read her book, but she was shaky inside. He didn’t look interested. In fact, he looked very repulsed.
When her father went out of the room to get some paperwork he wanted to show to Dal, Meadow forced herself to look at him and smile.
“It’s almost Christmas,” she began, trying to find a subject for conversation.
He didn’t reply. He did get to his feet and come toward her. That flustered her even more. She fumbled with the book and dropped it on the floor.
Dal pulled her up out of the chair and took her by the shoulders firmly. “I’m ten years older than you,” he said bluntly. “You’re a high school kid. I don’t rob cradles and I don’t appreciate attempts to seduce me in your father’s living room. Got that?”
Her breath caught. “I never . . . !” she stammered.
His chiseled mouth curled expressively as he looked down into her shocked face. “You’re painted up like a carnival fortune-teller. Too much makeup entirely. Does your mother know you wear clothes like that and come on to men?” he added icily. “I thought she was religious.”
“She . . . is,” Meadow stammered, and felt her age. Too young. She was too young. Her eyes fell away from his. “So am I. I’m sorry.”
“You should be,” he returned. His strong fingers contracted on her shoulders. “When do you leave for home?”
“Next Friday,” she managed to say. She was dying inside. She’d never been so embarrassed in her life.
“Good. You get on the plane and don’t come back. Your father has enough problems without trying to keep you out of trouble. And next time I come over here, I don’t want to find you setting up shop in the living room, like a spider hunting flies.”
“You’re a very big fly,” she blurted out, and flushed some more.
His lip curled. “You’re out of your league, kid.” He let go of her shoulders and moved her away from him, as if she had something contagious. His eyes went to the low-cut neckline. “If you went out on the street like that, in Raven Springs, you’d get offers.”
She frowned. “Offers?”
“Prostitutes mostly do get offers,” he said with distaste.
Tears threatened, but she pulled herself up to her maximum height, far short of his, and glared up at him. “I am not a prostitute!”
“Sorry. Prostitute in training?” he added thoughtfully.
She wanted to hit him. She’d never wanted anything so much. In fact, she raised her hand to slap that arrogant look off his face.
He caught her arm and pushed her hand away.
Even then, at that young age, her balance hadn’t been what it should be. Her father had a big, elegant stove in the living room to heat the house. It used coal instead of wood, and it was very efficient behind its tight glass casing. There was a coal bin right next to it.
Meadow lost her balance and went down right into the coal bin. Coal spilled out onto the wood floor and all over her. Now there were black splotches all over her pretty red dress, not to mention her face and hair and hands.
She sat up in the middle of the mess, and angry tears ran down her soot-covered cheeks as she glared at Dal.
He was laughing so hard that he was almost doubled over.
“That’s right, laugh,” she muttered. “Santa’s going to stop by here on his way to your house to get enough coal to fill up your stocking, Dariell Blake!”
He laughed even harder.
Her father came back into the room with a file folder in one hand, stopped, did a double take, and stared at his daughter, sitting on the floor in a pile of coal.
“What the hell happened to you?” he burst out.
“He happened to me!” she cried, pointing at Dal Blake. “He said I looked like a streetwalker!”
“You’re the one in the tight red dress, honey.” Dal chuckled. “I just made an observation.”
“Your mother would have a fit if she saw you in that dress,” her father said heavily. “I should never have let you talk me into buying it.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore, it’s ruined!” She got to her feet, swiping at tears in her eyes. “I’m going to bed!”
“Might as well,” Dal remarked, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets and looking at her with an arrogant smile. “Go flirt with men your own age, kid.”
She looked to her father for aid, but he just stared at her and sighed.
She scrambled to her feet, displacing more coal. “I’ll get this