Boy jotted down the order but couldn’t seem to stop staring at Hannah as he gathered the menus. “How about an appetizer? I highly recommend the Rocky Mountain oysters.”
That nearly made Logan wince. “I believe I’ll pass on that one, Chuck.”
“I second that,” Hannah said. “A salad with vinaigrette would be good.”
Chuck finally tore his gaze away from Hannah and centered it on Logan. “Can I bring you a salad, too, sir?”
No, but you can get the hell out of Dodge. “Just the coffee and a glass of water.”
The waiter backed away from the table, then said, “I’ll have that right out.”
“What an idiot,” Logan muttered after the guy disappeared into the kitchen.
Hannah frowned. “I thought he was very accommodating.”
“He definitely wanted to accommodate you and it didn’t have a damn thing to do with dinner.” Hell, he sounded like a jealous lover.
Hannah looked understandably confused. “Excuse me?”
“You didn’t notice the way he was looking at you?”
“He was just being friendly.”
She apparently didn’t realize her appeal when it came to the opposite sex, and he personally found that intriguing. “Look, I don’t blame the guy. You’re an extremely attractive woman, but for all he knows, we’re a couple. The fact that he kept eyeing you wasn’t appropriate in my book.”
Her gaze momentarily wandered away and the color returned to her cheeks. “But we’re not a couple, and he wasn’t eyeing me.”
“Believe me, he was.” And he sure couldn’t blame the guy when it came right down to it.
She picked up the cloth napkin near her right hand, unfolded it and laid it in her lap. “If he was, I didn’t notice. Then again, I haven’t been out much in the past few years.”
“Since your...” If he kept going, he’d be treading on shaky ground. The kind that covered a major loss from the past. He knew that concept all too well.
She raised a brow. “Since my husband’s death? It’s okay. I’ve been able to talk about it without falling apart for the past four years.”
He definitely admired her for that. Even after nine years, he hadn’t been able to discuss his loss without flying into a rage. “I admire your resiliency,” he said, all the while thinking he wished he had half of her tenacity.
Chuck picked that moment to bring the drinks and Hannah’s salad. “Here you go, folks. Dinner will be right out.”
As bad as Logan hated to admit it, he was actually glad to see the jerk, if only to grab the opportunity to turn to a lighter topic. “Thank you kindly, Chuck.”
“You’re welcome, sir.”
After the waiter left the area, Logan returned his attention to Hannah. “So it’s my understanding you recently obtained your degree.”
She took a quick sip of water and sent him a proud smile. “Yes, I did, and apparently you’ve done your homework on me, too.”
“I had to in order to locate you.” Thanks to J. D. Lassiter not providing much information when they discovered the annuity’s existence.
She picked up a fork and began moving lettuce around on the plate. “That old internet is a great resource for checking people out.”
He only wished she would thoroughly check him out, and not on the computer. And where in the hell had that come from?
He cleared his throat and shifted slightly in his seat. “I take it you’re satisfied I’m not some reprobate posing as an attorney.”
“Yes, but frankly, I’m curious as to why you relocated from Dallas to Cheyenne, Wyoming. That must have been quite a culture shock.”
He didn’t want to delve into his reasons for leaving his former life behind. “Not that much of a shock. You find cowboys in both places.”
“Were you a cowboy in another life, or just trying to blend in now?”
“I’ve ridden my share of horses, if that’s what you mean.”
She smiled again. “Let me guess. You were born into an affluent ranching family.”
“Nope. A not-quite-poor farming family. Three generations, as a matter of fact. My parents ran a peach orchard in East Texas and raised a few cattle. They’re semiretired now and disappointed I didn’t stick around to take over the business.”
“What made you decide to be a lawyer?”
He grinned. “When I wore overalls, people kept mistaking me for a plumber, and since clogged drains aren’t my thing, studying the law made sense.”
Her soft laughter traveled all the way to her striking green eyes. “Something tells me you’re not going to let me live that one down.”
Something told him he could wind up in hot water if he didn’t stop viewing her as a desirable woman. “I’ll let you off the hook, seeing as how we just met.”
“And I will let you off the hook for not giving me fair warning before you showed up on my doorstep.”
He still had those great images of her branded in his brain. “You know, I’m really glad I didn’t decide to handle this over the phone. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have met you, and something tells me I would have regretted that.”
Hannah set down the fork, braced her elbow on the edge of the table and rested her cheek in her palm. “And I would have missed the opportunity to get all dressed up for a change and have a free meal.”
She looked prettier than a painted picture come to life. Yep. Trouble with a capital T if he didn’t get his mind back on business. “After you learn the details of your share of the Lassiter fortune, you’ll be able to buy me dinner next time.” Next time? Man, he was getting way ahead of himself, and that was totally out of character for his normally cautious self.
Hannah looked about as surprised as he felt over the comment. “That all depends on if I actually agree to accept my share, and that’s doubtful.”
He couldn’t fathom anyone in their right mind turning down that much money. But before he had a chance to toss out an opinion, or the amount of the annuity held in her name, Chuck showed up with their entrées.
Logan ate his food with the gusto of a field hand, while Hannah basically picked at hers, the same way she had with the salad. By the time they were finished, and the plates were cleared, he had half a mind to invite her into the nearby bar to discuss business. But dark and cozy wouldn’t help rein in his libido.
Hannah tossed her napkin aside and folded her hands before her. “Okay, we’ve put this off long enough. Tell me the details.”
Logan
