her cabin, she’s got her hand on the door already. She’s radiating more tension than a cello string pulled too tight, and I’m not some jerk who’s just out to pluck her.
“Thanks for joining me today.” I kill the engine without making any moves toward her. “Did you get your animal fix?”
Her smile is warm but doesn’t quite meet her eyes. “It was wonderful, thank you.” She’s at the far edge of her seat, and it’s clear from her body language she’s giving the opposite of a come-hither look. Go-thither?
I soften my voice the same way I do with nervous patients. “My mother thinks you’re fantastic. So does Kevin the pig.”
She laughs but doesn’t take her hand off the door. “I hope I get to see him again.”
“We’ll make sure it happens.” Even if the secondary foster doesn’t work out, I can take her back to visit. I study her face, trying to wrap my head around the disconnect between her stiff posture and the heat in her eyes. Izzy’s gaze darts to my mouth, and she licks her lips before glancing away.
What’s happening here?
Adopting my soothing doctor voice, I try again. “I’d like to see you again.”
Izzy gives me a smile tinged with a pale blue hue of sadness. “That sounds lovely,” she says in what I’m beginning to realize is her duchess voice.
I keep watching her, trying to understand the change in her demeanor. “Did I say something wrong? That crack earlier about curtsying—”
“No! It’s not that at all. It’s just—” She bites her lip and glances down in her lap. “I don’t want to give you the wrong idea. I’m here only temporarily. I don’t know how long, but…not much longer? And I know you’re looking for a wife.”
I laugh and turn in my seat to face her. “Hey, Iz?” When she looks up, her eyes are unsure. “Yeah, I want to get married eventually, but I’m not looking for a wife this week. I’m okay just spending time with you and seeing where things go.”
She’s biting her lip so hard I’m afraid she’ll draw blood. “That’s the thing. It can’t go anywhere, so is there really any point?”
I hesitate, trying to get a read on her. I’ve had women blow me off before, just flat-out uninterested. If that’s what’s happening here, I can handle it.
But something tells me there’s more.
“The point,” I say slowly, “is that I enjoy spending time with you. Talking. Hanging out. And yes, kissing. But if you’re not feelin’ it, I totally understand. No hard feelings, okay?”
I brace for the full brush-off. If she’s just not into me, here’s her chance to say so.
But color floods her cheeks, and the faintest smile tugs the corner of her mouth. “I like that, too.” The blush deepens. “The kissing, I mean. I like it very much.”
“All right.” The urge to reach for her is overwhelming, but I keep one hand on the wheel and the other safely on my lap. “No pressure then, but I’d like to see you again. Maybe dinner or something.”
“Even if it can’t go anywhere?”
“Even then.” There’s a desperate, hungry part of me that’s dying for more. That knows “temporary” could never be enough with Iz.
But I’ll take what I can get, so I offer an unassuming smile. “Text me whenever you want to see Kevin again?”
It’s a pathetic excuse, but she nods and smiles. “Deal.”
Then she pushes open the door and starts to swing her legs out. I’m so distracted by her legs that I nearly miss the movement on the path beyond James and Lily’s cabin. I squint at the shadows, a niggling unease moving up my arms.
“Izzy, wait.”
She looks at me. “What’s wrong?”
I glance back at the shadows and catch a full view of his face in the glow of James’s porch light. “Remember that guy a few days ago? The bald dude who took the wrong turn.”
Her brow furrows in confusion, but there’s a flash of something else in her eyes. “I think so?”
“I think that’s him.” I point to the shadows and see movement again. It’s dark and he’s got a dark stocking cap covering his bald head, but something about his posture gives me the creeps. “He’s not one of your brothers’ buddies or something?”
“What? No. I mean—I don’t believe so.”
Something’s off here, but I’ll be damned if I can guess what it is. “I can’t think of any other reason he’d be hanging around the owners’ cabins.” I unbuckle my seatbelt. “I’ll walk