“Fool’s Gold is a family community,” she continued. “We have an excellent school system, a low crime rate and are a popular tourist destination. Businesses thrive here. We’ve recently signed a contract that brings a second hospital to the area. This one will include a trauma center, something this part of the state needs.”
“Are the women in town excited about the man invasion?” the second reporter asked. “Maybe some of you will get lucky.”
“Oh, joy,” Pia murmured, knowing slapping someone when on camera was never a good idea. “Tourists are always welcome.”
“We’ve heard there are busloads of men coming this way. From all over the country.”
That couldn’t be good. Busloads? What were they supposed to do with them? The kind of men who could drop everything, hop on a bus and travel to a place they’d never seen with the hopes of finding women didn’t sound especially stable. Or community oriented. If this was true, it was a nightmare in the making.
“Lucky us,” she said. “Fool’s Gold is always ready to make visitors feel at home. Families especially.”
“But you’re short on men,” the older of the three said. “So you’ll be personally interested in the guys coming. You can’t get a date, right?”
Pia raised her eyebrows, fighting a sudden flash of temper. “Do I look like I can’t get a date? Is that what you’re implying? That we should be grateful for anyone who comes here and gives us the slightest hint of affection? Do you really think we’re desperate and—”
“There you are,” a smooth male voice said, as a hand slid against the small of her back.
She turned and saw Raoul had joined her.
He gave her a warning glance, which was totally unnecessary. Obviously it was dumb to try to best a reporter while on camera. They had the last word in the editing room. But the assumption that she or any of the women in town were dying for a busload of guys from who knows where to show up was beyond insulting. Sure, many of the women in town wanted to meet someone special and get married, but that was a far cry from being desperate for any man who happened to glance their way.
Raoul extended his right hand to the reporters. “Raoul Moreno. Nice to meet you.”
Pia had the satisfaction of watching two of the three guys’ mouths drop open.
“The football player?” the youngest guy asked. “You played for Dallas. Jesus, you live here?”
“Fool’s Gold is a great town. Family friendly, supportive of businesses. I’ve opened a camp for kids up in the mountains. There’s a new hospital being built and a cycling school run by Josh Golden.”
The oldest reporter frowned. “That’s right. Josh Golden does live here. Hey, I thought there was supposed to be a man shortage.”
Pia felt smug but was determined not to let it show. “We might have some demographic challenges, but we’re still a thriving, happy community. If single men want to be a part of that, great. If they’re thinking they’ve just entered the land of desperate women, they’re sadly mistaken.”
As she spoke, she was aware of Raoul’s hand still pressing against her back. His touch was sure and warm and very, very nice. She found herself wanting to lean in, maybe rest her head against his chest, but that wouldn’t be her smartest move. They weren’t involved. Although there was a teeny-tiny chance she was thinking about asking him for sex.
How far did the pregnancy-buddy offer extend?
“There’s a lot of regional industry that might interest you,” Raoul told them. “We have a local contractor who builds wind turbines. He and his staff are designing some cutting-edge blades using special materials.”
The reporters exchanged glances, as if wind turbines didn’t exactly get their hearts beating faster. But Pia saw what Raoul was doing. Focusing on all the businesses owned by men, trying to get the reporters confused enough that they wouldn’t have a story.
“If you’re looking for local color,” Pia said in her most helpful voice, “there’s Morgan’s Books. He’s been around for years. When I was little, he always made sure the next Nancy Drew book was in stock for me.”
Raoul pulled a business card out of his shirt pocket. “If any of you want to contact me about an interview, I’m available.”
“Great,” the youngest reporter said. “I’ll call you. We can do a feature. Life after football, that sort of thing.”
“Sure.”
The three men drifted away. Pia watched anxiously, then had to hold in a cheer as the bright lights were extinguished and the cameras turned off.
She spun toward Raoul and grinned. “You did it. You saved the town.”
He guided her away from the crowd. “Don’t get too excited. They’ve been fooled, but it won’t last long. This problem isn’t going away.”
She didn’t want to think about that. “How’d you know to come here?”
“The mayor called and asked me to help. She’s worried about the kind of men who will show up based on a news story.”
Pia grinned. “She begged, didn’t she?”