Angus’s question sent me into panic mode. I scooped out potatoes and plopped them onto my plate with as much concentration as I could muster, trying to appear as if I couldn’t serve and talk at the same time. I had to stall and come up with a plan. Why am I here in Baker City? This was nothing like the courtroom. There I always told the truth, but here in front of this judge and jury I had to decide whether to keep up the family tree charade or just come out with the whole sordid tale. Las Vegas or bust.
I cast a glance at Mack and caught him shaking his head slightly, possibly warning me off. It made me feel sick with embarrassment and shame. I felt like I’d been a bad person or something, falling for him in Vegas, but what was even worse was how that idea made me so sad. None of this was making any sense, from start to finish. Even sitting here at this table was nuts. I should already be headed back to the airport with signed papers in my hand.
Angus was waiting for a response, so I opened my mouth and let some words fall out. “Well, you’re right, I’m not from here. I’m from Florida.”
“Florida!” he exclaimed. “Well, I’ll be. You’re a long way from home now, aren’t you?” He picked up a rib and bit into it, his eyes sparkling with happiness or mirth, it was hard to tell which.
I was glad to see he was much neater at eating ribs than Boog. I couldn’t help but smile back at him. He was so nice, despite being almost as big as a grizzly bear and nearly as intimidating. “Yes, Baker City’s a long way from home in more than one way.”
Everyone laughed politely except Mack. He just chewed his food very methodically and stared at the saltshaker between us. He was so handsome it made my heart ache.
“How long have you been in town?” asked Maeve.
“Just today. I arrived around lunch.” I put some peas on my plate, the smallest portion I could manage and still officially be eating them. Peas and I are not generally on speaking terms.
“And what have you seen so far?” She handed me a basket of dinner rolls, bypassing Boog entirely. He took it all in stride, not even missing a beat of his rib-mangling.
“Well, let’s see … I’ve seen my hotel, the diner in the center of town, aaaand the road out here with its rattlesnakes and spiders.”
“You’ve hardly seen anything yet,” she exclaimed. “Please don’t judge Baker by just those little bits. This town is one of the most beautiful places on earth.”
Ian snorted in disgust.
“Ignore him,” said Angus. “He’s not a fan of ranch work or Baker these days.”
“Damn straight,” mumbled Ian, jabbing his fork into a pile of peas. They rolled everywhere, like they were purposely trying to escape being speared.
“Don’t get him all riled up, Angus, please.” Maeve sighed heavily. “Just ignore them, Andie. Tempers are high tonight because we have a lot of extra work right now. Everyone’ll be all smiles and laughter in another couple days once all the calves are taken care of and we have our annual picnic.”
“I’m sorry I’ll miss that,” I said, taking a bite of the most delicious mashed potatoes I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. I scooped up another forkful and indulged in more of the starchy goodness, ignoring the call of my pre-wedding diet.
“How long do you intend to stay?” asked Angus, resting his forearm on the table next to his plate. “We’d love to have you here for the picnic. We’ll have people from all over the area attending, lots of family and friends. It’s quite an event.” He pointed his fork at Mack. “You’ll get to watch my boys on the broncs. That’s something you don’t want to miss.”
I swallowed and took a sip of water before responding, because the image of Mack in full cowboy regalia being thrown around on the back of a horse was surprisingly sexy. “I’m only here for a day or two, then I’ll be heading back home.” I picked up my knife and fork, preparing to attack a rib. “But thanks for inviting me.” I looked up at Mack, my heart skipping a beat when I realized he’d been staring at me. He looked away before I did.
“I thought you were going to Utah after this,” said Ian, his tone accusatory.
“Ian,” said Maeve, her tone friendly but sharp, “get that bee out of your buns right this instant before you curdle my milk and upset the hens.”
“I’m just asking. She’s the one who said she was going there.” He scowled at me and then his plate. He looked much younger than his actual age which I guessed to be around twenty-six or so.
I shrugged. “Maybe I’ll go to Utah, maybe not. I haven’t decided yet.”
Angus’s gaze dropped to my plate and a confused expression appeared. I froze in mid-rib-spearing, suddenly self-conscious.
Boog caught Angus’s expression and followed his gaze to my knife and fork. “What are you doing?” he asked.
I looked at him like he was slow, raising my knife up a little. “Cutting the meat off the bone?”
He smirked, grabbing a rib from his plate with his fingers and biting into it like a caveman. “Foreigners,” he said, his mouth already full.
Mack blinked a couple times and may have smiled just the slightest bit, but then his face became a mask again and I was back to knowing nothing about what was going on in his head. It was beyond frustrating.