"Slice the bread so it's even and perfect?"
Rudy shrugged. "I don't know. Practice, I guess. Mom got tired of us kids mangling the loaf, so she insisted on teaching us to slice it properly." He motioned to the serrated-edged knife that he'd used. "The right knife makes a big difference."
Eden studied the knife for a moment before she went back to stirring.
Silence settled in the kitchen except for the bubble and hiss of the pressure cooker and the scrape of her wooden spoon against the bottom of the pan. Rudy knew he should try to make conversation, but he was still so surprised to see her in the kitchen, that he figured it would be best to keep his mouth shut. With his track record, he'd probably say something offensive.
Besides, he was way too distracted by the words on her apron to think clearly.
Kiss the Cook.
When mom wore that apron, dadalwayskissed the cook. Of course, she didn't need to wear a special apron for dad to show his affection. He was good about that.
And even though the current cook looked very kissable, Rudy couldn't go there with someone who was only here temporarily. That didn't keep his mouth from salivating in a way that had nothing to do with the delicious bread and jam though.
He'd just stepped farther away from Eden to remove himself from the temptation when his mom returned from the storage room with her hands full of canning rings. "I see you found the bread. Don't eat too much. Dinner will be ready soon."
Rudy finished his snack just as the timer signaled the end of the hot-water bath. He lingered in the kitchen for a moment, watching his mom and Eden work together to pull the hot jars from the cooker. Watching her work alongside his mom made it all too easy to picture coming home to her every day.
Whoa! I shouldn't be entertaining thoughts like that about Eden.
He hurried to his room to change his clothes and clear his head. When he tried to go into the bathroom, he found the door locked. He gave a quick knock to see if Eden had gone in there in the last few minutes. Hearing no response, he went to her room and paused outside the open door.
His mom's voice traveled down the hall. "Careful, dear. Don't burn yourself."
Eden was busy. There was no point making her come unlock the bathroom door for him. He could just go into her room and on to the bathroom and she'd be none the wiser. He stepped in, intent on beelining straight to the bathroom, but stopped when he saw a pink lacy bra hanging from the knob of the door he needed to open.
His hand froze outstretched.
It wasn't like he hadn't seen a bra before. He had older sisters, but they were all considerably older than him and had left home years ago. It was more the fact that this piece of under clothing belonged to the woman he hadn't been able to get out of his mind all day.
He was still in the process of convincing himself it wasn't a big deal to grab the knob where Eden's bra hung when she walked into the room and saw him standing there with his hand reaching for her bra... erm, the doorknob. He was reaching for the doorknob!
"What are you doing?"
"I...uh..." Heat flooded Rudy's face, making the tips of his ears burn.
Her eyes widened. "Oh my heck!" She snatched her bra off the door and quickly turned away, hiding it from his view, but not before color filled her own cheeks.
"You...uh...forgot to unlock the door on my side." Rudy tugged on the collar of his shirt. Why was it suddenly so hot in here?
"As did you this morning."
"Right. Sorry. I guess that makes us even."
"Except you didn't leave your...you know what...hanging on the doorknob." She flung her hand—bra and all—through the air. Then gasping, she shoved it behind her back again.
Rudy couldn't help himself; he busted out laughing. He was glad he wasn't the only one who was rattled by this whole situation. Thankfully, she joined him instead of getting offended or angry.
"I guess this is just as big of an adjustment for you as it is for me," she said, still smiling.
His gaze dropped to her lips. Had they always been so red and full?
"You can say that again." The words came out deep and husky.
An insane urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her hit him as an awkward silence settled between them. He sucked in a sharp breath and reminded himself why he was in her room in the first place. He reached for the doorknob then quickly jerked back.
Eden wasn't directly between him and the door, but she stood close enough that if he continued to reach for the knob, it would look like he intended to grab her hip.
