A Cowboy for the CEO

Chapter 36: Last Dance

By the time Hank left the stage to a round of applause, Ali was anxious to confront him with a whole lot of questions. She scooted her chair closer to his in preparation, but she still had to wait for him to greet everyone else at the table before getting to her. Even then, he managed to avoid her gaze as he planted a demure peck on her cheek.

"What's going on?" she whispered, placing her hand on his arm.

He forced a smile at his mother who'd turned in their direction with a disapproving look, no doubt sensing something was amiss. Leaning toward Ali, he was about to finally speak when a plate of salad appeared between them.

"Excuse me, sir," the bored-sounding waiter halfheartedly apologized as he set the dish on the table in front of Hank before plopping another one in front of Ali.

She gritted her teeth and gave the man the evil eye, but he had already moved on to serve the rest of the table. Hank took advantage of the interruption and dug into the food, successfully postponing the inevitable. With a main course, dessert, and coffee— along with the half dozen speeches from senior civic leaders and former colleagues of the soon-to-be-retired lieutenant general—Ali would have to wait much longer than she wanted for her answer. The delay would give her more time to think, but that wasn't necessarily a benefit for either of them.

Hank was in the US Air Force; that was certainly clear. His participation in the challenge course, expertise at lifesaving first aid, and levelheadedness during an emergency situation now all had a reasonable explanation. It also made sense that he hung out a roadside bar with other airmen—although growing up in a military family and living near the home to the official training school for Air Force officers could have also easily resulted in the company he kept.

Still, none of this explained why he had hidden this pretty big piece of info from her.

He was obviously proud of both his father and brother-in-law and made no efforts to conceal his knowledge or skills. If he'd been discharged, he wouldn't have been wearing the uniform tonight, so why did he spend most of his time at Pebble Creek mucking out horse stalls and mending corrals?

Ali thought back to the last clue he'd given about his past. He'd been in an accident. Was that it? Did that and the resulting vertigo derail his career? Was he ashamed of taking a lesser role than what he may have had before? But surely he should have known by now that if anyone would understand his situation, she would.

Pushing her barely touched salmon aside, Ali had glanced at the man next to her. Without knowing what exactly had happened to him, it didn't make sense to speculate. His omission continued to gnaw at her as she attempted to listen to—and occasionally join in—the surrounding conversation. But if she'd felt like an outsider during her last three weeks in Colorado, that role was definitely cemented in the present company.

Given the nature of the evening, numerous anecdotes about the elder Henry Mathis came up. Everyone at the table either knew the stories or had something relevant to contribute except for her. And with Hank continuing to ignore her, she would have liked nothing more than to get up and leave, but she couldn't bear to do so out of respect for his family.

Ali was torn. She had liked him so much, but if he couldn't trust her with the whole truth when she'd laid all her own vulnerabilities on the table, then where did that leave them? On the other hand, he didn't really owe her anything. Their relationship was based on chance and mutual convenience. Maybe she should have just been thankful for his support and affection during their brief time together and leave it at that.

Swirling the dregs of cold coffee in the bottom of her cup, Ali looked up when someone approached.

"Dance with me, little brother," Liz said, placing a hand on Hank's shoulder before addressing her husband on his other side. "You go ask Mom."