Chapter 11
“What the hell did I just do?” Dillon asked herself as she walked to the house.
She glanced over her shoulder to see Cal driving toward the bunkhouse.
After going out of her way to say that she didn’t trust him, she had invited him to dinner.
That wasn’t exactly a smart move. No matter how many times she tried to understand what she had done, Dillon couldn’t come up with an answer.
Emmett was like family, and yet they rarely ate together. She had never invited any of the other employees to a private dinner. Sure, there were special celebrations where they all ate together throughout the year, but nothing like this.
“I think the stress is getting to me. It’s the only explanation.”
Right. And you don’t think it could be the fact that you like Cal’s smile?
Dillon ignored her inner voice. It was pointless to argue with herself.
Instead, she made her way upstairs to her room.
She got out of her clothes and into the shower to scrub off the sweat, dirt, and the horse smell from the day.
With that done, she toweled off and stood in front of the large bathroom mirror.
She looked at her reflection, lifting the wet strands of her hair to let them fall haphazardly.
At one time, she had religiously gotten her hair cut and colored every six weeks.
The highlights had been the first thing she’d stopped.
Then, it became harder and harder to find the time to get to her stylist. The last time had been three months ago, and she had requested a cut that could sustain her for several months.
However, now that she looked at herself, she realized she had waited too long.
There wasn’t anything she could do about it now, though.
Dillon rubbed some product between her hands and spread it evenly through her tresses. She wasn’t sure why she’d gotten out the blow-dryer. It had been ages since she had done more than let her hair dry as she slept. But tonight, she was making an effort.
“It’s for me. This has nothing to do with Cal.”
Her subconscious issued a loud snort.
She quickly shut off her mind regarding anything to do with Cal. It lasted all of two minutes before she thought about him again. It was incredibly frustrating. She didn’t want to think about him. To wonder about his past.
And hope that she could trust him.
Everything inside her urged her to believe him. Dillon wanted to have faith in her intuition, but she wasn’t sure she could trust it right now. She worried that her brain might be getting confused by a handsome face and ignoring the truth.
Dillon turned off the blow-dryer and put it away before going into her closet.
It was a hot, sticky night, and she didn’t want to put on another pair of jeans.
She chose a simple, white, sleeveless maxi dress and brown sandals.
When she turned to look at herself in the mirror, she stopped, shocked by her reflection.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had worn anything but jeans, yoga pants, or sweatpants. Her life was the ranch. She didn’t regret it, but she had let little things fall by the wayside. Like getting her hair cut.
“Oh, no,” she said as she leaned forward to look closely at her eyebrows.
Without hesitation, she rushed to her vanity and dug through the drawer until she found a pair of tweezers to start plucking her brows into some semblance of shape.
How could she have forgotten about her eyebrows?
Well, that answer was easy. Because she hadn’t cared.
The horses and cattle certainly never looked at her brows.
Dolly had kept herself up. Dillon had thought she would, as well, but the facts were staring her in the face—and she didn’t like what she saw.
By the time she’d finished, the skin around her eyebrows was red. She rushed downstairs, got an ice cube from the freezer, and rolled it over the skin to take the swelling and redness down. When she returned to her vanity, the effects of the ice had begun to kick in. But it wasn’t enough.
Dillon sighed as she looked into her eyes. It had been so long since she’d put on makeup, she wasn’t sure if she remembered how. The last thing she wanted was for Cal to think that she had done this for him. But what else would he believe?
She settled on some mascara and lipstick as a compromise. When she finished, she was quite pleased with the outcome. The mascara made her eyes look bigger, but it also kept the casual look she wanted. Still, she gave in and added a hint of bronzer to her cheeks, nose, and forehead.
Dillon put everything away and ran her hand through her hair before getting to her feet.
As she turned to leave, her gaze landed on her jewelry box.
She walked to it and opened the lid. Dolly had left her everything, including her jewelry.
Much of it hadn’t been to Dillon’s tastes, but she had fallen in love with the turquoise set.
The necklace was three strands of stones and silver beads.
The earrings were sterling silver chain drop with a turquoise bead.
But the real beauty of the set was the turquoise bracelets that ranged from beaded styles to five thin cuffs accented with the beautiful stone set in different ways.
She clasped the necklace into place and put on the earrings. Then she divided the bracelets to cover both wrists. The blue-green stone popped against her white dress. The more Dillon stared at herself, the more she remembered what it was like to get dressed up—even if it was only for herself.
“I’ve got to do this more often.”
The problem was that she was usually bone-tired by the time she returned to the house for the night.
Many times, she ate beef jerky and chips and drank a Coke for dinner.
It wasn’t the healthiest of meals, but it was better than skipping a meal altogether.
But when you were too tired to think, the last thing a person should do is get out knives or use hot pans for cooking. For her safety, she opted out.
And yet, she had said that she would cook tonight—after a horrendous day full of so many ups and downs that it made her stomach clench just thinking about it.
She shook her head, putting aside the turbulent thoughts and what troubles lay ahead.
For the moment, she had done all she could, short of sneaking onto Hank’s land herself.
She would’ve done it, too, had Cal not warned her about the cameras.
