Fuzzy Logic by Susan C. Daffron Page A

look something up.”
    “What kind of commercial? I didn’t know Hollywood was interested in Alpine Grove.” Cowboy hat aside, he certainly didn’t seem like the type of person to be hanging out in a small town.
    He lounged casually against the desk. “I don’t think Hollywood is interested. But we’re saving money by driving out here to the sticks because we need some pine trees in the background. The ad is for men’s cologne and we needed a more outdoorsy, Wild-West look than we can get in San Diego.”
    Jan inclined her head slightly toward his. “I guess that explains the cowboy hat.”
    Michael took the hat off his head and turned it around in his hands. “We all have them. The client gave them to us. Actually, Ron, the actor doing the commercial, has a much cooler one. No real cowboy would be caught dead in these things. Mine is already falling apart. But it works to keep the sun off my face.”
    “Skin cancer is always a risk. Particularly if you were badly sunburned when you were a child.”
    Michael placed his elbows on the desk and leaned over the counter toward her. “I know you weren’t sunburned. Anywhere.”
    Jan leaned back on her stool. She could feel the flush rising in her cheeks and she crossed her arms in front of her. “That was when I was eight. I have seen sunlight in the intervening years. So again, why exactly are you here?”
    Michael widened his eyes and stretched his body over the counter so his face was close to hers. Jan noticed again how long and thick his eyelashes were. Giving her a penetrating look, he said, “Maybe I just missed you.”
    Jan shook her head. “I doubt that.” It was a good thing she took her job seriously. He had the most gorgeous eyes. Up close, she could see that chocolate-brown color was flecked with tiny specks of gold.
    Michael stood up straight again and placed his palms on the counter. “I told you. I need to look something up. Ron is having a meltdown and says he can’t do the commercial. He needs to understand his motivation. So I need information about the Wild West and cowboys. Can I borrow some books?”
    Taken aback by his sudden return to business, Jan picked up her pencil again and attempted to look businesslike. “This is a library. That’s what we do. But you do need to have a library card. Please fill out this form.”
    He frowned. “Oh come on. Really? I don’t live here. Do I really have to fill out a bunch of bureaucratic forms just to get a book on cowboys?”
    “If you want to check them out, yes. However, if you prefer, you can go to the history section over there and see if you can find what you need. Try 978—that section has the history of the western states in North America. Bring the books to the desk here and I can make copies of the pages with the information you need. But each copy does cost ten cents.”
    Michael glanced up at the clock on the wall behind the desk. “How long will that take? I’m in a rush. I need this now. Yesterday, even. Every minute Ron is whining about his motivational angst is costing the agency a lot of money.”
    Jan looked at her watch. “Do you take a break for lunch? Maybe you can distract him with some sandwiches. It’s not very busy here today. If you give me an hour or so, I can look up some information for you while the actor eats. There’s a deli just around the corner.”
    The muscles around Michael’s lips relaxed and he smiled widely. “Would you do that? He reached across the desk and grabbed her shoulders. “I could just kiss you! You have no idea how much this helps me out.”
    Jan jerked back, away from him, and put her hands up in front of her. “That’s not necessary. I do research for people all the time. In fact, I enjoy it. Are there any specific questions that the actor wants answered?”
    Michael paused for a moment and said, “Well, Ron is worried that his clothes don’t look authentic and he wants to understand why his character is there. I told him that