Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Addison
They really were too cute for words. Kylie with her adorable pink dress with the giant bow resting right above her round bottom, and Daniel with his laidback attempt at dressing up.
Both of them tugged at her, for entirely different reasons, and yet she was drawn to each of them individually and as a pair.
And when Kylie gasped at the view from the giant glass window of the steakhouse that overlooked the sprawling acreage of Rawhide Ranch below them, Addison felt that familiar pressure in her chest. Pressure that was both attraction and the need to claim, to own.
Down, girl. This dinner is just about getting to know each other. Chill.
But it was hard to feel anything close to “chill” in Chef Connor’s stunning new restaurant.
Pine walls soared up to a cathedral ceiling above them, leaving the impression they were out in the open despite it still being a bit too chilly to actually take advantage of the gorgeous patio area outside.
Every table was covered with a white linen cloth and the silverware was wrapped in wine-red napkins.
Above them hung a giant chandelier in twisting iron shaped to mimic the evergreens that covered the mountains that encircled the Ranch.
A pretty brunette clad in a curve-hugging dress the same color as the napkins stepped into view. “Hello, welcome to—Kylie!”
Her squeal was echoed by Addison’s date, who rushed forward to throw her arms around the hostess’s neck. “Hayleigh! I didn’t know you were working here.”
Pulling away, Hayleigh Blackburn grinned. “Just for a little bit. Daddy needs some help while he’s getting everything finalized and he hasn’t found a hostess who meets his standards yet.”
Daniel snorted, loudly. “I bet.”
Frowning, Addison shot him a hard look. “Don’t be rude, Daniel.”
Hayleigh’s grin only widened as she waved a hand. “No, no. Daddy is extremely picky about his employees. But it’s the first restaurant that’s really been his, you know? So he’s being even more ridiculous than usual.”
“Is that so, little girl?”
The deep voice drew their attention to a tall man dressed in an impressively pristine white chef’s coat. Pink tinged Hayleigh’s cheeks as her grin turned sheepish. “Well you are. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the woman you interviewed today!”
“She didn’t even know the difference between a Chablis and a Muscadet.”
Hayleigh rolled her eyes. “And you could have easily taught her the difference.”
Chef Connor, as he was affectionately—and sometimes with a hint of well-earned fear—referred to everywhere on the Ranch, raised a brow.
“Show our guests to their table, and then meet me in my office.” Turning to Addison, he flashed a welcoming smile.
“My apologies for my Little girl. She was much happier helping out when it meant picking out napkin colors and lighting fixtures. Hostessing… not so much.”
It wasn’t a surprise that Hayleigh had helped with the design of the restaurant, considering she’d studied to be an interior designer. But pride shone in her Daddy’s eyes as he shifted his gaze back to his wife.
“Well, the restaurant looks fantastic,” Addison said, giving Hayleigh an approving smile that had the other woman’s eyes lighting with pleasure. “You’ve both done an incredible job.”
“Thank you.” Picking up three menus, Hayleigh gestured for them to follow. “We picked out a seat near the window, so you guys have the best view in the house for your…” Interest filled her eyes. “Is this a date?”
“Hayleigh.”
Despite the warning in Connor’s voice, Hayleigh simply rolled her eyes again. “It’s a legit question!”
“It is,” Addison assured her and Connor both. “And yes, we are on a date. Which we would all very much like to get to.”
Pink rushed to Hayleigh’s cheeks. “Of course. Follow me.”
They did as they were bid, settling in at a table by the breathtaking view. Hayleigh disappeared and a waitress took her place. “Good evening! Welcome to Connor’s On The Ridge. Can I get you started with a glass of wine?”
Kylie and Daniel both looked up, the question clear in their eyes.
Fucking hell, they were adorable. “One glass for each of you, and then it’s water the rest of the night.”
Nose wrinkling, Kylie looked down at her menu. “I’d rather have soda.”
Technically, she hadn’t agreed to be their Mommy yet. But as she’d tried to explain to Derek, she was strict and demanding, so it was probably best for them to see that side of her right out of the gate.
So they could decide now she was more than they could handle instead of two years down the road.
“It’s far too late in the day for Little girls to be drinking caffeine, Kylie Anne. One glass of wine and then water, or just water. Those are your choices.”
Pink slashed across Kylie’s cheeks, but when she ducked her head, Addison could still see the smile tugging at her lips. “A glass of the rosé, then. Please.”
“Good girl. Daniel?”
“Just water for me. Not much of a wine drinker,” he said with a shrug.
