* * *
Eden retreatedinto the bathroom then to her bedroom before stopping to take a breath. She knew the towel she'd grabbed from under the sink was rather small, but she'd been so intent on giving Rudy and Alice a piece of her mind that she hadn't realized how skimpy it was.
Then when she saw Rudy standing there shirtless. Her mouth went dry, and her mind short-circuited. To hide how flustered she felt at the sight of his sculpted bare chest and tones abs, she went on the defensive by accusing him of rudely interrupting her bath and telling him he should learn to knock on his own bathroom door.
Rudy wasn't as bulky as Scott—that man was just plain big—but he had muscle. Lean and toned muscle. He also had a sizable scar on his shoulder.
She wracked her brain, trying to remember whether Kennedy had ever mentioned Rudy being in an accident. She couldn't recall anything, but judging by the size of the scar, it must have been a bad accident.
He had every right to question her presence in his bathroom. She didn't belong here, in the Wheeler's house or in this small town. There wasn't anything for her here. But there wasn't anything back in Spokane for her either.
Before she could get depressed by her situation again, she shook the thoughts from her head and quickly dressed.
Now what?
She wasn't eager to leave her room and face Alice or Rudy, but when she heard the water turn on in the bathroom, she didn't want to stay there and think about him showering on the other side of a door that didn't lock.
Eden found Alice bustling around in the kitchen, putting final preparations on a dinner that smelled amazing.
The older woman pressed a hand to her cheek. "I'm so sorry. I forgot to warn you about the locks or lack thereof. I tried to catch Rudy but..." She finished with a shrug.
Eden waved away the apology even though she was still a little breathless from the whole ordeal. Although she wasn't sure if it was because Rudy walked in on her in the bath or because he was shirtless.
"Can I help with dinner?" Eden held up a finger. "Although I should warn you that I'm mostly inept in the kitchen."
"Good thing I'm a firm believer that anyone can learn then." Alice smiled. "We'll start you off with something easy like tossing a salad."
Alice pulled a flowered apron from a drawer and handed it to Eden, then she guided her to the counter where she had the makings for a green salad. She gave Eden a few instructions then went back to stirring something in the pot on the stove.
The older woman engaged Eden in conversation as they worked together by asking her questions about herself. Thankfully, she didn't broach any touchy subjects like her job—or lack thereof—and her relationship with her dad.
Eden shared a little about how her nanny had tried to teach her to cook, but as a boy-crazy teenager, she'd had little interest.
Just as she finished the salad, Bill Wheeler walked through the door that led to the garage. "Well, hello, Eden." He was a tall, lanky man, who always wore a smile.
Rudy resembled him. He and Debbie seemed to get their slender figure from their father, whereas the rest of the family was curvy—or in Scott's case, bulky—like Alice.
Eden gave Bill a friendly smile. "Hello, sir."
"What did I tell you? I'll have none of this 'sir' stuff."
He'd insisted back at the time of the wedding and again at Sunday dinner yesterday that she call him Bill.
"Sorry, Bill."
He gave an approving nod then turned and swept Alice into his arms and planted a lingering kiss on her lips. After a little squeal, Alice wrapped her arms around her husband and returned the kiss.
Warmth filled Eden's cheeks at the display of affection. She couldn't recall ever seeing a mature couple kiss so passionately before. They were obviously still very much in love.
She tried to think back before her mother died. Did her dad ever greet her mom like that when he came home from work? A pang of sadness filled her when she couldn't dig up a single memory of her parents kissing.
Rudy entered the kitchen while Bill still held Alice and called, "Get a room!"
Eden's heart stumbled then sped up a little at the sight of him in well-worn jeans and a snug blue T-shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes. A five o'clock shadow still covered his jaw, and his damp hair only added to his attractiveness.
She couldn't make herself meet his gaze and judging by the way he grabbed plates from the cupboard and started setting the table, he didn't intend to meet hers either.
Bill finally released Alice and grumbled something about annoying kids. "Just wait until we're empty nesters, then we can run around the house in our birthday suits all day, if we want."
