Chapter 8 - cowboy ala cart

December, Vegas.

Summer had been scorching hot, even hotter than Pueblo. Autumn was its usual dry and mild until Thanksgiving when the cold, dry air arrived with winter. The sky was silvery gray and charcoal. The wind was relentless, but the clouds promised snow might be coming. Meri hoped it was true because she missed snow.

The PBR Rodeo was going on and combined with the pre-Christmas tourism, she had never been busier. In the morning, she taught French Pastries at the culinary college and in the evenings she worked as a chef. Meri had only been to the Western Livestock Show in Denver when she was a little girl on a field trip. Now she was at the PBR Championships representing the College's Culinary Skills Afterschool Program in this year's annual bar-b-que cook-off and baking competition. Meri knew they probably wouldn't win but if they could get the People's Choice Award prize money, and a top five placement, they could get some much-needed equipment for the community center where the Afterschool Training Program was held.

"Meredith, almost time for the first round," Phil reminded her. He was such an organized person that she was certain she would be lost without him. He handled the afterschool classes and volunteers while his husband harassed donors for funds to keep the kids out of the gangs that seemed to be everywhere.

"Thanks, I'm on the way." Meri couldn't help the dread she felt as she rushed from the food truck area into the pavilion.

Her team had presented six varieties of hors d'oeuvres based on BBQ favorites to the judges. They tested over two dozen variations on fellow students and instructors at the culinary college. BBQ chicken and sweet potato eggrolls, shredded pork and cole slaw stuffed perogies, hickory smoked salmon and cucumber salad finger sandwiches, squash, zucchini, and tomato grilled mini-kabobs, parmesan fried green tomatoes, and lastly BBQ beef tips wrapped in flaky pastry. Meri hated doing hors d'oeuvres but that was round one. She grabbed a couple packages of the mini-kabobs and fried green tomatoes before sprinting out to the judging.

Snacking after missing breakfast, Meri stood with dozens of other contestants waiting. Only ten would make it to the next round. She almost fainted with relief when they announced, "Culinary Skills Afterschool Program is number eight."

"Alright, contestants, since none of you are part of the Bar-B-Que contest. You are to make portable desserts; cookies, cakes, pies. But it can't be larger than this and it has to be the same shape." He held up a playing card. Handing out the cards, Meri got the ace of hearts.

On her way back to the food truck with the good news, it started gusting with blowing snow. She took a shortcut back from the pavilion to the food truck row by going through the arena, trying to stay inside as long as possible. Nibbling on her vegetables, she glanced up at the displays which listed several events and stats she didn't understand. She shrugged, she was a chef, and as long as they made it to the top five, she didn't care about whatever they were doing in here. Not watching where she was going because she was watching the screen showing a man getting thrown from a bull, she bumped into something. Standing in the middle of the path was a large horse the color of cinnamon mixed with sugar. It lazily looked her way before inhaling deeply and starting toward her. Meri was terrified. Her only encounter with horses was the ones she had seen in parades and a mean pony at the zoo, which had bitten and tried to kick her.

Every time she stepped left or right to try to get around it, the horse turned to cut her off. The crowd just flowed around them like seeing a terrified woman being stalked by a giant horse was no big deal. She backed carefully away with her hands out in front of her until she was backed into a row of fencing. Giant brown eyes contemplated Meri and she wondered what it was thinking because it licked its lips.

The horse stuck its nose in the pocket of her Culinary Skills Afterschool Program hoodie and pulled out a parchment paper package of fried green tomatoes, which it ate paper an all. Its giant russet and cream head rubbed up and down on her as she squeaked, "Please don't hurt me."

An amused chuckle came from behind the horse, "He'll probably leave you alone if you give him another treat."

"What?" Meri asked leaning further into the fence as the horse sniffed her up and down again.

"Well, unless you stole that sweatshirt and apron, chef lady, you must be in this year's contest. We had some of those fried green tomatoes, the chicken eggrolls, pork and beef bite things, they were pretty good. Sam really wanted some. This big guy loves tomatoes, but they are not good for him. Did you know tomatoes are toxic to horses?" Colt found himself rambling to try to talk to the adorable chef for just a few minutes longer. He was surprised when her caution turned to concern and fear.

"Omigawd, I'm so sorry. He just ate a slice of a parmesan fried green tomato," Meri revealed in horror, suddenly fearing the horse would drop dead in front of her like her family's one and only dog had after it ate a chocolate bar. "Will it kill him?" She pressed her hands over her heart.

"No, ma'am. Just a slice or two is fine," he reassured her, then he grinned, taking off his hat to reveal sandy auburn hair, dimples, and eyes like polished dark oak. "My names Colt, and this here suicidal foodie bandit is Sinner Sam I Am."

"Are you sure he'll be okay? I... I mean, our chihuahua ate some chocolate when I was young. They always say chocolate is toxic to dogs, and she died," Meri worried, cautiously eyeing the horse. It breathed normally, she thought then it slowly turned its head back toward Meri. Prehensile lips tried to pick her pocket, wanting another slice of fried tomato, but Meri immediately backed up, pressing her hands over the pocket. "No, bad Sam." She shook a trembling finger at it.