Glancing at the menu, she smiled up at the waitress. “A glass of the petit Shiraz, please.”
With their drink orders submitted, they were left alone with just their food choices and each other.
“Oh, the braised short ribs sound amazing.” Wiggling in her seat in what appeared to be some kind of happy food dance, Kylie grinned down at the menu. “With… I think the corn pudding and macaroni and cheese.”
Because Addison was watching her, she caught the sneaky little glance Kylie sent her way. So her potential babygirl wanted to test her, did she?
As a lifelong academic, Addison was a big fan of tests. And she never, ever failed.
“You may have one starch, and one green vegetable. So choose either the macaroni and cheese or the corn pudding, but not both.”
Instead of looking deflated, Kylie looked rather smug, confirming Addison’s thoughts that she’d been testing her. “Yes, Ma’am.”
She shifted her attention to the man across from her. “Daniel? What looks good to you?”
“The salmon, I think.” Now it was him blushing, and fuck her if the color spreading across his cheeks wasn’t just the cutest damn thing in the world. “I don’t really like red meat.”
“That’s perfectly all right.” And something for her to keep in mind. “What do you enjoy?”
“Pasta,” he said with a grin. “Spaghetti is one of the main food groups, as far as I’m concerned.”
“He’s not lying.” Kylie rolled her eyes. “He’d eat it every night if he could.”
“I’m a pretty big pasta fan myself. The pasta puttanesca at the Ranch’s restaurant is to die for.”
“Eww.” Again with that adorable wrinkling of her nose, Kylie shook her head. “Danny made me try that once. It has anchovies in it. I don’t know how you two can eat those.”
“They’re delicious,” Addison supplied with a chuckle. “But they are a bit of an acquired taste. Do you just dislike anchovies or all fish?”
“All fish. Except shellfish because that’s usually not fishy. Back home we have the most amazing crab cakes.” Sighing wistfully, Kylie propped her chin on her fist, her expression turning dreamy. “I dream about Maryland crab cakes.”
“You’re not local, then.” Interesting. She could have found all that out for herself by asking Derek for their backgrounds, but she was a bit old-fashioned when it came to certain things. “What about you, Daniel?”
“I’m local-ish. I grew up in a small town a few hours from here, right on the Wyoming border.”
“Really? I’m from Cooke City, originally, but I moved to Bozeman after college.”
His expression lit up. “I’m from Silver Gate. Small world.”
“It is, indeed.”
“Not small enough.” Kylie’s bottom lip puffed out in a pout. “You two are practically neighbors and I’m all the way on the other side of the country!”
“Aw, Ky.” Reaching over, he gave her ponytail a playful tug and Addison’s heart tripped in her chest at the sweet gesture. “You’re only on the other side of the country if you move back home.”
“True.” Sniffling delicately, Kylie sat up straighter. “And I do miss home, and my family, but I really love Montana. I’ve been looking at some Masters programs in Bozeman.”
“What do you think you might like to do?” Kylie was incredibly gifted at math, but outside of that, Addison didn’t know much about her ambitions.
“Montana State has an excellent Mechanical Engineering program.”
There was something in her tone, or rather a lack of something that had Addison zeroing in on her. “You don’t sound very excited about that.”
Kylie jerked a shoulder in a shrug that seemed like it was meant to be nonchalant but instead had more of a “sulky Little girl” vibe. “I’m good at math. I like math. So I should do something with math. It would be stupid not to.”
“I’m not a fan of the word ‘stupid,’ Kylie Anne. And I am very much not a fan of you using that word with regards to yourself.”
Tears sparked on Kylie’s lashes as she sank down in her chair. “Sorry,” she mumbled, so softly Addison almost didn’t hear her.
“Sit up, please, and look at me.”
Across the table from her, she was intimately aware of Daniel watching both her and Kylie, his attention riveted on them as Kylie pushed herself back up in her chair with a sigh. She lifted her dark eyes, still glittering with tears, to meet Addison’s. “Ma’am?”
“Thank you. Now, I’m not going to push you to make a decision about your future on a first date.
What I will tell you, however, is that I am a very firm believer in doing what makes you happy.
Not what other people expect of you.” She let her lips curve in a wicked smile.
“Unless that person is me. Then I do expect you to do as I tell you to, so I don’t have to spank that naughty bottom of yours.
I much prefer to reward good Little girls than punish them.
Outside of that, however, if engineering doesn’t make you happy, then you’re under no obligation to pursue it. All right?”
A small smile tugged at Kylie’s lips. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“Good girl.”
Kylie