maybe it wasn’t such a bad escape method, but then I couldn’t stop myself and I kept going under, so I figured I’d probably drown. But at least that was better than being eaten by a bear.”
He chuckled. “Far better.”
“In my opinion.” She liked making him laugh. She’d forgotten that she had that power. He’d told her that not many people got him to relax enough to laugh.
“For the record, I doubt you had much to worry about from that bear,” he said. “He was probably after trout, not magazine editors.”
“Oh, yeah? Maybe it was a grizz.” She took her hands away from Amanda’s sling and lifted them menacingly, curling her fingers into claws.
“A grizz?” He grinned. “Are you trying to speak the lingo, New York lady?”
He’d teased her with that label last summer. As the night had progressed, he’d switched to calling her his New York lady. His use of the term now sent a shiver of reaction up her spine, but she tried to keep her tone light. “I’m trying to tell you that I’d rather not stay in this cabin alone with Amanda when it’s possible a bear could come along and bash down your cabin door.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Do you or do you not have bears around here?”
“All right, there is a black bear that hangs around this area.” He stroked his chin and his dark eyes sparkled. “And maybe she’s been up on the porch a couple of times, but—”
“On the porch?” Katherine hugged Amanda tighter. “That does it. You’re staying here with us until such time as we get escorted out of here by a burly guy driving a monster tow truck. Do I make myself clear, ranger man?” If he could toss out the nickname he’d given her that night, she could toss out his.
The laughter in his eyes faded, to be replaced with something more potent. “I don’t know how long we’ll be here.”
“I don’t care. I—”
“I do.”
She met his gaze. “You really want us out of your life, don’t you?” she said softly.
“Yes.”
* * *
ZEKE TURNED AWAY from the pain flickering in Katherine’s eyes. Sometimes the truth hurt, as he well knew. There was nothing more to say, so he’d better get some food on the table. Fortunately he’d done a little shopping the day before and had most of the basics.
He walked over to the kitchen cupboard and took down a can of tuna. “How about a tuna sandwich?”
“That’s fine.” Her voice held none of the playfulness from a moment ago, when she’d been describing her bear experience.
For a brief time during that conversation about the bear, he’d forgotten their situation and had found himself enjoying the Katherine he’d known a year ago, the one who had caused him to lower his defenses. He’d be wise not to lower them again.
“Can I help in any way?” she asked.
“I’ll take care of it.” He’d really done himself in this time, Zeke thought. Although he wasn’t planning to tell Katherine yet, there had been times when the phone had been out for several days. He wasn’t about to stay here with her for days, though. If necessary, he’d drive the truck the way it was. He’d rather have mega-repair bills than spend that amount of time here with Katherine and the baby. He didn’t want to get in any deeper than he already was.
He put on some coffee and started working on the sandwiches while Katherine talked to Amanda in that cozy way she had. When she crooned to the baby in such an intimate tone he felt closed out, which might be how she wanted him to feel after the way he’d come across about the parental rights thing. But he knew himself, and being a part-time father would tear him apart. It was a situation guaranteed to produce misunderstandings and potential rejection. He had a very low tolerance for rejection, but he wasn’t going to expose himself enough to explain that to her.
Rain pelted the window over the sink as he worked on lunch. He listened to it come down and thought about the creek bridge. Most likely the beaver dam upstream had given way, and if he wanted to get back across that bridge in the truck, he’d have to make his move soon. Obviously Katherine wasn’t going to let him go without her. He wasn’t crazy about the idea of leaving her, either, although he thought she’d be safe enough, especially if he showed her how to fire his gun to scare off Sadie if she showed up.
But he doubted she’d agree to that procedure, and there was no way he could force her to stay behind. He decided to wait an hour. If the phone wasn’t working by then, he’d suggest they drive the truck on the flat tire, get back on the main road and look for the nearest phone.
“Zeke?”
“Yeah?” He kept working on the sandwiches instead of turning around. The busier he kept himself, the better.
“I understand that you want to give up all your rights to Amanda and have no more contact with us, but I was wondering if...if you’d mind her knowing something about you.”
A warning flashed in his brain. “Such as?”
“Well, that you love the outdoors, and you’re part Sioux. Things like that.”
The concept of Amanda being curious about her father hadn’t even occurred to him. He’d been so focused on getting mother and baby out of his life that he’d forgotten Amanda wouldn’t always be a baby. And kids wanted to know about their parents. He still wondered about his father and had done some fruitless research trying to find out who he was and what had happened to him.
“I could disguise the information so she wouldn’t be able to track you down,” Katherine said, “if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He picked up the two sandwich plates and walked over to the table where she sat holding the baby. “Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about.” He also wondered how a grown-up Amanda would take the news that he hadn’t wanted to have anything to do with her. Damn, but this was getting dicey.
“I think it would be better to give her some information rather than make you a big question mark,” Katherine said.
“Maybe.” He set down the sandwiches. “I made coffee, but I guess you can’t have that. I suppose beer’s out, too. I have orange juice and—”
“Actually, a beer would be fine. I have one once in a while when I’m afraid stress might have decreased my flow of milk.”
His glance went immediately to her full breasts underneath the gauzy material of her green blouse. Fortunately he had the presence of mind to quickly look up again. He couldn’t be caught staring at her. “I’ll get you a beer.” He walked over to the refrigerator and tried to ignore his memory’s instant replay of Katherine poised above him, her breasts quivering with each upward thrust he made.
By the time he returned to the table with a foaming glass of beer in one hand and his mug of coffee in the other, he’d calmed himself.
“Thank you.” She gave him a brief smile.
He realized that her smiles were in short supply this trip, too. He’d been proud of himself when he’d made her smile the first time after fishing her out of the river. She’d been so damned scared that she hadn’t been able to stop shaking. He’d asked her country-bumpkin questions about life in the big city until at long last he’d coaxed her into smiling a little. That was the first moment he’d realized that he wanted more than a smile from her.
He’d never in a million years have guessed that such a moment could lead him to this. Silently he gazed at Katherine as she sat across the table from him. She’d taken Amanda out of the sling, and now she tucked the baby in the crook of her arm as she sipped her beer. A bit of foam clung to her upper lip and she licked it away with her tongue. An arrow of desire shot straight to Zeke’s