Colt chuckled again, "You sure are a skittish little thing."

"Only around things that can kill me in a single kick."

"That's just an old wives' tale."

Meri breathed a sigh of relief until he added, "It usually takes at least two or three."

She leveled him with a sour look, putting her fists on her hips with the most adorable pout he had ever seen as she chastised him, "You, Mr. Colt, are not as funny as you think you are. First, your foodie horse holds me hostage and tries to commit suicide by eating my appetizers, then you threaten to let him kill me?"

He grinned and tipped his hat, as he took Sinner Sam's lead, "No offense meant, ma'am."

"Excuse me." Meri started to hurry away when he called after her, "Hey, what's your name Chef Lady?"

"Late... my name is late." The last thing Meri needed was some gorgeous cowboy with a demented horse in her world, so she ran away from them.

~~~~~

It was cooler two days later and the wind was blowing harder, but the sky cleared. After staying up half the night baking, Meri stood outside the rented food truck, hawking dice-sized samples and vote cards with Phil's students. They were almost sold out of the playing card-shaped cookies in oatmeal, cinnamon snap, lemon shortbread, and gingerbread, all iced to look like the Ace of Hearts. The Culinary Skills Afterschool Program was number four in the People's Choice Award. They needed second place to buy a used restaurant style range or double oven, but Meri did not feel very confident. The Muffin Mania truck, and the Vegas Cakery were both ahead of them because both had amazing samples, more like mini-loaf cakes in consistency and flavor, and Las Patisserie Mexia had created handpies that tasted like heaven. Meri regretted their choice of going with a more traditional and harder cookie.

She was just turning to get more samples from the truck when she ran into a wall. Colt caught her as she stumbled backward, and she ended up in his arms instead of on her butt, however that was exactly where one of his hands was placed.

"Fancy meeting you here, chef lady." He grinned charmingly as he held her.

"You can let go of me now, Cowboy Colt," Meri breathed out as she looked up at him.

"Now where's the fun in that, darlin'?" He drawled, but he stepped back. "So, what's on the menu today?"

"Cookies," Meri tried not to blush as she handed him a card. "And I'm Meredith."

He looked at the flavors, then declared, "I'll take a mixed dozen. My dad and brother like cookies as much as Sam and I do."

Meri stepped up into the food truck and made him a paper box of cookies, then Meri handed him a bag of unfrosted oatmeal cookies that had cracked or broken when the pan was dropped, with Sam's Cookies written in her looping script. She took the money and handed him his change which he dropped in the donation jar.

He looked at the bag and gave her another panty melting smile, "Ms. Meredith, I guess you're Sam's cookie lady now." Tipping his hat with a polite ma'am, he walked away seeming completely uncaring about the cold wind. The back of his unbuttoned coat was embroidered with a sideways K with something like a handlebar on each side above the words, Lazy K Ranch. The last line read Longhorns and Trained Cattle Horses. Phil leaned out slightly to look after him as Meri tried to breathe normally.

"Who was that?" Phil asked with a twinkle in his eyes. "And who is Sam?"

"His name is Colt and Sam is his horse," Meri said softly.

"What's looks good in Wrangler's last name?" Phil taunted.

"No idea," Meri admitted with a giggle.

"Well, at least you know his horse's name. That's all that is important to a cowboy," Phil chortled then added, "Besides his truck and his dog. Has he shown you his truck yet?" he waggled his eyebrows.

Meri blushed red and pressed her cold hands against her cheeks. "Stop it, Phil."

Her friend shrugged, then pointed his finger at her. "You got my husband binging cowboy romances, so you'll take the teasing and be happy about it. Honestly, if Lawrence asks me to move to Wyoming or Colorado one more time, you're coming with us... Start frosting... We need more gingerbread and shortbread cookies."

She was saved from more teasing by the next wave of customers.

~~~~~

The second to last day of the rodeo, they announced The Culinary Skills Afterschool Program got third place in the People's Choice Award. It wasn't as good as she hoped, and Meri felt like she had failed because the hard cookie playing cards were her idea. All she could do was wait for the final Judge's awards later in the afternoon, and hope for better. Hope she did not have. As she looked at the posted ratings and reviews, she was rudely shoved from behind and fell to the ground. Meri rolled over, ready to chew on whomever had pushed her, only to look up into Sam's cinnamon and sugar colored horse face. He looked down at Meri smugly and she wondered, 'Can horses look smug?'

Meri stood up slowly, holding out her palm to the horse, "Come on, foodie, let's go get you some cookies." She walked back toward the food trucks, and Sam just followed beside her like he understood.

As she stood in front of the food truck, palming crumbles of oatmeal cookies for Sam, an angry man in a security guard uniform yelled at her, "Hey, that horse can't be here."

Meri just stared at him like an idiot. "I... uhm... he's not..."

"Get it out of here or you'll be banned next year."

"Sorry, officer," Meri said as sweetly as she could. She grasped Sam's lead the way she had seen Colt do, whispering to the tall, speckled equine, "Okay horse, I'll walk with you, but you need to get us back to your cowboy before we get into any more trouble." He flipped his russet mane then nodded as if he understood.