She had known about them. Everyone in town did because Hank had told everyone and made a big show of detailing the expensive system he’d had installed and the crew that had come to set it all up.
It was a good thing that Cal had stopped her.
Otherwise, she could’ve ended up in jail, and that definitely wouldn’t look good for her in her case with Hank.
A knock at the door startled her out of her musings.
She turned off the lights and went downstairs, seeing Cal through the glass window of the back door.
This time, he wore a blue plaid button-down.
As she neared, she noticed that he had shaved his two-day growth of beard.
She wasn’t sure if she liked him better clean-shaven or with that five o’clock shadow.
She opened the door with a smile. “Come in.”
“Wow,” he said as his gray eyes looked her up and down. “You look amazing.”
Inside, Dillon beamed, but she kept her smile neutral. “Thanks. Make yourself comfortable. Would you like a beer?”
“Ah . . . I think I’m going to pass.”
They shared a chuckle. “Probably a smart move.”
“Don’t let that stop you,” he said.
“I’m not fond of beer, though I always keep some for guests.”
“What do you drink?”
She shrugged. “Wine, gin and soda, or Chambord and soda. My go-to is Chambord.”
“I thought for sure you were going to say bourbon.”
Dillon laughed as she walked to the fridge. “The only time I can stomach it is when it’s fixed in a hot toddy, and I’m sick.”
“What can I help you do?” he asked when she took some steaks out of the fridge.
“Can you grill?”
He shot her a crooked smile. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Perfect. You’re in charge of the meat. The grill is outside if you want to get it ready.”
Cal nodded and walked outside. The sun was sinking into the horizon, casting long shadows, but it would still be another hour or more before it was dark.
Dillon loved summer. She didn’t even mind the heat too much.
The animals even found the shade some days, but she had gotten accustomed to being outside for the majority of the day for the most part.
She went to the sink to rinse off the broccolini.
Without meaning to, her gaze went to Cal.
He had rolled up his sleeves and bent over to look at the grill, giving her a great view of his ass.
Dillon smiled because there was just something about a cowboy in jeans.
She hastily turned away when she thought Cal might look her way.
Dillon then got out the new potatoes and sliced them accordion-style, careful not to cut all the way through. After setting them on a baking sheet, she brushed a mixture of olive oil, garlic, and butter over them and popped them into the oven.
While the potatoes cooked, she got the broccolini ready by cutting off the hard ends and brushing them with olive oil before adding salt and pepper.
She placed them on another baking sheet and set them aside.
Next, she put the steaks on a plate and seasoned them on each side.
It wasn’t long before Cal returned for the meat.
“Grill needs a little longer to heat up,” he said.
She leaned back against the counter behind her as she wiped her hands on a towel. “How did you find the bunkhouse?”
“It’s nice. More than I expected.”
“Good.”
Cal glanced away and rocked back on his heels. “I, ah, I appreciate the meal.”
“You’ve not tasted it yet. You might be heading into town to fill your belly.”
“I doubt that.”
“You don’t even know what I’m cooking.”
He shrugged. “My momma raised me to eat whatever was put in front of me. I can’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal.”
“You saved my life today. I figured I owed you.”
“You gave me a job.”
Dillon lowered her gaze to the floor for a moment. “I needed the help.”
“You won’t regret it.”
There was such sincerity in his gaze that Dillon found herself believing him. She cautioned herself, but the damage had already been done. She was staring, and yet she couldn’t stop. What was it about him that made her forget reason? She wasn’t sure if she liked it or not.
Cal jerked his chin to the steaks. “Why don’t I see if the grill is ready?”
“Sure.”
He reached for the plate. “I’m betting you like your steaks medium-rare.”
“Impressive.”
“It’s a gift,” he said with a bright smile before walking out.
The timer went off for the potatoes. Dillon turned her attention to them, giving them another brush of garlic, olive oil, and butter before returning them to the oven. She then turned on the second oven to heat it for the broccolini. It wasn’t long before the veggies were in the oven and roasting.
Dillon got out some plates and utensils. Though the surface was free of clutter, she realized that it hadn’t been used in a long time. After wiping it down, she then set it. As she walked to the kitchen, the timers went off just as Cal returned with the steaks.
“That’s timing,” he said with a grin.
She smiled and pointed to the dining room. “You can put the steaks on the table.”
Her attention returned to the oven as she took out the broccolini first, dumping it into a dish. Then she removed the potatoes and carefully placed them on a flat platter before carrying both to the table.
“Wow.”
“Don’t be impressed. It’s simple potatoes, steak, and veggies.”
He shrugged and met her gaze. “Too bad. I’m impressed.”
“Ah . . . what would you like to drink? I’ve got tea, Coke, and water.”
“Sweet tea?”
“Of course,” she replied with a grin.
“That sounds perfect.”
She got the pitcher and two glasses and brought them to the table, pouring the tea. It wasn’t until she sat down and found herself looking across the table at Cal, their eyes meeting, that she noticed he had removed his Stetson. The last meal she’d had with a man had been her ex-husband.
And now, she was sitting across from a man who made her feel things she didn’t ever think she would feel again.