by Liv Brywood
“He said it was decent. I wouldn’t call that a compliment,” she said.
“Coming from him it is. I’m impressed,” he said.
“Thank you.”
Static from the microphone interrupted their conversation.
“Once we’ve had time to deliberate, we’ll post a list of twelve finalists,” Lori said. “In the meantime, please clean your stations.”
After scrubbing her half of the grill and table, Kim waited for Zack to finish. She glanced at the leaderboard several times, but the names hadn’t been posted yet. As each minute bled into the next, trepidation built until acid churned in her belly. She blew out a slow breath in an attempt to calm herself.
“Nervous?” Zack asked.
“A little.”
“They just posted the scores.” He pointed at the board. “Let’s go check it out.”
As the list of names came into view, her knees wobbled with relief. Her name appeared at the top of the leaderboard. She was still in first-place. She closed her eyes to savor the moment. She was just a few rounds away from winning and she couldn’t wait to claim the prize.
When she opened her eyes, Zack was smiling at her.
“Top two,” he said. “It looks like we’re the ones to beat.”
“I almost can’t believe it.”
“I can,” he said in a cocky tone.
“Of course you can.” She laughed and playfully punched his shoulder.
“We should go out and celebrate,” he said.
“Celebrate? I don’t know. Tomorrow’s an early start time and I should probably go back to the cottage. I need to work on my recipe.”
“If you don’t already have a winning recipe ready, you’re in trouble.”
“I have something in mind,” she said. “But I want to try it one more time just to be sure.”
“Have you made it before?” he asked.
“Many times.”
“Then it will be amazing.” He looped his arm around her back and guided her toward the parking lot. “You need to relax, and I know just the place to go.”
A part of her wanted to head back to the cottage so she could try the recipe one last time, but he was right. She’d fiddled with it for years, so there wasn’t any way she could possibly improve on it. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it, he was right. She did need to blow off some steam. If she went out with him tonight, then maybe she’d be refreshed and ready for tomorrow.
“Where are we headed?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise.” He flashed a devilishly handsome grin. “But trust me, this will be a night you’ll never forget.”
Zack parked the bike at the end of a row of other motorcycles in the parking lot outside of Boone’s Bar. Made up to look like the outside of a big red barn, Boone’s was a classic country dance hall. At first, he’d considered taking her to the only steak house in Lost Hills, but they didn’t have a dance floor and he wanted a reason to get close to her again.
After securing their helmets, Zack grabbed her hand. He led her into the huge building. Strings of sparkling white lights hung from wood beams to cast a romantic glow over the dance floor. Rows and rows of packed picnic tables flanked the room. A bar stood opposite a live band. Country music blasted from the speakers as a man called the instructions for a square dance.
“Swing your partner ‘round and ‘round, and turn your corner upside down. And turn your corner like you’re swingin’ on a gate, and meet your partner for a grand chain eight. And hurry up boys and don’t be late. Chew your tobacco and rub your snuff, and meet your honey and strut your stuff.”
Many of the people sitting around the tables clapped in time with the music, while others passed pitchers of beer and pizza to their friends. As they made their way past the dancers to the bar, Zack waved at several groups of people.
“You seem to know everyone,” Kim yelled over the frantic fiddling coming from the stage.
“When you live in a small town, everyone gets to know everyone else.”
“It’s not like that in Houston.”
“That’s too bad. I like knowin’ who my neighbors are,” he said.
“I’m surprised we’re in a bar,” she said. “I thought we were going to have a quiet night out.”
“No way, Cupcake. And besides, this isn’t just any ol’ bar. This is Boone’s. My family’s been coming here for fifty years.”
“Wow.”
“It’s our family’s favorite watering hole,” he said. “Decades ago, it was an old dairy farm. When Boone’s old man bought it, he turned it into the best dance hall for a hundred miles. The family still runs the day-to-day operations. You won’t find a better place to grab a beer and eat some good ol’-fashioned brick-fired pizza.”
“Will I get to meet the owners?” she asked.
“If you play your cards right, I might be able to arrange a rendezvous.” When she blushed, he grinned. “Come on, hon. Let’s get some moonshine.”
“Moonshine?”
“You said you’re a whiskey kind of girl, right?” he asked.
“Right,” she laughed. “But just a sip. I don’t want to be hungover tomorrow.”
After elbowing his way through the patrons, he waved at the bartender.
“Kenny,” Zack called. When his friend strolled over, he introduced him to Kim then said, “This little lady likes whiskey. Do you have any moonshine under the counter back there?”
“Not while Sheriff Olson’s here.” Kenny motioned toward the lawman sitting at the end of the counter. The sheriff was gesturing wildly while a group of people laughed around him. “He’s been telling fisherman’s tales all night, but he’s still sharp as a tack.”
“I shouldn’t drink too much tonight,” she said. “How about a beer?”
“Light or dark?” Kenny asked.
“Surprise me.”
“That’s my kind of woman,” Zack said with a wink. “Grab us a pitcher, will ya?”
