Courtship of the Recluse

He shrugged. "That was nothing. It happens to all of us now and then."

She stirred the ice cream until it was soft. "This is good." She threw him a sideways look. "And thanks for the chocolates, too."

He nodded absently and fell silent while she finished the ice cream. He reached for the bowl. "I'll take that back down on my way." He tucked her under the covers as if she were a child. "Now get some rest." He leaned over and kissed her cheek lightly and straightened. For a moment he gazed down at her as though something were troubling him, but he finally turned. "Good night," he said as he snapped off the light. He left the room, pulling the door snugly closed behind him.

Such a strange man. Was he beginning to view her as a ward? Lately his actions were more fatherly than anything else. Maybe he was one of those men who felt they needed to protect and care for all women. Chauvinistic, no doubt, but it was kind of nice to be looked after.

She snuggled down into the covers and yawned. She was warm and Cade was in the house. She felt safe and secure.

The next day Cade worked close to the house - trying to keep an eye on her, no doubt. He was wasting a day because of her. She felt fine. When he came into the house for his fourth cup of coffee before noon she decided to salvage something from the day.

"It's such a beautiful day. Why don't I pack a lunch so we can go down to the pond for a picnic?"

He shrugged. "If you're feeling up to it."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. How many times do I have to tell you?"

He set the coffee mug on the counter. "All right, you pack a lunch and bring a blanket and I'll go get the weed whip and knock down some of the tall grass."

By the time she brought lunch and a blanket down, he had a large area cleared under the cottonwood tree. He took the blanket from her and spread it on the ground. There they knelt and ate their lunch in silence.

A meadowlark pierced the silence with its sharp whistling song. She glanced at Cade.

"You know what would be nice?"

His eyes reflected interest, so she continued.

"Geese."

He snorted. "Geese?"

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Yeah, you know. Honk, honk? Can't you just picture them swimming around on that pond, ducking their heads gracefully to feed."

He shook his head. "How about a few chickens instead?"