How dare I? Ridgewell's voice was dangerously quiet now. You rode onto my property with armed men to harass my employee. You called her a harlot in front of my daughter, and you have the nerve to talk to me about daring? Mitchell's hand moved toward his gun, and suddenly half a dozen ranch hands materialized from various buildings, all armed, all watching.
I wouldn't, Holloway said quietly. The tableau held for a long, terrible moment. Then Mitchell seemed to realize how badly he'd miscalculated. He was outnumbered and outgunned on someone else's land, and nothing he did here would end well for him. "This isn't over."
He snarled. "There's a county social coming up in 3 weeks, a cooking competition. If your precious cook is so talented, let her prove it in front of the whole county. Let everyone see what she's really made of." "Miss Harper doesn't have to prove anything to you."
"But she will." Mitchell's smile was ugly. "Because if she doesn't show up, everyone will know it's because she's a coward and a fraud. Word will spread that Thornridge Ranch employs liars and home wreckers. That'll do wonders for your business."
He was backing Ridgewell into a corner and they both knew it. Refuse the challenge and the gossip would explode. Accept it and Evelyn would be thrown into a public spectacle designed to humiliate her. "I'll do it." Evelyn said before she could think better of it.
Every head turned to look at her. "I'll enter your competition." She continued, her voice stronger than she felt. "And when I win, you and your daughter will apologize publicly for every lie you've spread about me." Mitchell laughed.
"When you win? Girl, you'll be competing against the best cooks in three counties. Women who've been perfecting their craft for decades. You really think some desperate ranch cook can beat them?" "I guess we'll find out."
"Evelyn, you don't have to do this." Ridgewell said. But there was something in his eyes that looked like pride. "Yes, I do." She met Mitchell's gaze directly.
"3 weeks. I'll be there." After Mitchell and his men left, Evelyn stood in the yard trying to figure out what she'd just committed herself to. A public cooking competition in front of the entire county, where she'd be judged by the same people who'd been slandering her for months. She'd lost her mind, absolutely lost it.
"That was either very brave or very stupid." Holloway said. "Probably both." Ridgewell walked over to her, his expression unreadable. "You understand what you've just agreed to?
This won't be friendly. They're going to do everything they can to make you fail." "I know." "You'll be cooking in front of people who already hate you based on gossip." "I know."