Whitney couldn’t take her eyes off him. He looked so much better with short hair and a trimmed beard than he had before. But it was his eyes that were hypnotizing her. Why did he gaze at her as if he really cared?
She tried to mentally shake herself awake. This must be some kind of dream. Maybe there was a chemical up here in the attic that made her mind play tricks on her.
“I... um...” And why couldn’t she think of anything to say?
He stepped closer and cupped her face with both of his hands. His gaze dropped to her mouth. Slowly, his mouth stretched into a smile. His fingers traced her lips before his thumbs brushed her chin.
“You had flour on your face,” he said.
She snapped out of the daze she’d been in and shook her head. “I was helping Gladys in the kitchen.”
He nodded and let his hands drop to his sides. “That’s what she told me. I’m glad I found you. This is a large house.” He looked around the room. “And this is the cleanest attic I’ve ever seen.”
“Yes. That’s Joe for you. Always precise.” She headed toward the stairs and he followed. “How was your day? Did you learn a lot of things about the ranch?”
“I sure did.”
He moved ahead of her quickly to open the attic door for her. Curiosity tugged on her conscience. Why was he acting so nice? There wasn’t anyone around for them to pretend with up here.
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” She walked out of the attic.
“And I’ve decided, I’m going to buy me a ranch somewhere. I’ve always liked Montana. What do you think about having my ranch there?” He closed the door behind him.
“I’m sure there are lots of ranches for sale in Montana. I think you’ll like it there, but...” She stopped, facing him. “I think they have more wild animals than just bears and moose. Whatever would you do if your vehicle were stuck in the mud? Montana might actually have some of the horror movies’ villains, too.”
When he grinned, one side of his mouth lifted higher than the other. “Ha, ha. You’re very funny. But I would never drive a car on my ranch. I’d have a nice truck with large tires and four-wheel-drive. Then I’d be able to get out of any predicament.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” She nodded. “But remember one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“If you’re going to protect a woman from an unknown monster,” she arched an eyebrow, “make sure you have some kind of gun on you.” She touched his chest, lightly. “I thought it was sweet that you tried to protect me last night right before Joe showed himself. But I had already reached for my gun to protect us.”
He leaned into her, but it wasn’t until her back bumped against something solid when she realized how close she’d been to the wall. He bracketed his hands on the wall, trapping her with his body. But she wasn’t scared. If she wanted to get away, she could show him some self-defense moves. The problem was, she didn’t want to get away from him. His penetrating gaze made her wonder if he wanted to kiss her passionately.
She’d stop him, of course...
“And I appreciate that you tried to protect me,” he said in a gentle voice, “but next time, letmetry and be the hero. I might not be a trained agent like you, but I’m a man who enjoys impressing a woman.”
She wanted to laugh. Really, she did. But his words were so sincere. He couldn’t possibly mean what he’d said. Why would he want to impress her? Why would any man want to do that?
But the way his gaze was locked with hers, and the steady increase of his breaths, made her wonder if he was telling the truth. The attraction between them was confusing, yet at this moment, she didn’t want to try and figure him out.
He leaned closer. She held her breath and closed her eyes, waiting for his kiss. After a few second without a kiss, she peeked at him. A smile touched his mouth as he withdrew and stepped away from her.
Without a word, he turned and headed back down the stairs toward the main level. She expelled a heavy breath as her body relaxed. What was that all about? Perhaps it was time to figure out what he wanted from her. She couldn’t go on pretending she loathed him any longer, especially when she was feeling the complete opposite.