“Coming right up,” Kenny said.
After paying for the beer, Zack pushed a path through the crowd. He found a couple of seats open next to the dance floor. He smiled at the family sitting at the picnic table. It was customary to share the tables, especially on nights when the place was packed.
As the band began a slow country song, Kim swayed in time with the music.
“Dance with me,” he said.
“No, I couldn’t. I’m not very good at it,” she said.
“No one will be watching.” He stood and held out his hand. When she didn’t take it, he said, “I’ll stand here all night if I have to, Beautiful.”
“You do like making a scene, don’t you?”
“I might like a bit of attention from time to time.”
She laughed before grabbing his hand and following him onto the dance floor. At first, she moved like a wooden marionette, but as he twirled her around, she relaxed. He pulled her close and swayed with the music.
“You’re a good dancer,” he said.
“I dance like a long-haul trucker.”
As he roared with laughter, his bear grinned. The creature liked to see her silly side because he knew from experience that once he got a woman to laugh, she was only a few steps away from ending up in his bed.
His bear still hadn’t forgiven him for walking away from her the previous night. But she wasn’t the kind of woman he could just screw behind a barn. His brother was right; there was something more between them, but what? Sure, she was sweet when she retracted her claws, but the girl still liked to bite.
Then let her take a big ol’ chomp out of us, his bear said.
Zack shook his head slightly. Sex and food. It was all his bear ever wanted. From the beast’s perspective she was perfect. She could kiss as well as she cooked. But she was more than just a sexy cook. She was passionate and driven, two qualities he couldn’t help but admire.
“You’re a great dancer,” he whispered against her ear.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
As they moved across the dance floor, the rest of the world faded into the background. The longer he gazed into her luminous green eyes, the more he wanted to kiss her. He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across her lips. When she didn’t move away, he returned to deepen the kiss.
When she sighed and leaned into him, he reached up to cradle the back of her neck in his hand. She was so small and delicate compared to him. His protective instinct kicked in and all he wanted to do was take care of her. Not that she needed it. The woman was amazing. She’d taken care of her sick mother for months while still working a full-time job. Not many people could do that without falling apart. How had she managed to do that without crumbling?
She pressed into the kiss, molding herself against him. His bear roared with approval and pranced around in his chest. When she parted her lips, his tongue swept against hers. She moaned and laced her fingers around his neck. For a second, he considered tossing her over his shoulder so he could carry her off to bed. But he managed to cling to a thread of self-control.
As she broke the kiss, he sighed. If she’d been one of his conquests, he would have already sweet-talked her into bed. But she was special, and he didn’t know what to do about it. After the competition, she’d head back to Houston to be with her mom, so he didn’t want to start something that he couldn’t finish. But he wasn’t ready to let her go either.
“Should we sit for a little while?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He led her back to the table. When the pitcher ran dry, he asked, “Want another beer?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll be right back. Don’t go running off with another cowboy,” he joked.
“That’s not something you have to worry about,” she said.
His heart thumped as he realized the implication of her statement. She hadn’t so much as looked at another man all night. Desire blazed in her eyes as if challenging him to make the next move. He grabbed the pitcher and hurried toward the bar before he did something stupid.
After setting the empty container on the bar, he waited for Kenny to refill it. He turned to watch Kim as she continued to sway with the music. Even from a distance, the woman was gorgeous. She turned to watch another man approach.
Gunther Thompson? What the hell was he doing there? The gator shifter was nothing but trouble. How on earth had Zack missed the shifter’s scent? He scanned the room and found Billy, the other Thompson brother, heading their way. Those two guys traveled together like fire and brimstone, and they always left a path of destruction in their wake.
Screw the beer.
Zack stalked across the floor. He pushed through the crowd with minimal politeness. Those guys had to know that she was Zack’s girl. Maybe not officially, but she’d come with him and she was going to leave with him too.
He was still twenty feet away when Gunther ran his hand across her upper arm. Oh, hell no!
As Kim tensed, Zack rushed to her side. His bear snarled and clawed at his chest in an attempt to break free. The beast wanted to rip the gator brothers to shreds.
“I don’t want to dance with you.” Kim pushed Gunther’s hand away. “I said no.”
By the time Zack reached her, he was seeing red.
“Well, I’ll be dammed,” Gunther smirked. “If it isn’t one of the Grant bastards.”
Zack grabbed the idiot by the collar with one hand and punched him square in the face with the other. Gunther stumbled back and grabbed at his nose as blood spurted everywhere.
“You stay the hell away from her,” Zack growled.
“You gonna make me?” Gunther asked as he fisted his hands.
Zack lunged forward, striking him again and again. The other man didn’t stand a chance. Zack was bigger and stronger than any gator shifter could ever hope to be, so the fight was over before it even started. Gunther went down but Zack kept pounding his fleshy stomach. He couldn’t hear anything over the roar of his bear and the white noise of screams coming from the crowd.
