Fight for Her by Kelly Favor (book club books .txt) 📗

she began to sink, Krista knew that nobody was coming for her.

And the darkness took her. The quicksand went in her mouth, flooding her windpipe, choking her, taking her breath away.

She awoke, a scream barely stifled in her throat, sitting up in bed and clutching her blanket. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she realized where she was.

The fear from the dream was rather slow to dissipate, which was strange.

Usually, when Krista had a nightmare like that, she found that the anxiety went away almost as soon as she woke up and realized she was safe.

But not this time. She was unable to shake the feeling of fear that had wrapped around her in the night.

It was early, but not too early. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom for a shower and to get dressed and ready for her big talk with Gunner.

She was alternately excited and fearful of what was to come. Krista wanted to see Gunner, wanted to be near him. She thought about his voice, the look in his eye, and the way he moved. He was sexier and more intimidating than any man she’d ever met, and as Krista showered, she grew excited thinking about him.

Don’t even go there, she told herself, as the hot water sprayed her body. Gunnerhas supermodels chasing him, and yet he’s out in the mountains by himself. That shouldtell you something about the kind of standards he has. You don’t have a chance with him.

And besides, I’m here to do a job, she thought.

She dried off and then got dressed in a simple but flattering outfit—dark jeans, heels, and a gray cardigan sweater. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror as she applied a light amount of makeup.

Krista was dark haired, and her hair was her favorite feature. It was silky smooth, full, and long. The rest of her she could take or leave. After being in Vegas, it was hard not to be critical of yourself. If you didn’t have D cups and platinum blond hair, you felt like an ugly duckling.

As she put the finishing touches to her makeup, it was hard not to feel a little bit self-conscious about what Gunner would think of her.

Is it crazy that part of me is hoping he finds me attractive?

Well, no, she thought, washing her hands and then drying them on a cute little monogrammed towel. Almost every woman in this situation would hope that Gunner would find them attractive.

What’s crazy is thinking it’s even a remote possibility.

And the truth was, she didn’t think that. She knew that her feelings for him were based on the fact that he was smolderingly sexy and physically powerful. Women were genetically wired to be attracted to such things. It didn’t mean that there was a real connection between them, or any real mutual interest.

What there was, she told herself, as she got her purse and readied herself to go downstairs to the restaurant, was a job to do.

And if she failed at it, she’d be looking for a new one all too soon.

***

The restaurant was open, but there wasn’t a lot of traffic just yet.

There was a lunch counter with bar stools in front of it, an open seating section with some tables, and then a row of booths that was set apart from the other tables by a wide aisle.

When she first arrived, a guy just a few years older than her with light blond hair and blue eyes gave her a little wave. “What can I do you for?”

She was relieved to note that Gunner wasn’t there yet, which would give her some time to prepare mentally. “I’m just going to have some coffee. I’m waiting for a friend.”

“Sit wherever you like,” he said, gesturing to the entire restaurant, before taking a cloth and wiping down the counter.

An old man eating an egg sandwich and reading the paper, said something inaudible, and the younger man nodded and smiled at him.

As she walked to one of the booths, she saw another guy that could have been the blond man’s twin working the stove in the kitchen. There was a wide pass through between the kitchen and the front of the restaurant, and so you could see what was going on in back.

It was all very old fashioned here, she thought. Middle River was like the town that time forgot or something.

She grabbed the furthest booth in the back and sat down.

A moment later, the blond man came by and slapped a mug down on the table, expertly filling it to the brim with steaming black coffee. “Cream and sugar’s on your left,” he said. “I’m Cole and I’ll be serving you.”

“Can I ask you a question?” she said.

“Sure.” He waited for her to speak.

“Is that your brother working in the kitchen?”

“Yeah, that’s Caden,” he said, grinning. “People think we’re twins, but actually I’m the older one by two years. And smarter, by the way. He’s just good at flipping pancakes.”

Krista laughed. “Sibling rivalry?”

“Of course. It’s what gets me through the day. When your friend comes by, I’ll stop over again,” he said. “Otherwise, give me a holler if you need anything.”

Cole strode purposefully off to deal with other customers. The place wasn’t exactly filling up with people, but one or two were coming in now, in dribs and drabs.

Many of them were older folks who sat at the counter and seemed to enjoy shooting the breeze with Cole.

Krista sipped at her coffee and tried to calm her jangling nerves, which were getting worse by the second. She was starting to get the feeling that maybe Gunner had never really intended on meeting her this morning for an interview. It had all been an act in order to get her to leave his house.

God, how humiliating, she thought, her stomach churning. She pushed her mug away and put a hand on her forehead.

Of course he said whatever he needed to say to get you to