Chapter Five
On the Hook
The ‘mess hall’ was a big country-style dining area that reminded Kristin of the restaurant Nelly ran in Little House on the Prairie. The food was amazing – homemade biscuits and gravy, tender chicken fried steak, and buttery potatoes and green beans. She elbowed LeAnn, who picked at her food and avoided the meat. “Get off the California kick. If you’re going to survive the week, you can’t be a vegan. You’ll need the protein.”
“Why didn’t you tell me we’d be living off grease and cow?” LeAnn grumbled, finally forcing herself to cut into the steak. She popped the bite in her mouth, and her expression changed completely, suddenly a mask of pure ecstasy. Her eyes closed, and she chewed slowly.
Kristin giggled at her. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you missed red meat.”
“This is better than sex,” LeAnn breathed after swallowing. She dug in now, giving Kristin a warning glance. “Don’t you dare repeat that, and don’t tell anyone I climbed off the wagon for a few days.”
“It’s not like you kicked a drug habit and had a relapse, LeAnn. Relax,” Kristin told her. “What’s the big deal?”
“Cholesterol, salt, the inhumane way cows are murdered.” LeAnn ticked the reasons off on her fingers.
Kristin snorted. “It’s funny, you didn’t seem to care about any of that in college.”
She grunted. “My industry cares, so I care.” She popped another bite. “But not this week.”
The staff lined up against the wall for introductions, and the room grew quiet. When they finished, Dale stepped forward. “As you finish your grub, take a right around the corner, and go into the banquet hall. There’s dessert and drinks waiting so y’all can get acquainted with one another.”
Instinctively, Kristin kept her head down until he and his crew filed in the direction he’d given, and she faced LeAnn’s determined stare as she glanced back up. “Okay, give it up. You have some sort of issue with Mr. Prescott. Spill the beans, sister, or I’ll ask him what the story is.”
“Don’t you dare!” LeAnn’s eyes sparked, and Kristin sighed. She hated when her friend goaded her into giving up information. “I knew him in school. He doesn’t seem to recognize me, but it’s just weird running into someone from the past like that, especially since he’s here, with a ranch, and I’m jobless.” It was a good enough explanation. She didn’t care to share the minute details.
“He doesn’t have to know that,” LeAnn told her. “If he does remember you, just talk about your career like you’re still with the firm. No one’s going to know the difference. Besides, it was a layoff. It’s not like you were fired.”
It was true, to a point, but it still left Kristin feeling like a failure. And because that wasn’t her only embarrassing fact when it came to Dale Prescott, it offered little comfort. Finishing her food, she wiped her hands and face and waited the few minutes it took LeAnn to finally devour every bite on her plate. Together, they got up and headed toward the banquet hall, where a few other guests were already streaming in.
“Let’s get some punch,” LeAnn suggested, nodding toward the table across the room. Kristin was searching to find Dale, but he was nowhere to be seen, so she followed her friend. She dipped out a cup and drank, the mixture coating her throat and cooling her from the inside out. She turned to gaze around the room, taking in the other guests as they entered, and she felt LeAnn move up behind her. Turning to talk to her friend, Kristin gasped, meeting a solid wall of man and locking eyes again with Dale Prescott.
His smile was devastating as it crept across his lips, crinkling the corners of his intoxicating eyes with humor. “Hello, Krissy.”
Her throat closed, and she couldn’t speak for a moment. He was literally two inches from her, and she stared up at him in fear and a sudden twist of interest. Neither one suited her purpose, and she tried to swallow them both as she found her voice. “Hello, Dale. I guess you recognized me after all.”
His eyes twinkled, an unsettling effect that made it hard to breathe. “How could I not? You’ve hardly changed, though you’re even more beautiful than I remembered.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want to make a big deal in front of all the other guests, but I didn’t want you to think I’d forgotten you, either.”
That was too bad. Forcing a timid smile, Kristin told him, “I had no idea this place belonged to you when I signed up. You’ve done well for yourself.” She gestured around at his place. “This ranch is beautiful, and I can’t wait to see more of it.”
“Thank you.” He cleared his throat and gave her a searching look. “Where did you disappear after graduation? There were a few graduation parties, but you never showed, and I guess you left in a hurry.”
“I started college during summer semester, with accelerated courses.” Kristin’s blood pumped loudly in her ears, and she felt awkward, despite the ease with which Dale engaged her.
“You always were an overachiever,” he commented with a boyish grin. “Listen, we’ll have to do some catching up while you’re here. There aren’t a lot of people I care to recall from high school, but we had some good times. I had hoped to see you at the reunion.”
Now, Kristin blushed. “Like you, there weren’t many people I missed, so I certainly didn’t feel the need to traipse all the way back to Dallas from New York and use up my vacation time to paste on a fake smile and pretend they were old friends.”
He chuckled. “Damn straight on that one.” He touched her arm, and Kristin’s skin tingled beneath his hand. “It’s really good to see you, Krissy. I missed you.”
The words crept up her spine and sent a shiver coursing through her body. She took a step back, putting more space between them and sipping her punch before responding. “I’d love to catch up with you.”
He seemed satisfied. “I’m going to greet the other guests, but I’ll get back around to you in a bit, okay?” Kristin nodded as he walked away, and she let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.
LeAnn reappeared suddenly, and Kristin seared her with a hot stare and asked, “Where did you go?”
LeAnn raised an accusing eyebrow. “I thought the two of you needed a little space. There were rays of chemistry shooting in all directions around you.” She shook her head. “When we go back to the rooms, you’re going to dish out all the details of what that was all about. I knew you were holding back earlier! I want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,” LeAnn said jokingly.
So help me, God. And she’d need the assistance from upstairs, if anyone was listening, when she recounted those gritty details to her best friend.