia.”
“Corrupting the former Miss Sweet Grass is a job I take very seriously.” Celia rested an elbow on the counter. “Can I steal her away, Bernice?”
“Yep. We’re all done.” Bernice captured Celia’s swinging braid, which hung like a thick golden rope and brushed Celia’s butt. “Girl, I know I’ve said it a hundred times, but you’ve got such gorgeous hair.”
Celia lifted the braid and threw it back over her shoulder. “One of these days I’ll surprise you and we’ll cut it all off so I can donate it to Locks of Love.”
Harper snagged her coat off the rack and grabbed her purse from beneath the counter. “See you next week, Bernice.”
With the size of Celia’s F-350 truck and her horse trailer, she’d practically parked up the entire block. Harper hoisted herself in the passenger side and had a hard time finding a place to sit.