Dating the Cowboy

The Calhoun brothers had gone all out in welcoming the speed dating event to Mejor Tequila, their tequila bar in downtown Broken Bend. Though I’d set up events in Dallas and Fort Worth, this would be the first one to take place in a cute little town off the beaten path.

Garbo, the owner of the franchise I worked for, liked to schedule events in big cities to guarantee huge turnouts. But country girls kept telling us they deserved to find love too, so we were holding our first ever small-town event on Valentine’s Day—supposedly the most romantic day of the year.

I might work for a company that believed in true love, but deep down inside, I knew there was no such thing. Every day I spent matching up hopeful singles made me feel like a fraud. How could two people know within five minutes of meeting each other whether or not they had a connection?


And I hated Valentine’s Day with a passion. In my opinion, it was nothing more than a holiday big businesses created to boost sales after the post-holiday slump. The made-up day demanded over the top romantic gestures and required people to wipe out their bank accounts to pay for flowers, chocolates, jewelry, and over-priced dinners.


If I didn’t need to support myself, I’d quit selling the impossible dream of finding true love and focus all my time and energy on building my custom jewelry business. When I did, I’d find a little town like Broken Bend, Texas, and hop off the hamster wheel of living paycheck to paycheck.


The belief that someday I’d make my dream a reality was the only thing that kept me going.


“Everything set up how you wanted it?” One of the Calhoun brothers asked. The four of them looked identical. I suppose that’s the way it was with quadruplets.


“It’s perfect.” If I set my hardened heart aside for a few minutes, I’d be able to appreciate the effort they’d put forth for our event.


Votive candles decorated the high-top tables set for two, and they’d arranged for the bakery in town to bring in a dessert buffet. Pink and red cake pops were set out in a heart-shaped display. Brownies and sugar cookies decorated with white and red sprinkles sat off to one side, and a tray of chocolate-dipped strawberries rested next to a champagne fountain. They’d even dimmed the interior lights to the point where everyone would be cast in a flattering glow.


“Let us know if you need anything. I’m Zane if you need to find me later. I know it’s sometimes hard to tell my brothers and me apart.”


Zane. Got it. At least now I had a name. “Thanks.”


He lowered his voice and leaned closer. “Hey, did your boss mention anything about working in an extra for tonight?”


An extra? I shook my head. “No, she didn’t say anything. What do you mean?”


He nodded toward the bar. “One of our bartenders was hoping to take part tonight but didn’t get signed up in time.”


I glanced toward the bar where a tall guy with dark hair and massive shoulders pulled a draft beer from a tap. “We’ve got other events coming up in the next few weeks if he doesn’t mind driving to San Antonio or Austin.”


“That’s okay. He’s a local guy and probably won’t want to go to the trouble of dating someone who doesn’t live nearby.” Zane shook his head. “I wanted to surprise him. Poor guy got left at the altar last fall and has been having a hard time getting back out there, if you know what I mean.”


I might not believe a speed dating event could make up for being jilted, but stories like that yanked on my heartstrings. “Let me see what I can do.”


“Thanks. I appreciate it.”


As Zane turned to head back to the bar, I pulled my boss’s number up on my phone and pressed it to my ear.


“Hey, Eden. Is everything under control?” Garbo asked.


“For the most part, though, I just found out I might need to work an extra guy into the rotation.”


“Shoot. I meant to text you about that.” She cleared her throat. “I don’t suppose you might be able to find another single woman at the last minute.”


My eye twitched. “Um, I can ask around, but the first round starts in less than twenty minutes. Do you want me to see if any of the women have a friend that can get here that fast?”


“No, I don’t want them to get the impression we’re not well organized. Is there a chance you might be willing to fill in? Can you pretend to be interested in finding love? Just for tonight?”


Garbo knew where I stood when it came to love. I almost laughed at the idea of me sitting at one of the bar tables for the next two hours while twenty different men poked and prodded at my psyche to see if I could be their perfect match. “Absolutely not.”


“Think about it. You might be our only option.” Garbo clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Keep me posted. I’ll be there in a few minutes to help.”


My jaw clenched. There had to be another way. I couldn’t pretend to be an active participant in a speed dating event.

This situation had big red flags all over it.
Big red flags and flashing lights.
And warning bells.
Loud ones.


My gut told me not to let Garbo talk me into it. No matter what.



Fifteen minutes later, Garbo flew into the room on a cloud of Chanel Number Five. “Has everyone checked in yet?”


I reached for the clipboard I kept at the check-in table and scanned the list of names. Every single one had a check next to it.

All but one.

Cody Braemer hadn’t checked in yet.

“All the women are here, but it looks like we might have a spot for a guy.”
Unless this Cody Braemer walked through the door in the next five minutes, I could swap in the bartender with the broken heart to even the numbers and save myself from two hours of torture.


“Looks like you’re off the hook.” Garbo smiled and set her purse down on a chair. “I’ll go share the good news with the bartender.”


“Don’t you want to wait a few minutes?”


The bangles on her arm clinked together as Garbo waved off my concern. “If he hasn’t shown by now, I guarantee you he’s not coming.” 


Relief seeped through my veins. Eager to get the party started, I clapped my hands. “Can I have your attention, please? I’d like to welcome you to the Match Me speed dating event. We’ll get started in just a few minutes. Ladies, if you could pick a table and settle in for the evening, we’ll have the men rotate from one table to the next.”


I tapped my toe while each woman claimed a spot. Per Garbo’s policy, once the event officially began, late arrivals were turned away. It wasn’t fair to add someone to the rotation once the couples started talking to each other.


The men milled around, waiting to belly up to their first table. I was about to give them the go ahead when the door to the bar opened and a cowboy walked in.

He had on a pair of hip-hugging jeans with a belt buckle bigger than a frying pan. Dark hair curled out from under the brim of a black cowboy hat. The grim look on his face told me he was just as thrilled to be joining us as I was to have him.


He stepped up to the table where Garbo sat, pen poised to seal my fate. Every part of me wanted to scream out in protest. The very last thing I wanted to do tonight of all nights was to take part in a speed dating event.


His voice came out two octaves deeper than I expected. The low, gravelly tone vibrated through me as he gave Garbo his name.


“Hey, I’m Cody Braemer, and I’m here to check in.”