Manhunting Read online

  “How would you like to be a soprano?” Kate asked him, and Jake intervened.

  “How’s it going, Frank?” Jake clapped him on the shoulder and yanked him away from Kate.

  “Jake, old buddy.” Frank leaned into him. “I should have known if there was a good-looking woman around, you’d be there.” He attempted to punch Jake on the shoulder and missed him by a good inch. Jake turned him gently around toward the pig roast.

  “Lots of pretty women out there, Frank.”

  “Sorry, Jake. Didn’t know this one was yours.” Frank wiggled his fingers at Kate and ambled off while they watched him.

  “Thank you,” Kate said. “You’re a very tactful bouncer.”

  “Well, we aim to please,” Jake said. “Besides, I was afraid you were going to hurt him.”

  “That was my plan,” Kate said. “Your way was better.” She smiled up at him gratefully, and Jake was startled by how human she looked. A little too human. He stepped back, but she’d turned away and was watching Frank stagger out of the enclosure.

  “You know, as glad as I am to see him go, this is the story of my life,” Kate said. “Men leaving me.”

  “Frank will come back if I yell,” Jake offered.

  “No, no.” Kate shook her head bravely. “I’ll just sit here and nurse my broken heart. And what’s left of my Scotch.”

  “Kate,” Penny called to her. “Come meet these dishy guys.”

  “Now there. Isn’t that nice?” Jake grinned at her.

  “Peachy,” she said. “I love dishy guys.”

  He watched her join Penny and the two upwardly mobile jerks she’d found. Penny might be cute, but she had no discrimination when it came to men. Kate, he’d be willing to bet, had too much discrimination. Nobody would be good enough for her. She’d have to find somebody who was close to what she wanted and change him, improve him by slashing at him with those eyes, trying to wind him around her little finger....

  Jake shook his head to get rid of the image. Kate was not his problem. The luau, however, was, so he sighed and went to see what else was going wrong.

  Propelled back into the middle of the luau, Kate found herself introduced to Penny’s dishy guys, Chad and Lance, partners in an Ohio real-estate agency. Actually, as Kate tried to convince herself a few minutes later, there was nothing really wrong with Chad and Lance. They were overly hearty and overly macho, and Lance did have a tendency to drape his arm around her and send her meaningful glances and—Kate was mentally crossing him off when she stopped herself. This is what you came for, she told herself. Be nice to Lance. Get to know him. Maybe this Andrew Dice Idiot attitude he’s wearing is merely to cover up his insecurity and vulnerability. Maybe he simply needs someone to understand him. Be nice to him.

  In fact, she vowed, I’m going to be nice to everyone, and stop being such a snob.

  She gave it her best shot, agreeing to have dinner with Lance later, valiantly attempting to be at least half as enthusiastic toward him as Penny was with Chad. Still, after half an hour of evading Lance’s hands, Kate had reached the end of her patience.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said, smiling at him.

  “I’ll come with you,” Lance said reaching for her again.

  “No, really.” Kate backed off, waving her glass. Then she wheeled around and lost herself in the crowd, stopping only when an efficient-looking blonde caught at her hand.

  “You’re Kate Svenson,” she said, shaking Kate’s captured hand. “I’m Valerie Borden, the social director here.”

  “Oh. Hello, Ms. Border,” Kate said, still checking over her shoulder for Lance.

  “Borden. But you must call me Valerie. We’re all friends here at The Cabins.”

  Wonderful. Kate turned to look at Valerie for the first time.

  Valerie was tall, blond, polished, and patrician. Kate felt as if she were looking into a mirror except that Valerie was smiling.

  “We’re so glad you’re here, Kate,” Valerie said. “I’d love to sit and talk with you some time. I’m sure we have so much in common.”

  “We do?” Kate said.

  “Absolutely. But it’s time to party now. We don’t want you to be alone.” Valerie tucked Kate’s hand under her arm and led her into the crowd near the pool. “Let me introduce you to some people. Is there anyone in particular you’d like to meet?”

  Kate looked at her trapped hand and decided to play along. Resisting Valerie was bound be exhausting and fruitless anyway; Valerie was plainly a woman who routinely got what she wanted. “Tall, distinguished, rich businessmen,” Kate said, remembering Jessie and the wish list. “It’s an assignment.”

  Valerie blinked at her bluntness and then recovered. “All right,” she said and proceeded to make good her word.

  Kate debated the state of the environment with Rick, who was tall, distinguished and the head of his own ecological impact firm. She learned about polo ponies from Eric, who was tall, distinguished and the VP of a consulting firm. She discussed the market with Donald, who was tall, distinguished and vague about what he did for a living. She agreed that golf was the only civilized game with Peter, who was tall, distinguished and the owner of a public relations firm, and who persuaded her to play golf with him the next afternoon. And eventually, she found herself back with tall, sort-of-distinguished Lance, the real-estate agent. Unfortunately, Lance, after several drinks, was even more of a trial than he’d been earlier.

  Lance was starting to run to fat, but his face was still handsome despite the fact that his eyes were a little too small and a little too mean. He was also a big guy and he liked using his size. He muscled them a place in line until Kate said, “Oh, let’s go back to the end. It’s quieter there.” He also had hands. He stood behind her as they got in line for the burned pig, standing too close. He put his hand on her shoulder. He put his hand on her arm. He put his hand on her waist. When he moved his hand again, she put a plate in it.

  “Could you take this for me?” she asked him. “I’ll bring the drinks.”

  They ate with Penny and Chad at one of the ubiquitous round redwood tables, and the night passed slowly—excruciatingly slowly—while people whooped and screeched around them.

  Lance said something and Penny laughed, so Kate laughed, too, only a beat behind. Lance didn’t seem to mind.

  “Lance, you’re such a riot,” Penny said. “Don’t you think so, Kate?”

  “Absolutely. Anyone for another Scotch?” She toddled back to the bar by the pool before any of them could join her.

  “Hello, Mark,” she said, leaning on the bar.

  “Hello, Kate,” the bartender said, laughing. “How’s it going?”

  “Don’t ask.”

  Mark leaned forward a little. “What are you doing with that Lance creep, anyway? He’s trouble.”

  “It’s a long story. How about another Scotch?”

  “You sure?”

  “Kate, honey,” Lance said from behind her. “I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

  “I’m sure,” Kate said to Mark, and he shook his head and poured.

  Kate took her Scotch and wandered over by the pool, and Lance followed her, hands outstretched. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mark motion to someone outside the pool. Why did he do that? she wondered, and then concentrated on handling Lance. She listened to him for a while, skillfully evading his hands, but finally gave up. It was no use. She could drink enough Scotch to fill the pool, and she still wouldn’t marry Lance.

  She poured her Scotch into the pool.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Sobering up.”

  “Oh, don’t do that, honey.” He put his hand on her rear end.

  “Move your hand, Lance.”

  He moved it around to her breast. “Come on, baby.”

  “Better men than you have lost arms that way, Lance,” she said, moving his hand.

  “I want you, Kate.” He reached around and squeezed her rear end.

  “I don’t want yo