His bear was determined to release the full force of his protective rage. He couldn’t control himself, even as he slipped in the growing puddle of blood, and even as the downed man begged for his life. Once his bear’s rage exploded, nothing could stop him.
He was dangerously close to shifting when Kenny leapt onto his back and pulled him away from the battered man. Zack twisted and jerked in an attempt to dislodge his friend. A second man jumped on his back and they tackled him to the floor.
As his cheek cracked against the tiles, he turned and watched Kim flee. In his race to protect her, he’d scared her off, and he had no one to blame but himself. He’d let rage overwhelm him. And now that she’d seen his violent, feral side, she’d probably never speak to him again.
Chapter 8
Kim couldn’t catch her breath as she ran down the long country road. Fortunately, her car was still parked at the fairgrounds. But after what she’d just witnessed, she’d been fully prepared to run all the way back to the cottage if necessary.
After hopping into the car, she slammed and locked the door. What the hell had just happened? One minute she was enjoying a night of drinks and dancing with a sweet, sexy cowboy, and the next she was watching that same man pound someone into the floor. If having another man asking her to dance provoked that much rage, what would Zack do if she won the contest?
As she drove back to the ranch, Zack’s explosive response played on an endless loop through her mind. She couldn’t stop hearing the crack of breaking bone, or the meaty slap of his fist against the other man’s pot belly. She’d fled before she could see the outcome. Had Zack killed him?
She shuddered.
When she’d first spotted Zack rushing over from the bar, she’d loved his protective, brooding expression. But it had shifted into animalistic fury by the time he’d reached them. His transformation reminded her of a caged bear. He’d actually roared as he beat the other man to a pulp.
She trembled during the entire drive back to the cottage. What was she going to do? She couldn’t stay there. If the sheriff hadn’t arrested Zack, he could be coming for her next. Maybe he’d decide to get rid of his competition. How much did he want to win? Was he capable of attacking her too?
If she hadn’t witnessed the assault, she never would have believed that Zack was capable of violence. He didn’t seem like an angry, vicious man, but how much did she really know about him? Maybe he was an expert at hiding his true nature. Or maybe she was just a terrible judge of character.
As soon as she reached the cottage, she called the only person who could make her feel better: her mother. She’d know what to do. After several rings, her mom answered the phone.
“Hi, honey,” her mom mumbled.
“What’s wrong?” A whisper of trepidation inched down her spine. “Are you feeling okay? Did something happen?”
“Nothing much. How’s the competition going?”
“Mom,” she said in a scolding tone. “What’s going on?”
“Dr. Hartfield did another scan… I still have cancer.”
“What?” Kim plopped down on the edge of the bed. “How is that possible? He told us that you’d only need that last round of chemo. Your scan should have come back clear.”
“He said he was hopeful, but he didn’t guarantee it,” her mom said.
“We need to get another treatment scheduled as soon as possible. Did you set something up with him? I can leave right now. I’ll be home in a few hours.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” her mom said. “You still have a few days left in the competition, right?”
“Yes, but that’s beside the point,” Kim said. “Your health is far more important that a stupid contest. Did the doctor set up another treatment plan?”
“Not exactly.”
“What does that mean?”
“I left before he had a chance to go over them.”
“Mom! How could you just leave?”
“Don’t you speak to me in that tone of voice, young
lady. We may be best friends, but I’m still your mother. I couldn’t stand sitting in his office listening to him drone on and on about more treatments. I’m tired. I don’t want to do it anymore.”
Kim bowed her head. She took a few breaths before responding.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s been a rough day, and now this. How did this even happen? We did everything right. I made sure that you were eating healthy and that you got enough rest. How could we have failed?”
“We didn’t fail,” her mom said. “You didn’t fail. My body’s just being stubborn.”
“I’m quitting the competition and I’m coming home,” Kim said firmly.
“Were you eliminated?”
“No. But you need me more than I need this prize.”
“We both need that money,” her mom said. “This pile of bills isn’t getting any smaller. If I have to go through treatment again, then the stack’s only going to get bigger. Why are you so eager to leave? Are you in last place?”
“No, I’m in first place,” Kim said.
“That’s amazing.”
“How is that amazing when you could be—”
“Dying?”
“You’re not going to die,” Kim snapped. “And I’m sick and tired of hearing you say that word. I hate it. I’m packing right now. I’ll be home by midnight.”
“Don’t you dare,” her mom said. “If you really want to help me, then get a good night’s sleep. I need you to get up and win tomorrow’s round.”
“What if something happens to you tonight?” Kim asked.
“Gayle’s staying in the guest room tonight. If I mysteriously drop dead, she’ll take care of it.”
“But—”
“Honey, if you come home, it’s going to cause me more stress than if you’d just stayed there. You’re only a few challenges away from landing your dream job. Once you have your own show, you wouldn’t have to slave away in a kitchen for someone else.
“Most people would kill to have an opportunity like that. I know you want to help me, but you have to help yourself too. You’ve put your life on hold for me for the last year and it’s your turn to do something good for yourself. A few days isn’t going to change anything. I’ll still be here.”