Chance slouched down in his seat and stretched out his legs. At least they were on the aisle. And the people watching was pretty good from his vantage point.
In fact, it was really good. The two men Chance had seen a little while earlier were now on their way back, and this time he could see the front view. One with dark hair and one with hair the color of wet sand, they were tall and lean with tanned faces. Chance somehow knew instinctively that it was from many hours on horseback, outside in the hot summer sun, where even the protection of their cowboy hats wasn’t enough.
He watched from the safety of his seat as they approached the steps leading to his row. Expecting them to pass directly in front, Chance was startled when they checked their tickets and began climbing the stairs. He pulled his feet in from blocking the aisle and pretended to be interested in the racing form in his hand.
A surreptitious glance told him that the cowboys had stopped at the row before his. Chance observed them as they checked their tickets and then, to his pleasure or dismay, Chance didn’t know which, they edged their way into the seats directly in front of Chance and Tucker’s.
Tucker was going to laugh hysterically.
"How long until they start?" the one with dark hair asked his partner. "Do I have time to go make a bet?"
"Sure, if you want. Throwing good money away, though." The tone was warmer than the words. "Get yourself a drink, too."
"Water for you, Jake? I'll see if they have juice."
The one named Jake shook his head. "Water's fine." He looked around, craning his head and finally tipping his hat back on his forehead. "Yeah, same direction. Don't get lost, Tor."
That earned him a flick on the brim of his hat and a snort. Then dark eyes met Chance's as Tor stood and turned. "Keep an eye on this one; he'll change seats just to make me think I got lost." His grin was broad and open, friendly.
"Uh," Chance replied. Yes, very suave, he told himself with a mental eyeroll. "Um, yeah, okay." He managed a smile and forced himself to meet the twinkling brown eyes again. "I’ll pin him down." What? Chance had no idea where the idiotic words had come from.
Jake's head whipped around and Tor threw back his head with a laugh. "Good luck with that. Holler if you need help." He clapped Jake's shoulder with one big hand and then left, still chuckling, leaving Chance with a startled cowboy looking at him.
1 comment:
what ,,,,,,,,,,
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