To others it may have looked like Meri was leading Sam, but in truth, he was leading her. Every twenty or so steps, the horse stopped and demanded a nibble of cookie before he started walking again.

'This is cookie-mail! I am going to beat Colt when I find him.'

Finally, she saw a grinning Colt walking toward her with two other men, obviously a brother and his father.

"Well, look what the horse dragged in," Colt teased.

Meri held out the lead. "I believe you lost this cookie monster."

"Ms. Meredith, this is my father Cordell King and my brother Cody. Dad, Cody, this is Meredith Sam's cookie lady." With sun-lightened toffee hair, dimples, and eyes the color of coffee with just a touch of cream, Cody was just as handsome as his brother and father, while he tipped his hat to Meri with a polite Ma'am. She shook his dad's hand and then blushed as Colt gently took Sam's reins, holding her hand for a long moment. She never figured she would be the kind of girl who liked cowboys but damn... Those romance novels had gotten to her.

Releasing the lead, she looked down as she poured and palmed the final crumbs for Sam, "Last one monster," Meri said as Sinner Sam I Am rubbed his head against her, and almost knocked her down again. But Colt was there to save her, holding her for just a few heartbeats longer than he needed to.

"Thank you for returning my son's wayward mount, Ms. Meredith. Would you like to join us to watch the rest of this afternoon's cutting horse competition?" Cordell asked.

"Uhh, no thank you. I have to get back, and get the kids back," she answered.

"Well, the least we can do is walk you to the truck and buy the last of the cookies for Sam," Cordell offered.

Phil's husband had shown up, and they gawked at the family of cowboy beefcake. "So which one are you going to date?" Lawrence whispered in Meri's ear as she bagged cookies. "Or is it going to be like that Cowboy Reverse harem story we just finished. That one was set in Colorado wasn't it, someplace called Pandora Valley?"

"None of them." Meri rolled her eyes, but her cheeks glowed like a strawberry as she hissed back under her breath. "And there is no such place as Pandora Valley, Colorado."

As he paid for the cookies, Colt asked, "Meri, would you... I mean, would you like to come to dinner with me? And my family, of course."

"She'd like that," Phil agreed for her. "You should go to the restaurant she works at. They have a great ribeye."

Meri blushed again and begged, "Only if that's where you want to go, I can meet you there in say two hours? We need to get the kids home and I need a shower. I smell like cookies and horse."

"I like the way you smell," Colt grinned at her as he said it and she felt like her face would combust. "We'll see you there."

They had a horribly expensive and just horrible dinner at the restaurant she worked part-time at. Embarrassed, Meri felt like she owed them a decent meal, so she offered to cook a real meal for them. At 9PM, Colt followed her around the market before they headed back to their extended stay suite. As she broiled thick cut t-bone steaks, she made asparagus wrapped in bacon, and twice baked loaded potatoes, while they talked about the ranch. She finished the meal with a quick caramel apple tart.

Cordell praised the food, "Ms. Meredith, that was the best meal I have ever eaten. Now if you'll excuse me, I am an old man with a very full stomach and I am going to bed."

With an empty plate on the coffee table, Cody fell asleep on the couch watching some sports news show, while Meri and Colt were talking after dinner.

Colt revealed, "I am missing being the national champion by a handful of points."

"Can you catch up?" Meri asked.

"Yes, there's a couple wild card events between official events that might give me an edge," he stretched his long legs then he got another piece of pie. "This is as good as mama's."

"Tell me about her?" Meri didn't know why but she wanted to know everything about this gentle man. She had never found someone so close to her age so appealing. Before she knew it, it was almost 2AM. Her phone chimed, and it was her usual Friday night hate mail from Steven and like every weekend since she moved back from France, she regretted the two-week rebound fling that didn't even begin to help her get over Claude.

When Meri scowled at her phone, Colt asked "Problem, darlin?"

"No... just an ex that forgets I have a restraining order against him." She deleted the message without reading more than the visible lines in the notification and blocked the new number.

"It's almost two, you gotta sleep. Aren't you competing tomorrow?" She asked as she yawned. It was so easy to talk to him that Meri had lost track of the time.

She almost fell into those dark eyes as Colt grinned, "Don't worry about me, darlin'. I'm done for this rodeo, but I could do it in my sleep. Ranch life is twenty-four seven." He paused then looked at her carefully, "Is it safe for you to go home?"

Meri snorted derisively, "He doesn't know where I live now. My building is passcard only, so even if he finds me, he can't get in."

Colt nodded, before asking, "Can I give you a ride home?"

Hesitating, she thought about it, "Umm, well..." She had ubered to the restaurant but at this time of night it was almost impossible to get an uber.

"I promise, I'll be a gentleman. My grammy would pinch my ear if I wasn't."

That made her giggle, even though she knew he would be. He drove her back to her building and thanked her again for dinner. She kissed him first and it was another half an hour before she went inside after promising to show him around Vegas on Sunday.

Holding her fingers to her kiss swollen lips, in the elevator, she giggled and danced. Going into her studio apartment, she fell onto her hide-a-bed and dreamed about riding in his lap on Sam under a broad blue sky, just like in her books.