She ducked into the bedroom to grab her clothes. What a genial person he was. She showered and dressed, thinking about his offhanded way of handing out compliments. Was he shy, or was he simply a casual type of person? He certainly didn't seem to get worked up about anything. Well, that wasn't entirely true. The only things that seemed to upset him were minor things, like asking him out to dinner and such. He was such a strange and interesting man.
She pulled her wet hair back into a braid at her neck and fluffed the loose tendrils at her temples into curls. Satisfied with her image in the mirror, she stepped out of the bathroom and found a plate of scrambled eggs waiting for her in the kitchen.
She laughed. "You're going to spoil me. What am I going to do when I get back to my apartment?"
His regard was casual on the surface, but something in his eyes suggested an undertone of tension. "Maybe you'll have to stay here."
She wrinkled her nose. "Not hardly."
"Homesick already? You just got here." He poured a cup of coffee and placed it beside her food.
She slid onto the bench. "I have to admit it's been educational so far. Think of all I've discovered since I arrived. Snakes, chiggers, ticks, storms, catamounts. What could be more fun?"
He was watching her intently again. "Isn't there anything you'll be sorry to leave behind?"
She glanced up at him. Was he waiting for her to say she would miss him? She surveyed the room pointedly. "I'll miss this cabin. Too bad it isn't situated in the mountains of California."
He took a sip of his coffee, watching her over the rim of the cup with an amused expression. He set the cup on the counter and leaned over her, kissing her on the mouth. His lips were warm and tasted of fresh coffee. He straightened and gave her braid a flip.
"When you finish breakfast, meet me outside. I need to check the water in my radiator before we leave."
She stared at her food. What was it about him that filled her with such a feeling of contentment and excitement at the same time? Did he feel the same way? She grabbed her coffee cup and tried to wash down the warmth of his kiss. It was one thing to enjoy his company, but something other than companionship was hammering at the doors of her consciousness - something she didn't want to think about, because his job would be done in three more weeks. He would be going to Arizona and she to California. Of course, they wouldn't be that far apart, and Dad would know how to contact him. She shook her head and picked up her fork, stabbing it into the eggs. She was assuming he was actually interested in her personally, not professionally.