Fuzzy Logic by Susan C. Daffron Page B

he’s selling cologne and that’s why he’s there, but he’s not buying it. He says he wants a better understanding of why he’s standing around with his horse in the trees. I can’t believe this guy. Do you know how expensive it is to hire a trained horse to stand around in trees? It’s killing me!”
    Jan nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”
    Michael raised his hat in the air with a flourish and yelled “Yee-HAW!” At the outburst, several people quietly reading magazines in the row of chairs along the wall looked up and glared. A gray-haired woman glowered at Michael and hissed “Shhhh!” in his direction.
    Glancing at the woman across the room, Michael said in a stage whisper, “Oops. Sorry. But thank you! I’ll be back in an hour.”

    Jan adored doing research and she had a lot of fun researching cowboy locations, activities, and motivations. It was like a treasure hunt or mystery story trying to find out why a cowboy might be standing around in a copse of trees. Pleased with her finds, she made copies of relevant pages, highlighted important information, and placed the stack of papers on the desk. When Michael walked through the door of the library, she waved at him.
    At the desk, Michael looked down at the stack of paper. “Did you find anything? Please tell me you did and that big pile of dead trees is mine. The sandwich distraction only took me so far. Ron is getting antsy again.”
    Jan was eager to share what she’d learned. “It was so interesting. Cowboys led a fascinating life.”
    Michael was nodding as he riffled through the papers. “That’s great. What do I owe you for all these copies? I have to get back right now before Ron blows a gasket. The guy is so temperamental. Even the potato chips weren’t right. Sheesh. Dealing with actors drives me nuts.”
    “Don’t you want to know what I learned?”
    “Not right now. I’ll read it. I’ve really got to go.” He poked around in his wallet and proffered a bill at Jan. “Here’s a twenty. I’ll come back for the change later. I’ve really got to run. This shoot is going to blow my budget and my boss is freaking out. Thank you, though. I’ll be back later.”
    Disappointed that she wouldn’t get to explain more about cowboy life, Jan took the money and smiled. “Oh, this is more than enough. I’ll have your change waiting for you when you return.”
    Michael leaned across the desk and wrapped Jan in a bear hug. “You are amazing. Thank you!” He gave her a loud smacking kiss on the cheek.
    Startled by the impact of the sudden embrace, Jan squeezed her eyes shut. “You’re welcome,” she said weakly.
    Michael’s body was yanked away from Jan’s, and she opened her eyes to find Steve standing in front of the desk with one of his beefy fists clutching Michael’s shoulder.
    “What are you doing making out with my girlfriend?” Steve said.
    Michael turned his head to look at Jan. “I take it you know this gentleman?”
    Jan nodded. “Yes. He’s my fiancé, actually.”
    Steve narrowed his eyes at Michael. “So why are you messing with her?”
    Michael shook his shoulder out of Steve’s grip. “Unhand me, you brute.”
    Jan giggled. Michael didn’t seem to find Steve particularly threatening and she hadn’t heard a reference from old Popeye cartoons in a long time.
    Steve’s face reddened. “Are you making fun of me? Who are you, anyway?”
    “I am a patron of the library,” Michael said slowly, as if he were explaining something to a sleepy three-year old. “And I’m an old friend of Jan’s. I was her neighbor a long time ago. And then I saw her last weekend at her mother’s wedding.”
    Steve whipped his head around toward Jan. “You didn’t tell me about this guy. Are you running around on me? And here you were accusing me the other night. You’ve got a lot of nerve.”
    Jan waved her hands at the two men and whispered, “You both need to calm down. And for heaven’s sake, be quiet. This is a library.