Free How to Lasso a Cowboy by Shirley Jump Page B

course.”
    He unfurled the blanket and laid it on the ground. The instant the plaid hit the grass, Harlan’s dogs began to turn in a circle and settle on the knitted surface. Sophie shied away from their massive paws and bad intentions.
    â€œHey, hey, this is for people only,” Harlan said, shooing the retrievers off. The dogs laid against the tree, letting out twin sighs that spelled their dissatisfaction, but they stayed off the blanket. So they could behave.
    Harlan gestured toward Sophie. “Ma’am.”
    â€œThanks.” She dropped to one corner of the blanket, settling on her knees. Harlan took up space on the opposite corner, and for a moment, the two of them stared at everything but each other, the silence between them thick and heavy. What was she supposed to say to this man, her nemesis? How was she ever going to pull off the facade of happily dating him? One of the teenage boys who worked at Mike’s Deli came by and dropped off a bag containing sandwiches and drinks. At the same time, he held out a bucket for a free-will donation, and both Harlan and Sophie dropped in several dollars.
    Mortise and Tenon, apparently thinking at least one sandwich should be for them, bounded over and pranced at the edge of the blanket, and Sophie leaned away, out of the line of paw fire. The dogs began to whine in concert.
    â€œYou guys are scavengers. Get back, and go lay down.” Harlan shooed at the dogs.
    They wagged their tails. And held their ground.
    â€œThey’re stubborn,” Sophie said.
    Harlan grinned. “Like anyone else you know?”
    â€œOf course not.”
    He chuckled, then fished in his pocket for two dog bones. He turned to Sophie. “You want to do the honors?”
    She moved back, waving them off. She could only imagine the mad frenzy the two dogs would get into if she handed them the bones. She’d already seen what they could do to perfectly good rib eyes. “They’d probably bite off my hands.”
    â€œNah, they like you.” When Sophie refrained from taking one of the bones, Harlan tossed them to the dogs, who caught the treats midair, then ran off to the other side of the tree, and started gnawing. “Mortise and Tenon are just a couple of babies. They love everyone they meet.”
    â€œYeah, sometimes too much,” she muttered.
    â€œSo,” Harlan said, draping an arm over one knee, “I think we should get to know one another a little better, don’t you? We started yesterday, but we had a bad ending to our little talk. Let’s try again.”
    â€œWhy? Are you looking for some tidbit to exploit on your show tomorrow?” Damn. That had slipped right out. So much for her be-nice plan. She worked the smile up again, hoping it tempered the bite of her words.
    â€œI thought you didn’t listen to my show.”
    â€œI don’t.”
    â€œReally? Then how do you know what I’m talking about?”
    â€œOh, people talk,” Sophie said. “A lot.”
    â€œWhich is exactly my goal.”
    She bristled. How dare this man think he could use these events—and her life—as fodder for his show? As a way to boost his ratings? Her resolve dissipated, right along with that smile. “Harlan Jones, you are the most—”
    Sophie cut off her sentence when Mildred bustled over to them. The older woman’s bright pink floral dress swung around her ankles like a bell. “My, my, don’t you two make a handsome couple?”
    â€œThank you, ma’am,” Harlan said, sending Sophie a teasing smile that she wanted to swat off his face. “And might I say you and Mr. Conway are quite the good-looking pair, too?”
    Mildred blushed, and a titter of laughter escaped her. “Why, thank you, Mr. Jones.” She started to walk away, then turned back. “My goodness, I almost forgot the reason I came over here. Sophie, would you be a dear and make an announcement