Free How to Lasso a Cowboy by Shirley Jump Page A

you want to get your hip back up to speed.”
    Grandma sighed. “I know, I know.”
    â€œI can come over there—”
    Grandma’s short gray curls bounced when she shook her head. “You have enough on your plate, my dear. You already drive me to my appointments, and Lord knows that takes enough time out of your day. Plus you make me dinner all the time, even though I tell you I can manage just fine on my own. Don’t you worry about me.”
    But Sophie did, and would. Once again, she wished she had the money to renovate that building and turn it into a community center. The location, just a block away from her grandmother’s house, would make those trips easier—and give her a comfortable place to practice her exercises in between. It would be a wonderful central location for monthly checkup clinics, and weekly community dinners. Not to mention, it would be a great social venue for bingo games and picnics, something the whole town could use.
    â€œI’m going to sit here and soak up some sun,” Grandma said. “And you need to go find your intended. So, go. Have fun.”
    â€œOkay.” Sophie gave her grandmother a kiss on the cheek, then crossed the park. She might as well get this second date thing over with—and as quickly as she could without giving Harlan Jones anything to talk about on the radio. If she put a good enough face on it, maybe he’d even say something nice.
    Uh-huh, and Florida would get an ice storm before the end of the day, too.
    As she headed toward the gaily decorated booth where the couples were supposed to meet, she saw Mildred. The co-chair of the event was cozying up to Art Conway. Mildred was smiling and giggling like a schoolgirl, which made Art break out into a wide grin. The two of them were as giddy as teenagers. A little to their left, Lulu and Kevin were sharing a blanket under a tree, with Kevin working hard to make Lulu laugh. Sophie smiled. It was nice to see her friends so happy.
    Then Harlan Jones came striding into the park, a red plaid blanket draped over one arm, and Sophie’s smile faded. His canine terrors trailed along at his feet, tongues lolling and tails wagging. The dogs looked pleased as punch to be among all the people, plants and food. Plenty of opportunities for trouble.
    For a second, Sophie considered leaving, ditching the entire event. Probably not a good idea, considering she was co-chair, and her hurrying out of the park and evading her date would undoubtedly be a gossip’s dream. She could just see that splashed across the front page. She wanted people to see her as a serious businesswoman, not the girl who ran out on grooms-to-be and dates. So she held her ground and steeled her gut.
    Harlan stopped before her and tipped his cowboy hat up a bit. “Howdy, Sophie.”
    How could he act all friendly like that, as if he hadn’t just torn her apart on his radio show this morning? She was about to utter a scathing retort, then she remembered Lulu’s advice. Turn this to her advantage, even if it drove her crazy to feign niceness.
    â€œWhy, good afternoon, Mr. Jones,” she said with as much saccharine as she could muster. She even added a smile.
    â€œLooking forward to our lunch?”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œReally?” He arched a brow. Clearly, he didn’t believe her sweetness act for a second.
    â€œAll right, everyone, time to grab your partner and find a place to sit,” Mildred said into the loudspeaker set up on the podium. “We’ll start serving in just a minute. Remember, free-will donations are accepted. And encouraged. ” She leaned forward and eyed the crowd. The people standing nearest to Mildred stuffed several dollars into the offering bucket, then hurried away.
    People began pairing off, like ducks in a pond. Harlan gestured toward a shady spot beneath a nearby maple tree. “Shall we?”
    Sophie worked up that smile again. “Of