“You must be Hannah Brand, the owner of the Grand Master Brewery.” Hannah shook the hand she was offered, a dazed look in her eyes. How Adriana found out Hannah’s name was a mystery to Dallas. Her research abilities were likely why she was such a terrifying reporter. “What’s it like to be dating one of the hottest bachelors in Grand?”
“I…” Hannah looked to Dallas for help.
“She’s so excited, she’s speechless,” Dallas said.
“We never got a chance to finish our interview at the Endeavour open house,” Adriana continued, making it clear that Hannah wasn’t of interest to her, which was not a good sign. “I hoped I might be able to ask you a few more questions.”
“We’re in the middle of dinner.”
“I’ll only take a minute of your time. Is it true Ryan O’Connell was born in Chicago?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Dallas said. He longed to tell her to shove off, but the question about Ryan’s early years raised a concern. He and Dan protected their friend’s privacy as best they could and it might be best to nip this line of questioning in the bud.
“Is it also true the three of you were arrested for stealing a police car in college? And that’s how you met Judge Ian Palmeter?”
“I thought those records were sealed,” he said lightly.
Their brief life of crime wasn’t exactly a secret, but it wasn’t something many people knew about, either. As sheriff, Dan wasn’t inclined to brag about it—although his issue was more with drinking and driving than heisting a police vehicle. The officer had left his keys in it. And as for Ryan…
“Why would the records be sealed?” Adriana asked, her eyes sharp, and Dallas knew he’d made a mistake by bringing that up. Sealed records protected people with something important to hide—like an identity that was changed through the witness protection program. Drunk college boys who stole police cars, not so much.
“Isn’t that what happens after a judge dismisses charges?” he asked, all innocence. “Anyway, yes. That’s how we met Judge Palmeter.”
“And the three of you kept in touch with him all these years?”
No. Only Ryan had. He started to sweat. “You make it sound weird.”
“I’m bored, baby,” Hannah interrupted. She had her cheek propped on her hand and gave every indication of having recovered from her vocal paralysis of a few moments ago. She leaned toward him, dismissing Adriana completely with the angle of her head, and tracked an intimate finger up and down the forearm he’d rested on the table. Her petulant tone matched her pout. “You promised me we could spend the rest of the evening at the casino. Do you think the Lucky Lil has a high roller suite like they do at the casinos in Las Vegas?”
She was so, so adorable. He was going to kiss her the first chance he got.
“There’s only one way to find out, kitten.” He dropped his napkin next to his unfinished meal. “I’m sorry, Ms. Gallant, but you’ll have to set up an interview through the ranch if you have any more questions. We have other plans for tonight.”
He signaled to the waitress that he’d like the check. There wasn’t much Adriana could say other than wish them a pleasant evening.
They emerged on the street to the blare of an old Dolly Parton song rendered almost unrecognizable by the band’s cover of it. The night air had a bite to it now that the wide yellow edge of the moon peeped over the Badlands somewhere off to the northeast.
“Kitten?” Hannah said, linking her arm though his as they walked. Her hand warmed the bend of his elbow.
“Baby?” Dallas replied, raising his eyebrows.
The flickering streetlight danced in her eyes. “I was going for forties moll.’”
“Mission accomplished. Although you could have gone for twenty-first-century date being ignored and been equally successful.”
“Forties moll seemed like a more interesting role.”
Not to him. He liked the sound of twenty-first-century date just fine. He didn’t intend for her to be ignored any longer this evening, though. From now on, she had his full attention.
“Did you really want to go to the casino?” he asked.
“No. I’ve had enough of crowds and loud music and we didn’t get to eat our dinner. Why don’t we go to my place, order a pizza, and watch a movie?”
“I don’t know… Do I get to sample your maple beer?”
The pink was back in her cheeks. “If that’s what you’d like to sample.”
That touch of pink said she was flirting with him again. That she was making a real attempt to be bold. It reminded him of something she’d said—that when they first met, she’d tried to be something she wasn’t. He didn’t believe it. Hannah was sweet, she was funny, and with a little encouragement, she was also adventurous. She’d spent years with a man who’d done his best to crush the uniqueness out of her and mold her into someone better suited to him.
Dallas liked her exactly the way she was.
The desire to kiss her returned, magnified by about a million. He stopped abruptly, right there on the sidewalk, and cupped her face in his hands, forcing the two teenagers bopping their heads behind them to the beat of country death to part ways like the Yellowstone flowing around a large rock. He covered her mouth with his, tasting sweetness and promise, then inhaled deeply as he released her. A hint of a floral perfume and the fresh scent of the outdoors hung on the air. Her eyes were soft and wide.
“I’ll take whatever’s on tap,” he said.