that about a lot women.
“You come to help or just watch?” she asked without turning around.
Startled, he couldn’t think of anything to say. How had she known—? He watched her reach over to hit a switch. A red light next to the workbench stopped flashing. The light. Well, that explained how she knew he was here. Or at least, someone was here.
“I had a feeling I’d be seeing you again,” she said, still not turning around.
She didn’t sound too unhappy about it. He supposed that was something.
“I guess I don’t have to ask what you’re doing here,” he said.
“I told you I have work to do, an order that needs to go out by the end of the month, and I’m behind.”
He nodded as he moved closer. “Responsibilities. People who depend on you.” He had the feeling that was only part of the reason she’d come here tonight. He’d tried to lose himself in physical work too many times not to see that.
“So, what are you working on?” He walked over to a completed pine hutch.
“Finishing up a special order. That’s part of it,” she said, pointing to the hutch.
He spun around in surprise to look at her. “You designed and built this?”
She pushed the goggles back on her head. “You sound surprised.”
She could have knocked him over with a feather. He ran a hand over the baby-smooth surface of the hutch, admiring the simple and yet elegant lines. “You do exceptional work and the design is…incredible.”
“I’d take that as a compliment if you didn’t sound so shocked.”
“I’m just surprised,” he said, glancing over at her again. “Surprised you’re a…”
“Cabinetmaker,” she supplied for him.
“Right, a cabinetmaker, not surprised that you’re so talented. I do a little woodworking myself, but nothing like this.”
“Please,” she said laughing, “you’re making me blush.”
She wasn’t blushing but she was smiling, her hands on her hips, sawdust on the front of her overalls. He’d never seen a more sexy-looking woman. She stirred something in him, the way he’d often stirred the coals of a campfire. Sparks flew between them. He could see hot embers reflected in her eyes and this time he knew it wasn’t just his imagination.
“How did you get into…this?” he asked, sweeping a hand to encompass the shop.
“I was born to it, I guess you could say. My father was a cabinetmaker. I always hung around the shop with him and he let me use his tools. I didn’t even realize how much he’d taught me until he had his heart attack and I had to take over the business. That was five years ago. I’d only planned to run the place until it sold, but then one thing led to another and here I am.”
He stared at her, unable to find words for what he was feeling.
“I thought you were packing?” she asked, changing the subject abruptly as if she hadn’t meant to tell him that much.
Packing? Oh, yeah. He watched her turn back to her work. Picking up a metal square and a pencil, she leaned over to take some measurements on the piece of pine in front of her.
“I got to thinking after your phone call…”
She looked up then, waiting. She wasn’t going to make this easy for him.
“…I can’t leave yet.”
“Oh?”
“I’m worried about you,” he said, wondering why the words had been so hard to say. Probably because she didn’t seem like the kind of woman who’d want to be worried about. Nor was it any of his business and they both knew it.
“Why are you involving yourself in this?” she asked as if thinking the very same thing. “This isn’t your case. You’re on vacation.”
Well, not exactly, huh. He shrugged and smiled. “Maybe I like the way you eat lemon-jelly doughnuts.”
She laughed. The sound had a great ring to it. “Now I know you’re not serious.”
He’d never been more serious. But where was he going with this? What did he hope to accomplish here? The answer seemed to come out of thin air and yet it was as clear and concise as any thought he’d ever had.
He wanted to get to know her better. A whole lot better.
A thought like that should have shocked him. This was happening much too fast. Or at least the thought should have surprised him. But he had a hunch he’d felt this way from the moment he saw her at the hotel—as crazy as that was.
“What are you doing for dinner?”
Her eyes widened. He loved the way they changed color, reflecting her