Hudson (Anderson Billionaires #4) - Melody Anne Page 0,12

put away nearly as much as he did. He had to be twice her weight.

“I was there for a year. It’s the longest I’ve gone without seeing my gramps. I was supposed to be home for the holidays but it didn’t work out. I was seriously bummed. It doesn’t feel like Christmas if it’s summertime. I don’t know how they get into the holidays in tropical climates. But if that’s what you’ve grown up with, I guess you wouldn’t really notice. You’re asking a lot of questions, so why don’t you tell me something about you.”

He kept himself from smiling. There was always a way to get information from a person who didn’t want to give it. He was going to have to go through the back door. He took another bite, thinking he should’ve ordered what she had. It looked delicious, and smelled pretty good too.

“I don’t travel much, but when I do, I make the most of it. When I’m not working at home, I love to fish and do some hunting in the fall. I’ve been so busy lately, though, that I haven’t gotten to do much of either the past couple of years.”

“I’ve never understood hunting,” she said. “Fishing I get more, but hunting seems so violent.”

“I think you have far more respect for food if you know what it takes to produce it. I have a lot of respect for vegetarians who practice what they preach, but I get slightly irritated with meat eaters who hate on hunters. Meat doesn’t magically appear. All of it was once an animal.”

She put down her fork as she gazed at him with sad eyes. “I know that, but to actually talk about it makes me feel bad.”

“Hey! I’m not trying to ruin your dinner. Hunters are kind. Our goal is to give the animal a healthy, happy life in the wild, then take their life quickly and as painlessly as possible. Trust me, when animals kill each other they aren’t so considerate. If we didn’t hunt, nature would get out of control. I’ve seen a bear and a cougar attack. They aren’t worried about a quick death. It’s heartbreaking.”

“I’ve never thought about that. The entire animal kingdom, including humans, is pretty vicious isn’t it?”

“Yeah, we can be when we need to survive. But for the most part I think we all work together as one cohesive unit.”

“Most of the time. Sometimes, everything gets out of whack and then we need a reset button,” she told him.

He laughed, enjoying this woman.

“Are you ready for dessert?” the attendant asked.

“For sure,” Daisy said with a huge grin. “Can I get ice cream with my cookies? I saw someone over there with it,” she said, pointing like an eager child.

“Yes, of course, what flavor?”

“I have choices?” Daisy asked.

“Of course. We have vanilla, strawberry, Oreo, and rocky road for this flight.”

“Ohh, I want . . . hmm, Oreo,” she finally said.

Hudson could see the attendant fighting a smile. She was probably wondering where Daisy was putting all of it just as he was.

Their dinner dishes were taken away, and in less than ten minutes dessert was brought out. Hudson wouldn’t mind seeing her look at him the same way she was looking at her ice cream and cookies.

He picked at his pie and vanilla ice cream while she pulled her cookie apart and set it on top of the ice cream, taking bites of them together. He laughed in wonder as she polished it off.

She shrugged when she found him staring at her plate. “I was really hungry,” she said. “I think the last meal I ate was twenty-four hours ago, maybe longer. I had a few nuts and pretzels but that’s not nearly enough to sustain me. Now I think I could sleep for a solid twelve hours. My stomach hurts sitting up.”

The thought of lying next to her instantly refocused his mind, and it had nothing to do with food or how much either of them was eating. He was ready for the lights to go off. He was also wishing they were on a private jet. But then he never would’ve met her, so beggars couldn’t be choosers.

“Do you know how to change the seats?” she asked, suddenly not able to look into his eyes.

“Yes, I can do that. Why don’t you go change into your sweats while I get both of the beds ready?” His words made her blush.

“I do need that sponge bath. I’ll never be able to